Art Students Receive Awards at Exhibition
By Mary Beth Callahan
Lee University students Tim Volodzko, Oleg Voytenko, and Marisa Goodman recently won awards at “Literary Visions,” a regional juried art exhibition held at the Athens Area Arts Council. The exhibition called for submissions that were inspired by works of literature.
“It is exciting that three Lee students were selected as award winners in this exhibition,” said Mary Mathias-Dickerson, assistant professor of art at Lee. “Their work is making an excellent impression in the regional art community. I hope this will inspire more students to enter the larger dialog of the art world by submitting their work to other regional and national juried exhibitions.”
Volodzko, a senior art major from Minsk, Belarus, won first place in the College Division with his ink on paper piece titled, “Thoughts of Ester.”
“Beauty is the most important thing I hope the viewer recognizes,” said Volodzko. “I believe it is a contrast of darkness and light, ugliness and beauty, existing together. I put my ideas into unique works of art and the audience can create their own story.”
Voytenko, a senior art major from Cleveland, was awarded second place in the College Division for his pastel “Masks,” based on a poem by Shel Silverstein.
“The poem Masks, by Shel Silverstein, caught my imagination,” stated Voytenko. “I wanted to illustrate the poem in a way that showed the longing for connection and the facades that are standing in the way.”
Goodman, a junior art major from Chattanooga, won “Best Interpretation of a Literary Work” for her charcoal interpretation of a stanza from Paul Durrant’s poem “Inner Conflict.”
“Internal struggle is something every human being faces, and it is not pretty,” said Goodman. “Anguish, frustration, hoplessness…We have all felt these things and use our experiences to get through tough situations.”
The Athens Area Council for the Arts has served as the core organization dedicated to the enhancement of the cultural life in the community since 1979. Its mission is to enrich the quality of life and make a difference by providing opportunities for the expression and appreciation of the arts.
For more information about the Art Program at Lee, contact the Department of History, Political Science and Humanities at (423) 614-8137.
