FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Nov. 24, 2008
Contact: Anika Mitchell Perkins
(662) 329-7124
aperkins@pa.muw.edu

MUW students earn top honors in art competition

COLUMBUS, Miss. – Mississippi University for Women art and design students recently garnered top honors in a competition sponsored by the Kappa Pi International Honorary Art Fraternity.

Jonathan Cumberland, a senior majoring in graphic design, won first place, and Martin Arnold, a senior working on a BFA in art education, placed second. There were a total of 60 entries.

Cumberland, who is from Caledonia, learned about the honor the same day his poster design was chosen for this year’s Market Street Festival.

“It was an exciting day,” he said. “The work that I entered in this competition was a body of five pieces.”

“When I first opened the letter, I could not believe it. Martin told me he had won second place earlier, and I would have never thought that I would receive anything. I am very excited about this award for both the department and myself.”

Arnold, who is originally from Michigan, submitted acrylic and oil portrait paintings of his good friend and fellow MUW student, Marquita Kirk.

“I remember the surprise and excitement last year when Aneesha Baldeosingh and I were notified that we had been awarded second and third place in the 2007 Kappa Pi competition,” Arnold said. “I was very happy to learn that I had been awarded second place again this year and delighted that it was Jonathan Cumberland, one of my classmates, who took first place. It was a great day for The W.”

In other good news, Cumberland recently learned that he has been accepted into the highly competitive master’s program at Savannah College of Art and Design.

“I chose SCAD because it has the only graduate level illustration program in the south. Applied Arts magazine ranked their program fifth nationally,” he said. “I am also really excited about the type of artistic atmosphere I will be in.”

Cumberland was granted a partial fellowship, but believes his studies there will pay off, noting SCAD’s excellent job placement program.

“Coming to the art department at MUW has adequately prepared me for graduate school. All the professors have been more than generous with their time. They have really pushed me to think outside the box.”