Three students were recognized for their artistry as part of the Stanislaus State Juried Student Art Exhibition, which showcases artwork from a wide variety of students from all majors. This year’s winners were announced in June during a reception at the Stan State Art Space in downtown Turlock.
Christopher Rodriguez was named the first-place winner of the exhibition. Sarah Lamphere and Kat Crossley received second and third place honors, respectively. All three students shared how their artistic journeys have been intertwined with the opportunities and mentorship provided by the Department of Art.
Each piece told a unique story of inspiration, challenges and triumph. From overcoming creative obstacles to refining their techniques, the artists’ creations illustrate how the University has played a pivotal role in shaping their artistic visions.
Rodriguez’s winning piece, “El Trabajador con una Mariposa,” (The Worker with a Butterfly) draws from his personal experiences working in his father’s gardening and landscaping business.
“For me, it's important to paint people who have been underrepresented in the art world and in the media,” Rodriguez said. “I want viewers to see the image of a worker and see them as someone to be treated with respect. The butterfly in the painting represents migration and how my parents came to America for a better life for themselves and their children.”
Rodriguez said Stan State’s art program has been instrumental in his artistic journey.
“I feel like I learned nearly everything I know from the Art Department and my amazing professors,” he said. “Their emphasis on content and form and making deliberate artistic decisions has been one of the most important things for me.”
Sarah Lamphere, whose second-place piece reflects themes of endurance and transformation, drew inspiration from the act of physically immersing herself in her art. Her process involves a deeply meditative practice where she sits still for several hours as plaster and glue-drenched canvas dries around her body.
“I aspire to demonstrate acts of meditation on endurance and reverence through my works,” Lamphere said. This method serves as both a literal and metaphorical translation of her artistic vision, embodying themes of transformation, mortality and the enduring human spirit.
The casts serve as a metaphor for transformation, addressing themes of mortality with a blend of humor and macabre elements.
“By using hides as relics of ritualistic actions and my own body as an instrument in my artistic practice, I held myself in stressful positions,” Lamphere said. “I’ve overcome these challenges by examining craft processes in relation to the feminine, historically regulated domestic task with a playful attitude and reverence for the human limit.”
Crossley’s submission was inspired by raw video footage of abandoned places and urban settings.
“One piece incorporates nine different panels of wood with the grain going in every different direction,” Crossley said. “Another was massively large and difficult to get my pen into many of the areas. Still, another required me to burn into the inside of the frame, which was very challenging.”
Crossley and Lamphere credited Stan State’s art program for providing them with the resources and support they needed to bring their creative ideas to life.
“The program allowed me to branch out and try new and different things that I may not have had the opportunity to explore,” Crossley said.
Lamphere, was equally expressive about the program’s benefits for students.
“Stan State’s art program provided us with many opportunities to showcase our work and a space to receive constructive feedback that encouraged us to improve as artists,” Lamphere said.
The artists said the faculty’s influence was pivotal in guiding their creative direction. Rodriguez’s instructors recommended he look at and emulate figurative artists and focus on color and mark-making, the act of producing marks on a surface such as paper, canvas, textiles, walls, floors or objects. He said their suggestions significantly improved his figure drawing and painting skills.
Reflecting on his time at Stan State, Rodriguez appreciates the many opportunities he was given to grow and collaborate as an artist.
“I am very grateful to have experienced and acquired my degree from Stan State’s incredible art program,” he said.
Lamphere expressed similar sentiments.
“I am enormously inspired by my professors who fostered students’ curiosity and created an atmosphere for us to mature as both artists and individuals.”
