The TAMU-CC President’s Circle invited students to show off their artistic abilities at the Student Art Show, hosted in the Weil Gallery on April 6. 

The President’s Circle has hosted the art show annually since 2001. The 2022 exhibition received the most submissions to date, tallying a total of 65 pieces. Students were encouraged to submit up to four pieces of their art in any medium, including but not limited to paintings, sculptures, drawings, photography, and mixed media.

Winners of the show are determined by a popular vote within the President’s Circle, with first, second, and third place artists receiving scholarships and a permanent place in the university’s art collection. Chloe Green, a senior majoring in fine arts, won this year’s exhibition with her work “Lay with Me.”

“Honestly, it didn’t even feel like it happened,” Green said when asked about how it felt to win first place. “I don’t usually get scholarships. I don’t qualify for them, so this was the first scholarship I’ve ever gotten. I’m mostly excited about that. Of course, I’m also heartbroken because my favorite piece is going away.” 

She spent the good part of several months working on the large piece and has grown attached to it, so she understandably has mixed feelings about the accomplishment.

Christopher Jerrells, a freshman majoring in bio-environmental sciences, took home second place with his work “Comfortably Numb,” and Colby Gregory, a graphic design major,  received third with “Skyline.”

“Last year’s was online, so… it’s really awesome how [the school donors] were able to have one on one conversations with people and talk about the work. It was amazing,” Gregory said, emphasizing the importance of the in-person atmosphere available to the participating students this year.

Those who did not place in the show had an opportunity to sell their work to members of the Circle, with a binder of set prices for each piece available to all visitors to look through. A number of students who participated happily sold multiple of their pieces on display. 

The Circle intends to continue the long-standing tradition in the Spring of 2023, encouraging student artists to explore their creative talents in preparation for the annual affair. 

“You can do it,” said Jerrells, this year’s second place winner. “Don’t ever tell yourself you can’t do it. I was only able to make this because I have OCD, and you don’t even need to have OCD, you just got to put your mind to it.”