58th Annual National Drawing and Small Sculpture Show opens Feb. 16 with free reception in Cain Gallery
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2024
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Juror and sculptor Mark H. Cowardin giving Art Talk on Thursday, Feb. 15, prior to Friday’s exhibit opening; national show attracted record 792 entries with 53 selected
Article by Melinda Eddleman
Now celebrating 58 years of bringing to Corpus Christi two- and three-dimensional artwork from across the United States as part of a juried exhibition, the Del Mar College (DMC) Art Program will open this year’s annual National Drawing and Small Sculpture Show with a reception on Friday, Feb. 16. The 2024 show attracted a record number of entries of two-dimensional mixed media and small sculptures for a combined 792 pieces with 53, or less than seven percent, selected for the highly-regarded exhibit.
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Of the nearly 800 submitted artworks, this year’s juror has curated a show that explores the concepts of form, color and light as well as how those elements carry cultural significance. While some of the selected artworks tackle global concerns, such as pollution and climate change, other pieces are more introspective and reflect on dynamics of memory and personal experience.
Dr. Benjamin Ogrodnik, Assistant Professor of Art/Cain Gallery Coordinator
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Jeffrey Rinehart_I grew out of my cage
The Del Mar College Art Program will open the 2024 National Drawing and Small Sculpture Show with a free reception on Friday, Feb. 16. Attracting nearly 800 entries, from artists across the country the juried exhibit features 53 selected works, including artist Jeffrey Rinehart’s “I grew out of my cage,” a 9” x 5” x 5” gypsum three-dimensional piece. The show runs until May 1 in the Joseph A. Cain Memorial Art Gallery on the College’s Heritage Campus. For details, go to delmar.edu/gallery. (Credit: contributed)
Benjamin McVey_Six Glass Vessels III
The Del Mar College Art Program’s 2024 National Drawing and Small Sculpture Show opens in Cain Gallery on Feb. 16 and runs through May 1. Among the selected pieces by juror Mark H. Cowardin is artist Benjamin McVey’s “Six Glass Vessels III,” a 24” by 24” oil on linen two-dimensional piece that is included among the 28 mixed media artworks in the show. Get details at delmar.edu/gallery. (Credit: contributed)
Deanna Bada-Maloney_Canned
Artist Deanna Bada-Maloney’s “Canned,” an 8” by 6” by 5” ceramic, oxide, ink and found object three-dimensional piece, is among the 53 artworks included in the 58th National Drawing and Small Sculpture Show in Del Mar College’s Joseph A. Cain Memorial Art Gallery on the Heritage Campus. The DMC Art Program will hold a free opening reception on Feb. 16 with the show running through May 1. Details are available at delmar.edu/gallery. (Credit: contributed)
The event also features the announcement of the three Purchase Awards Cowardin selected from among a strong and diverse lineup of work for inclusion in the Del Mar College Permanent Collection.
Sculptor Mark H Cowardin_Art Talk
In addition to the opening reception, Cowardin will present an Art Talk on Thursday, Feb. 15, from 11 a.m. to noon in Richardson Performance Hall, which is also located on the College’s Heritage Campus. He will cover his own artwork, perspectives and insights as an artist.
Every year, a distinguished artist in his or her own right is asked to select the pieces that will make up the juried exhibition; and for the 2024 national show, Cowardin, an Associate Professor of Art with Johnson County Community College in Kansas, has filled that role. He earned his Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Arizona as well as his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Kansas.
As a native Midwesterner, Cowardin’s sculptural work centers on the complex relationship to natural resources that the country’s Midwest embodies. His work resides in many private and public collections, including the John Michael Kohler Art Center, Kohler Corporation, tNerman Museum of Contemporary Art and Rockhurst University.
Laura Konecne_White Bean
His selections for Del Mar College’s 58th Annual National Drawing and Small Sculpture Show will remain on display through May 1. Cain Gallery hours are Mondays through Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Fridays from 9 a.m. until noon. (The gallery will be closed during Spring Break March 11-15.)
The College’s National Drawing and Small Sculpture Show began in 1966 with the vision of founder Joseph A. Cain, who was an artist, writer, educator and former U.S. Marine. He served as the DMC Art Department’s chair until his death in 1980. (Access a past release to learn more about Cain.)
Questions about the Feb. 15 Art Talk, Feb. 16 opening reception or the national show may be directed to the DMC Art Office at 361-698-1216 or art@delmar.edu.
Individuals can also visit the Cain Gallery web page at delmar.edu/gallery.
(Shown on the main page rotator and at the top of this page is a portion of “Love Birds,” a 16” by 13.5” collagraph, color treta pak two-dimensional piece by artist Kevin Gonzalez.)
About Del Mar College
Del Mar College empowers students to achieve their dreams. We offer quality programs, individual attention, outstanding instruction through faculty with real-world experience and affordable costs to credit and noncredit students in Corpus Christi and the South Texas Coastal Bend area. Nationally recognized while locally focused, we’re ranked in the top two percent of community colleges in the country granting associate degrees to Hispanic students (Community College Week). Del Mar College focuses on offering our students programs that match current or emerging career opportunities. Whether students are interested in the fine arts, sciences, business, occupational or technical areas, students get the education they need for the future they want at Del Mar College.
Latest DMC News
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Each year, the Piper Foundation honors only 10 professors from public and private two- and four-year colleges and universities from across the state, and the honor recognizes educators’ dedication to the teaching profession and their outstanding academic, scientific and scholarly achievements. As a 2024 Piper Professor, Dr. Stone joins 10 other honorees named before him from Del Mar College since 1960. He’s also the first nominee since 2005 to receive the distinction. Fellow History Professor Dr. Mark Robbins, who nominated Dr. Stone for the award, noted, “Bryan is a model scholar-teacher who excels at every aspect of being a professor at a community-minded institution. He is a prolific author of three books and many articles, a supportive colleague who brings out the best in those he works with and a dedicated member of the local community who is eager to share his time and expertise beyond the College, so it’s a great honor to have Bryan as a colleague and a pleasure to see him receive this well-deserved award.” With over 27 years of teaching experience from previous teaching positions and his role at DMC, Dr. Stone joined the College’s faculty in August 2004 as an Assistant Professor and moved up the ranks to become Professor in 2015. He is the 2019 recipient of Del Mar College’s own award that recognizes exceptional teaching, the Dr. Aileen Creighton Award for Teaching Excellence, and a 2021 Teacher of the Year Award recipient for which the College’s student body selects. Dr. Stone has now added the Piper Professor Award and humbly noted, “When I received notification that I was one of only 10 recipients in the state, I was thrilled and grateful but also more than a little surprised. After a quarter of a century teaching in community college classrooms, trying to support my students and colleagues as well as I can, trying to keep up with a profession that keeps changing and always unsure if I was succeeding, it’s extremely meaningful to receive this confirmation that it’s working.” His colleague Dr. Robbins added, “Bryan imparts on his students a style of learning history that is simultaneously exciting, complex, thought-provoking and deeply relevant. 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