Students’ art displays creativity

Photo by Danielle Marsh

Flagler’s student art show featured several works. The first-place winner was a painting by Sierra Strasburger.

Flagler College’s students show off their works at new campus museum

By Marella Flynn | gargoyle@flagler.edu

From March 7 to April 11, students from all areas of study were invited to present their works of art in the first juried student art exhibition in the new Crisp-Ellert Art Museum.

Assistant Art professor Laura Mongiovi was a key player in orchestrating the event. She has had the desire to put on a showcase of this caliber, but the space was never available.

“It’s been a long time coming,” Mongiovi said. “We waited for the Crisp-Ellert Museum.”
The Crisp-Ellert Art Museum provides not only the art department, but also the entire college, with a tremendous opportunity.

Also, as the faculty adviser for the Art Club, Mongiovi worked in conjunction with the club’s president, senior Kelly Riling, to find resources to fund the affair.

Because of the Museum and the Art Club, the students were offered a rare chance—to have their work judged by an esteemed member of the professional art world without having to pay a submission fee.

The judges this year were Rob Depiazza, owner and founder of The Gallery at Screen Arts, and John Snow, the Creative Director for PGA Tour Creative Services.

The students submitted an estimated 200 to 300 works from all artistic areas. The judges narrowed it down to about a hundred eclectic pieces.

Graphic design samples, sculptures, and a looping film are a few examples that highlight the diversity among the works.

“I dropped my two photographs off at the Museum, and I went back a week later expecting to gather my two prints, but they had been selected to be in the student-juried art show,” junior Katelyn Calautti said. “I was happily surprised and proud of my images, and glad that my professor, Abby Bellard, pushed our class to submit work because I never would have had the motivation to do so.”

What students may not know is that the exhibition was open to every currently registered student at Flagler. Art works from every medium, new and old, were also welcomed.

“It wasn’t limited because other majors, like communications, overlap with the different videos they make,” Mongiovi said. Mongiovi says in the future, she hopes there will be more submissions of new media art.

Mongiovi also worked closely with Sarah Kelly, Director of the Crisp-Ellert Art Museum, who saw most of the action firsthand.

“This show was the best-attended show thus far—students, people young and old from around the community,” Kelly said. “Twenty-five to 50 people at a time in the beginning of the show.

“There were lots of high quality pieces of work. Some were even sold.”

There were no visible prices posted on the pieces, but Kelly put interested buyers in contact with the artists.

Third-place winner Caitlin Robison, who had a graphic design piece entitled Billy’s (mid-life) Crisis, was awarded a gift card to Reddi Arts.

Second-place $75 dollar cash prizewinner, Addie Hassel, displayed an intricate metal lace wire piece entitled Grandma’s Lace. Sierra Strasburger was the first-place and $100 cash prizewinner for her oil painting entitled Il futuro.

Judges chose the three winners and the cash prizes were compliments of the Art Club.
There are plans to make the juried show an annual event.

“Once students see how well this year’s went, they’ll want to be a part of this professional experience,” Mongiovi said.

The next event at the Crisp-Ellert Art Museum will be the Bachelor of Art and Bachelor of Fine Art show on April 24. It will showcase the finest work from this year’s graduating class. The Wobbly Toms will be performing.