On April 22, the San Joaquin Delta College’s LH Horton Gallery hosted their 22nd annual Student Art Exhibition via Zoom. In total, 44 students entered 143 pieces of artwork, while 35 students and 64 pieces of artwork were selected to be showcased.
“Artists and awards were selected by our juror Professor Marty Azevedo from Stanislaus State University,” said Gallery Director Jan Marlese.
Mia Hill,a 23-year-old Delta art major, was one of the selected artists for the showcase. She entered as a declared portfolio awards participant with her main focus as ceramics. This spring semester she entered a Korean and Guarmanian bowl with mimbres style. Her bowl is painted black and white with different hand painted symbols and drawings.
In an interview with Hill she mentions that, “this was my first art show, and I loved it! It feels like a whole other world for me to be part of the art community,” she said
Brendon Parker was also a finalist. Parker’s background is heavy in the film and Polaroid community.
“I’m quite active in the Polaroid and instant film communities, on Discord servers and on Instagram. The community is awesomely welcoming and diverse, I’ve made several fantastic friends,” he said.
Although this is not Parker’s first art show this is his first time entering under photography. Some may call it beginner’s luck, but his Polaroid piece called “Orchid for Reine” won the portfolio award in the photography category. In the photo Parker beautifully captured a pink Orchid with a gorgeous burnt orange background.
“Through shooting Polaroid I’ve found the joy of creating art, not for others’ approval, or even to be ‘good’ at it, but for my own fulfillment. Be it flowers from around the neighborhood or my own cats, there’s always something beautiful to capture,” Parker said.
Along with Parker, 21-year-old Kimberly Juarez, a 4th year delta student, won a portfolio award in the drawing category for her art piece called “Eyes of the Brain.” A hand drawn portrait hidden behind a swarm of lines and mini pictures.
This is Juarez’s third time entering the art show. In a email interview Juarez briefly explained her experience partaking in the exhibitions.
“The first time I applied for the art show [in 2018], I didn’t get any of my paintings in the show,” she said. “I was a little sad, but I knew that there were more years for me to enter and try next time. The second time I entered in 2019, one of my paintings was in the art show and I [was] so happy that I was able at least to get one of my artworks in the show and I enjoyed myself that night. This year for the art show, I decided to enter my drawings to the art show as I didn’t have any paintings to enter with and thought it would be a good chance to do a different medium.”
Juarez “was shocked to win the Portfolio award for drawing.”
With this being her last year attending Delta, she said she was “grateful to have gotten this opportunity and leave with a win at the end.”