Juror’s Statement
Redwood Art Association
52nd Spring Exhibition

One of the most rewarding, but also challenging tasks asked of arts professionals is to jury a show. Within the short time span of a few hours, one is asked to make hundreds of decisions. Is this work in? Is this work out? Does this work merit an award? Which work, among this diverse range of media deserves to be called “the best?” There is no rule book and the process is highly subjective. Another juror would choose differently although there would be overlaps. If one juried on Tuesday instead of Sunday, one might choose differently. Ultimately one comes equipped with the sum of his or her artistic knowledge and experience, including an understanding of composition and design; an appreciation of a wide range of styles and media; a good eye for images that manage to communicate to the viewer and a “gut reaction”.

Jurying is invigorating and exhausting. First, I want to say how much I appreciated being able to judge the actual object rather than viewing slides. Standing in front of each work, allowing myself to see and look carefully at every submission, sometimes several times made the experience more valuable. So, how did I whittle down the submissions to approximately half of the works entered? There are several elements and factors that I take into consideration. First, I look at craftsmanship, technical skill, presentation and creativity. Is the piece well executed? Secondly, I consider use of color, how the light is captured, composition, subject matter and medium. Does it express a mood or message? Has the artist pushed boundaries, broken rules, taken risks or tried something different? Does the piece resonant in some way with me? Does it invite me to explore it further? Has the artist created a style that is markedly his or her own? Would I like to see more work by this artist?

I would like the Redwood Art Association membership to know that I found eliminating works to be hard. So in some cases, I tried to select what I felt was the best of a particular genre. Such as landscape, photography or works on paper. One of my goals was to jury a show that would show the diversity of the mediums and styles that I was observing as an outside witness. I found the medium of photography to be well represented and aesthetically strong. In general, what I felt was under represented from the submissions was experimental or edgier work.

I want to congratulate the artists whose work was admitted to the show. I want to encourage the artists who were not accepted to continue to believe in their work. The jury process is not kind. It’s not an exact science, but it is a time honored method for artists to receive feedback and measure their progress. Again, I can only encourage artists to continue to submit works to shows such as this one. Finally, I want to thank the Redwood Art Association for the lovely hospitality and for the invitation to select this show.

Debra Lehane
Curator of the Voigt Family Sculpture Foundation, Geyserville

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