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Employee art show winners announced

Best of Show award winner Amina Trotter-Lockett with her mixed media abstract "A Burst of Excitement." (Vanderbilt University/Steve Green)

A crowd of Vanderbilt staff members, faculty and their families gathered Sept. 20 at Vanderbilt Health One Hundred Oaks’ gallery wall, where the winners of the National Arts Program’s Third Annual Exhibit and Competition were announced.

The event was open to all Vanderbilt employees and their families and was designed to give artists at all skill levels an opportunity to exhibit their work in a professional manner and compete for cash prizes.

Sponsored by the National Arts Program Foundation in cooperation with Vanderbilt University Medical Center, the exhibit was judged by professional artists and visual art professionals in Amateur, Intermediate, Professional and Youth classifications.

“The National Arts Program Employee and Family Art Show gives Vanderbilt a unique opportunity to showcase our employees’ talents and passion,” said Jenny Lewis, program coordinator for the Cultural Enrichment Program at VUMC. “The support we get from the NAP allows us to highlight multiple styles and mediums without sacrificing the high quality we are used to at the medical center. The employees and their families are incredibly grateful for the opportunity, and it is clearly one of our most popular exhibits.”

The National Arts Program exhibit can be found at the north end of Vanderbilt Health One Hundred Oaks in the main mall hallway. (Vanderbilt University/Steve Green)

The event was free to enter, and entries could be in any medium, from oil paints to photography.

Best in Show went to 12-year-old Amina Trotter-Lockett, daughter of Midori Lockett, event planner for the Human Resources Organizational Effectiveness Team. She is a 7th grader at East Literature Magnet School and last year had one of her pieces selected for the Mayor’s Arts Program Exhibit at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts. Her winning entry for the National Arts Program exhibit, “A Burst of Excitement,” is a mixed media piece that includes coffee, ink and water colors.

“Amina has identified herself as an artist since she was about 3 years old,” her mother said. “Her first formal art class was when she was 4 – an introductory class at Watkins School of Art. She is fortunate to have attended schools where the arts are encouraged and supported.”

The awards ceremony was followed by a reception. The exhibit will be on display at Vanderbilt Health One Hundred Oaks through Jan. 3, 2012.

First place, Professional, W.J. Cunningham, "Angel in Yellow." (Vanderbilt University/Steve Green)

The winners are:

Best of Show

Amina Trotter-Lockett
A Burst of Excitement

Professional

1st place – W.J. Cunningham,
Angel in Yellow

2nd place – Barry Noland
Symphony

3rd place – William Arthur
Comes the Morning

Honorable Mentions: Jennifer Georgescu, Mary Gwen Bowen

Brenda Ellis, information officer for the School of Engineering, poses with her daughter Jessamyn Davis' winning entry in the Intermediate division, an ink drawing of a lion titled "Saharan Ruler." (Vanderbilt University/Steve Green)

Intermediate

1st place – Jessamyn Davis
Saharan Ruler

2nd place – Katelyn Abernathy
Untitled

3rd place – Judit Pap
Foret Mystique

Honorable Mentions: Tiberiu Chelcea, Onika Lowry

Amateur

Exhibit coordinator Jenny Lewis (left) presents first prize in the Amateur division to Bridgett Trivette for "Blushing Angel."(Vanderbilt University/Steve Green)

1st place – Bridgett Trivette
Blushing Angel

2nd place – Karin Sack
Eleutherian Mills, Washington, Delaware

3rd place – Lucas Bowers
Self Reflection

Ruby Blackman (left), daughter of Amy Blackman, senior designer in Creative Services, won first place in the Teen division for her painting "Untitled." (Vanderbilt University/Steve Green)

Teen

1st place – Ruby Blackman
Untitled

2nd place – Amanda Acevedo
Bows

3rd place – Danielle Long
Wild

Honorable Mentions: Zane Smith, Sage Loh

Youth

Jenny Lewis presents first place, Youth division, to Shannon Long for "Pixie in the Spring." (Vanderbilt University/Steve Green)

1st place – Shannon Long
Pixie in the Spring

2nd place – Christine Sylvester
Sweetie the Dog

3rd place – Trudy Zou
Boat Pier

Honorable Mentions: Caleb Brandes, Emily Boeing, Zoe Kendell, Lu Zeng, Lydia Brandes,  Kyra Kendall

For information on next year’s competition, contact: Jenny Lewis
(615) 936-1234