The Grand Center for Arts & Culture held the opening reception Friday for the 15th Annual ArtScape exhibit. Each year, dozens of artists from across south central Minnesota submit art pieces in the adult and student categories for show. This year’s exhibit saw over 70 submissions,

The ArtScape show is different from most of The Grand’s gallery exhibits because it is a juried show. Awards are given for first, second, third, and honorable mention in the adult category. In the student category, there is a first-place award.

Bethany Lutheran College art professor William Bukowski served as this year’s juror. He chose which pieces would hang in the gallery and picked the top winners.

Bukowski said it was a privilege to serve as the judge as it allowed him to see the talent and creative expression of artists.

1st place adult: Alex Jensen took first place in 2023’s ArtScape for this piece “Desperate,” which was created with alcohol ink. Jensen said it was one of his earlier attempts to use alcohol ink.

“As we see technology become more and more important in our culture it is gratifying to view the creativity of local and regional artists making things and expressing themselves in their unique way,” he said.

All the top prizes were awarded to pieces in different mediums. Grand Program Director Tamara Furth said it went to show there was no magic formula for creating great art.

In the youth category Bethany Spike’s piece “Maggie” took the grand prices. Spike is a student at Martin Luther College. Her piece is a mixed-medium portrait of her sister. The piece used acrylic paint on cardboard and oil paint on glass.

Spike said the greatest challenge with the work was painting on glass as it was very slippery. Her painting represents an ongoing theme. She intends to paint portraits of people who are important to her. Her next painting will be of her dad.

In the adult category, an honorable mention went to the oil painting “Day at the Pool” by Billy Thomas. In third place, is the pastel painting “Bridge Over Autumn” by Judy La Grow. Second, is the digital photo “Flame” by Maggie Gray. The top honor was given to Alex Jensen for his alcohol ink painting “Desperate.”

1st place youth: Bethany Spike stand by her mix media piece “Maggie.” The piece took first prize in the youth category. The piece was created with cardboard, glass, aryclic paint and oil paint.

Gray and Jensen were both first-time entrants in ArtScape.

Gray said she recently moved to Fairfax and had not submitted to a gallery in many years. She had submitted three pieces to the exhibit. Her winning piece was a photograph of a wild Mustang taken in North Carolina. Gray said these wild mustangs were endangered and through her artwork is hoping to raise money to help protect the animals.

Jensen said he was taken aback to learn his piece won top prize. He had only recently begun working with alcohol ink medium. He said it was a challenge because alcohol ink keeps moving around even after it has been applied to the paper.

“It can shift around greatly,” he said. “But art is really about problem-solving.”

He encouraged more people to try working with alcohol ink. He found the experience very rewarding.

The ArtScape exhibit will be on display through Dec. 22 in The Grand’s 4 PIllar Gallery. At the close of the gallery a special “People’s Choice Award” will be given. Anyone visiting the gallery between now and the closing date is allowed to vote for their favorite piece in the adult and student categories. The winner will be announced after Dec. 22.