Jasmine Best, Woman is Smarter than the Devil Himself, 2022. Digital painting on cotton, found fabrics, yarn, 67 in x 45 in. Artwork earned the Lyndon House Arts Foundation Award for Excellence at the 48th Annual Juried Exhibition at the Lyndon House Art Center.

The Lamar Dodd School of Art made waves at the 48th Annual Juried Exhibition at the Lyndon House Art Center, with two students and one alumna scoring the show's top prizes and half a dozen students and alumni securing merit awards. A cornerstone of the Art Center's annual exhibition calendar, this year's show was juried by María Elena Ortiz, Curator at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. Ortiz selected 154 works by 107 Athens-based artists out of a total of 682 works submitted by 245 artists.

During the show's opening reception on March 2nd, exhibiting artists anxiously awaited this year's awards announcement. Among the prized artists selected by Ortiz was first-year MFA student Jasmine Best — who earned both the Lyndon House Arts Foundation Award for Excellence for the work Woman is Smarter than the Devil Himself and the Art Center Choice Award for The Devil Taught Her How To Use Em', two pieces in an ongoing series exploring Southern storytelling and tropes. In the exhibition catalogue, Ortiz lauds Woman is Smarter than the Devil Himself, reading the “figurative textile work in which a Black man holding a pitchfork seems to be threatened by a Black woman holding a knife,” as “impactful” though “its digital technique combining figuration with textiles creates a contemporary attitude to the work.” 

Moreover, graduating BFA student in Fabric Design and Graphic Design Ellery Payne earned the Nancy Lukasiewicz Award for Excellence in Fine Crafts for her canvas print Cast Out, described by the juror as “a striking abstract work in which a red net covers the canvas, resulting in a harmonious and seductive composition.” Another textile in the exhibition that received high praise was the hand dyed and woven cotton and linen work Disconnect created by 2022 BFA alumna in Fabric Design Lauren Stitchweh, earning the Cotton Patch Quilters Guild Award for Fiber Arts/Quilting. 

Ellery Payne with Cast Out (2022), which earned the Nancy Lukasiewicz Award for Excellence in Fine Crafts, at the Lyndon House Art Center 48th Juried Exhibition Opening, March 2, 2023. Courtesy of the artist.

As an additional honor for receiving the exhibition's Award for Excellence, Best will be presenting a solo exhibition at the Arts Center next year. Quoted in the Flagpole magazine article "The Lyndon House Arts Center’s 48th Juried Exhibition Celebrates Local Creativity," the artist discusses themes in the two works she received awards for —

“I have been exploring Southern storytelling to connect contemporary visual narrative culture in hopes of defining what makes Southern art,” says Best. “Both works in the show play off the Southern story trope of how the devil is seen as the ultimate trickster, often smarter than God in most stories. Despite patriarchy being prevalent in a lot of these stories, women are often depicted as the smartest in a story, so they are often aligned with the devil in stories.”

Beyond the exhibition's named prizes, various merit awards were conferred to students and alumni, including MFA student Katie Ford, Dodd Galleries chief preparator Kathryn Réfi (‘02, MFA), Jim Norton (‘07, MFA), Katie McCullough (‘09, BFA), Kate Windley (‘07, MFA), Art Library Coordinator and post-baccalaureate alumna in photography and expanded media Christee Imogen Henry, and BFA alumna Lauren Fancher (‘85, BFA).

The 48th Annual Juried Exhibition catalogue highlights awarded works and lists the show's full roster of artists, which consists of a sizable representation from the School of Art. In the catalogue's juror statement, Ortiz shares “The exhibition illustrates the convergence of different art practices and mediums breaking the boundaries among traditional forms of making and craft. The selection is a microcosm of what happens creatively locally, echoing national trends.”  

The exhibition is on display through May 6, 2023. A series of Thursday art talks will take place in April. Join Abigail West (‘19, BFA), Michael Ross (‘16, MFA), Kathryn Réfi (‘02, MFA), Jasmine Best (MFA student), Lauren Fancher (‘85, BFA), Kelsey Wishik (‘21, MFA) and others for discussions on themes and practices on display in this group exhibition.

Exhibition Dates

March 2 - May 6, 2023

Artist Talks

Every Thursday in April at 6 pm

Promotional flyer for series of Artist Talks for the Lyndon House Art Center's 48th Juried Exhibition