Juror's Statement
THE OCTOBER 2001
ALL-MEDIA MEMBERSHIP SHOW
Choosing from such a diverse group of works is always a challenge. In the final cut I looked for skill, passion and dedication.
Too often the artist's vision ends with the signature - as many jurors in the past have noted. I would like to see the same level of professionalism carry through with framing and matting-keep it neutral or integrate it and let the work speak by itself.
David Adamson
Adamson Editions
Juror's Dialogue
by Pat Gerkin
The Art League's October All-Media Show, which features the Gilliam Award, was judged by David Adamson, a familiar face on the metropolitan area art scene. Adamson, owner of Adamson Editions in Washington, DC, is a printmaker and working artist. "I looked for a high level of skill and professionalism," Adamson said of his jurying process for The Art League show. "It was fairly easy to cut the number of submissions because there was a lot of work that was similar. There was an overwhelming genre of O'Keeffe-like floral watercolors," he said. "However, I tried to choose a diverse show."
Adamson remarked that his one big surprise was that there was not much sculpture submitted. "The most difficult task, of course, was choosing the first prize," he said. "The McIntyre bakery piece (the first prize, N. McIntyre) shows absolute mastery of the silk-screening technique," he stressed.
"I also loved the diner piece. I like the vigor, the risk in this piece (S. Cutchen). The frame and the work are totally integrated," Adamson noted. "The submissions fell down in their presentation. Specifically, I don't want to see colored mats, double mats or overly ornate frames. If an ornate frame is used, it must be totally integrated. The frames and the mats should not intrude into the art work," he said. Adamson emphasized that mats should be white or off-white, canvases should be at least strip framed, for definition. He said that good presentation cannot be stressed enough.
"I rejected pieces that were very personal to the artist, perhaps something that became a family memento. I look for passion, strength, integrity that goes beyond the family circle," he noted.
Photography: "I looked for something a little out of the ordinary, those that had technical merit, and those that were well-exposed. I also looked for work that was carefully matted and framed. There was a good range of techniques. I saw no digital work at all, and that surprised me."
Printmaking: "I looked for strong imagery, clean, crisp, and technical craftsmanship. I probably demand more from printmaking than other media, because I am a printmaker myself."
Sculpture: "I would like to have seen more 3-D. The massive, 3-D, physicality of sculpture magnifies any triteness. I think that makes sculpture very difficult to do well."
Works on canvas: "Compared to the watercolors, the canvas work had a very 'pallid' look. They were almost timid in approach. I missed the density, color, richness, and the bold approach of the artist's hand on the canvas. There was a preponderance of figurative work."
Watercolor: "The watercolors I chose were beautifully, tightly rendered. They are difficult to do, and they are very detailed. These I chose. The pears on the Amish blanket (C. Krupinski), expressed this medium to its best advantage."
Pastels/colored pencil: "A lot of pastels/colored pencil were submitted. I used almost the same criteria for pastels as I did for watercolor--detail, saturation. There was some very good pastel work."
Collage/mixed media: "I chose several for their creativity, combination of materials that worked together, and sense of dimension."
Advice to Artists: "Look around at what everyone else is doing, the immediate people around you. Ask yourself, 'Am I doing anything different from them? Are we all the same?' If you are all the same, then find something different to do, and when you find it, do it with skill and dedication. Then, at the end, present the work as well as possible. Go to commercial galleries and see how they frame the work."
Advice to The Art League: "Theme shows are a good idea, especially when you are asking a juror to select 120 out of a field of 650. That means that the juror must cut five out of every six submissions. The theme show would give the juror an easier time of pulling together a cohesive show. Another option might be a show of a particular medium, i.e., printmaking, photography, etc. "
This page was last updated 10/06/2001.