Undergraduate Juried Show Winners

Each spring the Art Department sponsors an Undergrad Juried Art Show.

This year’s juror was Rene Palomares, an Albuquerque Public School Art teacher and a current UNM MFA student in Art Education. Mr. Palomares selected the exhibition pieces submitted by undergraduate students and chose three winners. The exhibition is on display at John Sommers Gallery from February 17 – 28, 2020. The award ceremony and reception were held on Thursday, February 20, 2020.

Jiayi Liang, the first-place winner at the Undergraduate Juried Show, was born in Changsha, Hunan, China. She is currently living in Albuquerque and studies Art at the University of New Mexico. Jiayi’s work explores issues of identity, language, and memory. Her artistic practice serves as a meditation and treatment to heal pervading life struggles.

The second-place winner at the Undergraduate Juried Show is Christina Ann Norton. Christina grew up with a learning disability and struggled in school but she always loved art. Norton believes that her disability is rather an “ability” that enables her to visualize three-dimensional images in her mind. “I am greatly honored to have my art celebrated by this award,” Christina said. “My dream is to be an Art Therapist and to teach people about the Healing and the Cathartic benefits of creating art.” Christina is currently pursuing a dual degree in Art and Psychology at the University of New Mexico.

Rosalinda Pacheco won third-place at the Undergraduate Juried Show. She pursues a BFA in Art Studio with an emphasis on Painting and Drawing at UNM. As a Nuevo Mexicana, Rosalinda explores ways to tell the stories of New Mexican culture and strives to overcome language barriers as well as geographic and economic disparities.

image: Undergraduate Juried Show first place winner Jiayi Liang (left), second-place winner Christina Ann Norton (center) and third-place winner Rosalinda Pacheco (right).