At Parkland’s upcoming 57th Annual Juried Student Art and Design Exhibition, several slots remain for only recent art class attendees to submit their works to be displayed at Parkland’s Giertz Gallery. Your potential showcasing exemplifies a positive difference by inspiring fellow artists and community members. Explore the opportunity to express your perspective through the diverse options of art mediums.
Visual art ideas are communicated with an impact similar to words, yet through a distinct and silent language. As expressed by Robin Williams in “Dead Poets Society” (1989), “No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world.” So become a part of the change and gain artistic exposure if your heart or career path calls for it. Ideas have a gravitational pull that spins the world on its axis.
Exhibition Essential
Below are essential deadlines, submission expectations, Art and Design faculty advice, as well as awards and scholarship information.
Submission Deadlines
- Student-to-instructor submissions: Monday, March 31 – Thursday, April 3 by 4 p.m.
- 2D artworks are submitted to art instructors.
- 3D artworks are hand delivered to classroom C191.
- Online submissions: Thursday, April 3 by 4 p.m.
- Exhibition opening: Monday, April 14
- Exhibition closing: Saturday, May 10
- Public opening: Thursday, April 17 at 5:30–7:30 p.m.
- Awards ceremony: Thursday, April 17 at 6:15 p.m.
Entry Selection and Pick-up Dates
- Judging and Entry Selection: Friday, April 4
- Unaccepted 2D Artwork: Pick-up Tuesday, April 8 from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
- Unaccepted 3D Artwork: Pick-up beginning Monday, April 7
- Accepted Artwork:
- Pick-up Monday. May 12 from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
- Pick-up Tuesday, May 13 from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Key Submission Requirements
- For specific entry conditions regarding paintings, photography, drawings, and a multitude of media visit the official artwork entry requirements.
- Maximum of four artwork submissions per participant.
- Limited artwork selection stops at approximately 180 works.
- Only original artwork assignments from an enrolled ART class at Parkland.
- Artwork had to be created between the Summer 2024 – Spring 2025 semesters.
- Artworks from Spring 2024 require special permissions from your faculty.
- Submission forums are applied here.
Faculty Advice
Submissions may be daunting–especially if it is your first time–but the staff creates nothing but a safe space for growing artists. Lisa Costello, the Giertz Art Gallery director and Matthew Watt, professor of Art and Design go above and beyond to affirm students who are experiencing preparation and submission anxiety.
When asked for the details on what factors influence the faculty’s selection process, Costello answers:
When the faculty are jurying the exhibition, quite a few factors help them make their decisions. They seek finished works that reflect quality, effort, and originality. Because most of the work was done as an assignment for class, faculty can also see how the students challenged themselves while fulfilling the assignment. For example, a student’s first use of a specific material is a process that may have a learning curve or a way in which a student challenges themselves to improve their technique. Those factors all play into the jurying of a student exhibition.
As emphasized in Costello’s answer, faculty members judging and selecting artwork endorse those who balance quality and challenge. As long as you expend learning resources to their fullest, and show your dedication, you will find experience is a student’s ultimate stepping stool to success. Additionally, Matthew Watt offers preparation advice from a professor’s perspective:
Our AFA students submit artwork that they complete as a part of our studio curriculum. Every class and every project may have a different set of objectives. Visual art students learn to give and receive constructive criticism as part of the creative process. All of our students have had the experience of revising their work based on feedback.
Here, professor Watt brings awareness to the constructive environment classroom settings provide. Furthermore, there are plenty of chances to revise artworks in class through feedback, granting more opportunities for exhibition preparation.
Regarding preparation, professor Watt and director Costello address concerns for first-time participants, who might be intimidated by the competitive nature of the exhibition. Watt elaborates on Art and Design faculty’s morale toward students:
Art and Design faculty are generally very encouraging to students. It is not competitive in the sense that there are winners and losers. All of our students realize creative growth in proportion to the effort and time they put into their work.
As expressed by professor Watt, the students do not truly win with placements, but instead with the experience gained through the classroom and the growth that follows. The goal of the Art and Design faculty is to support bettering artists.
In congruence to professor Watt’s statements, director Costello provides her insight on submission anxiety:
My advice would be to apply and not be intimidated. It is a straightforward submission process. Entering exhibitions and applying for grants, residencies, etc, are all part of the experience of being an artist. Applying for this exhibition is a good step towards becoming a professional artist. It is part of the educational process, and I am happy that we can provide this experience to our students. You can’t be accepted unless you apply!
As Costello states, art exhibitions are a key standard in artistic pursuits, and it is all for constructive and educational purposes. For submission anxiety, Watt and Costello emphasize a safe environment to experiment with artistic improvement, build a portfolio and obtain public exposure.
Furthermore, through improvements and successes, students’ artworks grant opportunities to earn merits, financial awards and scholarships.
Awards and Scholarships
When are merits, financial awards and scholarships earned? According to 2025’s official student exhibition page, April 17 is the night of the reception, and the awards ceremony is introduced by Dr. Nancy Sutton, vice president for academic services, at 6:15 p.m.; additionally, the reception is open to the public at 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
For further information on selling artwork, and earning awards and scholarships, visit the official exhibition rules for Giertz Gallery.
Your Voice
Just as with any other listless passions and endeavors, the visual arts are a special place to convey expressions beyond thousands of languages. Attending art classes and entering the exhibition may be a path to uniting many and discovering yourself. So, relish traveling through different ideas, and one may shift or strengthen someone else’s perspective. Carpe diem!
For further information and inquiry, contact giertzgallery@parkland.edu or call 217/351-2485
