Every year the Cannon Gallery hosts the Juried Student Art Exhibition that presses it to its limits. With over 300 art pieces submitted each year, only the top 80 pieces will be displayed. Due to the size of the Cannon Gallery, the student assistants have to get creative with the space. This tetris-like balance is often thrown off by new challenges in what defines the boundless meaning of art. New forms of media such as video, games, and sounds post new ways of defining art. These new forms of art often rely on classroom services to provide the equipment needed for those pieces to be displayed, such as speakers and media players that were purchased through the Incidental Fee Committee.

These pieces come from any student all over WOU, not just the art students. Students are allowed to submit up to six pieces of art that they have made in the past year. These pieces are then viewed by profession artists or curators that narrow down all of the entries to the 80 pieces we see displayed each year in Cannon Gallery. This year, the work was juried by David Wilson a professional artist from Lockport, Ill. He holds multiple degrees and has worked as a teacher at various colleges and universities. Currently, David is the gallery director for the Salem Art Association’s Bush Barn Art Center. He has also participated in solo and group exhibitions with collections of his own art.

The 49^th Annual Juried Student Art Exhibition will be on display from May 15 through May 30. On Wednesday, May 17 there will be a reception held from 4:30 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. which will include awards in various categories as well as some scholarships that will be awarded to those who are art students that entered. The reception is free and open to all; small refreshments will be provided for those who attend.