The Juried Student Art and Design Exhibition opened March 4 in the Coburn Art Gallery.

The annual exhibition is open to any AU student who has taken a studio art course within 12 months of the exhibition and gives students the opportunity to display artworks professionally and build portfolios as well as resumes.

Within a “normal” academic year, the gallery would typically have around 180-200 student entries from majors and nonmajors alike. Although entries were down, COVID-19 did not change much about the show, according to Gallery Director, Cynthia Petry.

“There is a deadline for the assignments, so that the outside juror can jury the works, with upper level students having more leeway when it comes to creative solutions,” Petry said.

For this year’s gallery, the outside juror, Noah Schrenk from the Mansfield Art Center, made up to 75 selections for the gallery and presented students with artistic feedback.

Petry, who has spent 24 years with Ashland University and 13 years directing the gallery, spent most of her time with the exhibition on building the schedule, marketing the show and curating the gallery.

“It’s hard work getting it all up,” Petry said. “I’m grateful for all the help I can get.”

On top of the physical installation, Petry had to coordinate the gallery itself with the outside juror and depend on the proper delivery of the work. The final step was getting people to attend and support the arts.

Students taking studio art courses were given assignments that took particular skill sets, however Petry believes the beauty of art is that the students have complete aesthetic and creative control.

“Even though the arts have been hit truly hard with COVID-19,” Petry said. “It’s important for the campus community to understand art and its function.”

Petry believes the gallery plays a vital role as a culture center within the campus community, and the exhibition presents an opportunity for students to support peers and learn to contemplate what they see.

“For artists, we see the world through art, we’re always interacting with it,” Petry said. “Many people say art is not their thing, I’ve heard it a lot.”

Art is the window for many students and people to be able to express themselves and show themselves to the world, similar to the way a musician, writer or actor would.

Petry concluded with the advice that when you take the time to contemplate it and consider the imagery and the meaning, it can become so much more important to you.