Concordia's Marxhausen Gallery of Art was full of student artists, their friends and parents for the opening of the Annual Student Art Exhibit on April 20. Attendees were able to view everything from painting to pottery to package design. The common denominator was merit.
Likewise Concordia's Department of Art also uses the opening reception for the exhibition to announce awards and yearly scholarship recipients.
2008 Awards
Brittany Mikeska, a senior from Houston, Texas, was awarded the highest honor, the Brommer Award. The $4,000 award was established by Georgia and Gerald Brommer and is given to a student with strong studio skills and a demonstration of Christian character who has a significant number of pieces accepted into the student exhibition.
The Wayne and Wanda Lillich Award honors excellent graphic design students who demonstrate professionalism, attention to craft and quality design work. Meagan Zabel, from Newberg, Ore., was awarded $1,000 for her final semester as Concordia next fall and Nataile Swanda, a junior from Omaha, Neb., was awarded $2,000.
The Class of '33 Award honors those who have chosen to pursue a teaching career in Lutheran schools. Lauren Onions, a sophomore from Shawnee Mission, Kan., Justin Groth, a sophomore from Seward, and Elizabeth Hinkle, a sophomore from Lincoln, Neb., will each receive $650.
Annah Mueller, a freshman from Oakland, Maine, was named the Leo Sieck Award winner for her outstanding academic record in all of her studies in addition to her strong studio art skills. This award is valued at $400.
The Marxhausen endowment was established by Professor Emeriti Reinhold Marxhausen and family to recognize great art across a broad group of students. The highest award in the collection is the Outstanding Artist Award for the strongest overall body of work in the student exhibition as well as exploration in and out of the classroom. Heidi Bartlett, a junior from Lincoln, Neb., was awarded the $2,000 scholarship.
Marxhausen Merit and High Merit Awards were given to the following:
Freshmen
Kimberly Francis, Overland Park, Kan., $100
Amber Konz, Monroe, Neb., $100
Brianna Franer, Lancaster, Calif., $100
Katie Klein, Giltner, Neb., $100
Adam Birt, Longmont, Colo., $100
Valerie Schick, Meadow Grove, Neb., $500
Sophomores
Rachel Dermody, Parnell, Iowa, $350
Anna Holbird, Mankato, Minn., $350
Samantha Butler, Seward, Neb., $500
Juniors and returning seniors
Rachel Deeter, Seward, Neb., $500
Nora Rolf, Castle Rock, Colo., $500
Charlotte Kaeding, Westminister, Colo., $500
Amalia Hillmann, San Jose, Calif., $500
The exhibit is open through Thursday, May 8. The Marxhausen Gallery is the on-campus exhibition space for Concordia University, Nebraska and hosts a variety of artists' exhibitions each year. It is located in Jesse Hall and is open Monday-Friday 11 a.m.-4 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 1-4 p.m.
Exhibition of award winners' pieces will continue in the art building, Brommer Hall, through the summer.
