Nina Josephson ’19 Receives AICUO Award for Excellence in the Visual Arts

A history and studio art double major, Nina Josephson ’19 was nominated for an EVA by Kristina Paabus, associate professor of studio art and reproducible media. She will have her work on display at the Marcia Evans Gallery in Columbus, Ohio, through May 2019.

EVA award recipients are determined by art department faculty from AICUO member institutions, as well as Ohioans active in the visual arts. Winners of the award, which was established in 2008, receive permanent online portfolios on the AICUO Award website and prize packages to support their work.

Awardees’ work is also on display at local galleries as part of the annual Short North Walking Exhibition in downtown Columbus, Ohio, each spring. Josephson, along with the other EVA winners, will have their work featured during Gallery Hop Saturday on May 4 in the Short North Arts District.

Josephson works primarily with needle-felted wool, papier-mâché, and mixed media and creates art that explores the dualistic nature of the human condition. Her work, Strange Beasts, maps “our deepest, most intimate actions and feelings,” onto idiosyncratic, brightly colored three-dimensional depictions of “beast-like” creatures.

Josephson says that the process was a bit of a whirlwind, given that EVA contestants are determined by nominations, not through an application process. Yet, she remarks that the experience gave her a glimpse into the professional art world.

“I certainly never expected to see my art integrated into such a formal and professional setting,” Josephson says. “It was a really amazing experience, and I think it has given me a better sense of what the ‘art world’ might look like.”

In addition to gaining insight into the art world, Josephson says she also gained practical career skills throughout the award process, such as learning how to prepare for interviews and document her work.

View Josephson’s work online on her Instagram page .