RUSSELLVILLE — Arkansas Tech University student Alanna Koch drew upon faith to create the first-place entry in the 19th annual ATU Juried Student Competitive Exhibition.

Koch’s blank ink linocut “Star of the Sea” was selected best among 86 works of art submitted by 35 ATU students. Of those, 30 pieces by 25 ATU students were selected for inclusion in the exhibition, according to a news release from the university.

A sophomore from Scranton, Koch said her winning entry was inspired by the Biblical figure Mary as interpreted through the Catholic faith.

“Ave maris stella means ‘star of the sea’ in Latin,” said Koch. “Basically, what that means in Catholic tradition is that our lady, Mary, mother of Jesus, is the star of the sea guiding us to our Lord. The raging waves around her are the ra

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