Several students were surprised and ecstatic when their artwork earned them cash rewards at the Annual School of Visual Arts Undergraduate Juried Exhibition Monday night.

"I feel surprised, flattered and very excited. The money will go to good use very quickly," said Tyler Oyer, who won a $500 cash prize for one of his works.

The exhibit opened with a reception at 5 p.m. in the Zoller Gallery and will remain open through Feb. 23.

Five students were awarded $100 prizes for especially notable art. Oyer (senior-sculpture) and Anna Brewer (sophomore-painting and drawing) won $500 prizes.

Oyer's works included a sculpture consisting of two long wooden boards entitled "Props (Naomi Campbell)" and an untitled video of himself singing while wiping glitter on his face. The video examined notions of glamour and contrasted upper class to the working class, he said.

Brewer had two paintings in the show: "Head 1" and "Head 2". These paintings started out being about costume and performance, said Brewer, who dressed up in a costume and painted herself while wearing a mask that blurred her vision for effect. Brewer added that she calls the character in the paintings her "benevolent dictator."

Each year the exhibition features works from a variety of media, including painting, sculpture, photography and ceramics, among others, Charles Garoian, director of the School of Visual Arts, said.

Students whose creative works were produced for a class assignment or reviewed by faculty in the School of Visual Arts are invited to participate, he added.

Kathleen Cullen, director of the Chelsea Gallery in New York and founder of Kathleen Cullen Fine Arts, an art dealership, served as the exhibit's guest juror. Cullen said she judged students' works based on how fun, original and skillful they were, as well as the professionalism and vision behind them.

"Everything I chose is something I would be proud to exhibit in my own gallery," Cullen said, adding that she didn't restrict her selections to any particular medium and chose works from a variety of art forms. The exhibit was smaller than it has been in the past because of Cullen's belief that less is more, she said.

However, Cullen said she was disappointed with the "absolutely ludicrous" reaction of some students whose pieces were rejected.

The exhibition taking place outside the gallery, the Zoller des Refusés, was a collection of works that were rejected, accepted on a condition or withdrawn from the juried exhibition.

"I thought that some undergraduate students acted pompously and did not show proper respect," Cullen said.

Garoian said he believes the exhibition is a learning experience for the student artists.

"Getting rejected is part of being an artist. This exhibit is important because it gives students experience with how things work in the art world," Garoian said. "I hope the dialogue between these installations will continue into your classrooms."

Overall, Cullen said she was impressed with many of the works that were accepted. But she said students who were rejected should have been more diplomatic and courteous about her decision.