University of North Texas

On My Own Time, the annual fine arts competition for UNT employees, will feature two new categories this year — literature and music.

Deadline for entries is June 27. The exhibition will take place July 28-Aug. 9 at UNT on the Square. A reception will take place from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Aug. 1 at UNT on the Square.

All works must be done in employees’ free time from work.

• Find the entry form.
• Find the Facebook page.

UNT’s Best of Show and first prize winners will go on a regional exhibition, sponsored by the Business Council for the Arts, in September at NorthPark Center in Dallas.

(Update: The music category has been eliminated.)

For the literature category, employees can submit their fictional short story; open verse poetry; corporate collaboration, a short story written by at least three employee authors; a 10-word story; and creative non-fiction.

Art categories include works on canvas and paper; black and white, color, and enhanced and computer art photography; sculpture; ceramics and wood; jewelry and metal; mixed media; textiles/fiber art; and video/film animation.

Last year’s Best in Show winner was Kenneth Nicholson, a custodian and College of Visual Arts and Design graduate who submitted his abstract painting, Magneta 691. Since the show, he has continued to create art and he hopes to have a solo exhibition in the near future.

“Showing your work is a fantastic opportunity to be a part of a supportive community of like minds, to display your art and to expose yourself to new ideas,” Nicholson said. “Learning new things and sharing in our local culture is what will keep me coming back to the OMOT exhibit every year.”

Meredith Buie, administrative coordinator for the Institute for the Advancement of the Arts and UNT on the Square, said the competition is a great way for staff and faculty to show their talents.

“You’re not just a secretary. You’re not just a dean,” Buie said. “You have other interests.”

And, she added, they may get recognized for their efforts.

“It makes me happy to see these people,” Buie said. “I had a few tears because (at last year’s reception) there was a mom crying when her adult daughter received a ribbon.”

• Contact: Meredith Buie, 940-369-8257

- Jessica DeLeón, University Relations, Communications and Marketing

(Above, Kenneth Nicholson poses with his Best of Show painting Magenta 691 at last year's reception. Photo by Michael Clements/URCM.)