Students from Hastings College and 10 other schools were part of the 2017 Nebraska Independent College Foundation (NICF)/O’Keefe Elevator Company Art Show. Of the eight Hastings College students exhibiting at the show, four were honored during the awards reception on Thursday, April 13.
The annual competitive undergraduate art exhibition is housed in the O’Keefe Elevator Company gallery in The Old Market in Omaha. Donors, including the O’Keefe Elevator Company and Denny Wychulis, provide prize money for the student artists that win awards at the exhibition. The show was judged by three outside jurors: Holly McAdams-Olsen of the Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts, Alex Priest of the Bemis Center and Joel Damon of Project Project.
This year, Hastings College also played an integral role in producing the show. Students Alli Kennon, Melissa Loney and Autumn Teff assisted Turner McGehee, professor of visual arts, in organizing the gallery display.
“Properly displaying nearly 100 pieces of art was not an easy task and we appreciate Turner’s professional contribution to the show,” said Connie J. Nihsen, executive assistant for the NICF.
Hastings College entries included:
- “Gifts from the Hunter Spirit,” a wood sculpture by junior Kasey Lammers of Grand Island Nebraska.
- “Dragonfly,” a mixed media piece by senior Chris Leet of Hastings, Nebraska.
- “Machine Nothing,” a mixed media piece by Leet.
- “Red,” a mixed media piece by Leet .
- “Crisis,” a metal piece by junior Hannah Goss of McCook, Nebraska.
- An untitled silkscreen by sophomore Bruno Moreira of Brazil.
- “Take the Time To…” a charcoal piece by first year student Autumn Teff of Freemont, Nebraska.
- “Artist of Time,” a chalk piece by Teff.
- Seven Stars” pages one and two, a pen and ink piece by Teff.
- “Seven Stars” pages three and four, a pen and ink piece by Teff.
- “Self-Portrait,” a charcoal piece by Teff.
- “As If It Mattered,” a clay and acrylic paint piece by senior Eunice Adnoukpe of Omaha, Nebraska.
- An untitled steel piece by first year student Jeric Minton of Clay Center, Nebraska.
- “Gold Ruby Ribbon Vase,” a glass piece by junior Jake Arnett of Arlington, Nebraska.
Leed received an honorable mention and $50 prize in the 2D category for “Red.” He also placed second in the 3D category, earning $200 for “Machine Nothing.” Minton won third place and a $150 prize in the 3D category with his steel piece. Adounkpe received an honorable mention and $50 in the 3D category for “As If It Mattered.”
The exhibition will be displayed in The Old Market until the end of the month, and the public is invited to stop by to see the students’ work. The gallery is located on the first floor of the O’Keefe Elevator Company at 1402 Jones St. in Omaha and is open week days from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Hastings College is a private, four-year institution located in Hastings, Nebraska, that focuses on student academic and extracurricular achievement. With 64 majors and 15 pre-professional programs, Hastings College has been named among “Great Schools, Great Prices” by U.S. News & World Report and a “Best in the Midwest” by The Princeton Review. For more, go to hastings.edu.
