Emily Klassen ’25 named finalist in national student art competition

Just months after graduating from Rowan University, portrait artist and children’s book illustrator Emily Klassen is receiving national recognition.

The emerging artist has been selected as one of 40 finalists—from more than 600 submissions—for this year’s AXA Art Prize competition, one of the premier student art competitions in the United States. The contest is open to any style of figurative paintings, drawings and prints created by undergraduate and graduate art students.

“To be chosen as a finalist was a surprise. The majority of accepted entries are from specialized art schools, and I wasn’t sure if my piece would be considered at all, having not been a BFA student and studio art major,” said Klassen, who earned dual degrees in art and writing arts from the Ric Edelman College of Communication & Creative Arts.

As a finalist, Klassen’s piece—a graphite drawing titled It’s Me, Despite It All—could win her a cash prize and will be featured in a virtual gallery and a live exhibition at the New York Academy of Art in November.

“It’s a self-portrait that I made during a period of fast-paced change in my life—from little, inconsequential things, like growing out my hair, to life-shifting experiences as I prepared to move to my first apartment after graduation,” she said. “I enjoy putting some of those moments on paper to retain their memory and hope to keep making self-portraits to make a trail of time capsules that showcase my growth into the future.”

For Klassen, whose work until now has focused on commissioned colored pencil portraits of people and their pets, the future looks bright.

“One of the best parts of opportunities like this is finding new people to connect with,” she said. “I (know) that more opportunities will come along if I keep creating art that pushes the best of my skill at the time.”