Clackamas Community College is preparing to host the annual CCC student art show. Artwork created by CCC students in the past year will be accepted at the doors of the Alexander Art Gallery in Niemeyer Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 12-2 p.m.

Entry forms for up to four pieces per student will be available at Niemeyer to be turned in with an entry fee of two dollars each.

Art pieces are to be juried by the CCC Art Department faculty, and the accepted pieces will be displayed in the Alexander Gallery from May 17 to June 7, with remaining submissions to be displayed in a Salon de Refuses in the Art Center corridor.

The exhibited art will be judged by Bill Carman, an artist from Boise, Idaho and a professor of illustration and drawing at Boise State University.

Monetary prizes of $100 to $300 will be given to first, second and third place “best in show” winners, with individual awards in every discipline.

The awards reception will be held on May 17, from 12-1:30 p.m., at the gallery. Prizes will be awarded at the reception, as well as free food, drinks and music.

This year will feature more large-scale sculpture pieces than in the past, as well as a performance element.

Steve Mysinger is a CCC art student taking a variety of classes, who is utilizing different mediums within his pieces.

Mysinger entered last year, and is presenting bigger, “more grandiose” pieces this show.

“I’m really excited about letting other people look at what I do,” Mysinger said. “I mean, that’s why I do it. I don’t do it to go hide it in my garage, I want to do something that I can let other people look at. They don’t have to like it. It’s nice if they do, but they don’t have to.”

“[the show is] a great opportunity on many levels, if students are considering going forward with their professional artistic career,” said Kate Simmons, a CCC sculpture instructor. “Submitting work to the student show builds their artistic resume.”

The show presents learning opportunities not available otherwise, in a safe environment.

“I think it’s a great experience for students to learn how a gallery works,” said Kim Hyer, a CCC art student, “even though I think our gallery is much more forgiving than a professional gallery, where you go and exhibit and sell your work.”

Professional artists are expected to know the ropes of showing art, from creation to transportation, arrangement on the gallery and even communicating with potential buyers.

“The fun part about it is that the public, if they’re the buying public, they like to be able to talk to people,” Mysinger said. “The gallery probably expects you to be able to communicate what your ideas are.”

Class critiquing as a group helps artists grow perspective, even to see the way the audience looks at their work.

“What I’ve found is that I’m over-critical,” Hyer said. “I think that’s the first step in the process of letting other people see your stuff.”

The show provides the students an opportunity to see other people’s work, and see other people react to their own pieces.

“I think it’s neat to be able to have our work hang and watch people respond to it, regardless of what emotion it evokes,” Hyer said.

“If it evokes an emotion in you, it did its job,” Hyer said.

Kurt Lewandowski, CCC math instructor and first-time art student thinks the show is a great chance to grow as an artist and as a person.

“It’s just really cool to see the stark variety of how people see the world, and represent that in so many different, unique ways,” Lewandowski said.

With so many different art disciplines represented, Simmons is happy with how the students and instructors have worked together.

“It’s very exciting to see the camaraderie in the student body here at the art department,” Simmons said. “When the show is close at hand, it seems like there’s a good energy.”

The Alexander Art Gallery is open Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.