Whitewater Valley Annual Art Competition
The Whitewater Valley Art competition was founded in 1978 by IU East art professor Tom Thomas. Tom had a vision for the recently moved-in Whitewater Hall. He wished to establish an atmosphere of quality and substance as quick as possible. "The overall physical impact of the building projected an aura of immaturity", Tom Stated. Not only did he want the school to have a more professional impression, but he wanted to create opportunities through art.
John Canaday had just recently retired from being a judge of the New York Times when he went to judge for the WVAAC. He was the first judge for the competition in 1977. Tom Thomas explained to Canaday that since the artists pay to enter the competition, they should be able to hear the judge’s opinion during the selection process. It also gave artists an opportunity for orientation points and to gain knowledge. After reaching out, John stated, “I’ve been given 62 invitations to appear this year. I’m only going to accept three, Columbia, Berkley, and I.U. East.”
The competition was unique in having judges talk openly with the artists during the selection process. Having the competition at the IU East campus, a small, regional university an hour away or more from most major cities allowed shorter distances for entrants to drive. It also allowed larger art works to be submitted, up to 7x7 feet, and the competition brought in critics, educators, directors, and artists from all across the country to judge. While Tom Thomas wanted to provide opportunities for his students, the competition was open to all artists, local and from up to 300 miles or more away.
Judges for the competition came from New York, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Wisconsin, and more. Tom Armstrong judged the competition a few times while directing various museums, including the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh. Mary Jane Jacobs, Director of the Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art judged the 4th year, Sheila Stewart-Leach, the Executive Director of the Museum of Arts and Sciences in Macon, Georgia, judged the 24th year. The competion changed some in the 39th year as the competition now accepts new mediums, such as computer graphics and works were submitted electronically. It also had three judges, Mark Chepp, executive director of the Southern Ohio Museum and Cultural Center in Portsmouth, Ohio; Charlotte Gordon, artistic director of the Southern Ohio Museum and Cultural Center; and David Michael Slonim, abstract artist.
Check out the full Whitewater Valley Annual Art Competition Collection.
Campus News. (2017, October, 31). Media Relations. Retrieved August 2, 2018, from https://www. iue.edu/mediarelations/top-awards-for-this-years-whitewater-valley-art-competition-exhibit-announced/
Entries Accepted For Whitewater. (1981, April, 2). Pioneer Press 9(14), pg. 1
Local art works wonders. (2002, November, 24). Palladium Item, pg. 38
Thomas J. Thomas Dossier. (1996). Indiana University East Archives, Richmond, IN