Professors and students honored undergraduate artists at the opening reception for the 2003 Undergraduate Exhibition at the Zoller Gallery last night.

Ian Eckert (senior-art), the overall winner, received $500, while four runners-up -- William Snyder III (senior-integrative arts), Alexandra Sullivan (senior-sculpture), Pat Cummins (senior-ceramics)and André Fedor (senior-premedicine and art) -- received $100. The prize money must go toward art supplies. Eckert had two pieces in the exhibit, "Doldrums Fights the Good Fight" and "The Great American War Machine." Both are mixed media in which he used paint, pencil, markers, watercolors and pastels. Eckert said he mixes these mediums in an abstract way to find a picture in his pieces.

"Abstraction is in my technique to find something visually interesting," Eckert said.

Both of the pieces address political issues, and Eckert said other people have the same sentiments.

"It's a reaction to the current climate in the United States," Eckert said. "It's good to have validation, that people see what I see."

Eckert was happy to win the award but he said it was a bit unexpected.

Snyder was excited to be recognized by his peers for winning an award, and added that the money would come in handy as well.

"It comes at a very pertinent time when I need to buy supplies," he said.

Snyder's pieces in the exhibit include two drawings, one of a State College man titled Don and another that is a lithography of a machine's gears, System I. In both of the works, Snyder strove for realism, which is what he likes most about illustrations.

While he was working at Irving's Bagels, 110 E. College Ave., Snyder met his model for Don.

"He would come in every morning and I asked to draw him, and he said 'yeah,' " Snyder said.

Sullivan said her work involves both performance and interactive elements. One of her pieces, which is untitled, features an opening hand made of wire and other materials.

"I was trying to bring intimacy in a threatening manner," Sullivan said.

Her other work, Driving Blind, is what Sullivan calls a trust vehicle.

"The operator is unable to see where they are going," she said. In order to steer the vehicle, Sullivan said the driver must cooperate with another person.

Marla Jaksch, director of the Zoller Gallery, said the exhibit features 57 different artists from all of Penn State's commonwealth campuses. Artists in the undergraduate degree program can submit three small works for the chance to be featured. The show is student-run except for the judging of the works.

Two jurors, selected by a committee for the Zoller Gallery, pick the winners.

"We try to get somebody well-known in the art world," Jaksch said.

This year's judges, Roger Zellner and Stuart Frost, were both former Penn State art professors.

The Zoller Gallery will feature the exhibit until March 14.