As with last year’s Rickert-Ziebold Trust Award competition, pictured here, artwork in a variety of media will be on display April 28-May3. (Photo by Amihere Benson)
March 10, 2025
Eight finalists vie for SIU’s 2025 Rickert-Ziebold Award
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Eight graduating seniors in Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s School of Art and Design are preparing to compete for the university’s most prestigious art prize — the Rickert-Ziebold Trust Award.
The finalists were announced on March 6 and come from a variety of disciplines — art education, blacksmithing, communication design, general studio, glass/metalworking and photography. The exhibition is from April 28 through May 3 in the SIU Surplus Gallery, 432 S. Washington St., Carbondale. Winners will be announced at 3:30 p.m. April 28. A reception will take place from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. May 2 in the Surplus Gallery, with the awards presentation at 6:30 p.m. The gallery is in the Studio Arts Building, formerly known as the Glove Factory.
Media Advisory
Reporters, photographers and news crews are welcome to cover the 2025 Rickert-Ziebold Trust Award reception and award presentation on May 2 at the SIU Surplus Gallery. The reception is set for 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., with the awards presentation at 6:30 p.m. For more information, contact Najjar Abdul-Musawwir at mekka@siu.edu or the Surplus Gallery at 618-453-7548 or sgallery@siu.edu.
Each year, seniors in the School of Art and Design, part of the College of Arts and Media, graduating from the fall semester to the end of the summer term apply for the competition, displaying their knowledge gained throughout the years at SIU. The honor includes a substantial scholarship.
For some, it is perhaps their first experience with peer competition and professional evaluation. School of Art and Design faculty judge presentations on the basis of performance and excellence in creative achievement. Past and present Rickert-Ziebold Trust Award recipients reflect the ideals and aspirations of the award benefactors.
Award finalists
The finalists are:
- Paul Buckett, art education, White House, Tennessee.
- Isabella Burkhardt, art education, Gardner, Illinois.
- Enan Chediak, photography, Herrin, Illinois.
- Leo Edwardson, communication design, Mount Prospect, Illinois.
- Erin Kelley, general studio, South Bend, Indiana.
- Lukas Kohler, blacksmithing, Reading, Pennsylvania.
- Olivia Posey, glass/metalworking, Mountain Home, Arkansas.
- Josephine Williams, blacksmithing/metalworking, Lima, Ohio.
Longtime award
The purpose of the trust is to promote excellence in visual arts. The award was established by the Rickert family in honor of the late Joseph Rickert, an attorney and former state senator from Waterloo, to encourage young artists. Because of the Rickert family’s “vision, love of art, and confidence in the future,” the School of Art and Design is able to annually present cash awards to Rickert-Ziebold scholars.
Gallery hours
The exhibition in the Surplus Gallery will be open to the public from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 28-May 2 and 10 a.m. to noon May 3.
For more information, contact Najjar Abdul-Musawwir, professor, in the School of Art and Design, at mekka@siu.edu or the Surplus Gallery at 618-453-7548 or sgallery@siu.edu.