PrattMWP Sophomore Work Accepted into National Art Show

Devika Kamath, of Bangalore, India, an Illustration student in the PrattMWP Class of 2020, was recently accepted into a national art show through the Society of Illustrators in New York City.

Artists in this prestigious exhibition are the winners of the Society of Illustrators annual Student Scholarship Competition showcasing college students’ most sophisticated, well-crafted, and original work. A jury of professional peers, including illustrators and art directors, select the most outstanding works created throughout the academic year. Pieces are accepted based on the quality of technique, concept, and skill of medium used. More than 300 pieces were chosen this year from 7,300 entries submitted by professors of college-level illustration and animation students in the United States and Canada. This year, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Society will be featuring all accepted artists and their works within an Online Gallery platform this year. Please visit here. A printed catalogue of this year’s winners will also be published and available for purchase through the Society’s website soon.

“The Society of Illustrators is the most prestigious guild in our field. It sets the bar in terms of defining artistic achievement for illustration in the five major areas of books, editorials, surface/product design, advertising illustration, and institutional,” said Joseph Murphy, PrattMWP Illustration instructor. “The artists who grace their walls are commissioned by some of the largest corporate clients in the world and define the era in which we live in terms of what we consume in advertising, publishing, and entertainment.”

Devika Kamath | 'An Unexpected Result'
Medium: Acrylic Texture Collage

Kamath’s accepted piece is a collage of jazz singer Billie Holiday created in Murphy’s Image As Communication class. The purpose of the assignment was an exploration in understanding value, line, and shape, which are the basic elements of design used to render and communicate the likeness of a figure. “They are often difficult to master, but Devika’s collage clearly shows careful consideration and craft. It turned out great,” Murphy added.

This fall, Kamath will continue working towards a bachelor’s degree in Illustration at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, eventually hoping to work in children’s book illustration. Kamath is passionate about the LGBTQ+ community, mental health, National Geographic, and comics. Positive, adaptable, and focused, Kamath works hard to create work that is inclusive and multifaceted. As an illustrator, dessert hoarder, Pokemon trainer, and dog lover, Kamath uses a variety of media from traditional to digital.