MSUFCU Student Art Exhibit Names Winners in Awards Ceremony

The annual MSUFCU Student Art Exhibit made its return after a one-year hiatus and was held from Jan. 25 through Feb.22 at the headquarters of Michigan State University Federal Credit Union in East Lansing. This year’s winners were announced in a special awards ceremony Sunday, March 5, with Susi Elkins, MSUFCU chief community impact officer, hosting. Additional presentations were given by Meghan Martin from the Arts Council of Greater Lansing and artist Ryan Holmes.

First place in the Juried Award category went to “Self-Love” by Liz Schafer, a junior at Williamston High School.

Second place was awarded to Akira Ball, a senior at Fowlerville High School, for “She is.”

The third-place prize went to Jasmine Chow, a senior at Okemos High School, who submitted an untitled piece.

People’s Choice Award winners in this year’s event included:

• First place: Blake Van Norman, a Bath High School senior, for “Beautiful Day.”
• Second place: Ellery Curtis, a sophomore at Grand Ledge High School, for “The Fall Path.”
• Third place: Nicole Deluca, a senior at Lansing Catholic High School, for “Calabria.”

The School Spirit Award went to Lansing Catholic High School, and Schafer also received the Social Media Award for “Self-Love.”

Honorable mentions in the Juried Award category were awarded for:

• “Descension to the Midnight Zone” by Allison Galloway, Mason High School.
• “Landscape 1” by Aubrey Kolberg, Mason High School.
• “Crawley Cottage” by Allison Galloway, Mason High School.
• Untitled by Sam LeFleur, St. Johns High School.
• “Hidden Wonderland” by Ocean Hosford, Bath High School.
• “Reaching for Self-Growth” by Brooke Miller, DeWitt High School.
• “Aikatrine” by Helena Czekalski, Haslett High School.
• Untitled by Tristan Baraburiye, Okemos High School.
• “Elegance” by Ashlyn Kephart, Lansing Christian High School.
• “Summer Love” by Hannah Kunc, Grand Ledge High School.

In all, 144 submissions were displayed this year at MSUFCU from 17 area high schools. Votes were cast online as well as by those who stopped by the headquarters during regular business hours for the exhibit.

The Juried Awards were selected by a panel of three local art experts: illustrator Marissa Tawney Thaler, artist Emily Frushour and fine artist/graphic designer Brian Whitfield. The People’s Choice Awards were determined by votes from the public, cast both in person at the MSUFCU headquarters and online at the exhibit’s website.

First-place winners received $300, second-place artists received $200 and third-place honorees were given $100. The first-place artwork in the Juried Award category will be displayed on an Arts Council of Greater Lansing billboard.

To view the artwork in this year’s exhibit, visit msufcuart.com.