Each year, graduate students in art studio and design are presented with awards that recognize and celebrate their contributions to the discipline and help further their careers. This year’s winners were honored at the June 8 opening event at the museum.

Will Maxen was awarded the LeShelle & Gary May Art Purchase Prize. “Will Maxen examines the complex nuances of people’s interactions within their own levels of consciousness and their surrounding environments, inspired by his memory of growing up in a biracial household,” said Young Suh, professor of art and graduate chair. “Layers, textures and drips convey a range of emotions and reflect the fluidity of honest, turbulent feelings.”

Jordan Benton was awarded the Keister & Allen Art Purchase Prize. His work “delves into the intersection of technology and natural environments,” Suh said. “Utilizing photography and scientific research, Benton investigates fundamental concepts of nature.”

Alejandra Ruiz Suárez was awarded The Savageau Award for Design.

 “Alejandra has turned materials as seemingly inconsequential as lint — that stuff I find in my pocket after laundry — into a deeply researched, rigorous, clear and provocative vision of a circular economy,” noted Professor Simon Sadler, chair of the Department of Design. “The work is truly transdisciplinary, combining art, science and design into artifacts that are functional and poetic.”

The Arts & Humanities Graduate Exhibition is on view now through June 25. 

Find more information about the exhibition and participating students here.