Arkansas Tech University student Alanna Koch drew upon faith to create the first-place entry in the 19th annual ATU Juried Student Competitive Exhibition.
Koch’s blank ink linocut “Star of the Sea” was selected best among 86 works of art submitted by 35 ATU students. Of those, 30 pieces by 25 ATU students were selected for inclusion in the exhibition.
A sophomore from Scranton, Koch explained that the winning entry was inspired by the Biblical figure Mary as interpreted through the Catholic faith.
“Ave maris stella means star of the sea in Latin,” said Koch. “Basically, what that means in Catholic tradition is that our lady, Mary, mother of Jesus, is the star of the sea guiding us to our Lord. The raging waves around her are the raging waves of life, but she remains peaceful and calm to help guide us to God.”
Koch said she has been making art ever since she could grasp a pencil.
“All that I remember is drawing,” said Koch. “Making Christian artwork is a very recent development for me. I really find a lot of fulfillment with that.”
A graphic design major, Koch said her experiences in the ATU Department of Art have pushed her to expand her artwork into new media.
“It has really helped me creatively by expanding my horizons,” said Koch. “I’ve been able to get out of my comfort zone with that guidance, and that’s helped me so much.”
The competition winners were announced by Kris Waid-Jones, ATU assistant professor of art and gallery director, during a reception at ATU’s Norman Hall Art Gallery on Thursday, Nov. 6.
Linsey Gjerstad of Branson, Mo., earned second place with “Intro to Drawing” in charcoal. Willow Passmore of Greers Ferry captured third place with a piece entitled “Grasshopper” that utilized photography and soft ground intaglio.
Honorable mention prizes went to Mars Carter of Arkadelphia for a piece created in Adobe Photoshop entitled “Moon Watcher” and Luetisha Poindexter of Muldrow, Okla., for a ceramic creation entitled “January.”
Anna Stiritz, a painter based in Russellville with more than 25 years of experience, served as juror for the 19th annual ATU Juried Student Competitive Exhibition.
Through a separate judging process, the ATU Learning Center selected pieces from the exhibition by ATU students Jocelyn Dong of Harrison and Ella Dover of Mountain Home for its purchase award. As a result, their artwork will be on display in the tutoring center located at ATU’s Ross Pendergraft Library and Technology Center.
Additional ATU student artists featured in the exhibition were Caidense Anderson, Phoebe Arnold, Jessica Avalos-Reyes, Frey Bates, Emily Cousar, A’Marie Dukes, Dixion-Jean Harrell, Cristian Huerta, Grey Jenkins, Nichole Lawson, Kaylie May, Ezra McDole, Elonna McPeters, A.J. Rider, Rayne Stephens, Julia Trejo-Trejo, Antonio Walls Jr. and Xing Zhang.
Visit www.atu.edu/humanities/art to learn more about the ATU Department of Art.
