Gracing the walls at the Len G. Everett Gallery in the Hewes Library from Nov. 5 through Nov. 30 are the works of art students around campus. These are all entries in the Monmouth College annual Student Art Exhibition and Competition.

The exhibit features the art of students, with the styles including ceramics, design, drawing, painting, photography and sculpture. Awards are given to the first and second place pieces in each of the categories, and a best in show award will be presented as well. Also, one student will be presented the annual Waltershausen Sculpture Award, for an exceptional example of great sculpting.

Judging the competition will be retired professor emeritus of art Harlow Blum, who had a 40-year teaching career at Monmouth College. Blum is an accomplished professor and holds a bachelor’s degree in painting from the University of Illinois, a master’s degree in painting from Michigan State University and an M.F.A. in printmaking from Syracuse University. Blum has held solo exhibitions in New York City, St. Louis, Chicago, Tokyo and Kyoto in addition to  local showings.

Monmouth College junior Rebecca Busse is one of the many students who has entered her work into the competition. Showcased in the exhibit is Busse’s four-foot-by-five-foot portrait of the human body that she painted on plywood. Busse wanted to portray a message through her painting by relaying a real world view of the female body. The painting was done “in a sort of harsh and grotesque way,” as Busse explained it. She layered on the paint thickly in order to highlight the reality she was trying to portray in the work.

Busse confidently remarked, “it’s what makes the painting interesting,” adding, “traditionally in art women have basically been a commodity, simply a beautiful face and body to look at for the male viewer.” Breaking away from the prototype of the perfect woman, Busse created a painting that portrayed a female body in all its glory, which should really be viewed as beautiful.

Jeremy Foy, another student at Monmouth College, is also participating in the competition. Foy has submitted an aluminum mold of a motorcycle, which he says was inspired by the love for Harleys he inherited from his father. On his feelings toward the competition Foy remarked, “I don’t really care about the competition much. I just thought it would be cool to share my skills with others.” He went on to add, in regard to the possibility of his winning, “I didn’t even know that there were prizes involved, but no matter what, my dad will love it.”

The exhibit is open to public viewing during all regular library hours. The awards will be presented on Friday, Nov. 9 at 1 p.m. and is free and open to the public. So why not take a break from all of your end-of-semester papers and projects and take a look at what some of your fellow students have done.

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