Ohio Northern University student Brittany Lang, a senior graphic design major from Newark, Ohio, was one of six winners at the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Ohio (AICUO) seventh annual Awards for Excellence in the Visual Arts competition held at Ohio Dominican University on April 8.

The awards honor senior students from independent colleges throughout Ohio who were deemed finalists in the competition by a panel of Ohio artists and members of the art community. The six award winners had their work shown at an exhibit in ODU’s Wehrle Gallery. Prior to the reception and awards announcements that evening, the student award winners participated in a panel discussion. Discussing their inspirations, their academic experiences and their career aspirations, the students offered candid views of art in their lives.

Lang’s work will be displayed at the pm gallery in Columbus during The Short North Arts District Gallery Hop that occurs every first Saturday of each month. Lang is the third ONU student to win this prestigious honor.

Independent colleges in Ohio were asked to nominate two outstanding senior artists from each campus for this one-of-a-kind online competition. All school nominees were recognized at the event, and artwork from all the nominees is available for viewing on the awards website, www.aicuoartaward.com.

All six winners will be featured in a walking exhibition as a part of Gallery Hop in the Short North District in Columbus on May 3. The other student award-winners in this year’s competition were Jesse Helmers, University of Dayton; Hunter Hughes, Denison University; Kayla Malone, University of Rio Grande; Chloe McEldowney, University of Dayton; and Brannon Rockwell-Charland, Oberlin College.