Art galleries are open at the University of Wisconsin’s Memorial Union for the 96th Annual Student Art Show presented by the Wisconsin Union Directorate Art Committee.

The galleries do not adhere to any particular theme but instead provide as many students as possible with the opportunity to display their work, according to WUD Art Committee Director Keeley Flynn.

“It’s really just for undergraduate and graduate students of any medium,” Flynn said. “And usually, it’s whatever people want, whatever they feel proud enough to exhibit.”

Submissions opened during Thanksgiving break and closed on Jan. 7, at which point submissions were juried. Since then, the WUD Art Committee has been working to curate the galleries and install artwork. Not only is the art purely student made, but the installation process is undertaken entirely by students, according to Flynn.

Visitors will find artwork from a broad range of mediums — oil, woodworking, photography, sculpture and collage among others. Not only does the show provide an opportunity for student artists to display their work in the heart of campus, but also to profit from their labors. Submitters had the choice to offer their art for sale upon submission, Flynn said.

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Alumni have a proclivity for purchasing student art from the annual show. Potential buyers can purchase student work directly from the Art Commite, according to Flynn.

Those who submitted work for sale entered a pool of candidates for purchase awards, in which the Union Art Collection buys the piece and maintains it in their permanent collection, Flynn said.

This year Ben Runzheimer, Anna Janke, Lucy Murdock, and GG Christensen won purchase awards. Besides the purchase awards, the show also selected one piece for their best in show award. This year, Charlotte Knitihila won best in show with the digital print “Different Worlds.”

 Throughout its 96 year history, the show has always taken place within Memorial Union, and used to be even bigger, Flynn said.

“It’s always taken up by multiple galleries in Memorial Union, kind of like regardless of the remodel, so it’s always been a pretty big show. It used to be even bigger than it is now.”

Still, Flynn said that the Annual Student Art Show generates the highest student turnout for events put on by the WUD Art Committee.