UTAH TECH UNIVERSITY'S STUDENT NEWS SOURCE | March 28, 2024

DSU hosts spook-tacular art show

Artwork is displayed at DSU’s 2020 Halloween art show. Students can submit their pieces by Oct. 5 to be shown in this year’s exhibit. Photo by Tianna Major.

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In collaboration with the Integrated Arts and Sciences Department, Dixie State University holds its annual Halloween Art Show.

The show opening will be on Oct. 8 from 6-8 p.m. in the North Plaza Gallery and will close on Oct. 29. Students are able to submit two art pieces into the show. These submissions must be in by Oct. 4-5 and awards will be given Oct. 8 at 7 p.m.

The Halloween Art Show is a great opportunity for students and community members to enjoy a fun, light-hearted event while also bringing competition between local artists.

Jeff Yule, professor of interdisciplinary arts and sciences, said around 100 community members and students enter art into the show each year.

“Students benefit from entering into this show particularly because it’s a juried show (meaning only pieces selected by the jury will be allowed in),” said Alex Chamberlain, art department chair. “This gives students an opportunity to gain a point on a resume [and] cover letter as well as the experience of prepping a piece according to the show requirements.”

McGarren Flack, assistant professor of studio art, and Yule have been the two main judges for the show since the beginning, but each year they invite a different guest judge. This year the guest judge is Aaron Davis, assistant professor of biology and Halloween fan.

Flack recommends students submit art pieces into juried shows as a learning process.

“I apply to about 20 shows a year internationally and don’t get into every one. Students need to learn that rejection is temporary and not personal,” Flack said. “They [the artists] should keep creating and keep applying to shows to get their name out there.”

Yule explains that in previous years the show was titled toward a more specific theme than just Halloween. This year the art department decided to leave the theme open ended at Halloween to see what creative Halloween pieces students and local artists could create.

Van Mangus, senior academic adviser for College of Arts, explains how artists learn a lot through juried art shows since they have to cater their artwork towards a specific theme and/or a specific jury.

“This can be a good process for them to understand, to go speak with people who are doing the actual jurying about why they didn’t make it in and what they can do better next year, it gives them great feedback and experiences,” Mangus said.

Students and community members who may win an award during the Halloween Art Show will be given art as a prize. The prizes will consist of original art — like pins and magnets, relatively limited-edition art such as hand painted Halloween magnets, or mugs featuring the work of particular Halloween artists. In the future the art department would like to give monetary awards; however, this would require artists to pay a submission fee.

To see the juried art pieces visit the Halloween Art Show Gallery located in the North Plaza Gallery.