Student's art honored
UD undergraduate's work featured by Society of Illustrators
11:16 a.m., March 10, 2015--University of Delaware art student Ben Gallegos has been selected to have his work featured in a prestigious Society of Illustrators exhibit, which will be on view from May 6-30 in the Museum of American Illustration in New York City.
Each year, the Society of Illustrators’ spring Student Scholarship Show presents scholarship awards to the 25 best student works, as selected by a jury of professional peers composed of illustrators and art directors. The panel digitally screens the art pieces submitted and makes its selections based on excellence in technique and concept and skill of medium usage.
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Gallegos, a senior in the Department of Art’s visual communications major, created his piece during spring semester 2014 in an illustration class with David M. Brinley, associate professor of art. Brinley, who is the art department’s foundations coordinator and also an industry award-winning painter and illustrator, helped Gallegos submit his artwork to the competition.
Brinley described his student’s work as unique. “The thing Ben is really good at doing is taking initiative to create what he wants to put out into the world,” Brinley explained. He said he pushes to get his students to create their own unique content.
Gallegos said he came to UD hoping to be accepted into the visual communications program because of the degree program’s high national rankings. He focuses on art in design and illustration, and has interned for Grand Army, a prestigious creative art shop in New York.
The work to be featured in the exhibit is an illustration Gallegos created for class as a magazine spread for places to visit. His piece is a pen and ink illustration of vintage neon signs titled, “Nowhere USA.”
After submitting his work in January, he was notified on Feb. 20 of his selection by the Society of Illustrators. “When I got the email, I couldn’t believe I got it,” he said.
Scholarships will be awarded during a ceremony at the exhibit on May 8. In the past 30 years, the society has awarded over $1.5 million in prizes to students.
Gallegos plans to graduate with a bachelor of fine arts degree in visual communications in May and hopes to move to New York in the summer and become a freelance illustrator.
Article by Ashley Heller
Illustration by Ben Gallegos