Gussman Juried Student Exhibition
For over half a century, The University of Tulsa’s Gussman Juried Student Exhibition has celebrated the best in student art including ceramics, painting, photography, printmaking, drawing, graphic design and digital media. The Gussman is the capstone exhibit for each academic year where students have the opportunity to be juried by nationally notable artists.
Gussman 57 Winners
Best in Show: Sophia Zoellner, Momento Mori, Linoleum Relief Print
Place Awards:
- First Place: Elle Arens, Human Behavior, Screen Print
- Second Place: Annette Lau, Pick Me Up, Archival Inkjet Print
- Third Place: Ashton Brown, Wizard Frog Shack, Ceramic Sculpture
- Fourth Place: Ryan Pederson, Harvest Horizon Trailer, Video/Animation
Award of Merit
- Alexa Hernandez, August Meadows, Digital Illustration
- Atley Wright, Momento Mori, Linoleum Relief Print
- Ava Boswell, Alien Under a Microscope 2, Wire Sculpture
- Bianca Worley, POLE MASTERS: The Humanity of Sex Work, Short Film
- Caleb Bovell, Pyramid of Skulls Master Study, Screen Print
- Ella Covey, Untitled (Couple), Linoleum Relief Print
- Juliet O’Dell, Pontius Pilot Washing His Hands, Archival Inkjet Print
- Paige Beasecker, Betty, Single Color Monotype with Colored Pencil and Collage
- Sara Moore, Commonplace Book of Literature, Screenprint and Handbook Binding
- Zach Dodson, So you Made a Character, Booklet/Publication Design
Winning Works
2025 Gussman Juror
Yu-Kai Lin is the Owner and Director of “Kai Lin Art,” a contemporary art gallery cultivating creativity, conversation, and connection through art. Founded in 2008, the gallery is dedicated to promoting emerging and established artists in the Southeast and beyond.
KAI LIN ART has been recognized by regional, national and international publications for being on the cutting edge of art in America. The gallery has been selected as a “Top 50 Cultural Destination in Atlanta” by internationally renowned Wallpaper*Magazine and voted “Best Gallery” by Creative Loafing, Jezebel Magazine, Fenuxe Magazine, Georgia Voice, Tripp Savvy and Haute Living.
Yu-Kai has worked with curators, developers, architects and designers to collect art. He’s collaborated with teams to curate exhibitions and build collections to organizations including The High Museum of Art, The Hunter Museum of Art, Whole Foods Market, Coca-Cola, Microsoft Art Collection, W Hotels, Atlanta Botanical Garden, FOX Broadcasting Company, Atlanta Hawks, Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, Emory University, Oglethorpe University, The Savannah College of Art and Design, Turner Broadcasting System, Starwood Hotels and Resorts, WXIA-TV/NBC, BET Network, Wendy’s/Arby’s Group, Design Within Reach, Loews Hotel, The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Sheraton Hotels and Resorts, Troutman Sanders, Kennesaw State University, King and Spalding as well private collectors.
Awarded by Atlanta Business Chronicle as a 40 Under 40, selected by Common Creativ as a Top 50 Most Creative Atlantan and voted by Jezebel Magazine Best of Atlanta, Yu-Kai Lin has maintained an active role in the Atlanta arts community.
Yu-Kai graduated from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia with a Bachelor of Art in Music: piano performance. He gave a TED TALK at Emory in 2018, was honored as Emory University’s Alumni of the Year and was featured in The Atlantan’s Arts and Power issue.
About the Gussman Juried Student Exhibition
On average, over 300 pieces of art are submitted to the Gussman exhibit every year. Around 15,000 works have been submitted in total and approximately 7,500 have received awards.
The idea for a juried student exhibit originated 52 years ago between Herbert Gussman, a Tulsa philanthropist, and Brad Place, the head of the school of art at that time. The two friends wanted some way to validate the students’ artwork and from that simple idea grew the art, design and art history department’s most prominent show. Because the pieces are evaluated by notable working artists in the field, the expected standard of work and the process are more stringent than normal course evaluation, and the selection of the award winners holds more gravitas.
Since its inception, the Gussman has been financially supported by the Roseline and Herbert Gussman family. In 2020, the exhibit received an endowment from the Gussman family that will continue this tradition of generosity and excellence.
Founded in determination, quality and imagination, the Gussman exhibit began a legacy of supporting and recognizing inspired and thoughtful young artists. Many winners have gone on to be internationally known artists, curators, art educators, a few lawyers and even a senator. But more importantly, it provides a legacy for valuing artistic expression and the creation of art, giving a voice and recognition to the creative spirit that lives inside all of us.