Department of Art and Art History graduate student Liana Owad has had her work accepted into the Wichita State MFA Juried Exhibition “How Much Do We Control.”
The exhibition continues through Jan. 25 at the Clayton Staples Gallery at Wichita State University in Wichita, Kan. The juror was Robert Bupb, Associate Professor of Art at Wichita State University.
“These exhibitions are competitive amongst graduate students across the country and give students an opportunity to enter their chosen field in a professional venue,” said Associate Professor of Art Mo Neal. “Winning an award as Liana Owad has done is a definite honor. It shows a level of creative practice we always hope for in our graduate students.”
Owad’s piece, “Uniquely Similar” was awarded $300. “Uniquely Similar” embodies the notion that the house is a commodity, and that no matter how much you procure and accessorize for the home, inevitably the unique qualities desired will become homogenized by the market.
“Starting grad school for Liana was punctuated by getting married, moving across the country and building a new life once in Lincoln,” Neal said. “The sculpture speaks to the issues facing so many people these days: shelter, individuality, personal expression, how to survive economic hardships and class in America.”
Owad grew up in eastern Pennsylvania and received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Kutztown University of Pennsylvania in 2010. She is currently pursuing a Master of Fine Arts in sculpture at UNL and will graduate in 2014. Her work ranges in all mediums from fabricated steel structures to drawings and collages.
Her work was recently exhibited at Parallax Space in Lincoln and the Rotunda Gallery in the UNL Nebraska Union. She also participated in the Visual Arts in Practice Open Studio event on Nov. 9 at UNL.