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Designing Freedom: Student Art Contest and Reception Showcases Creative Perspectives
Students in digital art courses explore what freedom looks like through photography and design
University News | April 30, 2026
How do you photograph freedom? Can liberty be captured in a single frame, or does it live in the tension between image and interpretation? These questions guided students in Assistant Professor Derek Eley’s digital art and photography courses this semester, culminating in a powerful exhibition and reception that invited the campus community to see freedom through fresh eyes.
On April 30, the Robert Nusbaum Center, in partnership with Eley and students in ART 208 (Photography) and ART 204 (Digital Art), hosted the Designing Freedom student art contest and reception. The event brought together students, faculty, and staff to celebrate a semester of creative inquiry centered on one of society’s most enduring and complex ideas.
Throughout the term, students majoring in a variety of disciplines were challenged to visually interpret freedom—its promises, contradictions, and lived realities. The resulting works, spanning photography and digital design, offered thoughtful and often provocative perspectives. Some pieces examined personal liberation and identity, while others explored broader cultural and societal dimensions, prompting viewers to reconsider what freedom means in today’s world.
The reception provided an opportunity for attendees to engage directly with the artists, discuss their creative processes, and reflect on the diverse interpretations on display. As guests viewed the exhibition, conversations unfolded around the many ways freedom can be imagined, challenged, and even redesigned.
The competition highlighted a group of standout student artists whose work captured the theme with depth and originality.
Digital Art Semi-Finalists:
- “Untitled” by Nicholas Beatty ’26, a Criminal Justice major from Virginia Beach, Virginia
- “Your Own Wings” by K. Donecker ’27, a Media and Communication major from Chesapeake, Virginia
- “Love as Liberation” by Jagger Ogle ’26, a Mathematics/Pre-Engineering major from Chesapeake, Virginia
- “Take It” by Simon Ostern ’29, a Business major from Stockholm, Sweden
Photography Semi-Finalists:
- “No Such Thing as Freedom” by Ella Darcy ’28, a Biology major from Richmond, Virginia
- “The Freedom of Little Wings” by Olivia Knight, a Sustainability Management major from Grimesland, North Carolina
- “A Step Toward Freedom” by Avery Lewis ’26, a Psychology major from Maumee, Ohio
- “Books” by Hovhannes Madanyan ’26, a Business Administration major from Yerevan, Armenia
- “Freedom to Forget” by Katherine Martin ’29, an Art and Education major from Lynchburg, Virginia
- “America’s Pastime” by Mackenzie Swanson ’26, an Allied Health major from Herndon, Virginia
By merging artistic skill with critical reflection, the Designing Freedom exhibition demonstrated the power of student creativity to engage with complex ideas. Through their lenses and screens, these emerging artists challenged viewers not only to see freedom—but to question, define, and ultimately reimagine it.