SA/VS honors student excellence at Carey Ellis Juried Show

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Jan. 8, 2026) — At the end of each fall semester, University of Kentucky School of Art and Visual Studies (SA/VS) celebrates its young artists, educators and scholars as part of the Carey Ellis Juried Student Show and awards ceremony. That ceremony was part of the school’s annual visual art celebration, Open Studio, Dec. 5 in the Bolivar Art Gallery. This year also marked the 10th anniversary of SA/VS in its state-of-the-art building on Bolivar Street.

Carey Ellis (1935-97) was a graduate with two degrees in history from UK who was committed to lifelong learning. When she died in 1997, she was pursuing a master’s degree in art history and working as a part-time instructor for the school. In 2017 her daughter, Clay F. Ellis Peniston, received her bachelor’s degree in art history and visual studies.

Ellis was well-known in Lexington as an advocate for the arts and education. For more than two decades, the Carey Ellis juried student show has honored her memory by celebrating student achievement with scholarship awards.

As part of the annual juried show, the school recognizes the best work from three undergraduate degree areas — Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts and Bachelor of Science. The winners were selected by guest juror Kurt Gohde, professor of art and Bingham Endowed Chair at Transylvania University. Gohde makes art to invite conversations about contemporary social issues.

This year’s Carey Ellis Bachelor of Fine Arts award winners are:

• First place — Sara Gdvoka, an art studio senior from Nicholasville, Kentucky, for “My Tummy Hurts”
• Second place — Abigail Street, an art studio junior from Louisville, Kentucky, for “Psychic Hood”
• Third place — Vincent Donahue, an art studio senior from Union, Kentucky, for “Eat of Me Without The Stage”

This year’s Carey Ellis Bachelor of Arts award winners are:

• First place — Adalyn Boutcher, an art studio junior from Hawesville, Kentucky, for “Myself, Interlocked”
• Second place — Caroline Colman, an art studio junior from Doylestown, Pennsylvania, for “Ttranquil”
• Third place — Emma Booker, an art studio freshman from Elizabethtown, Kentucky, for “Charcuterie”

This year’s Carey Ellis Bachelor of Science Digital Media Design award winners are:

• First place — Anna Zheng, a digital media design and arts administration senior from London, Kentucky, for “Accepting Change”
• Second place — Gillian Clark, a digital media design senior from Lexington, for “Home Share//Home Search”
• Third place — Adrian Duenez, a digital media design sophomore from Science Hill, Kentucky, for "I Hope This Hurts Video”

Zheng also received the NCAA School of Art and Visual Studies Scholarship.

The first place Carey Ellis Best Art History and Visual Studies Paper Award was awarded to Leyna Lehenbauer from Prospect, Kentucky. Second place was awarded to Claiborne Graves from Lexington. Both students are senior arts administration and art history and visual studies majors.

Other SA/VS honors presented as part of the awards ceremony included the Theophilia Joan Oexmann Original Art Award, which was presented to four students: Benjamin Ingram, a digital media design and theatre junior from Lexington; Majessa Ballard Dunn, an art education junior from Lexington; Kaden Caudill, an art studio senior from Pikeville, Kentucky; and David Marquez, an art studio senior from Alvaton, Kentucky. Presented by SA/VS faculty, the Oexmann Awards honor students who showed great promise in their work through creativity and originality.

The Ross Zirkle Memorial Art Studio Award was presented to Lainey Van Vliet, an art studio and computer science senior from Crestwood, Kentucky. Created in memory of faculty member Ross Zirkle, funds for this award were raised by donations from family, friends and former students of Zirkle. This award is presented to a student who is studying printmaking or drawing, and demonstrates qualities of artistic excellence, hard work and interest in helping the community, like Zirkle.

This year’s Helen A. Byrd Art Undergraduate Scholarship was awarded to Abigale Page, an art studio and art history and visual studies junior from Lexington; and Emma Marasigan, an art education sophomore from Gallatin, Tennessee. This scholarship recognizes students who exhibit exceptional drawing talent and quality design, potential as a career artist and/or teacher, and academic achievement.

The Dale Johnson Endowed Scholarship Award was presented for the second year to Zachary Adkins, an art studio senior from Maysville, Kentucky. This award is given to an Eastern Kentucky student working in decorative and functional arts.

The Arturo Alonzo Sandoval Fiber Award for graduate students was presented to Chad Troyer. Troyer is an art studio graduate student from Hartville, Ohio. The undergraduate award was presented to Bailey Shultz for “Going Home.” Shultz is an anthropology and art studio senior from Nicholasville, Kentucky. These awards, presented by the retired Alumni Endowed Professor of Art Arturo Alonzo Sandoval, is given to artists whose work reflects the significant use of fiber.

The Cheryl Kelly Haffler Memorial Scholarship was awarded to three students: Caroline Leonard, an art education and art studio senior from Louisville, Kentucky; Mackenzie Willis, an art education senior from Carmi, Illinois; and Ava St. Clair, an art education and art studio senior from Falls of Rough, Kentucky. This honor recognizes academic and creative excellence and is presented to students who display a dedication to learning and a passion for the arts while playing an active role in the community.

The Kim Adler Scholarship for a third year Master of Fine Arts student in sculpture was awarded to Haley Younce, an art studio graduate student from Lexington.

Honorable Mention awards for SA/VS minors were presented to Sierra Studer from Waukesha, Wisconsin, for “Translucent Objects” and Kylie Fulton, from Lexington for “Hey Dad.”

The UK School of Art and Visual Studies, part of the College of Fine Arts, offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in the fields of art studio, art history and visual studies, art education, curatorial studies and digital media design.