Since 2022, the WMC awards the Women's Center Exhibition Awards to student artists
in the College of Fine Arts' BFA Juried Art Exhibition whose artwork reflects the
WMC's mission. Each semester, the winner's artwork will be on display in our new gallery
space at the Center (RUC 339) and will be featured here on our website.
Stop by anytime during our office hours to admire our currently featured artist's
work.
Divine Femininity
Tech senior and metals artist Lilith Strider focuses on bodily adornment with feminist themes in her exhibition "Divine Femininity." Her winning piece is ironwork titled "Breast of Steel." Her exhibition also includes a beaded piece of bodily adornment with handmade beads called "My Eyes are Up Here."
The Women's Center can offer scholarships alongside our exhibition award thanks to generous support from our donors. Dr. Sonja Kuftinec and her husband Andrew Arsham recently donated in her aunt Dr. Gretta Stanger's honor.
Professor Stanger was a sociology professor at Tech for close to 50 years. During that time, she served the Women’s Center as its founding director in 1993 and continuously advocated for the Center’s visibility. In a 2015 interview with TTU Visions she reminisced, “We had almost no money, so we used our connections. We got people to speak for free at lunches and to come in to book review groups. We went from putting on women’s history week to women’s history months. [And] more women got included on local and university committees.”
As Dr. Kuftinec writes, "Throughout her tenure as a professor and Director of the Women’s Center, Professor Stanger advocated for women—especially as scholars, leaders, and artists. She encouraged my own pursuit of a PhD in Theater. And when I founded a Women’s Performance Collective at Stanford University as a graduate student, she invited me to speak about my work at the Center. This kind of advocacy and invitation is part of the work of legacy.
Dr. Stanger has retired and now resides in a memory care facility. She can no longer recognize herself in time and place. But her legacy remains in her papers, her teaching, her mentorship, and we hope in this gift to support student artistry at the Women’s Center. Honoring Prof. Stanger’s legacy returns a sense of presence and connects women across generations.
That's the work of the awards in my view and the work of feminism."
Read more about Dr. Stanger's papers, housed in Tennessee Tech's Archives, here.
If you are interested in supporting the gallery, please visit the TN Tech Online Giving form. We are so grateful for the support that allows us to continue this advocacy.
Select "other" on the list and then specify in the comments that you would like to support the Women's Center Art Gallery.
Below is a list of winners from the past three semesters.
Rebecca Hahnert: Spring 2023 Winner
Rebecca is a graphic designer from Cookeville, TN. Art has been something she's loved from a young age, which has ultimately led her to pursue a degree in graphic design here at Tennessee Tech. You can find Rebecca and her work on social media at @metaphorical_artist on Instagram.
Anna Grayson: Fall 2022 Winner
Anna Grayson is a metals artist from Gallatin, TN. They are set to graduate from the School of Art, Craft, and Design in December of 2022. Anna has spent their time studying at the Appalachian Center for Craft and creating work in a multitude of mediums. You can find Anna and their work on social media at @anna.grayson.art on Instagram and Facebook, or on their website.
Gallery Opening
This fall we celebrated the official opening of our new gallery space in the WMC and our first winner, Anna Grayson. Read this awesome article about the gallery opening, our mission, and Anna Grayson's art.
Below is a list of winners from past semesters.
Spring 2024: Matdeline Phillips
Fall 2023: Charity Armao
Spring 2023: Rebecca Hahnert
Fall 2022: Anna Grayson
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