Juried Student Exhibit opens April 17 at Sarah Spurgeon Gallery

Over the next month, the CWU Sarah Spurgeon Gallery will be hosting one of the year’s most popular events: the 2025 Juried Undergraduate Student Art + Design Exhibition.

The opening events will take place Thursday, April 17, with a reception from 5-7 p.m. in Randall Hall. The award ceremony, where students are recognized for excellence in their artwork, will begin at 6 p.m.

This annual exhibition showcases outstanding undergraduate student work created during the past academic year. It is open to CWU students who have attended classes in the Department of Art + Design.

This year’s jurors, who select the artwork for the exhibit and assign several awards, are Steve Gardner and Jay Hilburn. A Jurors’ Talk is scheduled for Thursday, April 10, from 4-5 p.m. in Randall Hall, room 117.

Gardner, the studio art juror, is a ceramic sculptor and public artist, whose recent architectural commissions have taken the form of large murals in cast glass and metal. Hilburn, the graphic design juror, is Design Director at Retail Voodoo, a Seattle brand development and packaging firm with a focus on the food, wellness, beverage, and fitness industries. Both jurors are CWU alumni from the Department of Art + Design.

Student awards have been generously donated by the following individuals and organizations: the Student Union Advisory Board, Ted and Louise Wiprud, President Jim Wohlpart and Sasha Wohlpart, Jane Orleman, Professor Emeritus Glen L. Bach, Professor Emeritus Cynthia Krieble, Associate Professor Maya Chachava, Associate Professor Marcus DeSieno, Assistant Professor Erika Pazian, Gallery One Visual Arts Center, PUNCH Projects, Shane L. Johnson Illustration, Associate Professor Justin Colt Beckman, Interim Associate Dean Rachel H. Kirk, the Department of Art + Design, and the Sarah Spurgeon Gallery.

The 2025 Juried Undergraduate Student Art + Design Exhibition will remain on view through May 17. Sarah Spurgeon Gallery is open weekdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturdays from 1-5 p.m. The gallery is closed on Sundays.

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Image captions

Inset: 2025 Juried Undergraduate Student Art + Design Exhibition publicity image, created by student designer Thea Batch.

At top: An installation image from the 2024 Juried Undergraduate Student Art + Design Exhibition.