Contact: Margaret Kovar
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Artwork by recent Mississippi State art graduate Shelana Kelly will be included in an upcoming notable exhibit in an Ohio art gallery.
Kelly's sculpture entitled "Kennedy" was selected to be in the eighth annual Rites of Passage exhibition at the Manifest Gallery in Cincinnati, Ohio. The exhibition will be on display June 1-29, with a public reception June 1 from 6-9 p.m. to honor the artists.
"Kennedy" is a mahogany chair Kelly designed and constructed herself under the instruction of MSU assistant professor of sculpture Critz Campbell.
"This chair is the first chair I have ever built," Kelly, a Corinth native, said. "It led to a strong love of designing and building furniture. The circular forms and rounded edges pay homage to Victorian period benches and the early days of the industrial revolution in Europe and America."
The juror-selected artwork was chosen from 507 entries submitted by 193 college art students across the nation. Only 13 works by 13 artists were chosen for the extremely competitive exhibit to be displayed in Manifest Gallery's main gallery.
"It feels amazing to be one of only 13 chosen to participate. There were over 500 entries, and one of mine was chosen," Kelly said.
The Manifest Gallery is a non-profit creative research gallery and drawing center.
For more information about the gallery and exhibit, visit www.manifestgallery.org. For more information about MSU, visit www.msstate.edu.