VALDOSTA – A Michigan artist took top honors in the Valdosta National 2022 juried art exhibit.

Matthew Schellenberg of Farmington Hills, Michigan, won first place for “Her Beauty Gained Her Everything She Ever Dreamt of …,” a work in cherry, black walnut, ash, cypress, goncalo alves and steel, said Julie Bowland, Valdosta State University Fine Arts Gallery director.

“Upon viewing Matthew Schellenberg’s ‘Her Beauty Gained Her Everything She Had ever Dreamt of … And Much More,’ I was struck with one overwhelming feeling,” Samuel Dunson, juror and judge of the exhibit, said in a statement. “Presence. It would have been very easy to choose this magnificent work as the grand prize for its craftsmanship, its stylization and even its concept. 

“But its presence stands on the shoulders of each of these necessary artistic methodologies. There’s a sense of continuous movement that is evident throughout the work … until … you allow yourself to engage with the faces. The gaze in each face stills you and forces you to slow down and care for the being that is held within. For this reason, I could find no other conclusion than to award this work first in show.”

Bowland added, “The selection process was highly competitive; 344 individual works of art by 136 adult artists from 39 states across the country were submitted for the Dedo Maranville Fine Arts Gallery’s 34th annual showcase of contemporary visual art.”

Dunson selected 58 works by 58 artists from 30 states to include in the show. Artists compete for $1,500 in awards.

Winner were announced Tuesday during the exhibit’s opening reception.

In addition to Schellenberg, winners are:

Second place: Gary Chapman, “WO MAN,” Birmingham, Alabama.

Third place: Kate Cummins, “Fancy Shoes,” St. Petersburg, Florida.

Fourth place: Layl McDill, “Buttons the Chicken Teapot,” Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Honorable Mentions:

– Jeremy Blair, “Arcadia,” Cookeville, Tennessee.

– S. Dickey, “The Wanting Seed,” Columbus, Mississippi.

– Adrian Hatfield, “If this isn’t nice, what is?” Ferndale, Michigan.

Dunson “is an award-winning artist and professor of art at Tennessee State University with an MFA in painting from Savannah College of Art and Design (presidential fellowship) and a BFA in studio art from Tennessee State University,” according to information provided by the VSU Art & Design. “His painting won first place in the Valdosta National 2021.”

VSU Art & Design’s Valdosta National 2022 continues through Feb. 4, Dedo-Maranville Fine Arts Gallery, VSU Fine Arts Building, corner of Oak and Brookwood. Gallery hours: 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays; 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Fridays. Due to a staff shortage, the gallery may not be open all posted hours. Visitors are asked to call ahead to be sure. More information: Contact Julie Bowland, gallery director, (229) 333-5835, or email jabowlan@valdosta.edu.