NEWS

Jan. 25 through Feb. 15, Louisiana Tech University will host the Sixth Louisiana Biennial: National Juried Exhibition in the F. Jay Taylor Visual Arts Center Galleries. A Juror Talk with independent curator Rebecca Hart will be held from 5-6 p.m. Jan. 25, followed by an opening reception from 6-7 p.m.

The exhibition features artists from throughout the United States, including two-dimensional, three-dimensional, and video works.

The exhibition’s overall gallery winner will receive $500 and the opportunity to host a solo exhibition at Louisiana Tech. A juror’s choice, receiving $300, and two Honorable Mentions, each receiving $100, will also be recognized.

Brooke Cassady, Assistant Professor and Gallery Director in Louisiana Tech’s School of Design, said the exhibition offers an unparalleled opportunity for Tech students.

“It’s an extraordinary opportunity for our students to be exposed to professionals of this caliber with extensive resumes and experiences in the art world,” Cassady said. “This gives our students an insight into what curators are looking for and a better understanding of the jurying process, which is crucial for artists getting exposure in the art world.”

In addition to familiarizing students with the jurying process, Master of Fine Arts students are granted the opportunity to learn from experts in their field.

“The jurors also spend time on campus, demonstrating their art-making process via workshops and visiting individually with our MFA students to give them personal feedback during critiques,” Cassady said.

The exhibition serves as an opportunity for students, faculty, and the public to see emerging contemporary work from around the country in local galleries.

“Typically, in a visit to an out-of-town art museum or private gallery, we have only a few minutes to look at individual pieces in an exhibition,” said Karl Puljak, Director of the School of Design. “By hosting this national juried exhibition in our galleries, our students will have an extended amount of time to visit, observe, and think about the exhibited work over a few weeks. The opportunity to hear from our juror and learn about how the work was selected for the exhibition and who will be selected for the awards, will be equally interesting, because it will provide student access in the thought process of an important art curator.”

Hart is the former Vicki and Kent Logan Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art and Department Head of the Denver Art Museum and former Associate Curator and Department Head at Detroit Institute of Arts.

This article was written by Architecture student Sophie Puljak.