GALLERY 96 2020
I recently wrapped up BEING the juror for the 2020 Vision show for the Gallery 96 in Shoreview, MN. I so enjoyed the whole process and being able to spend some time with all of the thoughtful submissions. I really enjoyed hanging out afterward and providing critique to those who asked for it.
Our first awards ceremony was snowed out! This last Friday we had the recap. I thought it might be fun to share my talk and comments here.
A very special thank you to everyone and for the invitation.
The theme for the show is “2020 Vision”
This is my overall thoughts and my talk with a wrap up of images of the “winners” along with most of what I said about each.
Before starting the juror process I sat down and scribbled out thoughts on how to judge the pieces before seeing any of the pieces.
I also contemplated what “2020 Vision” might mean and how many different takes I would see on the theme. As I expected there was a huge variety on the interpretation along the theme.
I think it is more challenging to judge a multimedia show. I tried to come up with an internal criteria that would common among all of the medium so we can judge apples to apples. I decided on a historical device to judge what is true architecture and what is simply a building. I thought this would help define what separates a piece from a well crafted image from a sublime piece of Art with a capital “A”. By that I mean something well crafted, well laid out, and touching or beautiful in some ethereal way.
In school we studied a famous architect named Le Corbusier. I think this quote gets close to what I decided to look for:
‘You employ stone, wood, and concrete, and with these three materials you build houses and palaces. That is construction. Ingenuity is at work. But suddenly, you touch my heart, you do me good, I am happy and I say: 'This is beautiful.' That is architecture. Art enters in. My house is practical. I thank you as I might thank Railway engineers, or the Telephone service. You have not touched my heart.
But suppose that walls rise toward heaven in such a way that I am moved. I perceive your intentions. Your mood has been gentle, brutal, charming, or noble. The stones you have erected tell me so. You fix me to the place and my eyes regard it. They behold something which expresses a thought. A thought which reveals itself without word or sound, but solely by means of shapes which stand in a certain relationship to one another. These shapes are such that they are clearly revealed in light. The relationships between them have not necessarily any reference to what is practical or descriptive. They are a mathematical creation of your mind. They are the language of Architecture. By the use of raw materials and starting from conditions more or less utilitarian, you have established certain relationships which have aroused my emotions. This is Architecture.’
In my own work, regardless of the medium or subject matter I lean on the elements laid out by Vitruvius in what is thought to be the first published treatise on architecture.
Firmness, Commodity and Delight. If a piece hits all of these, for me it transcends a well crafted piece and reaches toward the sublime.
Firmness = Is it well crafted. Is there a confident use and understanding of the mediums strengths and weaknesses? Is it well done and polished? Is it solid? Is it well presented and framed well? These are the aspects of craft and quality of product.
Commodity = Does it do its job well? For me this can include a presence and clarity of a narrative. Does it setup and tell a story well? Is your eye lead toward the important elements? Is the piece harmonious? Is it composed well? These are the more technical aspects.
Delight = Is it compelling, surprising, moving? Is there something that draws you in? Does the piece invite a closer look? Does it evoke some feeling? This aspect is harder to score and most relies on intuition.
With this in mind I reviewed the pieces and made selections. I enjoyed every piece and congratulate everyone for putting themselves out there. A different judge would make different selections. The same judge in a different year would likely make different choices. I am always happy to talk to anyone about their piece after the awards. Hopefully that would be valuable to folks.
First Place - Porthole View - Tom Olmscheid - Photograph
I was drawn to this piece originally because of its simplicity of subject and clarity of layout. I really enjoyed that I could be convinced that this photograph was a graphite drawing, or an ink drawing, or acrylic, or oil. It is aggressively simple at the macro scale and packed with detail as you move in. I love when a piece makes me ask “how in the world did they do that?”
I thought the piece was very relevant to the them of 2020 vision and was taken from a clever view point (of a clever viewpoint).
