Every year the Society of Illustrators holds a student show, giving scholarships and kick-starting careers. “The Society of Illustrators is the oldest nonprofit organization dedicated to the art of illustration in America,” says the Society’s website. Over the years it has influenced aspiring illustrators and included famed members such as Rube Goldberg and Norman Rockwell.
Among 8,700 entries, “students bring their most sophisticated, well-crafted, and original work to be tested. A jury of professional peers, including illustrators and art directors, selects the most outstanding works.”
This year, five BYU students won the student show, showcasing their unique talents and the incredible opportunities offered by their program. “I was very surprised when I won!” says student Sammi Jackson. “I didn't even know my piece had been submitted, so when my professor, Melissa Crowton, told me I think my jaw dropped to the floor.”
Crowton, an acclaimed illustrator and new professor at BYU, submitted Jackson’s and several other students’ work without their knowing. For these students, learning of their winning a major competition came as a welcome and stunning surprise.
Beyond simply exhibiting quality artistic skill and talent, these pieces are deeply personal to each student: “When I was deciding on which pieces to submit to the competition, I chose the ones with more meaning to them,” says student Simona Ershova. “These are also the ones that I usually like more. This happens because meaning always adds another dimension to illustrations.”
The ideas which inspired the winning illustrations ranged from an old Christian poem to ideas for children’s books to a Japanese haiku. “When I do a piece, I talk out the process with my family,” says Jaymie Johnson. “My piece was a homework assignment with the prompt ‘Poetry.’ I chose a Japanese haiku and I asked my mom, who is Japanese, for her favorite poems.”
Winning this competition is more than an opportunity for professional growth; it has proven a chance for students to ponder on the importance of illustration and the purpose of the skills they learn every day in class. “I believe that visual arts have a great power in communicating ideas and emotions to people on a level that is impossible verbally,” says Simona. “When I create illustration about issues that I worry about, I feel like I'm doing something important. I feel like I'm sharing my opinion on the most influential way possible to me.”
“Illustration, to me, means communicating ideas visually so anyone could understand them,” says Sammi Jackson. “Illustration allows me to share my ideas and stories with the rest of the world through a medium I love.”
The Department of Design not only gives students the skills to step into the professional world, but also reminds them why illustration is important and that these students have the ability to make a real impact. “I had a lot of help from my professor, Melissa Crowton, on how to refine my idea and hand letter the title,” says Sammi. “I'm so grateful to her for entering me and helping me be the best artist I can be. She is a big role model of mine and I look up to her so much.”
These five illustration students are examples of the inspiring work they and their peers produce within the Department. The Society of Illustration is only one of the many to recognize their talent and present it to the world.
The Society of Illustrators’ mission is to promote the art of illustration, to appreciate its history and evolving nature through exhibitions, lectures and education, and to contribute the service of its members to the welfare of the community at large. Learn more about them at societyillustrators.org.
