[News Release] – The College of the Canyons Art Gallery will present the “18th Annual Student Art Exhibition,” featuring a wide representation of work produced by the college’s talented student artists.

The work on display will include painting, drawing, figure drawing, 2D design, 3D design, graphic design, photography, animation and media entertainment arts.

Serving as the semester’s culminating event for many COC art students, the annual exhibition also plays an important role in gallery director Larry Hurst’s ongoing initiative to expand the College of the Canyons Student Art Collection.

First organized in 2011, the COC Student Art Collection project allows students to submit their artwork for competition in the annual “Student Exhibition” held each spring semester. From those submissions, four winners are eventually selected and awarded cash prizes.

The chosen works then become part of a permanent visual art collection, spanning all disciplines, which is displayed at the college’s Valencia and Canyon Country campuses.

“Every spring I worry that we will not receive enough student entries, only to be overwhelmed by receiving as many as 300 pieces of art,” said Hurst.

The “Student Art Exhibition” is traditionally curated by a guest juror selected from the greater Los Angeles arts community. This year’s juror, Ms. Shirley Cannon, is a retired arts educator and exhibiting artist, working in Santa Monica.

“It’s a tough job for a guest juror to try and pare all the student submissions to around 100 works,” added Hurst. “But with this type of exhibition there’s guaranteed to be something on the wall for everyone to enjoy.”

The “18th Annual Student Art Exhibition” will run from Thursday, May 15, through Thursday, June 12.

The College of the Canyons Art Gallery is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday. Those unable to visit the gallery during normal hours are welcome to call (661) 362-3612 to schedule a viewing appointment. All gallery exhibitions and related events are free and open to the public.

For more information about the College of the Canyons Art Gallery or the “18th Annual COC Student Exhibition” please visit www.canyons.edu/artgallery.