2021 Regional Exhibition Gallery

 

Juror’s Statement

 “Over the years of my curatorial career, I’ve juried a range of contemporary art exhibitions, engaged in portfolio reviews, and reviewed art grants applications for the National endowment for the Arts as well as for state arts councils.  Always, what was important was to carefully examine the artwork being presented and to seek out individual pieces that transcended convention.  There were so many deserving pieces among the 500+ submissions that I had to examine however choosing 63 works of art was a difficult task.  Undeniably every juror uses his or her own criteria when judging. Even though objectivity is the ideal, selections come down to personal judgment, however for me in trying to identify quality in individual works, I reflected how the final choices would function together as a cohesive exhibition. I looked for an assortment of media, style, subject, and content.

The process of selecting a diverse range of pieces for the exhibition resulted in my working through three phases. In Phase One, I first went through all of the submissions trying to gain an overview of what was being presented. In Phase Two, I began selecting works and in Phase Three and I critically asked myself am I finding a balance of styles from figuration to abstraction as well as 2-D and 3-work. What was of utmost importance was finding works with unique creativity, free of imitation or being mere illustration.  Inventiveness and original thinking were significant in making selections. Throughout this process I sought to create a balance in materials, media, and process. Although some pieces that were not chosen demonstrated high levels of craftsmanship and technique yet did not push concept beyond the surface of representation or the obvious.  This said, I hope the artists not selected will not be discouraged—Life is a learning process and we need to go forward and build on what we’ve done. I am aware that being an artist is a difficult job and art is an evolution – I wish you the very best.”

Elaine A. King