Holmes art students earn awards at 2024 MCCAIA State Student Art Competition

Four students from Holmes Community College’s Ridgeland Campus earned awards at the 2024 Mississippi Community College Art Instructors Association (MCCAIA)’s Student Art Exhibition and Competition. Award winners included Hannah Hurst of Jackson, Emeree Moncrief of Madison, Allison Mott of Madison and Caroline Newman of Jackson. The students were recognized during an awards ceremony on Wednesday, March 27, at Southwest Mississippi Community College.

In the Painting Category, Moncrief won first place for “Hot Messenny” and second place for “Das Boot.” Hurst took home third for “Reflecting on Jack.”

In the Drawing Division, Mott took home an honorable mention for “Dear Maria Count Me Out,” and Newman won an honorable mention for ‘Still Life with Mocha Pot.”

Jurors for the competition included Wyatt Waters, a renowned watercolorist, and William Beckwith, a former sculptor instructor from the University of Mississippi. All 15 community colleges in the state participated in the competition.

“We have a very talented group this year that has worked incredibly hard,” said art instructor Kris Wilson. “For some, this is their first year taking art classes at a collegiate level. I feel like I say this every year, but this is our strongest and most capable group of art students that our campus has had since our program’s inception. It’s truly astounding what these students are capable of even with our very limited studio time. I’m so excited to see what’s in store for them as they pursue their futures in the visual arts!

“I’m so proud of all of them; those who placed and those who did not,” Wilson said. “Our program wouldn’t be as amazing as it is without students like ours. We couldn’t do what we do without them, and I appreciate it every single day.”

For more information about Holmes’ art program, contact Wilson at krwilson@holmescc.edu or 601-605-3319.