CDAF Juried Arts Competition

Carefully juried works from both local and regional artists!

Photos provided by MSU Art Galleries

The Cotton District Arts Festival includes the Juried Arts Competition and Exhibit: carefully juried works from both local and regional artists. Submissions to the Juried Arts Show are entirely separate from the Artisan Village. An artist may participate in either or both, but must submit to each separately for consideration.

Each piece in this Exhibit is hand selected by a notable guest juror. From the accepted pieces, prizes are awarded in several categories. In addition, numerous merit prizes, provided by local individuals and businesses, are given to artists selected by the juror as honorable mentions.

We are very proud of both the quality of the work and the number of pieces sold and enjoyed by those in attendance each year. The depth and breadth of the art, and the creative and invigorating atmosphere found at the Juried Arts Exhibition each year is phenomenal, you won’t want to miss it.

To be selected as an exhibiting artist for the Juried Art show is an honor in itself. Works selected are viewed by thousands of festival goers providing the artist with recognition and publicity. The competition is open to artists eighteen years old and older, and whether you have been creating art for years, or are just getting started, we encourage you to enter the competition. To submit, please navigate to the Applications page. Starting with #CDAF2019, works admitted to the Juried Arts Exhibit are now part of an extended show.

CDAF 2023 Juried Art Competition

Extended Show: Sept 18 - Oct 20
Reception: Sept 22, 2023
5-6 pm - Private Reception for Purchasers
6-7 pm - Public Reception

Located at the MSU Visual Arts Center (in the Cotton District) during the festival.

Jurors

2023 Jurors: Derek Smith & Lily Trest

Lawson King is an artist and educator from Indianola, MS. He works primarily in sculpture and painting, creating artwork for public places - because art is for everyone.

Lawson is an alum of the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science in Columbus, MS. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Mississippi then went on to study Sculpture at Delta State University. After receiving his Bachelor of Fine Arts, Lawson spent several years apprenticing with Detroit sculptor Ray Katz. In 2020, he received the highly competitive Artist Fellowship Award from the Mississippi Arts Commission. Lawson is currently teaching Sculpture at Delta State University - continuing to create, exhibit, and
promote public art.

More from Lawson:
https://thesculpturegardenms.com
Mathews Sanders Sculpture Garden website. Photos and video interviews of current and past exhibitions.
2022-2024 https://vimeo.com/754458690/3aa646f02b
2019-2022 https://vimeo.com/422515480
2017-2019 https://vimeo.com/274808692

Mural titled “All Whicha Ways,” 2022 painted on Collective Seed & Supply building in Clarksdale, MS where I did an artist residency.

Cleveland's first mural (design by Tasha Huerta)

“Looper” 2022, Fabricated steel and paint, on view at Grammy Museum MS in Cleveland through the Mathews Sanders Sculpture Garden (photo by Rory Doyle)

Lily Trest is the Co-Owner and Manager at Caron Gallery South in Laurel, MS. Lily grew up just outside of Laurel, MS, and graduated from Mississippi State University with a degree in Science. She married her husband, artist Adam Trest, which began her love and appreciation for art and artists. She has spent over ten years in the creative industry, helping growing art businesses. Past roles include managing the Adam Trest store in Downtown Laurel and teaching at Central Creativity. Currently, as co-owner and manager at Caron Gallery South, Lily enjoys selling art for Mississippi artists and connecting with customers. She is passionate about helping others achieve success in what they are passionate about in a way that represents their unique style.

Past Jurors

2022: Derek Smith, The Little Yellow Building
2021: Julian Rankin, Executive Director of the Walter Anderson Museum of Art
2020: Turry Flucker, Tougaloo College Art Collections Director + Curator
2019: Kate Cherry, Executive Director for the Meridian Museum of Art
2018: Elizabeth Abston, Curator for the Mississippi Museum of Art
2017: Ruth Miller, Artist
2016: James Davis, University of Southern Mississippi
2015: Robin Whitfield, Artist
2014: David Lambert, Artist
2013: Nan Cunningham, Artist

Awards

All submission fees, sponsorships, and donations to the Juried Arts Show fund a purse of prizes that are paid back out to artists in awards. Although the final amount of awards is ultimately in the discretion of SAAC and CDAF, the following awards are anticipated. These awards are paid whether or not the work is sold.

Best in Show: $750

1st Place (each category): $500

2nd Place (each category): $250

Support the Arts

Each year at the Cotton District Arts Festival, the Juried Arts Committee makes available two opportunities for supporters of the arts to be more involved in this venue:

Purchase Prize:
This is a pledge by an individual or business to purchase a piece of art from the exhibit at a private reception prior to the exhibit being opened to the public. The artist is paid the asking price on the piece and the check is made payable directly to the artist.

Merit Award (Honorable Mention):
This is a monetary award given either by an individual, in honor of someone, or in memory of someone. When the “First”, “Second”, and “Best in Show” prizes are awarded, the juror will choose artwork that is worthy of honorable mention and award each of them a Merit Award. The artist retains their artwork and receives the amount of the award as a prize. The recipient and the donor will find out on Saturday, at the awards ceremony, who was the recipient of their Merit Award.

Both of these prizes are an incentive for an artist to enter the competition and receive compensation for their work. There are labels placed on the pieces or art designating who purchased them or who sponsored a Merit Award and are displayed during the exhibit on Saturday. For further information, please email arts@starkvillearts.org.

2021 Juried Art Competition Winners

Best in Show

Cultivos, Ana Sofia Licona Luque

Ana Sofia Licona Luque is a multimedia Mexican artist who focuses on 3D arts. Sofia was born and raised in Mexico and currently resides in the city of Starkville where she is pursuing her bachelor’s in fine arts at Mississippi State University. Early in her academic career, Sofia worked with 2D arts such as drawing, painting, printmaking, and graphic design. However, she switched to 3D arts a couple of years ago when she was introduced to woodworking and welding which are the main mediums she works with today. Additionally, Sofia is one of two artists at the university with a concentration in sculpture where she is learning how to design and make furniture and decoration. Sofia’s art pieces have a strong sense of rectilinear designs inspired by architecture and interior decoration; in addition, her pieces feature neutral tones based on the Mexican culture she was raised in and different natural landscapes. Currently, Sofia is experimenting with different materials and processes such as papermaking, ceramics, fibers, and textiles to apply them to her main media. Sofia is a senior at the university and hopes to continue her artistic career by working in the construction and decoration field.