Students Honored for Artistic Excellence
East Central College’s 2025 Art & Design Student Exhibition celebrated the creativity and skill of student artists working across a wide range of media—from sculpture and ceramics to digital design and illustration.
The exhibition’s reception and awards ceremony took place May 1 in the ECC Art Gallery. Art faculty members Jennifer Higerd and Sean Barton recognized student achievement and presented awards during the event.
Top Honors
- Elizabeth Pierce received Best of Show for Book Flight, which also earned a Patron’s Choice Award
- Alaina Busse was honored with the Pentamerous Achievement Award for having all five of her submitted pieces accepted into the exhibition, along with multiple awards across categories.
Juror Recognition
This year’s exhibition was juried by Evan Smith, a St. Louis-based artist, educator, and fabricator. Smith selected the Judge’s Choice and Honorable Mention awardees in each category.
Judge’s Awards
3D Design
- Judge’s Choice – Bryant Main
- Honorable Mention – Madison Buesking, King’s Tragedy
- Honorable Mention – Angelique Holtmeyer, Death and Rebirth
Sculpture
- Judge’s Choice – Kayla Brinkmann, An Extra Pair (Just in Case)
- Honorable Mention – Lann Remer, Dunkleosteus
Handbuilt Ceramics
- Judge’s Choice – Adia Percival, Pangolin
- Honorable Mention – Ariana Farmer, Bubble Blues
Drawing
- Judge’s Choice – Alaina Busse, Negligence
- Honorable Mention – Dawson Sztukowski, Angel Fairies Strike Awe in the Godhead
Figure Drawing
- Judge’s Choice – Zander Remer, Nine Hundred Yard Stare
- Honorable Mention – Hailey Joyce, Frankenstein Thomas
Illustration
- Judge’s Choice – Kayla Brinkmann, Entw(eye)ned
- Honorable Mention – Konner Rainey, Just a Toy
Digital Photography
- Judge’s Choice – Chae Keeney, Victoria
Digital Design
- Judge’s Choice – Alaina Busse, Psychedelic Poster
Painting
- Judge’s Choice – Sarah Summers, Black and White Still Life
- Honorable Mention – Joshua Hill, Untitled #206
Patron’s Choice Awards
(Selected by gallery visitors. Each recipient received a $100 award.)
- Elizabeth Pierce – Book Flight (3D Design)
- Kayla Brinkmann – An Extra Pair (Just in Case) (Sculpture)
- Adia Percival – Pangolin (Handbuilt Ceramics)
- Jayde McDonald – Clara Peters Master Copy (Drawing)
- Salem Pottebaum – Accurate Skull (Figure Drawing)
- Jay Andrade – Kingly Duty (Illustration)
- Chae Keeney – Victoria (Digital Photography)
- Alaina Busse – Psychedelic Poster (Digital Design)
- Lann Remer – Thomas Cole Master Copy (Painting)
Patron’s Purchase Awards
(Selected works acquired for ECC’s permanent collection)
- Alaina Busse – Master Study after Gustave Courbet
- Emma Hansen – Home Away from Home
- Jayde McDonald – Clara Peters Master Copy and Study of Skull Frontal and Profile
- Natalee Borgman – Master Study after Theodore Gericault
- Salem Pottebaum – Anpu
About the Juror
Evan Smith is an artist, educator, and fabricator based in St. Louis. He holds an MFA from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and a BFA from Webster University. Smith’s work, often created in collaboration with his partner Stacey, explores themes of childhood, memory, and sacred spaces. Their art has been exhibited at the Museum of Art in DeLand, Florida; the Var Gallery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and through the Kranzberg Arts Foundation in St. Louis.