North Seattle College Continuing Education 4th Annual Student Art Show opened July 17th, 2018 to a grand turnout to support some of the finest student artwork to date.
After long hours of deliberation on the part of show jurors Amanda Knowles, Virginia Paquette, Marianne Legg, Andrew Steers and Liz Duarte, it was determined the best approach to recognizing student accomplishments was not by ranking winners with 1st to 3rd prizes, but three Juror’s Choice Award Winners and one Honorable Mention. Each winner had a unique approach to their work, bringing something truly outstanding to the art show. For some, the 2018 Student Art Show was their first time submitting; others are seasoned art students and past award recipients.
Judith O’Neal is a previous show winner. This year her piece, Structure was created in Virginia Paquette’s class Abstract Drawing from Flowers. “I had to put pieces in the show so everyone could see what a neat class this was,” she says. “Everyone needs to take this class, it was great fun and allowed me to do things I'd never imagined possible. I spent many many years sure that I could not draw. My graphite drawing won a Jurors' prize. What a thrill.”
This was Nico Harvey’s first CE art show, and a return to a medium she was surprised to find herself exploring again. “This is something of a return to clay for me, as I was a ceramics TA in high school, and I did the typical studio ceramics-wheel throwing regimen in college,” she recalls. “As a result of concentrating more on illustration and photography, clay took a backseat. My tendency to move apartments every couple years wasn't very conducive to owning more than a camera and a box of paints and pens, and I didn't give it a thought that I'd work in clay again.” Of the three colorful and whimsical pieces Harvey had accepted into the show, it was her piece W. Somerset Monster that earned her this year’s Honorable Mention. “So as silly as it now sounds, living in the same place for more than five years coupled with discovering how much I prefer handbuilding sculptural pieces has changed my art practice,” she says. “I still sketch out much of what I want to do, but clay gives me an opportunity to draw in 3D, which is immensely satisfying...and also occasionally frustrating, as I discover the technical limits of the medium.”
Laurie Bauman is a science instructor at North who found herself regularly walking past the campus art studios hoping to someday join in. “For many years I’ve wanted to take a ceramics class but the credited courses are always full or conflict with my own teaching schedule. Then, about 2 years ago, I discovered the Saturday Continuing Education Intermediate Ceramics class! I’ve been able to enroll a couple times each year. This is the first show I’ve entered.”
With her award-winning piece Atlantean Bowl 2, Bauman found herself incorporating her affection for natural things into the medium. “Each week instructor Liz (Duarte) introduced a new idea or technique for us to try, and often we are shown images or videos of interesting ceramics work or processes,” she recalls. “What I seem to do is take the ideas and methods shown to me by the instructor, and from watching the other students (who are all much more experienced than I am), and adding a little ‘biology’ to it all.
Honestly, every piece I work on is an experiment combining different things together--trying things out…though unlike science I can’t ever predict what the end result will be.”
Chris Barker is a longtime CE Ceramics student and champion wheel thrower. This year’s winning piece, Bottle is his second show winner. As one of Liz Duarte’s regular Mudslinger students, Barker and his work are a mainstay of CE Annual Student Art Shows.
All recent Juror’s Choice Award Winners would agree CE art classes are more than an opportunity to ply one’s creative hand, they are an opportunity to join a 
supportive creative space and become part of an artistic community. “Finding the CE classes at North was like finding my community,” says Harvey. “Initially I started with a couple quarters in Liz Duarte's Beginning Ceramics classes, and then felt bad about taking up space there when I knew there were many people who probably wanted to get their hands on some mud, as I had been one of them.”
“Currently I'm in my third quarter of Gary Georger's Mudslingers, which is an ideal studio space for me to test out ideas and experiment,” says Harvey. “A big draw for me is the studio life, the support from others. It's my experience that artists working in ceramics are giving people--that goes for ideas as well as snacks.”
From Opening Reception onward, the 4th Annual Continuing Education Student Art Show has been a wonderful success. “The opening night was an enjoyable event, and I'm not much for events,” says O’Neal. “It gave me a chance to see other students from previous classes who are off adventuring in different media right now. As a winner last year, I went wanting to support this years winners. I'm very humbled and flattered that I received a prize this year as well.”
The Annual Continuing Education Student Art Show is now an event everyone looks forward to, but it could not exist without the commitment of students and instructors alike.
“It's inspirational to see the high quality of work across all media, and I admire how the curators were able to use that variety to its advantage,” says Harvey. “I most enjoy seeing people going into the gallery to interact with art, whether that consists of a contemplative gaze or a confused look or a smile. It's an important reminder that art doesn't have one life after its completion, it has a life in the public eye, and that these objects have a place in our lives.”
Truth be told, the student art show award process is far from over. This year the People's Choice Award will be announced at the show's conclusion. When visiting the show, please don't forget to vote for the People's Choice Award and drop it in the ballot box!
Learn more about Continuing Education’s Student Art Show and how to submit your work to next year's art show.