PSC 2025 Student Art Awards Exhibition celebrates creative excellence

(Clockwise, from top left) Anna Award-winning piece Selection from Continuum; Anna Award Winner Jenn Hendrix, with Gallery Coordinator Chelsea Weaver; Best of Show piece Oceanic Whitetip Shark; Best of Show Winner Oceana Emerson, with Gallery Coordinator Chelsea Weaver.

Jennifer Hendrix, a Photographic Technology A.S. student at Pensacola State College, was awarded the coveted Anna Award during the 2025 Annual Student Art Awards Exhibition ceremony, held April 8 in the Lamar Lecture Hall of the Anna Lamar Switzer Center for Visual Arts – one of the Visual Arts department’s most anticipated events of the year.

The Anna Award is the department’s highest honor, presented annually to the most outstanding associate degree-seeking student in the Visual Arts program. Recipients must graduate in the spring or summer term and are selected by faculty based on academic excellence, artistic achievement, and overall contribution to the arts community at PSC. The award includes a custom obelisk and a $1,000 prize, generously funded by the Switzer and Reilly families in memory of Anna Lamar Switzer, whose visionary support helped transform the center that now bears her name.

“This year, as with all prior years, the most prestigious and coveted Anna Award could have gone to any number of incredibly talented and eligible students featured in the Student Art Awards Exhibition,” said Brian Weaver, Department Head of Visual Arts.

“The caliber of artworks created each semester by our very own PSC students is humbling, and Jennifer Hendrix’s artworks deserve this honor. Our collective faculty have done a fantastic job conferring this nomination, and I applaud Jennifer for all her success.”

Hendrix is no stranger to recognition – she recently won Jaco’s Annual PSC Sunset Photography Contest for her image Storm Meets Solace and is currently showcasing a solo exhibition, Inside-Out, at Jaco’s Bayfront Bar and Grille through April 30. Her work is also featured on her website, www.jennhendrixphotography.com, and Instagram account, @jennhendrixphotography.

“As I’ve grown through the program at PSC, I’ve seen not only my own work but the work of my peers evolve in incredible ways,” said Hendrix. “To be honored like this in front of my faculty and classmates is a great honor and difficult to put into words – but I deeply appreciate it and will always cherish it.”

Hendrix added, “PSC classes are affordable, and the faculty and staff are top tier. My work has benefited greatly from their guidance and insight. The return on investment is huge for anyone serious about their craft and education.”

In addition to the Anna Award, Oceana Emerson, a Graphic Technology major, earned the Department Best of Show award for her striking wooden sculpture Oceanic Whitetip Shark, created in her Sculpture I course.

“This award means everything,” Emerson said. “I am passionate about sharks, and I poured three weeks of hard work into this piece. To be recognized for something I love so much is incredible.”

“Working in fine arts is my passion. I am so proud to represent PSC and start making a name for myself. It hasn’t always been easy, but look at me – I did it!”

This year’s Juror was Gina Phillips, a New Orleans-based mixed-media artist and educator at Hynes Charter School (Pre-K through 8) with an MFA from Tulane. Out of 183 total submissions, 75 curated works were selected for exhibition, representing the exceptional talent and creativity of PSC’s student artists across disciplines.

Award winners from the PSC 2025 Annual Student Art Awards Exhibition:

• Anna Award ($1,000/Anna Obelisk): Jennifer Hendrix, Selection from Continuum
• Department Award Best of Show ($500): Oceana Emerson, Oceanic Whitetip Shark
• Department Award, 1st place ($250): Anthony Blocker, Sleepy
• Department Award, 2nd place ($125): Andrew Rehwinkel, Self Portrait
• Department Award, 3rd place ($75): Cyril Rusnak, Lantern
• Department Award Honorable Mention ($50): Summer McCollum, Wood-Fired Skull
• Department Award Honorable Mention ($50): Lindsey Smith, Whales Make Me Cry
• Department Award Honorable Mention ($50): Kendall Poston, Lunar Light Trails
• President’s Choice Award (President’s Gallery): Christina Dean, A Loved Fox
• President’s Choice Award – Honorable Mention (1): Gary Hines, Air Show
• President’s Choice Award – Honorable Mention (2): Quincy Kirn, Billie’s Value
• President’s Choice Award – Honorable Mention (3): Gabriella Hurst, Roly-Poly
• President’s Choice Award – Honorable Mention (4): Gracie Morris, Sailing Away
• Anna Society Award ($100, Membership): Gracie Morris, Sailing Away
• Cornerstone Award, 1st place ($500): Genevieve Zavocki, Burnout
• Cornerstone Award, 2nd place ($500): Anthony Blocker, Sleepy
• Noble Arts Award, 1st place ($300): Benjamin Calloway, American Spirit
• Noble Arts Award, 2nd place ($300): Natalee Stuart, Many Me, Many You
• Noble Arts Award, 3rd place ($300): Kyleah Parsons, Book Cover Redesign
• Sail Away Award ($500): Andrew Rehwinkel, Self Portrait
• Gulf Coast Kiln Walk Society Award ($100): Amèlie Martinez Morales, Whispers of the Flame: Ceramics from the Wood-Fired Kiln
• Jaco’s Bayfront Photography, 1st place ($400): Andrew Johnson, Gears
• Jaco’s Bayfront Photography, 2nd place ($350): Christina Hanna, Luxury to Go
• Jaco’s Bayfront Photography, 3rd place ($200): Neil Boekel, New Beginnings
• Juror’s Choice: Lydia Evans, Touch of Reality
• Pat Regan Award, 1st place ($200): Nadia Hassan, Mother Nature/A Mother’s Nature
• Pat Regan Award, 2nd place ($125): Lydia Evans, Through the Mirrored Veil
• Pat Regan Award, 3rd place ($100): Jackson Tucker, NatureWalk
• Pat Regan Award, 4th place ($75): Miranda Betts, Peek-a-Moon
• Tony Sam/People’s Choice Award, 1st place ($100): Maya Enfinger, Tagged
• Tony Sam/People’s Choice Award, 2nd place ($75): Oceana Emerson, Oceanic Whitetip Shark
• Tony Sam/People’s Choice Award, 3rd place ($50): Lena Bell, Hallowed Spike

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

• Anna Lamar Switzer Endowed Scholarship ($3,000): Alexandra Lewis
• Anna Lamar Switzer Endowed Scholarship ($3,000): Giselle Martin Sosa
• Academic Excellence Scholarship ($3,600): JimJin Angel Powell
• Jaco’s Bayfront Restaurant Photography Scholarship ($1,500): Matias Reyes

The 2025 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 2 and is free to the public.

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

For more information, visit https://visualarts.pensacolastate.edu/switzer-gallery/ or call the Visual Arts Department at 850-484-2550.