Nicholls State University’s Ross Jahnke, Department Head and Professor of Art Education, displays artwork in the

64ARTS Competition at the Buchanan Center for the Arts.

Sixty-six artworks are displayed at the Buchanan Center for the Arts in Monmouth, Illinois from Sept. 10 through Nov. 1. Out of 400 submissions, the national juried competition only selected 66 pieces of art.

Ross Jahnke’s silkscreen print titled “Scalpel” is one of 66 pieces.

Jahnke said the printing process itself inspired the creation of his art piece. 

Jahnke elaborated on his inspiration, “The drawing and carving, color, transparency… Hands represent many ideas. For me, it is their utility as a tool for making things. The scalpel is a precision tool that requires a skilled hand,” Jahnke said.

The silkscreen print developed over Thanksgiving break of 2023, beginning as a drawing of Jahnke’s hand holding a pencil. From drawing to woodcut print, he exchanged the pencil for a scalpel with the “possible narrative interpretations” in mind.

Jahnke, who gained his undergraduate degree at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, described his time at UWM as influential towards his “overall conceptualization of art and art-making.” His time as a student at Louisiana State University was the catalyst that pushed him to develop his printmaking craft.

Various German expressionists, printmakers, and painters continue to inspire the work that Jahnke creates and submits to the exhibitions.

Participating in the 64ARTS competition is an honor, however, it is not the only competition Jahnke strives to participate in. He described past goals and future aspirations he holds himself to.

“Faculty at any university need to conduct research as part of their job. In visual art, the artwork is the research. To receive recognition for the research it needs to be accepted into a peer-reviewed exhibition,” he explained.

The professor said 64ARTS is one of the three exhibitions he tries to enter yearly. Additionally, he has solo exhibitions at the Baton Rouge Gallery where he has been a member artist for 30 years.

 Jahnke’s next solo exhibition will be in Alexandria in 2025.