Brightly colored photographs, a 7-foot metal sculpture and even a deconstructed typewriter were featured at the Art Department Awards Ceremony Friday night in the Else Gallery at Kadema Hall.

Friends, family, faculty and award winners composed the modest crowd of about 40 people who came to support the students and the art department.

Photographs and paintings hung on the clean, white walls while sculptures stood in corners and on pedestals. Attendees stood before each piece, admiring and discussing their thoughts on the artist’s experience.

Pat Chirapravati, assistant chair of the art department, was on hand to help host the awards ceremony for the 26 winners.

“There are several categories of awards,” Chirapravati said. “There’s a student who was awarded as an artist in several kinds of (art) mediums. There are awards for grad students and awards for photography. The rest are students whose work is getting recognition.”

According to Chirapravati, there are about 160 different types of media that Sac State students choose to work in. From photography and painting, to metal work and mixed media, the art students are free to express themselves in numerous ways.

There were 200 art pieces submitted, but only the “top notch of the art department” were chosen to win awards and scholarships, Chirapravati said. Artistic ability is not the only requirement for submitting a piece to win an award &- students must also maintain a 3.0 GPA.

One of the winners, studio art major Chloe Lynch, proudly stood by her winning sculpture that she struggled to title “Words Escape Me.”

The metal work piece consisted of a deconstructed typewriter escaping from a torn apart bird cage.

“I had a lot of trouble thinking of a title for it,” Lynch said. “(It shows) how powerful words are and how difficult it is finding the right thing to say. Art is my outlet to express myself without words.”

Lynch said it took her about 15 hours to put together the sculpture, a piece made of two items she bought off Craigslist.

“The project was to metamorphosis. I had to turn one thing into something else. I had to learn to cut through metal, and it was hard taking the typewriter apart,” Lynch said.

She admitted to being very excited and shocked by her award because she is new to three-dimensional arts.

Chirapravati beamed with pride as she was surrounded by the students’ accomplishments.

“I think it is kind of an exciting exhibition to see our students go from where they were to where they are now,” Chirapravati said.

Kayla Oliverio can be reached at [email protected]