PSC’s most creative student-artists celebrated at awards ceremony

Pensacola State College graphic design student Megan Rathmann won the coveted Anna Award at the 2023 Annual Student Art Awards Exhibition Awards Ceremony held April 13 in the Anna Lamar Switzer Center for Visual Arts.

Graphic technology student Natalee Stuart’s linoleum print, “Meaningless Death,” won Best of Show.

“We are celebrating the incredible talent of our students,’’ PSC Visual Arts Department Head Brian Weaver said to the overflowing crowd of students, faculty, staff, family and friends gathered in the Charles Lamar Studio Gallery for the awards presentation.

Weaver also thanked the numerous program supporters and partners who helped give the art students cash and gift awards. “So many pieces and parts make this program successful,” he added.

The Anna Award is a special recognition presented to the most outstanding associate degree-seeking student in the Visual Arts Department as selected by the faculty. The recipient of the $1,000 award must graduate during the spring or the summer term.

The Switzer families established the Anna Award to honor the memory of Anna Lamar Switzer, mother, and grandmother of the Switzer and Reilly families, who provided the transformational funds to renovate and expand the Anna Lamar Switzer Center for Visual Arts.

“It’s truly an honor,’’ said Rathmann of her award, which also came with an obelisk trophy. “This program has really brought out my passion for art and design. It gave me a new love for the arts, and I truly appreciate how the faculty helped me and pushed me every day.”

Rathmann will graduate with an Associate of Science degree in May and enter the College’s Dr. Marjan Mazza Bachelor of Applied Science in Business and Management, Graphic Design Management Concentration program.

Best of Show winner Stuart will earn a Dr. Marjan Mazza Bachelor of Applied Science in Business and Management, Graphic Design Management Concentration degree in 2025.

“I’m incredibly honored,’’ Stuart said. “The quality of this show is just incredible, and everyone put so much work into it. I’m just so grateful because this program has opened so many doors for me and allowed me to expand and diversify as an artist.”

The award winners from the PSC Annual Student Awards Exhibition are:

• Anna Award: Megan Rathmann ─ $1,000
• Best of Show: Natalee Stuart ─ $600
• Honorable Mention: Maria Tirado ─ $200
• Honorable Mention: Sydnee Mitchell ─ $200
• Honorable Mention: Ana Millan ─ $200
• Tony Sam/People’s Choice Award 1^st Place: Jaylen-Reed-Wilson ─ $350
• Tony Sam/People’s Choice Award 2^nd Place: Ana Millan ─ $150
• Tony Sam/People’s Choice Award 3^rd Place: Enrique Viveros ─ $25
• President’s Choice Award: Ryann Salter – Artwork to be displayed in PSC President Ed Meadow’s office for one year
• Jaco’s Bayfront Photography Award 1^st Place: Ralitsa Mihaylova ─ $600
• Jaco’s Bayfront Photography Award 2^nd Place: Amy Athans ─ $500
• Jaco’s Bayfront Photography Award 3^rd Place: Andrew Johnson ─ $200
• Anna Society Member’s Choice Award: Jennifer Hendrix ─ Anna Society Swag Bag
• Pat Regan Award 1^st Place: Micala Mathews ─ $100
• Pat Regan Award 2^nd Place: Kenneth Burrell ─ $100
• Pat Regan Award 3^rd Place: Andrew Johnson ─ $100
• Pat Regan Award 4^th Place: Davan Royster ─ $50
• Calagaz Photography Award 1^st Place: Any Athans ─ $150 printing package
• Calagaz Photography Award 2^nd Place: Megan Rathmann ─ $100 printing package
• Calagaz Photography Award 3^rd Place: Ashley Gray ─ $50 printing package
• Artel Gallery Award 1^st Place: Eden Notley ─ $75 voucher
• Artel Gallery Award 2^nd Place: Jada Lowry ─ $50 voucher
• Artel Gallery Award 3^rd Place: Jessika Spann ─ $25 voucher
• Artel Gallery Award 4^th Place: Ivy Crosby ─ $25 voucher

These incoming PSC art students were awarded scholarships based on their high school portfolios:

• Anna Lamar Switzer Endowed Award: Tamara Spencer, Escambia High School
• Academic Excellence Scholarship: Audra Davis, Tate High School
• Academic Excellence Scholarship: Jobey Conrad, Tate High School
• Jaco’s Bayfront Restaurant Photography Award: Kendall Poston, West Florida High School

If you go

The 2023 Annual Student Art Awards Exhibition is on display in the Switzer Gallery of the Anna Lamar Switzer Center for Visual Arts. The exhibition runs through May 5 and is free to the public.

Gallery hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on Friday.

Details: 850-484-2550, https://visualarts.pensacolastate.edu/switzer-gallery/.