University Galleries of Illinois State University is pleased to announce the opening of the 2018 Student Annual on Wednesday, April 11, at 5 p.m. A public reception will be held from 5 to 7 p.m., with an exhibition awards and School of Art scholarship ceremony at 6 p.m. The exhibition will be on view April 12 through May 13.

Since 1974, the Student Annual has showcased new artwork produced by students at Illinois State University. The juried exhibition, which features work in a variety of mediums and styles, offers many students the first opportunity to have their work reviewed by professionals outside the University.

The School of Art is pleased to present Marshall Dulaney Pitcher Awards to M.F.A. student Josh Roach and B.F.A. student Alissa Palmer. Both artists will be recognized for their achievements during the presentation of awards. To further honor their accomplishments, University Galleries will devote additional exhibition space to the presentation of new works by both artists.

This year’s awards are presented as scholarships ranging from $50 to the Best in Show award of $300. The awards include 10 Irving S. Tick awards, the DeGeal Interactive Design Award, and the Richard D. Finch Undergraduate Drawing and Printmaking Award. Additional awards are presented by Randy Reid, Arts Technology, Normal Editions Workshop, and the following areas within the School of Art: ceramics, glass, and graphic design.

The awards ceremony at 6 p.m. will also include the presentation of several scholarships for School of Art students.

This year’s studio jurors are Allison Lacher and Jeff Robinson, M.F.A. ’11, who both teach at University of Illinois at Springfield and are former co-directors of DEMO Project, an artist-run contemporary art gallery in Springfield.

Lacher and Robinson began their collaboration in 2015 and have continued to produce collaborative exhibitions at Museum Blue, St. Louis; Roman Susan, Chicago; Outhaus, Champaign; The Ski Club, Milwaukee; and University Galleries of Illinois State University. Lacher received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Edinboro University and a Master of Fine Arts in sculpture from Indiana University. Along with an independent curatorial practice, Lacher is the gallery manager at the Visual Arts Gallery of University of Illinois at Springfield.

Robinson holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from University of Illinois at Springfield, and a Master of Fine Arts in painting from Illinois State University. He also works as the director of the Visual Arts Gallery of University of Illinois at Springfield.

This year’s design juror is Amir Berbić, an associate professor of graphic design at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) and associate dean for faculty affairs in the UIC college of architecture, design, and the arts. His work has been featured in publications, conferences, and exhibitions including Design Issues, Visual Communication, Print, Wallpaper, ICOGRADA World Design Congress, AIGA Design Educators Conference, TypeCon, Society of Typographic Arts, and Salone del Mobile in Milan. Berbić’s research and practice explore place identity, three-dimensional typography and design pedagogy.

The 2018 Student Annual reception is sponsored by the College of Fine Arts, Friends of the Arts, Casey’s Garden Shop and Florist, and Jimmy John’s.

University Galleries is located at Uptown Station at the corner of Beaufort and Broadway streets. Parking is available directly above in the Uptown Station parking deck, and the first hour is free, as well as any time after 5:01 p.m. If you need special accommodations to participate in any event, please contact University Galleries at (309) 438-5487 or gallery@IllinoisState.edu. All events at University Galleries are free and open to the public.