The Annual Student Art Exhibition hosted by Colorado State University’s Curfman Gallery is the longest running recurring exhibition at CSU. The exhibition is open to all current Colorado State University students, both undergraduate and graduate, and serves to highlight the creative efforts of the student body. This year, 269 applications to the exhibition were received, more than ever before, and 44 pieces were chosen by the jurors. This year’s exhibition was juried by artists Mamiko Ikeka and Jaycee Beyale.

Jaycee Beyale, Artist & Curator at Dairy Arts Center, Boulder

JayCee Beyale grew up in the Four Corners area of New Mexico, and received his BFA in printmaking from the University of New Mexico. He currently resides in Westminster, but travels often participates in collaborative murals and other art projects with fellow organizations and artists. JayCee’s connection to his aboriginal culture is heavily influenced by his involvement in the arts; his personal identity and background have always been present in his work because he is proud of who he is and where he comes from. His career as an artist started when he discovered street art and graffiti. He is deeply influenced by music, and is certain that without music, his art would not exist. Combining traditional indigenous ideologies and his personal Buddhist practice, JayCee is always striving to emphasize the concepts and convictions in his art. Using a combination of spray paints and acrylics, he hopes to share his beliefs by celebrating the fusion of technology and Indigenous culture in his work. JayCee aspires to illustrate the Laws of Movement, Unity and Impermanence in his work.

Mamiko Ikeda, Artist & Faculty Member of Art Students Leage of Denver

Mamiko Ikeda, from Tokyo, Japan, is a cultural educator and multimedia artist who mainly creates calligraphy art and prints.  She also enjoys composing music, playing guitar & sanshin (Okinawan instrument), and has created unique music & art collaborative pieces. Early in her life she began studying shodo (Japanese calligraphy) with her mother, master calligrapher Shotei Miura, as her guide. Later, drawn to the American West to study Native American culture and storytelling, she earned a Master’s Degree from the University of Denver in Liberal Arts, specializing in American Indian Studies. She aims to bring harmony to others through multiple creative and therapeutic uses of her hands, including art, music, and healing art.  She has published a Japanese calligraphy learning book co-authored with her mother; “Japanese Calligraphy -The Basics” in the US and in Japan. She has been teaching/demonstrating Japanese calligraphy in the US, and is currently a faculty member of the Art Students League of Denver.