Fall 2025 Juried Student Art Exhibition and Awards Announced

by Katie Powers

Owensboro, KY (12/04/2025) — Owensboro Community and Technical College (OCTC) celebrated student creativity and achievement during the Fall 2025 Juried Student Art Exhibition. The closing reception and awards ceremony was held on November 19, 2025, in the Dayman Art Gallery on OCTC's Main Campus. The exhibition, now closed, drew approximately 70 attendees to the closing reception, including students, faculty, staff, and community members. The event was sponsored and catered by Niko's Bakery & Cafe.

This year's juror was multimedia artist and friend of OCTC, Joseph Jesse Ovalle. Ovalle selected winning works for the College Collection Awards, Alumni Achievement Award, and Merit Awards. Four Dewitt Scholarships for Artistic Achievement were awarded through a competitive application process for students enrolled in the Associate in Fine Arts - Visual Art program.

Abbi Ruppert, OCTC AFA-Visual Art Program Coordinator added, "All students with work in the exhibit attended matting and framing workshops with me in teh art studio to learn how to prepare their work for display. So even submitting work to this exhibit requires dedication and commitment to further learning on the part of the student."

In total, students received: 4 Dewitt Scholarships for Artistic Achievement 3 College Collection Awards 1 Alumni Achievement Award 2 Merit Awards

MERIT AWARD RECIPIENTS

The Merit Awards recognize exceptional artworks completed this year. This year's recipients are:

Lorelei KirtleyAnthonyReductive Linocut Print, 16" x 16" (March 2024)

Emma BellEnvy - This piece sold during the exhibition.Gouache, 10" x 8" (September 2025)

COLLEGE COLLECTION AWARDS

The College Collection Awards, which include artwork completed this year will permanently join the OCTC Student Art Collection. This collection of artwork is displayed throughout OCTC's Main Campus as well as Downtown and Southeastern Campuses. In exchange, students are awarded with a sum of money for art supplies from Blick Art Supplies in amounts of $300 for 1st place, $200 for 2nd place, and $100 for 3rd place. This semester's College Collection Awards are as follows:

1st Place - $300Ca ler DahThe Green RiverAcrylic on canvas, 11" x 14" (September 2025)

2nd Place - $200Emma PeercyTake Me BackAcrylic on canvas, 24" x 18" (September 2025)

3rd Place - $100Rosie Khu MoTrue LoveAcrylic on canvas, 6" x 8" (September 2025)

ALUMNI ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Rosie Khu MoBee - This piece sold during the exhibition.Linocut Print, 4" x 6" (September 2025)

DEWITT SCHOLARSHIPS FOR ARTISTIC ACHIEVEMENT

Four scholarships of $550 each were awarded through a competitive application process for students enrolled in the Associate in Fine Arts - Visual Art program. Funds were raised during the inaugural OCTC Art Auction in April 2025. The scholarship honors Jamie Dewitt, former owner of Studio 105 Art & Frame, whose donated artworks made the event possible. The 2026 date for the OCTC Art Auction is yet to be announced.

2025 Dewitt Scholarship Recipients: Kris Grenier Chad Caldwell Katie Pierce Lorelei Kirtley

Sydney Warren, OCTC vice president for institutional advancement and director of the OCTC Foundation, Inc. added, "It's inspiring to see how much skill, innovation, and heart our student artists bring to their work. Exhibitions like this highlight the impact of a strong arts program and the value of investing in our students' creative futures."

Photos from the reception and awards ceremony can be viewed on OCTC's Facebook page at facebook.com/owensboroctc.

The community is invited to experience OCTC's next exhibition, Nature's Embrace: AFA - Visual Art Degree Candidate Exhibition, featuring works by Rosie Khu Mo, Bway My Psaw, and Katie Pierce. The show is on display in the Dayman Art Gallery (Learning Resource Center/Library) now through January 27, 2026.

About Juried Art Exhibitions

A juried art exhibition is an art show where artists submit their artworks (usually between 1 and 3 works) to be considered for inclusion in the exhibition. The artworks included in the exhibit, as well as the awards, are decided by a juror (judge) or a panel of jurors. Applying to and participating in juried art exhibitions is essential for young artists to gain experience, to receive recognition for their work, and to network with other artists and art professionals.

About the Juror

Joseph Jesse Ovalle is a multimedia artist whose work explores material, process, and symbolism. He earned his BFA from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and his MFA from Indiana University Bloomington. His work addresses themes of religion, race, politics, culture, and American society, and has been exhibited nationwide in galleries, museums, and academic institutions. His public sculptures are currently on display at Kellogg Community College and Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville. Ovalle is co-founder of the online "In Art Gallery" and has recently completed residencies at the Vermont Studio Center, Jentel Artist Residency, and Farwell House. His drawing exhibition Memoirs, Whispers, & Daydreams was featured in OCTC's Dayman Art Gallery from May-October 2025.

Students interested in the Associate in Fine Arts - Visual Art degree or joining the OCTC Art Club may contact Abbi Ruppert, AFA-Visual Art Program Coordinator, at abbi.ruppert@kctcs.edu.

Owensboro Community & Technical College is one of the sixteen community and technical colleges that make up the Kentucky Community & Technical College System. OCTC serves the KY counties of Daviess, Hancock, Ohio and McLean. OCTC has three campuses in Daviess County and a Center and Annex in Hancock County. OCTC strives to serve the communities in the service area by providing associate degree education for transfer, state of the art technical education for students focusing on entering the workforce, customized business and industry solutions through the Workforce Solutions division, and adult education and business and industry testing through the SkillTrain unit.

The Kentucky Community and Technical College System is the Commonwealth's largest postsecondary institution with 16 colleges and more than 70 campuses. We also are Kentucky's largest provider of workforce training and online education. Through partnerships with business and industry, we align our programs to meet the needs of local employers. We help students fulfill their dreams of creating a better life through programs that lead directly to jobs or help them transfer to one of our four-year partners.

Connect with OCTC: Owensboro.kctcs | Facebook.com/owensboroctc | Twitter@OCTC_Tweets | Instagram OwensboroCTC

Media Attachments

JSE1.jpg

student award winners

JSE2.jpg

Ovalle taking photo of award winner with art

JSE3.jpg

Sydney Warren (left), OCTC Vice President for Institutional Advancement, Executive Director of the OCTC Foundation, Inc. with Rebecca Wheeler (right), OCTC Dean of Student Success