The room was bustling Tuesday evening with students pouring into the classroom-sized Euphrat Museum of Art, chatting, art observing, laughing and munching cookies available at the refreshment table.

Artists were congratulating one another, explaining the artwork on exhibit at the De Anza College Student Art Show 2008. Awards were presented to student artists at the end of the event.

Joel Natanauen, an art student, was among the many artist who looked especially happy.

“Whoa, my name’s in?” he said, remembering his first reaction when he heard his work won the award in the still life category.

Natanauen did not expect his work to be displayed in the museum, much less to win an award. “I finished the framing of the picture in the last minute and ran, carrying it in just 10 minutes before the deadline,” he said.

The winner of the clay art award, Phyllis Lee, said while laughing that she was very happy. She has been doing clay arts for 10 years as a lifelong-learning student at De Anza.

“It’s very earthy,” she said, commenting on the general nature of the clay art.

Another student artist, James Sauer, said he feels good about the exhibit. He’s especially proud of his plywood chair, made from Forest Stewardship Council certified wood.

“It’s like the ‘organic’ for food,” he said.

During one of the speeches given by the faculty members of the art department, instructor Moto Ohtake nearly knocked down a partition wall and the students’ paintings attached to it when he lost his balance.

The incident elicited momentary gasps followed by laughs as he quickly recovered, and the wall and the artwork remained intact.

The museum was so packed with people during the awards presentation that even the winners had trouble getting to the podium.

The chancellor of the Foothill-De Anza Community College district, Dr. Martha Kanter, described the show as “one of the events every year that [she] absolutely loves.”

John Swensson, the vice president of Instruction, said he was “stunned by the diversity of the students and the artwork” displayed at the award show.

The 2008 award show will be the last art exhibit to take place in the A building, as the museum will move to the new Visual and Performing Arts Center in the fall.

Jan Rindfleisch, the executive director of the museum, said she is excited for the move, as the museum will be more visible and accessible to the public.

The award winners:

Ceramic Award: Alejandra Hermandinger

Clay Planet Award: Phyllis Lee

Drawing Award: Cindy Lee

Drawing Award: Christian Marin

Furniture Award: James Sauer

Graphic Design Award: Vesna Rozic Sibic

Graphic Design Award: Ana Milosavljevic

Orchard Valley Ceramics Guild Award:Yumiko Fujii

Painting Award: Jaesun Kim

Painting Award: Jake Vu

Photography Award: Elizabeth Corona

Sculpture Award: Christina Cantu-Diaz

Sculpture Award: Adam McLeod

Paul Edison is a staff reporter for La Voz. Contact him at [email protected].