By Easton Umansky
Kittredge Gallery was crowded with artists, students, professors and Tacoma neighbors milling the room, pointing as they chatted with one another, sipping their hot tea, a half-eaten plate of cheese and crackers in their other hand. Monday, Jan. 27 marked the opening of the 2025 Art Students Annual Show, a recurring opportunity for students to submit works from the past two years to be displayed and judged. Named this year’s juror, Victoria Miles is a Tacoma-based writer, artist and curator at the Tacoma Art Museum. The event celebrated the works of 19 student artists, ranging from intricate oil pastels on a large canvas, to a custom tattoo design.
The timeless tradition of the show is beloved community-wide and is a reminder of the ever-growing importance of engaging with community arts. In order to connect the community with artists’ works, artists engage with gallery curations as a field of coexisting artists. The Curator of Collections and Exhibitions at Kittredge and University alumni Peter Stanley (‘09) participated in it while studying politics and government at the University. Now, he spends his time sharing his enthusiasm and knowledge of art throughout the gallery and engaging student workers in the museum. Without artist statements, the gallery curators are left to organize based solely on the piece itself. “One of the joys of this show is that I too often come into it with low information. So then, to get the final products all in one place, things people are proudest of … it’s pretty joyful,” Stanley explained. The moments of joy continue throughout the ceremony and show display, as he cultivates an immersive community atmosphere.
To curate the show’s presentation, six student gallery attendants worked together to determine categories based on the works themselves. Parker Wilson (‘27) plans to pursue a career in museum curation and prepares by challenging themselves to dissect the works of art, and decipher how each piece fits into the pattern of the overall presentation. However, the highlight of their time at the museum is not in the preparation but in the days following the ceremony, when artists bring their friends. Wilson admires the cheerful interactions between peers as they gawk at one another’s masterful work. “There’s a look that they get in their eyes when they’re explaining their art to them, and that’s really exciting,” Wilson said.
The ceremony itself concludes with five cash prize awards. Following Peter Stanley reading the praise of the juror, he announces artists’ names as the gallery fills with applause. Excited artists hug their friends before shuffling to the back wall for a group photo with their printed awards. Despite the enthusiasm and support radiating through the room, it is hard to ignore the somber faces of other contributing artists scattered throughout the crowd. “You can write it off as a healthy thing to get used to doing creative work and put it out there. You’re going to get a lot of rejections, and that is something that we at the University, if we’re preparing people for careers, should be getting people used to. That doesn’t mean it’s not painful,” Peter Stanley said.
Niko Buharin (‘26), winner of Best Overall in Show, values the opportunity to contribute to shows like these. Viewing it as an occasion to share the work he is most proud of, Buharin is eager to turn his budding artistry into a career by engaging with more community exposure. His winning sculpture titled “Evolutions” is one of his figurine collections, part of his many ceramic works throughout his life. “I don’t know what they mean or where they come from. It’s just kind of like I go in the studio, and it’s like a clay freestyle, just see what comes out,” Buharin said. Without an expectation for the clay, Buharin adopts a mindset of responding to the clay in the moment, which also rings true as he embraces the feeling of not knowing what is coming next in his everyday life. “Things are unexpected; appreciate the changes that happen with whatever you’re making,” Buharin said. To him, “Evolutions” reflects the change and growth of his work over the years and the flexibility he exercises with the clay. This win demonstrates just that, as he appreciates the recognition of his work but knows more is to come in his artistic career.
Displaying art publically can be challenging for some, but putting it out in the community is a unique part of the artistic experience. Art Professor Elise Richman often advises students through this challenging moment of having to see strangers observe their art. “You might notice people looking at your work, notice people noticing your work. That’s something that can be a really weird experience because you realize the work has a life of its own. That’s intentional; you’re kind of not directly part of that conversation anymore,” she said.
While the initial bustling ceremony has concluded, the works remain hung on the gallery walls through Feb. 22, open from 10-7 p.m. on weekdays and 12-5 p.m. on Saturdays. The juror’s statement and awards are plastered on the wall, inviting the community to admire fellow brave students’ works. Wilson sees the Art Students Annual Show as a way to keep art museums alive, especially on the Puget Sound campus, and as an expression of our community. “Going to art museums is kind of a dying art. I want more people to go and experience art, you need to go and just stare at it in person,” Wilson said. So grab your friends and a cup of hot tea, and head over to Kittredge to see the spectacular show!