KINGSTON, R.I. – April 29, 2025 – The annual juried art exhibit in Green Hall features 50 works of art in various mediums by URI students taking classes in the Department of Art and Art History. Students who are selected are eligible for two awards: the Juror’s Excellence Award and the Dean’s Choice Award, which were awarded on April 17.
Providence Art Club (the oldest Art Club in the United States) Gallery Manager Michael Rose served as juror and was tasked with selecting pieces that he felt were outstanding and worthy of ‘Awards of Excellence’ from among all the works in the juried exhibit. The prize winners received a certificate and a gift card to BLICK, an art supplies store.
Jeannette E. Riley, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, also chose three works that stood out in her estimation from all the work in the exhibit. Winners receive a $200 gift card.
Twenty-seven students and nearly 50 pieces were selected for this year’s exhibit out of almost 100 entries. Their work ranges from two-dimensional to three-dimensional in mediums such as clay, ceramic, metal, wood, and acrylic, as well as digital images and film. Applicants are not restricted to submitting only one piece of work or work from previous years, but they are required to submit individual applications for each piece.
“This is a really good exercise for life,” Gallery Director Stephen Pennell said. “There is a call out for art, and there are deadlines. You must do certain things by certain dates to be entered and chosen.”
Announced on February 1, students had until the end of mid-March to apply for admission. Through the application process, students gain insight into how to photograph their pieces, work with deadlines, and build connections in their field
“We photograph the work and put it on social media so that your reputation is out there,” Pennell said. “If your name and your work is out on the internet, people can see it without actually being at URI… so it’s an important experience to add to your resume.”
Katlan Machado ’25, history and anthropology, has three sculptures featured, titled Barrels of Fun, Hello Lucy!, and Boo Boo Bones. Machado aims to abstract how a viewer looks at things in a way she describes as almost wacky or silly.
“As an anthropology major, the ideas of life and humanity through the visuals of bones intrigues me as an artist, which is a theme present throughout my works,” Machado said. “During my sculpture course, I learned about majolica glazing, which creates a bright white glazing over red clay, so I sought to utilize that technique to bring a striking shade of white to the bones.”
The Juror’s Excellence Award and Dean’s Choice Awards were presented during the event’s reception on April 17. Students Andrew Garcia, Aspen Spencer, and Emerie Peterson received the Dean’s Choice Awards. Logan Firestone, Karla Monterroza, Emerie Peterson, and Ella Stinnette received the Juror’s Excellence Award.
“I really just feel so thankful for being awarded this,” sophomore Logan Firestone said. “I think it will help me realize that I need to go for it. Sometimes, I overthink and decide not to do something because of what the outcome might be, but sometimes, throwing yourself into something will give you something positive.”
Firestone’s works Sienna and Hole in the Wall are featured twice in the exhibit. These pieces showcase photography of abandoned spaces in New England with the goal of bringing them back to life.
“It has been really awesome getting to have my works on display and have an exhibit that celebrates and highlights students’ work,” Machado said. “It feels like a little community seeing the artwork of my peers all together enjoyed by other friends, family, and faculty.”
This story is written by Erin Malinn, class of 2028.