The sixth annual Guitar as Art show, the traditional opening event of the Soybean Festival, was hosted in the Fine Arts Gallery Sunday, Sept. 1.
The Guitar as Art exhibition allows creators to paint two-dimensional designs on acoustic guitars and be judged on them.
The theme of this year’s Guitar as Art was “Icons of Martin.” The whole exhibition was centered around important symbols in Martin.
Mia Upchurch, a sophomore Graphic Design major and a first-time participant in the show, said, “It is a good way to connect the community and UT Martin and a way that Martin appreciates the arts.”
Upchurch’s piece in the show was titled “Great Smokies.”
There were three categories that participants could win in: People’s Choice, Thematic and Best of Show.
The main judge for the exhibition was Todd Herzberg.
Kaitlyn Frandsen, a senior Fine and Performing Arts major from Milan, won the “Best of Show” category with her piece titled “Headdress.”
The winner of the “Thematic” category was Kaitlyn Courtney, a senior Agriculture major from Dresden with her piece titled “One of Nine.”
Finally, Violet Durden, a senior Fine and Performing Arts major from Memphis, won “People’s Choice” with her piece titled “A Train Ride Away.”
“I wanted my guitar to symbolize Martin,” said Durden. “I did my research before I started my guitar and learned about the train routes in Martin and other things. In the past, my guitar was usually about me and what I liked, but this time I wanted it to be Martin-focused.”
This is Durden’s third time winning People’s Choice.
The Guitar as Art exhibition will be open until Sept. 21 and is located in the Fine Arts Gallery.
