Art student mad that NIU took hard line

Art student mad that NIU took hard line

Brandi Slavich

12/12/2011

I believe Northern Illinois University is being unfair about their art show. NIU is offering a scholarship for the best pieces in this show. I am a senior Studio and AP photo student at Conant High School, and I think it is unfair for students to lose out on a scholarship. My projects and many others were not accepted by NIU because they don't have a white board around their piece. ADVERTISEMENT I think losing the chance to have my work seen is ridiculous. According to NIU having your piece on a white board has been a rule for a while, but my school has participated in this show for years and never heard of this rule. NIU said it was always been a rule, but they have not enforced it until this year. Art is a form of expression, and it is unfair that many young art students' projects are being rejected because of the color board it is on. White is a neutral color, but having everything with white around it gives it no personality. The color of the board around your project draws your eyes to those shades and colors in the project. Most high school students work very hard on their art and would be very proud to have it shown in a college show. I was extremely excited about having my project in the show, but when I found out they rejected it ... I felt like I wasted my time and all my hard work went to waste. Having them reject a project based only on the color of the border made me question whether I want to try to attend NIU. I hope the art departments as well as the head of NIU realize they are making high school students change their mind about wanting to go NIU. Even though they refused, I believe NIU should have let one of the schools art teachers come and put a white window mat over the projects. NIU doesn't have to do any work at all besides put it on display.