Irwin 2017

The Mary Porter Sesnon Art Gallery is delighted to present IRWIN 2017, the 31st annual Irwin Scholarship Award exhibition, showcasing the work of a select group of UC Santa Cruz’s most promising emerging artists from the Art Department: Nima Shariat, Alex Escobedo, Jiyeon Choi, Sarah Do, Webster Nguyen, Kevin Patanawong, Julia Aviles, Amber-Rose Kelly, Camille Mariet, Jennifer Hamilton, Bailey Clark, and Luis Contreras.

From love and sex to memory and trauma, IRWIN 2017 will highlight the contemporary conscious through an unconventional lens. Paintings and photos will transcend the boundaries of 2D representation while video and audio works demand a more intimate engagement between spectator and artist.

The exhibition presents a rich collection of innovative works which examine the personal as political, expanding individualized themes into a larger social, political, and environmental framework.

IRWIN 2017 is made possible by the William Hyde and Susan Benteen Irwin Scholarship Fund, which generates annual merit scholarships to further the education of selected UC Santa Cruz artists.

More info about the Irwin Scholarship: Since 1986, the William Hyde and Susan Benteen Irwin Scholarship Fund has become a public display of support and appreciation towards art and art's involvement in our culture. Twelve artists are handpicked, annually, by UC Santa Cruz Art Department faculty to receive the most prestigious award in the Art Department. The Irwin Scholarship recognizes and celebrates the vision of promising artists, selected for their academic excellence, creativity, and potential. The Mary Porter Sesnon Art Gallery is honored to showcase the recipients' outstanding work during the Irwin Scholars exhibition every year. Each artist is chosen because of their dedication to their own processes and inspiration, but as a collective the Irwin scholars become a representative microcosm of the unique artistic and collaborative movements happening at UC Santa Cruz right now.