2021 Art Show Announces Winners

The Pitt-Greensburg Art Show, which took place from Sept. 27 to Oct. 8 for Blue and Gold Week, announced the winners of the show’s judged category at the Artists’ Reception on Friday, Oct. 8. Awardees included alumni, faculty, staff, students, and other community members. In total, 107 pieces were submitted from 39 artists.

Students could submit to the show’s general category and judged category in a variety of mediums, including painting, drawing, photography, mixed media, and digital/graphic art. The judges included Chris Bartley, music instructor; Julia Ritter, director of the Heritage Museum and Library; and Michael Tusay, executive director of the Latrobe Art Center. Judges only see the piece and its title during the show, and artists are kept anonymous.

Calvin Dziewulski, a junior communications major, was one of the students who received an award. His piece “Taughannock Falls” was one of the winners in the photography category. While he was glad he participated in it, he did have a few qualms. 

“The process was not too difficult but a little time consuming and costly,” Dziewulski said. “To enter into the judged category, you had to pay $10 per piece. That was fine, I thought, as it is for a good cause, and the prize must surely be good at that price point with college students. On top of the entrance fee, we had to pay for our own printing, and framing costs of all five of the images I submitted. So, at that point, I had spent around $150 or so on the products for this event.” 

Dziewulski believed there should have been more choices in prizes. 

“I was very excited and humbled to win first place at the event for photography and it was amazing to receive that certification,” he said. “I was disappointed with the grand prize of a $25 Amazon gift card. … I think a gift card to a mega corporation with values I do not agree with is not the best payout method, especially since most of the participants are students of Pitt.”