Juror's Statement
THE DECEMBER 2001
ALL-MEDIA MEMBERSHIP SHOW
Any juried exhibit represents the personal taste of the juror and this one is no exception. I was impressed with the overall quality of works that were submitted. It is never easy to make the final cuts, but my goal was to select a broad range of styles and media. In the end, I wanted an exhibition that would hang together in a cohesive way. I hope you all enjoy the works as much as I do.
Stephen Phillips Bennett
Associate Curator, The Phillips Collection
Washington, DC
Juror's Dialogue
by Pat Gerkin
Stephen Bennett Phillips, Associate Curator of The Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C. (no relation to the founders of the museum) has given us a beautiful, diverse All-Media Show for December. While this is the first time Mr. Phillips has judged a show for The Art League, he is not a stranger to the Factory or its galleries. Explaining his particular slant on judging a show, he noted, "Curators come at this process differently from an art critic or an artist. As a curator, I am looking for a 'tight' exhibition. The works must have a dialogue on the wall. I don't want them to be 130 different pieces, but pieces that talk to each other. Therefore, I may have had to cut some very good pieces to achieve that goal."
Mr. Phillips consistently strove to include a range of mediums, but he reminded the artists that "a juried show is just one person's taste on that particular day of the week. It is about a person and a point in time." He noticed a surprisingly large number of works that dealt with the events of September 11. While he elected to choose work that is timeless, he encouraged The Art League to consider a show set aside to address the 9-11 events directly as a theme show saying that "If it is all together and dedicated to 9-11, then it could be very powerful."
As part of his selection process, Mr. Phillips looked for (1) technical skill, (2) composition, and (3) use of light/shadow, color, tone. A piece might get knocked out of competition most often for poor matting and framing--overframed, overmatted, or inappropriately framed. In that area, he emphasized, "Less is more."
Although his personal tastes are toward "edgier" work, he likes to encourage artists working in more traditional styles as well. In discussing his artistic sensibilities, he stresses that he responds to surface, a "fresh take," even in a traditional style, and asymmetrical balance. Strength of the show: Works on paper.
Photography: "Photography is a medium that I respond to. I like a range of color, black and white, abstract, and representational. I did not choose 'postcard' scenes or things that you see more often or that don't have some edge to them."
Works on Paper: "I saw more watercolor than anything. Because there were so many, it is quite possible that some very good pieces did not get in. Maybe the style was very similar to another style that was already represented. For these works on paper, I focused on tighter work for the standouts and light and shadow. Some were acrylics or oils on paper. I responded to the sense of balance in the painting of the two empty chairs with the girl on the left (H. LaPorte). If the artist had placed the girl in the center chair, the composition would not have been nearly as interesting."
Collage: "Collage invites you to enter that world. I respond to surface, and collage is about surface. It must have depth and variety so that it doesn't end up looking too flat and static."
Printmaking: "I am looking for movement, color, composition. Prints can be quiet, and the prints in this show needed to hold their own and have a dialogue with other media on the walls. Some of the beautiful, quiet ones did not get into this show because they would have dissolved on the wall."
Drawing: "Drawing was not a strength in this particular show. The drawing was not as tight as it could have been."
Canvas: "I chose quite a few on canvas. I wanted to show a real range from representational to abstract. I looked for surface, collage items (K. Hubacher, P. Gerkin), hard-edged abstracts (J. McCarten) and more painterly, expressive abstracts (B. Anderson). The edgier piece won the Marker Award (S. Cutchen). It worked on many levels, and it sought to break out of the traditional boundaries, push at the envelope. I liked the bug a lot, and it won an award (Marcel). It was wonderful compositionally and had those beautiful red legs. I liked the spare, white room, also an award winner (T. Teague). While it appears to be spare, there is really a lot going on in it. There is a lot of depth and it is a very successful piece. I like the presentation of the long piece (T. Teague). Some pieces I chose for their wonderful use of light and shadow (C. Cardellino)."
"Many people believe that abstracts are easy to do, but they are just as difficult to do as representational works. I did not choose too many abstracts overall. If there are too many abstracts in one show, it can make them seem insignificant."
3-D: "Again, I chose a range of media among the 3-D works. I like raku and I chose several pieces, including the beautiful traditional form of the vases with their surface and detailing (E. Seefeldt). I also chose the elephants but more for the love of raku than for the elephant form (B. Prignano). I liked the book. It was elegantly done (H. LaPorte). And, I especially liked the carved shirt and pants. The skill is there and the creativity and imagination. This work also won an award (S. Wengrovitz)."
Awards: "The onions were quiet but gave us a fresh view on still life. They have a casual rather than formal quality (J. Walser). The strawberry I chose for its scale, the shadow, the gradation of color, the drop of water (T. Davis). The window I liked for its surface, its quiet quality, and its off-center composition. The artist was skillful in creating balance. It is a sophisticated composition (S. Platt). I liked the young boy in front of the refrigerator. It is a fresh view for watercolor (M. Milici)."
Advice to Artists: "To be an artist is a challenge today. Do it for yourself first. It is important to share your art with other people, but don't feel like you need that for validation. If you continue to work, you will continue to improve. Don't get discouraged if you don't get into juried shows. Create for yourself, not for the outside world, and follow your own inner vision--don't try to create for the market. If you create for a living, please also try to create another body of work that speaks to your inner vision."
"What does it mean to be a great artist? Today's great artist's work could be in the back room of a museum tomorrow. Great artists are those artists who are not afraid to continue to change their style over time, to continue to be challenged, to continue moving forward."
Advice to The Art League: "Keep up the good work. You have a lot of artists and a great group. Keep the artistic spirit alive."
This page was last updated 12/07/2001.