50th Annual Student Art Show

Juror's Statement

It was an honor to serve as the juror for the 50th Annual Student Exhibition for the University of Southern Indiana. Twenty years ago, I had just graduated USI with a major in art and as I look back, it was one of the most satisfying decisions I had ever made. I had originally set the course for a career in engineering, but after my freshman year, I had a change of heart and did what I really wanted to do. Fast forward to 2020 and I had made arrangements to travel the country on my long awaited sabbatical from the University of Hawaii at Hilo. As it turns out, my mid-travel visit to Indiana to jury the exhibition and spend time with friends and family has been extended, albeit with social distancing in effect.
While I had longed for a proper visit to my old stomping grounds and to meet fresh new faces in the Art Depart-ment, here I sit in my childhood home in the kitchen selecting this year’s exhibition. I can say that in these surreal and indefinite times, that looking through the entries from the art and design students gave me a much needed creative focus. I should preface my selec-tion justification by noting that the number of entries was overwhelmingly from the studio practice, which accounts for the high numbers of studio based projects selected for this year’s exhibition. 

There were plenty of submissions that I wanted to include, but alas, I had to narrow things down to resemble what would be the norm for the annual exhibition. I think it is a strong show that exhibits a variety of media, ideas, and well represents the talent in the Art Department at USI. My selection process involved looking through all of the entries, without any bias or agenda other than to famil-iarize myself with the entries as a whole.

In my second round of looking through the submissions, I took a more critical viewpoint. For most of the two dimensional work, I wanted to see a solid understanding of the elements and principles of design. There were several pieces I chose to include that showed an accom-plished ability to draw from observation. Equally important, an artist’s imagination is an invaluable resource. There were also many works that used expressive marks, developing intricate textures and patterns. As a narrative artist, I tend to be drawn to works that communicate a thought or story. Looking over my selections again as I write this, there is a sense of struggle conveyed in several works. Perhaps it is the times informing our creative minds or coincidence, but it is fitting nonetheless. Other pieces help balance out the show with a lighter, some-times whimsical mood. A handful of design submissions featured three categories: 

1. Type books
2. Infographic posters
3. Logo designs

For the design projects, I looked for well-balanced and legible designs that provided an efficient and uncluttered means to explore the content. I found the type-books both informative and a good exercise for researching professional designers. The info posters explored a broader range of content, the strongest of which  encompassed both original design layout and concise presentation of content. Logo designs varied in scope,  the stronger presentations of which were displayed  on merchandise.

I would also like to commend the student efforts to submit to this year’s exhibition. For as long as I can remember, entries were always juried in person. The call for entries had already been open for some time and stu-dents had to revise their applications to submit online. A responsive faculty and staff were able to change the submission process post-haste and accommodate the need for an online submission due to COVID-19 protocol. 

With the unexpected burden of a short semester and lack of resources, the students did an impressive job of photographing their artworks. I did factor in the digital presentation in the jurying process, and I always tell my students that their artwork is only as good as it looks on the screen, as most of these selection processes are done digitally these days. It is pretty clear that a majority of students are now equipped with the proper resources for quality imaging in their pockets.

Jon Goebel
Department Chair and Associate Professor of Art University of Hawaii at Hilo