SUNY Chancellor To Award Best of SUNY Student Art

Albany – The State University of New York today announced the 2007 “Best of Show” student art award recipients. SUNY Chancellor John R. Ryan will present the seven students with their awards at the 2007 Best of SUNY Student Art Exhibition Thursday, May 24, from 5-7 p.m., at the New York State Museum.

The 2007 Best of SUNY Student Art Exhibition is a juried exhibition containing 75 works of art from 28 SUNY campuses. A wide range of media was used by students, including drawing, ceramics, painting, printmaking, photography, digital imaging and mixed media installations.

“With 75 pieces of student art to choose from, selecting seven award winners certainly must have been difficult for this year’s panel of judges,” said SUNY Chancellor John R. Ryan. “I commend the judges for their time and professionalism; the students for contributing their work to this year’s show; and the faculty who teach in the arts at SUNY schools across the State.

“This annual exhibit is a terrific example of the artwork that SUNY students are creating across New York and we are pleased that the State Museum has once again agreed to showcase their accomplishments.”

Three students will be awarded “Best of Show” and four students will be awarded “Honorable Mention,” which are accompanied by $1,000 and $500 awards, respectively. This is the second consecutive year that SUNY’s "Best Of" exhibit has been hosted by the State Museum.

“We are pleased to have the opportunity to exhibit these outstanding works of art from one of our fellow University of the State of New York institutions,” said State Museum Director Dr. Clifford Siegfried. “Our hope is that collaborations of this kind, recognizing the achievements of students from throughout the SUNY system, will strengthen education in New York State and inspire other talented students in the future.”

Richard Schwartz, chairman of the New York State Council on the Arts, arranged judging for the exhibit for the fifth consecutive year. Elizabeth Merena, director of the New York State Council on the Art's Visual Arts Program, and Rachel Seligman, director of the Mandeville Gallery at Union College, served as judges of this year’s exhibit.

This year’s Best of SUNY Student Art Exhibition opened at the New York State Museum

Saturday, May 19, 2007, and will remain on display until Sept. 3, 2007.

SUNY System Administration coordinates three SUNY-wide student art shows each year. The

Best of SUNY Student Art Exhibition represents the best artwork from the fall and spring exhibits, which were held over the past academic year at State University Plaza in Albany.

Winners of the 2007 Best of SUNY Student Art Show awards are as follows:

Best of Show

• Jennifer Bakalar, Purchase College, The Cerynian Hind, 2006, Oil on Canvas
• E. Odin Cathcart, SUNY New Paltz,  Intransigence, 2006, Graphite/Oil Stick
• Alton Falcone, Stony Brook University, Ritratto, 2006, Wood, Rusted Steel

Honorable Mention

• Melanie Cates, SUNY Oswego, Untitled, 2006, Oil on Canvas
• John Kosecki, Onondaga Community College, Oil, Gold & Power, 2006, Paper
• Eric Mirabito, New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University, Untitled, 2006, Ceramic
• Athena LaTocha, Stony Brook University, Untitled XIX, 2005, Oil on Birch Panel

A complete listing of students, by hometown and campus, whose work is displayed as part of the 2007 Best of SUNY Student Art Exhibition is available at www.suny.edu, under “News and Announcements.” In addition, works from the exhibit will soon be available for viewing at SUNY’s online art gallery, which is accessible from the SUNY homepage.

The New York State Museum is a program of the New York State Department of Education, the University of the State of New York and the Office of Cultural Education. Started in 1836, the Museum has the longest continuously operating state natural history research and collection survey in the United States. The State Museum is located on Madison Avenue in Albany. It is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free.

The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive university system in the United States, educating more than 417,500 students in 7,669 degree and certificate programs on 64 campuses. 

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