The 5th Annual National Juried Exhibition opened at the Marshall University Visual Arts Center Jan. 11, displaying the works of 30 local and national artists.

The National Juried Exhibition allowed artists across the nation to submit work. More than 200 submissions were sent in this year. Of those submissions, 30 were chosen for display in the VAC from Jan. 21 to Feb. 12.

This year’s judge, Geoffrey Fleming, is the executive director at the Huntington Museum of Art and former director of the Southold Historical Society, Inc. in Southold, New York.  According to Megan Schultz, gallery director and facilities coordinator at the VAC, Fleming did not judge the submitted art by any specific criteria, opting instead to provide an even representation between 2D and 3D mediums.

Schultz said she is happy to see a wide representation of exhibitors. Around a third of the artists are from the tri-state area and exhibitors from as far west as Oregon and as far south as Texas are represented in the show. According to Schultz, there is an even split of male and female artists.

While the show is open to the public, Schultz said giving students in the School of Art and Design the ability to view distinctive works from across the nation is the primary goal.

“I always put shows together with the students in mind and what I think they’ll get out of it,” Schultz said.

Schultz said she believes the show is a great opportunity to show off local and national art to the community. Schultz said she also views the exhibition as a way to garner attention for Marshall’s School of Art and Design and the VAC.

So far, the National Juried Exhibition has been a success for the VAC. Schultz said the exhibition has seen considerable growth over the years due to the VAC itself and word of mouth from previous exhibitions.

This year’s exhibition is open to the public on weekdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. A public reception will be held on Jan. 21 from 4 to 6 p.m. to recognize artists whose work is on display. The reception will include a presentation of the Juror’s Choice Award, a $200 prize for what piece is judged to be the best in the gallery.

Jared Casto can be contacted at [email protected].