FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA
Top Photo: Ella Smyth, Outstanding Undergraduate in Studio Art, with Professor Jason Guynes.
TUSCALOOSA, AL — The UA Department of Art and Art History announced the five recipients of our Outstanding Student Awards for the academic year 2022-2023 during Honors Day ceremonies in recognition of their exemplary dedication and commitment to academic achievement. These awards are the department’s most prestigious of the year, given only to a graduate and an undergraduate major in art history and studio art, and to an undergraduate major in graphic design.
Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Graphic Design Award: Christine Choi.
Christine Choi, from Montgomery, Alabama, is a senior BFA major in graphic design. Her work in package design was recognized with an Award of Excellence from Graphic Design USA (GDUSA) and will be included in the prestigious 2023 GDUSA Package Design Annual. Choi was elected communications officer for the UA AIGA Student Group and she served as a graphic designer for University Programs and UA Tide Talks. Assistant Professor Cassandra Palmer said, “Christine is a quick learner who works with enthusiasm. She is dedicated to her classwork and always willing to help her classmates. I know that she is going to be very successful in her career.”
Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Studio Art Award: Ella Smyth.
Prattville native Ella Smyth is a senior BFA major in studio art with a primary concentration is painting and a secondary concentration in drawing. Smyth holds a 4.0 GPA, has been awarded multiple departmental scholarships, and made the Dean’s List in 2021 and the President’s List in 2019, 2020 and 2022. She is lead gallery worker for the Sella-Granata Art Gallery and served as an education intern at the Montgomery (Ala.) Museum of Fine Arts. Smyth’s artwork was selected for the Bellwhethers 2021 Juried Exhibition at the University of Tennessee at Martin and the West Alabama Juried Show in 2022. In praise of her growth as an artist and artist-citizen, Professor Pete Schulte said that Smyth “possesses a spirited work ethic, innate curiosity and abiding commitment to her practice and development as an artist. She elevates the overall classroom discourse, and through encouragement and example, has been a strong role model for less experienced students.”
For more information about the programs in the UA Department of Art and Art History, go to this page or contact the department at (205) 348-5967.
The University of Alabama, part of The University of Alabama System, is the state’s flagship university. UA shapes a better world through its teaching, research and service. With a global reputation for excellence, UA provides an inclusive, forward-thinking environment and nearly 200 degree programs on a beautiful, student-centered campus. A leader in cutting-edge research, UA advances discovery, creative inquiry and knowledge through more than 30 research centers. As the state’s largest higher education institution, UA drives economic growth in Alabama and beyond.
