The opening reception of the 2018 After School Special at the Dishman Art Museum.
The Dishman Art Museum and Lamar University’s Alumni Association have an open call for entries for “After School Special,” The second juried art exhibition specifically for Alumni.
To qualify to enter one must have had completed at least 30 credit hours at Lamar (alumni- no degree) and one may be of any major, not just Fine Art.
Last year’s show was juried by Lynne Lokensgard, LU Distinguished Professor Emerita and featured 10 artists from a full range of graduation years and mediums. One of the artists included in last year’s exhibit was Justin Varner ‘15 who now teaches art at Houston Community College.
“Being a part of the show was exciting in a nostalgic, Groundhog Day sort of way,” he said in an email interview. “Some of my competitive fire I had as a student at Lamar was re-ignited, while my vulnerability and yearning for acceptance from my former professors was also present.
“My experience at Lamar in the early 2000s helped shape me as a confused twenty year old who wanted to be an artist. The professors were dynamic and different with useful and intriguing theories and practices. All of them were very accessible, almost familial. My classmates were unique, odd and talented. I have always told people that the Golden Triangle produces bizarrely talented and original people. I did my best to inhale as much of the environment as I could when I was there. Being part of the show brought back many of these thoughts and feelings.”
Last year’s artists were Eric Adams, Megan (Crosby) Badger, Amy (Tolbert) Faggard, Sunni Forcier, David Iles, Ken Mazzu Amy Richard, Caleb Sims, Valerie Yaklin-Brown and Varner.
This year’s After School Special will be juried by the Clint Willour, Texan art collector and past curator of the Galveston Art Center. There will be eight to 10 artists featured, space permitting.
Entries may be submitted at Lamar.edu/alumnishow.
The show is open to all media. Entrants must submit five to seven images from a specific body of work, and up to two different applications.
Video artists may submit 1-2 entries and must supply the equipment necessary to show their videos during the exhibition. The Dishman does not provide video projectors. Video work should not exceed 5 minutes.
Sculpture should not exceed a 5×5-feet footprint and should not be higher than 7 feet. Entrants of sculpture can enter up to four works. Each work should also include specific instructions for assembly or display if necessary. If the work is wall mounted, the entrant must enter five to seven images.
Entrants should include a 150 word artist biography. Art work entry files must be jpg or png files. Videos may be submitted in mp4, wav, or avi formats. Artists should include the title of the work, year the work was made, size, medium of the finished work (painting, sculpture, pigment print, gelatin silver print, etching, video, etc.). Full requirements are on the website.
If you have ever been to an art thesis defense at the Dishman Art Museum ,you might be familiar with that nervous feeling that seniors can work themselves into when talking about their art in front of peers and professors. “After School Special” might feel a bit like that to alumni — except maybe more fun and less cold sweat.
The exhibition will open June 14 with a free reception.
Issue contributor Michelle Cate is a Lamar University art graduate.