BW Students Recieve Awards at Student Exhibition

Nicole Salapa, Contributing Writer

The 2014 Student Art Exhibition opened on Friday, April 11, showcasing the artistic creativity of Baldwin Wallace University’s talented students. The exhibition is  housed in the Fawick Gallery, attached to the Kleist Center for Art and Drama.
The Student Art Exhibition provides a chance for Baldwin Wallace students to submit their work for professional judging, and if chosen, diaplay their hard work for the school and the public.
“It’s just kind of a firsthand, real-world experience,” Rich Cihlar an office manager of the art department said.
Impartial judges who are unaffiliated with Baldwin Wallace choose which pieces are included in the exhibition and decide which works earn prizes.
The 2014 Student Exhibition showcased an array of works that ranged from jewelry pieces, oil paintings, photography, 2D design works, sculptures, digital and black and white photography, printmaking works and charcoal drawings.
Some awards that were dispersed consisted of the Provost Award, First Place, Second Place, Third Place, Admissions Award, Honorable Mentions and the Best of Show Award.
Josh Sattelmaier, a senior biology major with minors in art and history, won first prize with his sculpture “The Triumph of the Trinity and the Authority of the Scripture”.
This is the second time one of his pieces was chosen for the exhibition, but the first time he has won a prize.
Sattelmaier did not begin sculpting until he came to Baldwin Wallace.
He learned the basics of  ceramics during his high school years. Sattelmair’s work began to take shape at BW. He attributes everything he knows to his studio classes here at BW.
Sattelmair views Dave Williamson, an art professor of sculpture and ceramics, as his mentor.
“I’ve never had someone say ‘You’re really good at this’ and encourage me,” Sattelmaier said.
The sculpture itself is about five feet tall; it took four and a half months to complete.
Sattlemaier drew inspiration from the Bible and Christianity to develop the piece.
He notes that sculpting is very involved. He had to research, draw, scale, and measure to create the piece.
“Everything was very mathematical,” Sattlemaier said.
The sculpture is comprised of five different sections. There are animals, people, books, and much more, all symbolizing a different story or part of Christianity.
“I wanted the viewer to see the piece as a whole instead of five different sections,” Sattlemaier said.
Sattlemair’s plans for after college are still in the works; he has shown an interest in plants during his time at BW but he has a passion for both.
In addition, Grace McConnell, BW junior and studio art major, won the Best of Show Award which is equivalent to a first place prize.
McConnell’s works that were showcased in the exhibit consisted of copper jewelry, inked woodcut prints, and oil painting.
The 2014 Student Art Exhibition was shown from April 7-May 2.