Bishop State wins 'Best in Show' in juried art competition

Booth wins "Best in Show" award[/caption] Joseph Booth, a Bishop State graphic design technology major, wins 'Best in Show' in the Mobile Arts Council's "Five" Biennial College Art Competition. He describes his sole creation chosen for the exhibit, "Paper Goddess", as 'cut paper on a mannequin". Booth was awarded $200, a gift certificate to Alabama Art Supply and a year-long membership for the Mobile Arts Council. In a post on Instagram, Booth comments, "Thank you to all the instructors at Bishop State Community College Graphic Design." He wasn't the only Bishop State student giving thanks. It may have been Friday the 13th, but both Edward Duncan III and Makayla Williams said it was their lucky night as well. "I already feel like a winner," Williams recalled as she watched people walk up and observe her artwork. "Just to see my artwork put a smile on people's faces, it's nice. It's really inspiring. I enjoy it!" Three of Williams' pieces were chosen for the exhibit. One titled "Evolution" received a lot of attention throughout the night and was made with color markers on paper. "Uni-cat" came to life through graphite on paper. Acrylic paint and a canvas were used to create "The Sound." All night Williams bashfully walked up to spectators looking at her work to introduce herself as the artist. "They like how psychedelic it is, how it has so much meaning and symbolism. It has so much color to it. That's what I kept hearing all night, they have so much color."

Williams pictured with "Evolution"[/caption] Color was a common denominator for Williams and Duncan creations. Duncan used color pencils to sketch "Bessie", a dress he imagined while sitting up against a gold statue in the New Orleans French Quarter. "I just sat down, and I sketched the things that were in my surroundings, inspiring me," Duncan recalled. "I saw a series of building that were orange, turquoise and purple and those were the colors I [used in the dress]. Purple and green are Mardi Gras colors and that orange kinda symbolizes a little gold to me." Duncan says it took him 72 hours to complete the dress. He said it took him that long because of the painting. It took several tries before he could get the get the shade for which he was looking.

Duncan pictured with "Bessie"[/caption] "5" is a juried exhibition of work by students at the area's five colleges and universities, sponsored every other year by Mobile Arts Council. Entry was open to any student enrolled during any part of the 2017 -2018 academic year at Bishop State Community College, Coastal Alabama Community College, Spring Hill College, the University of Mobile, or the The University of South Alabama. From the 90 works submitted, Judge Wendy DesChene chose 60 pieces by 34 artists: 3 from Bishop State Community College, 10 from Coastal Alabama Community College, 6 from Spring Hill College, 3 from the University of Mobile, and 12 from the University of South Alabama. You can see Booth's, Duncan's and Williams' works of art as well as all the other exhibition entries in the Mobile Arts Council galleries through Friday, April 27, 2018. Gallery hours are 9 AM - 5 PM on weekdays. Take a closer, behind the scenes look at the Bishop State artist's work displayed in the "Five" art competition!