Student Work

Eight decades after Surrealism, the ideas of Dalí and his peers still have incredible influence on a new generation of young artists. Dali's life and art afford numerous opportunities for students to explore a wide range of topics, engage the mind, and reflect on the human experience.

This Student Work page includes winners, entries and outcomes from annual programs and unique collaborations with local arts organizations and schools. The links will take you to examples of some of the most successful student responses to the life and art of Dalí and Surrealism.

The 2010 Student Surrealist Art Exhibitions

These juried exhibits feature student work produced in various media including oil, pastel and photography.  Peter Tush, Dalí Museum Education Curator, is judging this year’s show.  Reviewing over 300 submitted entries per show, he will chose approximately 100 works from each, which he selects the 18 award winners.  Through these exhibits, the Dalí Museum seeks to make a difference in the community by recognizing the role our art teachers play in their students’ development, and by encouraging students to continue exploring new ideas and creative thinking in all fields of education.  The Hillsborough exhibit will run from February 6 though March 6 in the Traces Gallery; the Pinellas exhibit follows from March 13 to April 11. 

Hillsborough County Student Surrealist Art Exhibition, 2010

Through this exhibit, the Dalí Museum recognizes and celebrates the talent of Hillsborough students and their art teachers.  In anticipation for the new Dalí Museum opening January 11, 2011, this year’s theme is “Home, Surreal Home.”  This theme invites students to reflect on the meaning of home from a dreamlike or irrational perspective, exploring new ideas as they employ creative methods, concepts, and subject matter inspired by Dalí, his surrealist contemporaries, and similar visionary artists. This second annual juried exhibit features student work produced in various media including oil, pastel, photography, and video.  The winning pieces have been saved online in perpetuity through the St. Petersburg Times’ Xpress Plugged-in website.

Click here for the Hillsborough 2010 Middle School Award Winners.

Click here for the Hillsborough 2010 High School Award Winners.

Pinellas County Student Surrealist Art Exhibition, 2009

The Pinellas County Student Surrealist Art Exhibition of 2009 explored the theme, “Surrealism, Dreams and Fantasy,” in its 25th year, inviting students to explore new ideas by employing creative methods, concepts, and subject matter inspired by Dalí, his surrealist contemporaries, and similar visionary artists.  This juried exhibit featured student work produced in various media including oil, pastel, photography, and video.  The winning pieces have been saved online in perpetuity through the St. Petersburg Times’ Xpress Plugged-in website.

Dalíwood Student Surrealist Video Competition

This was the second year for this event, and thanks to the imaginative work of Pinellas and Hillsborough students, it is assured to continue growing at the Dalí in the coming years. The selected entries and winners were shown on the big screen at Muvico 20 in downtown St. Petersburg, in partnership with the annual Sunscreen Film Festival. The attendees and their fans were perplexed, thrilled, and thoroughly entertained by the wealth of student films.

Click here to watch the 2009 Dalíwood Student films

Eckerd College Student Surreal Film Contest

2009 was the second year that the Eckerd College Visual Arts program and the Office of the Dean of Students collaborated with the Dali Museum for the Student Surreal Film Contest. The entries and winners were shown at the Dalí Museum while the winners were also shown at the Sunscreen Film Festival - Dalíwood Student Surrealist Film Competition Ceremony.

Click here to watch the 2009 Eckerd College Surreal films

The Museum and its collaborators are pleased to announce the third annual contest which will show its four winning films at the Dali Museum during "Eckerd College Day at the Dali Museum" on February 20, 2010.

Dalí Teen Docent Council: The Podcast Project

A collaboration with Youth Arts Corps of Wildwood and Teen Docent alumni of the Dalí Museum, the members of the Dalí Teen Docent Council compiled and recorded responses to their favorites of the Museum collection with the aim of providing a different, fresh and teen-specific perspective. These podcasts were recorded and edited by the group, documenting their exploration into the collection while learning digital publishing skills. These podcasts are intended to aid fellow teens as they explore the world of Dalí.  

Click here to view the Youth Arts Corps - Dalí Teen Docent Podcast Project

The Dalí Museum values its role as a place for both inspiration and celebration. The level of artistic achievement by the students of this community has always been remarkable.  By providing the resource of the best work of the past together with an exhibition space for tomorrow’s artists, the Dalí Museum contributes to the sense of continuity and hopefulness of this community.

-Hank Hine, Dalí Museum Executive Director