University Honors Program

By Kaitlin Lewis

As winter rolls around, and so do finals, students in the Honors Program are given a chance to share their talents outside of the chaos of the classroom through the annual Art Exhibition. The Exhibition began in January 2001 under Dr. Steve Dandaneau as a way for the Honors Program to celebrate the creativity of their students, and students from any major are encouraged to submit a piece of artwork. Pieces for the exhibit are selected by an outside juror and receive a $100 scholarship for being chosen.

The juror last year was Rodney Veal, a faculty member at the Stivers School of the Arts, Sinclair Community College, and the University of Dayton. Among the selected pieces for the Exhibition, Veal also chose one Best in Show award, which receives a $500 scholarship for standing out among the other artwork. This past year’s Best in Show was 2019 graduate Ray Buzeta, a Geology major who submitted a piece created with digital art brush.

Sophomore Tyler Horton was also among the students selected for the Exhibition last year. Horton is a Spanish and biology major at UD who chose to submit her first ever completed oil painting for the show. Horton describes the work as an abstract creation to represent the woman in the picture’s beauty and pain.

“I really didn't have a plan when I started painting it,” said Horton. “I just let how it looked determine where I went with it every step of the way and I'm very happy and proud of how it turned out for my first painting with that medium.”

Students interested in participating in this coming January’s exhibit can submit their artwork to the Honors Program before December 9. More about the process as well as the appropriate forms that must be filled out can be found here. Horton said she plans to submit another oil painting for this year’s show and highly encourages her peers to consider participating as well.

“Last year I didn't have confidence that any of my pieces would be chosen,” said Horton. “However, I was pleasantly surprised and have now been able to display my artwork in the Honors Offices for an entire year. I'm so thankful for this show and the opportunity it gives me to display this passion of mine that doesn't get to shine in my academic studies."