Five winners were announced at the opening reception of the Student Annual Art Exhibition on Thursday. The winners, comprised of graduate and undergraduate art students, received recognition and more than $1,500 in prizes.

Junior crafts major Kevin Daigle was the all-inclusive winner-at-large for his piece “Specula,” which was made of hot-casted glass and zebra wood with a mirror finish.

“My reasoning behind this piece came from looking at glass and the way it reacts with gravity and nature,” Daigle said.

For the undergraduates, first place was awarded to senior crafts major Felicia Bonaduce for her three beetle medallions.

“I’ve always been a tomboy,” Bonaduce said when asked about her inspiration for the medallions. “Instead of playing dress-up, I would go outside and catch bugs. Beetles are beautiful.”

The runner-up undergraduate winner was senior fine arts major Eli Gfell for his piece titled “Straight Grain Structure in Golden Oak.”

Undergaduates were not the only winners of the night.

Liz DeBellis, a graduate student studying fine arts and textiles, won first place in the graduate student category for her tapestry titled “Mogadore Reservoir.”

“I dye fabric out of leaves that I collect and weave a map of the place I gathered the leaves from,” DeBellis said. “These places are always meaningful to me.”

The runner-up graduate winner was Scott Goss with his piece titled, “Remnant.”

The juror for the exhibition was Hilary Gent, the director of the HEDGE Gallery in Cleveland’s Gordon Square Arts District. Gent received her BFA in painting from Kent State’s School of Art and determined the featured works in the exhibition.

“A fully developed idea and excellent execution,” Gent said. “That’s what I’m looking for in a winning piece.”

A total of 43 pieces were chosen for the exhibition, with 14 from graduate and 29 from undergraduate students.

“The Student Annual is an opportunity for students to experience what a juried exhibition is like,” Gent said. “It’s an eye-opener for students to see how different people look at art and is an opportunity to get a different perspective on the types of work different jurors would respond to.”

The exhibition is being held through March 20 in the School of Art Gallery, located in the Art Building at 400 Janik Dr. The gallery is open Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Contact Lily Martis at [email protected].