Julia Leggent, a third-year Master of Fine Arts graduate student in the School of Art, Art History & Design, has been awarded 2nd place in the 2021 Young Painters Competition by the Miami University (Ohio) College of Creative Arts and the Department of Art.
“I was extremely excited to even be a part of this show,” Leggent said. “To actually get an award was surreal.”
Founded in 1999, the Miami University Young Painters Competition features U.S. artists aged 25-35 who demonstrate excellence. The juror, chosen from nationally recognized museum professionals, curators, critics and artists, selects 10 finalists with two artworks from each artist. This year’s juror was Kelly Baum, the Cynthia Hazen Polsky and Leon Polsky Curator of Contemporary Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where she has worked since 2015.
Professor of Art Aaron Holz said he is happy for Leggent to be a part of such a prestigious competition.
“This is a prestigious national competition, and the list of past participants, both jurors and winning artists, is significant,” Holz said. “To be part of the exhibition is a major accomplishment, to receive an award, even more so. The juror, Kelly Baum, Curator of Contemporary Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, has organized dozens of major exhibitions. This is a snapshot of the best young artists in the country age 25-35, and we are thrilled to see Julia as a part of it.”
Leggent was awarded the $2,500 second-place award for Cutting Ties, a finely detailed painting of a severed ponytail.
“’Cutting Ties’ is about a lot of things for me—freedom, change and getting older,” she said. “The subject is quite personal yet relatable as many cut off their hair this way, either for donation or other reasons. Painting this was quite peculiar as I don’t usually have much attachment to my hair, and I didn’t at the time I chopped it off. However, I found myself getting more and more attached to the object the more I looked at it, and eventually, I had to paint it. Separation makes the heart grow fonder I suppose.”
She also had another piece that got into the exhibition, “Call Jane.”
“These two paintings were painted one after the other so I must have been on a nice roll that year,” Leggett said.
Leggent grew up in the small, one spotlight town of Norton, Kansas, and received her B.F.A. in painting from Fort Hays State University. She explores issues of self, body and femininity through detailed paintings.
Leggent said competitions like this are important for artists.
“It’s always important to get your work out there as an artist and something like this is a great opportunity for a large group of people to see your work and make connections,” she said. “You have no idea who a show like this could connect you with and what future opportunities could come from it.”
She is currently preparing for her MFA Thesis Exhibition, which will be on display March 22-26 in the Eisentrager-Howard Gallery in Richards Hall.
“’Cutting Ties’ should be there, assuming that it is safely back from Ohio by then,” Leggent said.
Leggent said her experience as a graduate student in the School of Art, Art History & Design has prepared her as an artist.
“UNL has done so much for me, I wouldn’t even know where to begin,” she said. “The school has given me the support and space to be confident in what I’m doing while also pushing me to explore things further. Not to mention, the fantastic faculty and the great connections I’ll have for the rest of my life.”