Every year, at Mesa Community College, we have a Student Art Show. It’s an ENORMOUS amount of work for the faculty resulting in a serious SLOWDOWN in my blog output. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great event and I’m glad we do it BUT, as one of the largest community colleges in the United States, the logistics are a tad overwhelming. Allow me to quantify!
There are about 1500 art students per term (3000 annually). Each student produces between three (3) and five (5) pieces of work per term. This generates a minimum of 9,000 to 15,000 works that are eligible for the show. The faculty and/or students select the best 150 to 200 works. The juried entries are then judged by three professional artists from the community (the panel changes each year). The judges choose Best of Show, Best of Each Medium, thirteen Juror’s Awards and seven Emerging Talent awards. There is also a Presidential Purchase Award (wherein the president of the college buys a piece of art for the MCC Collection). There is prize money for each award.
Among the tasks we have: setting up and tearing down the show, planning food and music for the Community Reception, producing an interactive program to show the work during the Awards Ceremony, getting posters and postcards made and mailed, databasing entries, creating labels, creating recognition certificates, sitting the show and dozens of other tasks!
Results: Seven (7) Media Arts students received awards! Carlos Espinoza’s short film Ossirisus (pictured above) took Best of Medium.
