3D animation, metal work, photography, stained glass, mixed media painting, pen drawings, relief prints, and wood sculptures have just finished their tenure in “Guilty”, the annual College of Arts & Media (CAM) student exhibition hosted by the Emmanuel Art Gallery (EAG).

The title of the exhibition is a clever nod to the visual arts norm of a juried show, where a juror determines whether submitted artwork gets placed into a gallery. It seems in this case that pop art pioneer Jann Haworth handed down a verdict of “guilty on all counts,” given she’s curated what gallery coordinator Andrew Palamara calls the “most wide ranging” show in the student exhibition’s history. She’s best known for co-creating the Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” album cover, but her signature work stemmed from her time at prestigious art universities. “I think there’s value in paying attention to the experience of the student. How did you feel at that age?” Jann asked while attending the opening reception. “To have the wings clipped as you just begin to fly is absolutely repulsive.”

Digital artist Vivian Sprague’s piece, “Future Self”, was among the selected works. While she is well aware this will look great on her resumé, she felt the accomplishment was more so an avenue for connection. “The crucial aspect of openings like this is getting to see people and getting to bring in my family and getting to hear their feedback and getting to be with other artists.” she said. “It feels good.” Digital and 3D artists are as much a part of the CAM community as anyone else. In fact, the CU Denver Experience Gallery opened the inaugural digital illustration showcase, “ILL”, just a week after “Guilty’s” first day.

Even students beyond the student body of CAM were included in this year’s iteration of “Guilty,” as in the case of architecture major Nico Martinez. “It just means I might get more opportunities now” he said about his place in the exhibition. “I actually have never had a piece in anything.” His cozy early morning scene of a warmly lit Swedish light shop is prominently featured on the back wall of the gallery. “I’m very excited that there’s more exposure to my work.” With this year’s “Guilty” exhibition, he’s able to start shining his light in Denver’s art world.

Through this exhibition and her recent endeavors, Jann has provided opportunities that she wasn’t offered in art school. Her cloth-based “soft sculpture” work, which was brought to the EAG in 2017, came from limitations foisted onto her by a glass ceiling of masculine commercial viability. Despite soft sculpture’s comparably domestic nature, the medium would become some of her most defining art and has since helped her foster an international recognition beyond the Beatles’ album cover.

Her days as an emerging student artist in a highly sexist environment helped her develop a strong credo of equity and democracy that manifests throughout her creative work. Earlier in March, Jann unveiled a massive collage at the Salt Lake Community College featuring stencils of over 350 women created by about 300 artists in total. A similar collaborative mural, titled “Catalysts,” was unveiled on the exterior of Denver’s Buell Theater just a couple hours after the opening of “Guilty.” Among what the project’s website calls “individuals who are integral to the success and vibrancy of Denver arts and culture” are CAM faculty member Rian Kerrane and EAG Director Jeff Lambson.

Jann’s relationship with the Beatles’ album cover is complicated, but she recognizes the effect of the era in which it was created. When speaking about the “Guilty” opening, she said, “I think that whole change and liberation of art allow all of us to do this.”