Joyner Library announces exhibition winners

East Carolina University’s Joyner Library has announced the winners of its ninth annual Graduate Student Art and Design Exhibition. Winners were selected from 43 artworks by 20 artists that have been on display since the exhibition’s Oct. 20 opening.

“Jamal Roberts,” by Andrew Wells, graphite and acrylic

Winning the Friends of Joyner Library Purchase Award — the competition’s marquee award that comes with a $1,000 prize — was Andrew Wells for his graphite and acrylic painting “Jamal Roberts.”

“When I first saw ‘Jamal Roberts,’ I was struck by its power and relevance,” said Joyner Library Director Jan Lewis, who selected the winner. “In a world where people are too often judged and categorized based on external or superficial characteristics, Andrew Wells reminds us of the pain this causes. Unfortunately, ‘Jamal Roberts’ was as relevant 30 years ago as it is today; I can only hope that 30 years from now, as part of Joyner Library’s permanent art collection, it will be viewed in a historical context, not as a still-current depiction of society.”

Other award winners were:

• Hosanna Rubio received the College of Fine Arts and Communication’s $500 Dean’s Merit Award for the enamel and metal series “1st Timothy 2:12, Deuteronomy 23.2 and Judges 21:2”

• Addison Brown, winner of the School of Art and Design’s $350 Director’s Award for the photograph on aluminum “Interrogation”

• Alex Ingle, winner of the School of Art and Design’s $250 Award for the ceramic sculpture Happy Valentine’s Day

• Chris Morgan, winner of the Dowdy Student Store’s $50 Award for the bronze sculpture Breaking Free into Subconsciousness

Juror Matt Amante, Pitt Community College art instructor, complimented the diversity and strength of the entries.

“Interrogation,” by Addison Brown, photograph on aluminum

“I am happy with what I selected and feel that they are very deserving of the awards, but I had to almost constantly second-guess myself,” he said. “I appreciated the fact that nearly all of the work forced me to want to spend more time with it and consider it.”

The competition is a collaboration between Joyner Library and the School of Art and Design to showcase some of the best work of the year by art and design students.

“The exhibition provides an opportunity to recognize the artists as well as the faculty from whom they learned. We are thrilled to share their creations with the university community through this annual exhibition,” Lewis said.

The exhibition is on display until Jan. 10 in the Janice Hardison Faulkner Gallery on the second floor of Joyner Library.
–by Jules Norwood