Second Place - Looking Forward to Fascination - Sue Hanson Lieser - Mixed Mediums/Collage
What kept me coming back to this piece was the multiplicity of exploration in this one small piece. There was a visual more literal study in the photography. Next I noticed the colors explored and replicated in found materials and a small abstract painting. And then I started thinking about the textures of the objects, the texture of the twisted copper wire arranged in an organic way. Some how an abstract painting on a corrugated material spoke to me about the blurred background. I could go on but I appreciated what felt like an exploration of multiple aspects, view points, and exploration all wrapped up in a composed collage.
I felt like this fit the 2020 Vision theme in a unique way about what we see when we look hard enough.
Third Place - He Wanted New Glasses Not Hearing Aids - George Martinez Robinson - Intaglio Collage
I felt like there was a lot packed into this piece. I love how the title sets up one narrative, but the longer you look at the piece there more narratives you see going on. There seemed to be historical allegories and legend going on in conjunction with a modern day story. The facial expression holds a great deal of narrative and I can imagine multiple viewers with different takes on it. I was also taken with the incredible craft of the piece and had a similar question on how this was made. The tiling effect reminds me of ancient works and I wonder about each small plate. Or was it etching plate and the paper cut up? I was drawn to the questions of the piece but especially of the craft itself. The more time I spent with the piece I saw more and more interesting assemblages which invites a closer look at the detail of the line work itself.
The 2020 Vision narrative of this piece had to do our physical vision as well as expectations.
- Honorary Mentions (In no particular order and all sat in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place finishes at one time)
Lobsterman - Jeff Cooper - Photography
The craft of the photograph is amazing but the narrative is what drew me in. I had an audible “oh wow”. One of the many successes of this photo is how the piece is so full of detail while still having such a definitive focal point and contrast. There is a novel’s worth of narrative in that face.
Tumultuous Seas Ahead - Mary Cooper - Alcohol Ink on Ceramic Tile
I really enjoyed the extreme landscape orientation and the craft of the piece working with its frame. I enjoy this type of abstract in my own work because I know the artist sets the material up to act a certain way but must trust the medium to do the rest of the work. I call that “letting the pigments hold their council. I can imagine 10 different people seeing 10 different narratives in this piece.
Rowing in the Clouds - Joe Linn - Photography
This was another “Oh Wow” photograph for me. Flying on the water is not something you see everyday! I also enjoyed that the person in the reflection looks like a different person than the non reflected. The choice to print this on non traditional photo paper also added depth for me. This piece has a whimsical quality that invites a closer look.
Roaring Twenties - David Procchniak - Acrylic Paint on Wood
There is so much I enjoyed about this piece. I love how this piece blurs the line between painting, collage and sculpture. I loved the textures and overall color palette. I really enjoyed wondering how it was assembled and what order. I was drawn to the crossover of craft, nostalgia whimsy and perfect scale. I imagine this a piece where you keep finding interesting relationships. I also enjoyed the tie in with the theme.
Other Stand outs - These pieces were not given awards but I wish I could have and I did speak about them
My 2020 Dream - Parul Agarwal - Mixed Mediums
spent a little time with this one and imagine this was a personal journal shared in the public. We should probably all do this quarterly.
Each Side a New View - Paul Gaston - Ceramics
I enjoyed the changing nature of this piece. I could imagine a display case where the light was constantly moving and creating new facades and spaces in the time span of one viewing.
Vice Versa - Heidi Nelson - Watercolor
What drew me to this was a how well composed it was and how well proportioned. I also have a love of watercolor and enjoyed seeing the decisions made.
Bountiful Lemons - Karen Ni Tan - Oil
I was first drawn to the high contrast of the yellow on black. Then I enjoyed the relationship and intentional groupings that almost invite a narrative between the fruit itself. I also wondered if lemons were a playful nod to the theme of “2020 Vision” (if life gives you lemons...)
I will add more pictures as I get them from the committee. I invited everyone afterward to speak about their piece and to show up at my studio this First Thursday to critique my work.
As a fun side note, I did a 2 hour water color demo for this same group a few a weeks ago. I brought the demo pieces with me and the pencil watercolor sold! How cool is that?
