AMES, IA (January 6, 2020) — Twenty-nine Iowa State University College of Design students were recognized in the "Studies in Creativity" annual juried art exhibition, which was displayed October 10-December 8 at the Iowa State Memorial Union Gallery.
This year's show was juried by multimedia artist Mary Jones, an Iowa Arts Council 2018 Fellow. Jones reviewed 78 artworks by 47 artists and accepted 36 pieces by 29 artists for the exhibition. Award winners were announced at a reception on October 17.
Best of Show
Chiihan Tan, senior in industrial design originally from Johor Bahru, Malaysia, and now of Iowa City, received Best of Show for her wood and steel furniture design titled "Two Men and a Dog" (above).
"Chairs always seem to be alone. They are silent and passive," Tan said of her design. "I wanted to break that solitude philosophically by creating interactions between two pieces of chairs."
Tan said she first developed her design concept while looking for a way to show her parents exactly what she was studying overseas. She also wanted something they could potentially envision using themselves.
"All my siblings and I are away from our home. My parents and our pet dog, Chopper, are the only ones in the house right now. They are the inspiration of my design," Tan said. "I gave this piece a name in a Chinese dialect, Hokkien. It's 'Kueyshio' (kooay-sheeo). A simple translation means to get cozy with people around you."
Merit Awards
Students who received Merit Awards include Sydney Schilling, senior in pre-integrated studio arts from Council Bluffs, for her acrylic and colored pencil painting "A Representation of Growth in a Mundane Action" (above) and Jasmine Beul, graduate student in integrated visual arts from Bozeman, Montana, for her ceramic "Blue Swirl Cups" (below)
"I wanted to use the motif of an orange and the intense lighting as a symbol for female strength and independence," Schilling said in her artist's statement.
Honorable mentions
Honorable mentions went to industrial design junior Joe Fentress of St Louis for his lamp design, "Nio" (above) and interior design sophomore Cassidy Perrott of Waverly for her charcoal drawing, "Big Cat."
Fentress designed a floor lamp using a tiered-paper dimming system. "The shade of the lamp is made from four layers of thick paper that, when vertically sliced, compress into a bulbous fixture. A magnet holds the shade to the central steel pipe, allowing the user to set the shade at any level of openness," he explained in his statement.
Participating artists
Artists with work in the exhibition include:
- Taylor Adrian, junior in integrated studio arts from Dubuque
- Jasmine Beul, graduate student in integrated visual arts from Bozeman, Montana (two works)
- James Casad, senior in integrated studio arts from Davenport
- Jack Chasse, senior in interdisciplinary design from Des Moines
- Caitlyn Chellew, junior in integrated studio arts from Ames
- Xin Chen, graduate student in industrial design from Huludao, Liaoning Province, China, and now of Ames
- Naomi Chicoine, senior in integrated studio arts from St Charles (three works)
- Matthew Cook, senior in graphic design from Leawood, Kansas (two works)
- Allison Curry, junior in industrial design from Storm Lake (two works)
- Journey Dawa, senior in architecture from Anamosa
- Christian D'Cruz, senior in graphic design from Bettendorf
- Talia Drury, senior in industrial design from Urbandale
- Joe Fentress, junior in industrial design from St Louis
- Brett Garrett, junior in integrated studio arts from Des Moines
- Gabriel Gonzalez (two works)
- Allison Hellman, junior in integrated studio arts from Des Moines
- Susana Herrera, junior in design (undeclared) from Sioux City
- Regan Kilzer, junior in industrial design from Ames
- Lydia Nong, freshman in design (undeclared) from Urbandale
- Emma Olson, freshman in pre-industrial design from Hudson, Wisconsin
- Cassidy Perrott, sophomore in interior design from Waverly
- Sueann Pham, junior in graphic design from West Des Moines
- Sydney Schilling, senior in integrated studio arts from Council Bluffs
- Natalie Svoboda, sophomore in graphic design from Winthrop
- Chiihan Tan, senior in industrial design from Johor Bahru, Malaysia
- Abigail West, junior in interdisciplinary design from Des Moines
James Casad of Davenport, Integrated Studio Arts
Christian D'Cruz of Bettendorf, Graphic Design
About Iowa State
At Iowa State University, students don't get just an average college experience. They get an adventure. After all, we offer students a challenging career-oriented academic setting paired with a welcoming campus environment. And above all else, we encourage our students to achieve — and we provide the support they need to do just that.
Iowa State University is one of the nation's most student-centered public research universities and is recognized among the top 50 public universities in the nation by US News and World Report. With hundreds of student clubs and organizations, thousands of internship and co-op opportunities, and more than 80 learning communities, the university offers a student experience rich in academic and social diversity. Students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries choose to come to Ames, Iowa, to study with world-class scholars and hone their leadership skills.
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Plus, Ames has been recognized as the second-best college town with a population under 250,000. And did we mention we've also been voted one of the top 10 best places to live in America? So it's no wonder why our students love it here.
At Iowa State, students will find 100 majors, 800 clubs, and one amazing adventure.
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