At Huntington University, art majors host a special event annually to share their creations with their friends and family. This event serves as a time for the department to gather and formally celebrate its students’ achievements.
By Vanessa Gradeless | March 19, 2026
The 2026 Annual Juried HU Student Show took place at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, March 23. Friends and family spent the first half hour touring the gallery, enjoying refreshments, and observing the artwork.
HU sophomores Danielle Baker and Evelyn McKee expressed their excitement for the evening:
“We’re both here in support of our dear friend Kate,” said McKee, “we’re really excited to just see all of her stuff along with everyone else.”
Danielle Baker said, “I think it’s really cool just seeing how creative everybody is on campus because a lot of these, well, every single piece in here is absolutely incredible. And it’s so cool to know that there’s that much talent just here in Huntington.”
Junior Kate Potter shared her inspiration for her creation, Series of Wire Dancers.
“It was in the 3D design class. We were supposed to make a piece, a 3D piece, off of 1 element of art, and I chose line. I tried to communicate fluidity of line to these two dancers. They’re already line because there’s a contour line. It’s one straight wire continuously making each wire dancer. And so, they’re made of lines, and then they make a line.”
Senior Art major Jauslyn Buck said her favorite part of the event is “getting to look at other students’ work, but also meeting other people as well, like other people’s families. I’m friends with a lot of the art majors, but I don’t know where they come from, or their parents, or their family. It’s been really nice to see part of where they came from.”
Her favorite creation that she made this year is called Entomophobia– a bust with crawling bugs formed over the face.
“It’s a ceramic piece . . . but also multiple different clays built into it,” said Buck. “What inspired be was that I don’t like bugs, and there’s bugs on the face. The bugs that are on this one are not particularly my favorite.” Buck shared that during the process, she was trying to face her fears and work with a concept she was uncomfortable with.
After the attendees had their refreshments and observed the gallery, Dr. Barb Michel, Professor of Art and Chair of the Department of Art & Design, called everyone together for the presentation of the awards. Preceding the art awards, a visiting judge selected the best work from the students. Professor Michel announced that this year, the judge selected 85 out of 200 pieces to be displayed in the gallery.
The Awards given by the judge go from third place to best in show. Third place, which was awarded $125, went to Maeve Wilkinson for her painting Perfume Practice. Second place, with $150, was awarded to Jauslyn Buck for Entomophobia. First place, awarding $175, was given to Kennedy Mitchem, for her piece Wood in Bloom. This piece also won a $300 purchase award. Devastation, a sculpture by Elizabeth Kruse, won Best in Show honors, along with a $200 prize.
After the awards ceremony, HU’s art faculty presented Outstanding Achievement awards from the university. These awards were distributed to several art students, including Kate Potter for her 3D project, Series of Wire Dancers.
Junior Nazareth Hill also received an Outstanding Achievement award for his excellence. After the awards had been handed out, he shared his joy with The Huntingtonian:
“I like seeing everybody like be so happy or even crying about their awards,” said Hill, “all the emotion that goes into it… it’s an electric thing, you know? It’s kind of underrated, but there’s an electric feeling around the gallery.”
Professor Michel expressed the importance of art on HU’s campus:
“Having an active art gallery on campus is important because it makes art accessible to everyone. Each exhibit offers something new, so there is always variety of media, styles, and perspective to experience. The Annual Juried HU Student Show is especially significant because it highlights work created by our own students. Not only does this allow the campus to engage with their creativity, but they also get to celebrate the talent within our own community.”
Michel also shared that students may support the arts at HU by visiting the Wilson Gallery, which is open to the public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday, and during weekend events at the MCA.
“With new shows each month, there is something for everyone,” said Michel, “The Annual Juried HU Student Show will be up through March 31.”
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