Joliet, Ill. – The University of St. Francis (USF) Art & Design Department recently held its 2023 exhibition and competition. The annual competition is open to all USF students from any major. All students were eligible to receive all prizes regardless of major, with the exception of the Coleman Scholarship, which is awarded to an Art major.

The exhibition is open to the public from now through April 13, 2023, during regular USF Art Gallery hours, which are from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday (with the exception of holidays and University breaks). The USF Art Gallery is located at 25 E. Van Buren Street (on the corner of Van Buren Street & Scott Street).

The results from the competition include:

• Coleman Scholarship (awarded to an Art major): Jaclyn Duske
• Presidential Purchase Award* (cash purchase award and artwork added to the University’s permanent collection): Jaclyn Duske, Under the Sea (digital photography)
• Dean’s Choice Award* (cash purchase award and artwork added to the University’s permanent collection): Harlie Mast, Spot Light (photography)
• First Place ($50 gift card): Vada Arndt, Willow Springs, IL, oil paint
• Second Place ($50 gift card): Lilliana Guitierrez, Frank, wire, paint, paper mâché
• Third Place ($50 gift card): Tatiana Ruiz, Drained, paint on canvas board
• Award of Excellence ($25 Visa gift card): Darcy Ancel, Grey Hound, silver print (traditional photography); Spencer Baird, Untitled, oil paint (painting); Karly Ceci, Old Bones, New Snake, crochet (non-traditional Media); Samantha Gonzalez, View of Joliet, acrylic paint (color theory); E. Porter, Infinity Wave, ceramic (ceramics); Issac Rodriguez, Gone, wire & paper (experimental media), and; Nathaniel Smith, Old Route 66, photography (digital photography)
• Honorable Mention (art supplies): Gianna Barbaro, Frog Prince, pewter (metal) ; Emily Eagan, Chinook, stoneware ceramic (ceramics); Ayla Gilmer, Mushed Rooms, screen print on cardstock (screenprint); Jareset Lagunas, Do Not Enter, black and white film (Don & Surrealism); Mary Grace McGrath, Self Portrait, acrylic paint (self-portrait); Kadixamayrin Mireles, Vulnerable Heart, wire, paint, paper mâché (sculpture); Nicholas Munafo, Will We Ever be Free, linoleum print (screenprint); Mazi Niezgoda, Old Love, photography (studio photography); Sarah Piane, Focus, acrylic paint (Realism); Fatima “Flynn” Villagomez, Ramblings of Students, wire & paper mâché (sculpture), and; Alana Wendel, Emile, watercolor (watercolor).

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The University of St. Francis, in Joliet, Ill., serves close to 4,000 students nationwide and offers undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and certificate programs in the arts and sciences, business, education, nursing and social work. There are over 53,000 USF alumni across the globe. For information, call 800-735-7500 or visit stfrancis.edu.

University of St. Francis: Bigger thinking. Brighter purpose.

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