Art and Design Program celebrates the 2025-26 Art Awards
The Art and Design Program is proud to announce our award winners as part of the annual Art Awards for 2025-26! The annual Awards Ceremony took place during the Annual Art Walk on May 9.
Awards include:
Departmental Honors
Departmental Honors are awarded to outstanding studio art or art history students who achieve excellence in the thesis and achieve a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or greater. Recipients demonstrate leadership and engagement in the Carthage arts community, and studio recipients demonstrate outstanding participation in art shows and critiques.
Fall 2025 Awardees:
- Kayleigh Wieska ’26
- Sophia Salcido ’26
Spring 2026 Graduating Seniors Awardees:
- Sophia Choronzuk ’26
- Daniel Plutchak ’26
- Jessica Villasenor ’26
- Silas Stefanowski ’26
Kalke Awards
Edwin C. and Paula O. Kalke Award for Achievement in the Studio Arts
This monetary award is for achievement in the senior art portfolio/thesis show, which is awarded to seniors who have shown consistent practice with growth in technique, approach, and breadth of work in their senior year.
Awardees:
- Sophia Salcido ’26
- Silas Stefanowski ’26
Edwin C. and Paula O. Kalke Award for Excellence in the Studio Arts
This monetary award is for seniors with overall excellence in their senior art portfolio and thesis show, with the work indicating depth in intent and results.
Awardees:
- Mauricio Rebollar-López ’26
- Jess Villasenor ’26
2026-27 Departmental Fellows Awards
Fellows will assist studio art faculty with departmental-based projects during the upcoming academic year of 2026-27. Funding is for departmental fellows is provided by the Office of the Provost.
Fall 2026 Awardees:
- Al Amodeo ’27, Studio Art Fellow
- Jared Werner ’27, Studio Art Fellow
- Steda Lundak ’27, Photo Fellow
Spring 2027 Awardees:
- Rae Raditz ’28, Studio Art Fellow
- Robert George ’27, Photo and Film Fellow
Senior Thesis Show Art Purchases Awards
The Art and Design Program purchases artwork annually for its Student Art Collection. The collection is displayed on campus in the H. F. Johnson Center for the Fine Arts.
Student Art Purchases:
- Sophia Salcido ’26, “Bloodsuckers,” reduction relief and screen print, 2025
- Paityn Keller ’26, “Kangeroo,” mixed media sculpture, 2025
- Kayleigh Wieska ’26, “Animal,” archival inkjet print, 2025
- Russell Smith ’26, “5:32 PM,” archival inkjet print, 2026
- Silas Stefanowski ’26, “Eventide,” plexiglass, acrylic paint, image transfer, 2026
- Kaitlyn Jerbi ’26, “Sole Expression,” acrylic on canvas, 2026
- Samantha Mandujano ’26, “El Charro and The Cowboy,” embroidery on denim on an altered hoop, 2026
- Emily Heller ’26, “Staircase Study,” archival inkjet print, 2026
- Aj Stockdale ’26, “Electronics Animation,” 2d animation, 2025
- Katrina Gacek ’26, “Cats Prints,” various printmaking techniques, 2026
- Sierra Domek ’26, “Hey Mom,” digital HD video, 16:9, 2025
- Daniel Plutchuk ’26, “Flow,” 120mm scanned negative as archival inkjet print, 2025-26
- Jess Villasenor ’26, “And I Wanted to Stay,” archival inkjet print, 2026
- Bee Becker ’26, “Bilateral Gynandromorphism,” hand watercolored screenprint on Rives BFK paper, 2025
Congratulations to all these winners and to all the seniors who had thesis exhibitions during the fall semester and spring semester.
Sponsoring Department, Office, or Organization:
Art and Design Program
For more information, contact:
Prof. Jojin Van Winkle: jvanwinkle@carthage.edu