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Young Contemporaries 2025

Meet the Jurors

 

Young Contemporaries 2025 
41st Annual Juried Student Exhibition

Apr 24 - May 17, 2025 
Opening Reception: Thursday, April 24, 5 - 7PM 

LMU Students can apply online 

The Laband Art Gallery’s Annual Juried Student Exhibition is open to all students who have enrolled in a Studio Arts course during the past school year. The Laband encourages students to submit their best work in any media of their choosing including drawing, printmaking, photography, painting, graphic design, sculpture, and multimedia. We invite two professionals who are active in the contemporary art world to serve as co-jurors. Now in its 41st year, this exhibition serves as an excellent first professional experience or student artists and celebrates their burgeoning creativity. 

Generous support for the exhibition is provided by The Friedman Family in memory of Andrea Kingaard Friedman '66. 

 
Image: View of Young Contemporaries 2025 Opening Reception at the Laband 

2025 Jurors' and Director's Awards

Jurors' First Prize

Caroline Graybill '27
"Autumn Epitaphs,” 2024
Screen print and ink pen on paper

Jurors' Second Prize

Erick Meza ‘25
"We are Not a Minority,” 2025
Medium-format color film photograph
printed on archival paper

Erick Meza ‘25
"La Virgen de Guadalupe,” 2025
Medium-format color film photograph
printed on archival paper

Jurors' Third Prize

River Martinez-Miranda ‘25
The Prophecy of the Mimicker, 2024
Acrylic and screen print on canvas
Risograph on cardstock

Jurors' Honorable Mention


Gabriel Bregman ‘25
“Cycle,” 2025
Video, 12 sec.

Natalie Oktanyan ‘26
“Pomegranate Tree,” 2024
Glazed ceramic

Therese Vasquez ‘26
“Echoes of Devotion,” 2024
Digital photograph

Grace Young ‘27
“In Full Bloom,” 2025
Gouache on paper

Grace Swanson Painting Award

Eseroghenerukevwe Ovbagbedia ‘25
“Homesick,” 2024
Acrylic on canvas

Charlotte McAllister ‘27

“Chichicastenango,” 2025

Acrylic on canvas

Laband Director’s Award

Holly Prince ‘25
“Masters of War,” 2025
Children’s toys, playing cards, stitching, rug, plaster, and matches

 

Kelly Connors ‘14
Kelly Connors is the Senior Director, West Coast at The Cultivist. Prior to joining The Cultivist, Kelly was Director at Jeffrey Deitch, where she oversaw gallery operations in Los Angeles.  Connors also worked at the Hammer Museum, where she held roles in Development and the Director's Office. She began her artworld career at Esthella Provas & Associates, overseeing the art advisory program. A graduate of Loyola Marymount University with a degree in Art History, Connors is an active member of the Los Angeles arts community. She has served as co-chair of Gallery Weekend Los Angeles, sits on the committee for the Hammer Museum's Kids Art Museum Project (K.A.M.P.) + Hammer Collective, and is a member of the Institute of Contemporary Art's Angeleno Collective. 
Lida Venieri ‘14
Lida Venieri is the Assistant Director of Civic Art at the LA County Department of Arts and Culture, where she oversees the day-to-day operations of the Civic Art Division. She plays a key role in shaping policies and strategies that support arts and culture across Los Angeles, while managing the division’s operational, financial, and administrative functions across a diverse range of programs and projects. Prior to her tenure in public art, Lida worked alongside esteemed art advisor Esthella Provas, known for her work with The Jumex Museum and Foundation in Mexico City. She also held positions at prominent Los Angeles galleries, where she managed exhibitions and special programming. Lida holds B.A. degrees in both Studio Arts and Business Management from LMU.