University Art Galleries presents Stilwell Exhibition

University Art Galleries presents Stilwell Exhibition University Art Galleries at The University of South Dakota will present the 22nd annual Stilwell Student Awards Exhibition. The show features art created by USD art students during the past year. The exhibit, which began Feb. 13 and is scheduled to conclude March 5, is in the Main Gallery of the Warren M. Lee Center for the Fine Arts. A public reception and awards ceremony is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 13 from 7 to 9 p.m. The awards show is a juried competition that showcases the variety and quality of the department of art, its curricula and its personnel. Cash prizes are awarded through an endowment established in memory of Professor Wilber Stilwell, who served as a member of the art department faculty for more than 30 years, and his wife, Gladys. This yearâ�?�?s juror is Kenneth Grizzell, professor emeritus of art at USD and a professional artist living in Lawrence, Kan. The public is invited to attend the awards ceremony and reception free of charge. Eddie Welch, director of the University Art Galleries, said installing the estimated 70 works selected for the show is challenging, but he added that the Stilwell Exhibition offers the public an opportunity to view an exciting variety of contemporary art. According to Cory Knedler, chair of the USD Department of Art, â�?�?Our students take the Stilwell Show very seriously and most will enter the competition, which usually means a minimum of 300 entries,â�? he explained. â�?�?The cash awards are an attraction, but the art students are also anxious to test their work in a juried show and learn from the lesson.â�? The Main Gallery in the Warren M. Lee Center for the Fine Arts is open free of charge to the public from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and from 1 to 5 p.m. on weekends. Tours and special showings during non-public hours are available upon request. For more information about this exhibition, please contact Welch at (605) 677-3177 or eddie.welch@usd.edu. �?