Students with a passion for creation can look forward to the upcoming APEX art exhibit that will take place from Thursday to May 1 in the Memorial Union.

Starting Monday, people interested in entering the show may provide up to three pieces of any medium for judging. In addition to the top 40 artists being displayed in the Gallery Room of the Memorial Union, a $100 best of show and three merit awards totaling $75 each will be given to winners. The Memorial Union will also select one piece to be purchased and displayed inside the building.

“These shows have been going on for many years, sometimes under different names, but the APEX exhibit is the last juried show at the [Memorial Union] for the year,” said Letitia Kenemer, Memorial Union fine arts coordinator.” There’s no theme for the artwork, other than basic guidelines for framing.”

Delegating pieces to be shown inside the Gallery Room will be the responsibility of jurors Mike and Sandy Gustafson, a woodworking and interior design couple who own and operate Nestcraft Studio in Des Moines, an interior arts company.

Caroline Freese, senior in integrated studio arts, tries her luck at all all three Memorial Union art exhibits every year and submitted several pieces for the 2015 APEX event.

“I submit stuff into all the shows,” Freese said. “It’s what you do as an artist and try to get your work out there. The event was at the end of the year, so I was mainly just entering stuff that was fun and I had laying around. The sculpture I did was for a ceramic class and it was a pig hat with guts spilling out. It was a humorous mix of materials, and I grew up on a farm so it related to my agricultural background.”

Freese views the exhibit as a chance to have an artist’s hard work recognized by the public.

“I think every time I enter into the Memorial Union shows it’s really good, it’s great for a résumé and is good experience to see what gets in and what doesn’t,” Freese said. “Then to see your artwork hanging up with your peers’ work is great as well. Not many students can get an experience like this that the Memorial Union provides, so I try to take advantage of it as much as I can.”

A reception will take place April 6 inside the gallery, where the jurors will announce awards for the 40 accepted art pieces.