Next Gen 2022 opens in Fletcher Hall Gallery

The Department of Visual Arts at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and the Fletcher Hall Gallery are currently hosting LOUISIANA NEXT-GEN, A Juried High School Art Exhibition through November 12. The Exhibition features High School Artwork from students (grades 9 – 12) who reside in throughout the state of Louisiana. The following High Schools have participated:

Baton Rouge Magnet High School
Grand Lake High School
Lafayette Christian Academy
Louisiana School for Math Science and the Arts
Math Science, Arts Academy - West (MSA West)
Mount Carmel Academy
Ovey Comeaux High School
Sam Houston High School
St. Thomas More High School
Southside High School
Woodlawn High School

The goal of the exhibition is to inspire young artists by providing a platform for their work to be displayed in a professional, artistic venue and thus giving them a taste of a professional artist experience. The exhibition offers students a positive exhibition experience along with the opportunity to showcase the finest creative work in the state.

The exhibition will run from October 17 – November 12, 2022 with a closing reception scheduled for Saturday November 12, 1:00 - 3:00pm

High School art teachers were allowed to submit up to 10 pieces of art all completed by the student artist and produced during the past academic year. 97 entries were submitted with 61pieces being selected for the exhibition. The exhibition features Ceramics, Computer Art, Drawing, Graphic Design, Metalwork and Jewelry, New Media and Digital Art, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, or Sculpture. UL Lafayette Department of Visual Arts Faculty, Associate Professor Kevin Hagan, of the Graphic Design discipline, served as juror for this year’s exhibition.  

The criteria for awards selection is based of technical proficiency, use of medium, originality, narrative, self-expression, presentation, and craftsmanship. A top work from each of the ten media categories will be selected.  From those ten works, First, Second, and Third-place winners will be selected, along with two honorable mentions. 

First Place: $500 – Mark Stanton, Dysphoria, Plexiglass, paint, digital photograph, 20 x 28 x 1.5, Louisiana School for Math Science and the Arts,

Second Place: $300 – Brady Bertrand, Untitled, Acrylic, 14 x 16, Woodlawn High School

Third Place: $200 – Heather Faulk, Inconspicuous, Mid-Fire Stoneware, Black Iron Oxi Wash, and Annealed Wire, 11 x 6 x 6, Ovey Comeaux High School - Academy of Visual and Applied Arts

Honorable Mention: $50 – Sofia Kazian, Sun In Your Eyes, Acrylic on Canvas 24 x 20 x 0.5, Ovey Comeaux High School - Academy of Visual and Applied Arts, 

Honorable Mention: $50 – Isadora Hayes, In Her Natural Habitat, Ink Pen drawing on Bristol Paper 12 x 9, Baton Rouge Magnet High School, 

UL Lafayette, Fletcher Hall Gallery is located in RM 207 of fletcher Hall, 412 East Lewis Street, Lafayette, LA 70504
Gallery Hours are Monday - Thursday 9:00-5:00pm and Friday 9:00-12:00pm

Contact: For more information Claire Amy Schultz, PhD at (337) 482-5321 or claire.schultz@louisiana.edu or
Michael Eble, Curator of the Fletcher Hall Gallery at (337) 482-5318 or michael.eble@louisiana.edu.