The finalists of the 2016 Stratosphere Juried Art Competition will have their work on display April 20-30 at Â鶹´«Ã½â€™s Downtown Gallery, located at 141 E. Main St. in Kent. A reception and awards ceremony will take place on Thursday, April 21, from 5 to 7 p.m., with competition winners announced at 6 p.m. Both the gallery and reception are free and open to the public.
Juror Alenka Banco, director of the Cleveland Arts Prize, selected 25 finalists from a pool of more than 200 individual entries. Sponsored by the Kent State College of the Arts, the competition was open to all full-time undergraduates attending the Kent campus, regardless of major.
Visitors to the exhibition on April 20 (noon - 7 p.m.) and 21 (noon - 6 p.m.) will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite artwork in the People’s Choice Award category, which carries a $500 prize. That award, along with Best in Show ($1,000), First Runner-Up ($500) and Second Runner-Up ($250) will be presented during the April 21 reception.
The Downtown Gallery is open Monday - Wednesday, 9:30 a.m. - 6 p.m.; Thursday 9:30 a.m. - 8 p.m.; Friday 9:30 a.m. - 7 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.; and Sunday noon - 5 p.m.
This year’s Stratosphere finalists are:
| Name | Major(s) |
|---|---|
| Yasmin Ali | Fashion Design |
| Emily Blystone | Interior Design |
| Moriah Bruening | Crafts |
| Logan Drake Bruni | Fashion Design |
| Justin Buescher | Fine Arts |
| Valerie Buynak | Fine Arts |
| Biqin Chen | Fashion Merchandising |
| Olivia Eitzman | Anthropology; Fine Arts |
| Rachel Fortenbaugh | Fine Arts |
| Shelby Gill | Engineering Technology |
| Samuel Hersh | English |
| Kathleen Huber | Fashion Design |
| Paige Joy | Public Relations |
| Abbey Kish | Art Education; Fine Arts |
| Gyula Kozmon | Advertising |
| Ruizhi Li | Crafts |
| Katie Metcalf | Fine Arts |
| Kathleen Morris | Visual Communication Design |
| Monica Ramser | Art Education |
| McKenzie Rhodes | Crafts |
| Jacob Sas | Architecture |
| Abigail E. Schnure | Crafts |
| Michael Scupholm | Crafts |
| Ashley Spangler | Fine Arts |
| Amanda Stumpf | Crafts |
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Contact: Effie Tsengas, communications and marketing director, etsengas@kent.edu, 330-672-8398 (office)