Biorenewables Art Competition Winner 2018

A five-color woodcut print has been named best-in-show at the ninth annual Biorenewables Art Competition held Apr. 20, 2018. Rachel Deutmeyer, a graduate student in the Art and Visual Culture (AVC) program at Iowa State University, won for her work entitled “Theodore.” The work becomes part of the Biorenewables Research Laboratory’s permanent art collection, and Deutmeyer receives $750.
Robert Jinkins, a graduate student in AVC at Iowa State, won first place and $350 for his acrylic mixed media piece called “His Eye on the Sparrow.” Second place and $250 was awarded to Jeremy Roy, a senior in integrated studio arts for his oil painting, “Contamination.” Carter Blunk, a senior in industrial design, nabbed third place and $150 for his wood piece, “Three Legged Stool.” The juror’s also awarded honorable mention Liz Stratton for “Double-Edged” and Kelly Devitt for “Bombus Terrestris.”
The competition is open to students from Iowa State’s College of Design who create works that reflect the mission of the Bioeconomy Institute (BEI), which is located in the Biorenewables Research Laboratory (BRL). The event connects students with the research occurring in the BRL, adjacent to the College of Design. The competition also helps to introduce the concept of biorenewables to a wide audience.
The art was evaluated by a jury that included Alison Ferris, senior curator at the Des Moines Art Center; Catherine Reinhart, a fiber artist living and working in Ames and current Artist-in-Residence and gallery manager at the Iowa State University Design on Main Gallery; and Andrew Friend, a senior automation engineer at Iowa State.
The exhibit includes paintings, mixed media pieces, and wood pieces. It will be on display until March 2019 in the BRL, located on the west side of the Iowa State campus. Viewing during office hours is free and open to the public.