Glendon students’ visual arts competition a first

The Glendon Gallery marked a milestone in the college’s history when it hosted its first student visual arts competition Jan. 18, and the results were nothing short of spectacular.

Left: Sunlight Doesn’t Clean Shit! by first-prize winner Tiffany Fung

More than 150 visitors, two-thirds of which were students, attended the opening reception at Glendon Gallery, including Principal Kenneth McRoberts, Rosanna Furgiuele, associate principal, student services, and Oscar Mera-Burbano, president of the Glendon College Student Union (GCSU).

In a gallery bustling with activity, inquiring minds examined, admired and discussed the varied works in the exhibition of solely student work, as they awaited the announcement of the competition’s four prizewinners.

Furgiuele opened the ceremony by congratulating those who participated. She confessed, “I was very happy I did not have to choose [the winners],” having previewed the exhibition and been struck by the complexity, originality and vibrancy of the students’ work.

Left: Glendon Principal Kenneth McRoberts (left) with first-place winner Tiffany Fung

The fourth prize, sponsored by the GCSU, was presented by Omera to Melanie Lindaven for her drawing entitled Veiled Exposure (graphite on paper, 2010). This striking portrait of a beautiful veiled woman, with allusions to fundamentalism depicted in the forefront, constituted a poignant reflection on morality in the contemporary world.

The third prize, sponsored by the Office of the Associate Principal, Student Services, was presented by Furgiuele to Emmanuel Elkabas-Besnard for his piece La Corse-Corsica (acrylic on canvas, 2010). This vibrant painting evoked the warm and inviting colours of the Corsican landscape, using a technique deemed moderate yet scintillating by the judges.

Right: Emmanuel Elkabas-Besnard receives his third-place prize from Rosanna Furgiuele

The second prize, sponsored by the Principal’s Office of Glendon College, was presented by McRoberts to Lise Brisebois for her Paysage – du réaliste à l’abstrait (acrylic on canvas, 2010), for her strikingly dynamic abstract rendering of an original landscape photograph, which made highly creative use of colour.

Left: Lise Brisebois poses with her piece Paysage – du réaliste à l’abstrait, which won second place

Finally, Furgiuele presented the first prize, sponsored by York’s Office of the Vice-President, Students. “This is where I wish I had a drum roll,” said Furgiuele. The receptive crowd obliged and Tiffany Fung was declared the winner for her piece Sunlight Doesn’t Clean Shit! (mud on a towel, 2007). In awarding Fung the first prize, the judges said that her work combines an impressive mastery of several traditional media with an impish contemporary sensibility and an original use of her materials.

Right: Veiled Exposure by fourth-prize winner Melanie Lindaven

The participating students were: Lise Brisebois, Jill Butler, Vanesa Demarco, Emmanuel Elkabas-Besnard, Katherine Fuller, Tiffany Fung, Jalal Halabi, Nazampal Jaswal, Billy Lee, Elodie Li, Melanie Lindaven, Kelly Lui, Danielle Magri, Brandon Pierre, Olga Polstvin, Talla Roushan, Arthur Rousseau, Nina Staer-Nathan, Nidhi Teli, Franziska Trilse and Gena Velcoff.

Article by Kathleen Dodd-Moher, final-year Glendon translation student, and Marika Kemeny, Glendon communications officer.