Student Art Sale
Friday, April 18, 3-6:30 p.m.
Talley Student Union Ballroom
The Student Art Sale showcases the creativity of our students and welcomes submissions from all majors, making it one of the nation’s premier university art showcases. Whether studying engineering, chemistry, media art design technology, or any field, all students are encouraged to participate.
Join us in supporting the next generation of artists, whose talents transcend disciplines. Every purchase directly empowers these students, fueling their artistic journey.
For Students
Artist submissions are due by Friday April 4, 2025, at 11:59pm. The application is now closed.
How the Sale Works
- Due to a limited number of spaces, students will apply for the in-person sale. All student artists will be accepted to the virtual sale. Applications and interest form for both in-person and virtual sales slots will be due two weeks before the sale so we can input data and send the submissions to our judge. Stay tuned for the application/interest online form.
Virtual Art Sale
The virtual sale format is a gallery on Flickr and also serves as an online showcase of the students’ work. Some of the images you see may not still be for sale, but you can find the student’s website in the image description which will take you to their online store. Many of the students are open to commissions, so be sure to email them if you like something that is already sold and want something similar. Please email the sale director Amy Sawyers-Williams with questions at acsawyer@ncsu.edu.
For Buyers
Permanent Collection Purchases
Since 2001, Arts NC State has purchased original artwork of NC State students. A committee of staff, students and local artists review the submitted work and choose art to purchase. The chosen works become a part of the permanent collection of Arts NC State and will hang in Talley Student Union or selected locations on campus. To date, our collection has over 150 pieces of student art. But what to do with all the art that isn’t purchased by Arts NC State?
Open to the Public
We realized that there was a need to open up the purchase so that all of the student art was able to be seen and possibly purchased. The sale went public in 2015. In that first year, $3,000 worth of student art was sold, with proceeds going directly to the students, and in 2019, we sold over $13,000! Due to COVID-19, the 2020 sale moved online and we were thrilled to sell over $10,000 that went back to our student artists. In 2023, the sale evolved into both an in-person and online sale.
How Does a Hybrid Art Sale Work?
On the day of the Student Art Sale, the Talley Student Union Ballroom will be transformed into a student art sale. Each artist will be responsible for selling their work at a designated area. You may purchase directly from the artist using credit card or Venmo. Tips on how to use Venmo here. Note that the university has gone cashless, so no cash will be accepted at the sale.
You will be free to take your artwork home with you, or you can keep it with the artist and return to pick it up. You are also welcomed to ask the artists if they are open to commissions, which have been a popular way to support student artists in the past.
At 7 p.m., all of the unsold artwork plus any student artwork that was not included in the in-person sale will go live to an online gallery similar to last year’s sale page (see bellow). We will post the link at the top of this page at 7 p.m. The virtual sale will be open as long as there is art to sell, so spread the word!
More Details on the Virtual Sale Gallery
We will provide a link to an online gallery which will showcase each student’s work of art. See last year’s gallery as an example. You will click on the image you are interested in, learn more about the student and the piece (and whether they are open to commissions), and then click on a link that will take you to the student’s online shop (Etsy, ArtFire, Ebay etc). From there, you will see whether the art has sold, and you will be able to purchase and/or interact with the students. Some students will be shipping your art and some will be delivering it to your doorstep.
Don’t fret if the work is sold out—most artists are open to commissions. Email them if you’d like a similar piece as to what is sold (their emails are listed on their Flickr gallery).
Past Virtual Sales
Visual Artist Award
Arts NC State received a generous gift to create a Visual Artist Award in 2017. A judge with input from a panel of Arts NC State employees and students will select 1 2D piece, 1 3D piece, and 1 computer rendered or photography from the sale to win the awards. The student artists will receive a $500 cash award, their pieces will hang in a prominent display case in the Talley Student Union near Stewart Theater for the following academic year, and they will be honored at an annual ceremony.
Program History
Since 2015, Arts NC State has hosted its annual Student Art Sale, showcasing the creativity of our students. And since 2001, we’ve acquired and curated a diverse collection of student artwork, enriching our campus with vibrant expressions.
So far, our sale has contributed over $70,000 to student artists, making a real impact on their lives and careers. Join us and invest in the future of the arts.
