Contact: Sammy McDavid
Of 26 design portfolios selected recently for final judging in regional competition, half are the creations of senior Mississippi State University art majors.
Among the 13 MSU portfolios considered, four took "Best of Show" honors in the student challenge of the PUSH Design Conference in Memphis, Tenn. The 2000 meeting marked the fifth consecutive year the top award winners came from Mississippi State.
Best of Show awards went to Christopher W. Burgett of Nettleton, Francie O. Creevy of Evanston, Ill., Chris Graves of Columbus, and Ann L. Guarino of Slidell, La. Each received a cash prize, trophy and interviews with selected Memphis design firms.
They and the others from MSU whose works were selected for final judging are students of assistant professor Wade Lough.
Honorable mentions went to entries not selected for major awards. The nine MSU students in this category include Nikki Bane of Starkville; Albena H. Dimitrova of Varna, Bulgaria; Annah M. Dowdle of Senatobia; Amie Geary of Waveland; Lauren E. Holmes and James R. Tomlinson of Madison; Carolyn B. Horne of Grenada; Catherine F. "Katie" Johnston of Cordova, Tenn.; and Chris Nolen of Ecru.
Sponsored annually by the Memphis Advertising Federation, Memphis College of Art and University of Memphis, the PUSH (formerly COMMUNIGRAPHICS) conference attracts students and faculty members from Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee.
A part of the American Advertising Federation's national educational outreach program, this year's event involved a total of nearly 50 portfolio entries. The challenge: Create a corporate identity and collateral materials for a gourmet tea company.
"The success of MSU art students in the Memphis Advertising Federation-sponsored competition continues," said art department head Brent Funderburk. "Over this five-year period, they've had more accepted entries and top honors than any other Mid-South school."
Founded in 1968, the art department now has some 300 majors. Bachelor's degrees are offered in graphic design and fine art, while the master's program involves an electronic visualization degree in animation and multimedia.