Juror's Statement
THE MARCH 2002
ALL-MEDIA MEMBERSHIP SHOWThe quality of good design, for me, means using the chosen media to its best advantage, and complementing this technical skill with evocative content. I thank The Art League for the opportunity to select the March All-Media Show. Although a mental and physical challenge to review, the large number of submissions allows the juror the chance to see works from a significant segment of the art community at one time, and therefore provides a way to keep informed of the latest trends among the membership of The Art League. In the space of one afternoon, just to look at all the submissions is daunting. To do them all justice is difficult and virtually impossible. Things do jump out at you, and when the images linger in the mind for one reason or another, it means yes, these belong in the show. I tried to be inclusive in my choices of the array of styles and media submitted, while being cognizant of the space limitations. I tried to balance realism with abstraction, although figuration seemed to dominate the entries. I was struck by the excellent presentation of all works submitted, including graceful frame treatments and innovative formats. Many submitted works of art mirrored our difficult times, so I was open to choosing patriotic symbols and images of Washington. The sense of freedom and variety demonstrated by the works on paper; the strengths of printmaking, photography, sculptural entries, and mixed media should be applauded, just to name a few of the memorable categories. Overall, this is the strongest show I've judged at The Art League.
Lenore D. Miller
Director, University Art Galleries
The George Washington University
Juror's Dialogue
by Pat Gerkin
Lenore Miller, curator for the March All-Media Show, and Director of the George Washington University Art Galleries, has provided a bright, colorful show for The Art League. Ms. Miller notes that this show had a few surprises. For example, "the painting category was stronger; the submissions were bigger, better, and more ambitious." Also, she says that The Art League still has a very strong bent toward two-dimensional works and very few three-dimensional entries. She is especially surprised that there are not more ceramics entries.
Ms. Miller says of her selection process, "I look for competency with the medium, how well the figure is drawn, how well the subject matter is painted, and for abstractions, how the composition is put together. When you have to choose roughly one out of six entries, you have to be incisive. It is sometimes easier to tell what is definitely out than to judge those that are the 'maybes'. I gave the 'maybes' a second and third look." Miller says that she was looking for a change or a shift away from the decorative, something more original. "When two pieces are entered, I look to see that they are consistent. If they are vastly different, I might eliminate both of them."
Drawing: "I am looking for a traditional ability to render form and space. If the artist is doing a figure, then the touch of the medium should be very expressive of the form. That's why I liked the drawing with washes (J. Saunders). It was expressive and had a wonderful quality of line."
Watercolor: "I looked for work that uses the medium to describe the shape. The top award is representative of the fact that the show includes a lot of watercolor submissions. It is playing on the idea of scale in an interesting way, and somehow evocative of game playing, like David Levinthal's photographs, and I like the combination of the traditional watercolor with the edgy (T. Davis)."
Collage: "Collages were nice, but they were not outstanding. Some looked like the artists had taken the easy way to approach drawing. Those that did so, I did not include in the show."
Mixed media: "Some of the mixed media was very intriguing. For example the 'Flotsam and Jetsam' pieces made use of cloth mixed with collage (S. Jones). The format works nicely. I sensed notations and use of lettering, they were well presented; and they were consistent. I also liked the large cicada (E. Frownfelter). It was large and ambitious, and the artist is working with typology and categorizing things, though I would prefer to see it framed rather than unframed."
Works on canvas: "They were generally larger, more ambitious paintings and they were well thought out. The most convincing painting, in terms of the use of paint, was the fauvist-inspired painting that was semi-abstract yet a landscape (G. Gordon). I also liked the large painting with strange figures (R. Vander Zee). It was a delightful mixture of high art and low art. The painting of the cat (L. Neher) was loose and painterly."
Photography: "The photography was varied in both subject matter and black and white vs. color. I saw a lot of architectural pieces, and I looked for a sense of time and place yet a suggestion of timelessness. I was struck by the surreal quality of some of the photography (S. Kelley) and the edginess of the pieces that had a retro look to them (J. Steele). The altered photograph of the man standing in front of the Old Dutch Master had a haunting quality about it (J. Filsinger)."
Printmaking: "The printmaking was good, with many different expressions. I try to support the idea of the fine art print and there were a lot of good examples of the craft of printmaking here."
Digital: "There were a lot more entries in the digital arena than I remember from the past."
Pastel/Colored Pencil: "The pastels must be exceptionally well done. The subject matter must be challenging. I liked the alligator because it had tension and activity (D. Boling). The colored pencil was technically very competent and kaleidoscopic (L. Galluzzo). Across the board I find that landscapes must be well constructed for me to include them. The difficulty of the media's application is not the only criteria that I use."
Advice to Artists: "They need to ask themselves what they are trying to achieve, what their vision is, and then work on the techniques that will make it happen. Don't let the technique decide the vision. Choose to work in series, to achieve consistency."
Advice to The Art League: "I think you've got it down to a science. It's well organized. Maybe do it by medium once in a while or by theme so we don't have to eliminate so many. This is the strongest show I've ever judged here. Working from originals rather than slides is a definite plus."
This page was last updated 03/13/2002.