Mississippi College Graphic Design Students Represented in Collegiate Art Competition

Mississippi Collegiate Art Competition Logo

Two Mississippi College graphic design students will have their works displayed at the state’s 2013 collegiate art competition in Jackson.

Derek Walker of Madison and Guy Stricklin of Pascagoula were recently selected to have their art displayed at the exhibition February 2 at the Arts Center of Mississippi adjacent to the Russell C. Davis Planetarium.

“This competition is difficult to get into. There were over 1,000 entries and fewer than 200 were accepted for the exhibition and potential awards selection,” said MC art professor Steve Cook. “It speaks well of these students and of our Art Department that these works were accepted.”

Sara Marshall, an associate professor of printmaking at the University of Alabama, selected 188 pieces to include in the show.

Walker received his bachelor’s degree from MC in graphic design and is in the first class at the Christian university seeking an MFA in graphic design. His emphasis is in typography.

“Growing up with my dad being a printer, I’ve been around typography my entire life and I’ve grown to appreciate it and how it affects everyday design,” Walker said.

Being selected for the statewide art exhibition “is a great honor, but more than that, I am just glad I was able to represent Mississippi College in a positive way,” he said. “The department and the school mean a lot to me. They deserve this award for the high standard they have instilled in me.”

Stricklin, who received his master of fine arts in visual degree from MC in December 2012, is presently an adjunct art instructor at his alma mater in Clinton.

His two etchings, “Dead Tree” and “Dunes” were accepted.

Walker’s design for a poster’s logo won first place and will be used by the Mississippi Collegiate Art Competition for publicity to promote the February event. Undergraduates and graduate students at colleges and universities across the Magnolia State will have their entries judged.

The exhibition will run from 2-4 p.m. that Saturday, with the competition’s awards ceremony set for 3 p.m.

Walker offered his congratulations to Stricklin for his art pieces chosen. “Your work was incredible and I admire your passion for art.”