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Austin Peay's Art + Design celebrates student work with annual juried exhibition

The New Gallery, Austin Peay State University's 1,500-square-foot white cube contemporary art gallery.
The New Gallery, APSU's white cube contemporary art gallery.

(Posted on Tuesday, April 4, 2023)

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Austin Peay State University’s Department of Art + Design is celebrating the end of the 2022-23 academic year with the 55th Annual Juried Student Exhibition. The professionally juried exhibition opens in The New Gallery on April 5 and runs through April 26. There will be a reception and awards ceremony from 5:30-7 p.m. April 26. This event is free and open to the public. 

The Department of Art + Design is proud of its outstanding student artists and wants to reward them for their hard work and creativity. The 55th Annual Student Juried Art Exhibition is professionally juried from outside Austin Peay State University, emulating the practice of real-world art shows. The exhibition showcases the best artwork produced by students during the past year and gives them the opportunity to participate in a professional exhibition where a qualified juror selects artwork and artistic merit awards. 

About the juror 

This year’s juror is Courtney Adair Johnson, gallery director of the Department of Art and Design at Tennessee State University and co-builder of McGruder Social Practice Artist Residency (M-SPAR). Johnson is a self-proclaimed reuse artist whose passion is creating conversations on consumption and waste habits. With her public and academic work, she finds importance in information sharing and working on topics of social justice, history and cultural and neighborhood preservation. Johnson has led reuse projects with Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Tennessee Craft and Springboard for the Arts (Fergus Falls). 

About the art 

This year’s exhibition features 43 works of art chosen from 228 submissions, which were created by the following artists: Kaos Armstrong, Freddy Batts, Samuel Beals, Emelia Beck, Dalain Branham, Emily Chandler, Hayley Collins, Karley Davis, Amanda Ellis, Jordan Fulsom, Lily Goodowens, Vivian Havelka, Garlyn Jarrell, Jordyn Jones, Darria Little-Vaag’bay, Autumn Maczko, Mica Maloney, Brianna Martinez, Rebecca McWhorter, Riley Miller, Jordan Miller, Kennedy Nicols, Devyn Nickel, Radio Nidiffer, Raamiah Pattenaude, Angelica Rivera Abad, Sara Roach, Julianna Smith, Taylor Spainhoward and Za’Kira Thomas.  

Join us in recognizing the achievements of these students during the reception and awards night at the department’s Art-apalooza event from 5-8 p.m. Wednesday, April 26 in The New Gallery. Beginning at 5:30 p.m., juried student exhibition winners will be announced, along with CECA Purchase Award winners and Summer Research Award recipients. 

For more information on this exhibition, contact Michael Dickins, gallery director, at dickinsm@apsu.edu.