- Feb 28, 2019

February 2019 Juried Art Show

Juried Art Show January 8, 2019 – February 19, 2019

Juror – Joseph Hammer, Painter

Juror’s Statement

Let me begin by thanking Martha Gibson and the exhibition volunteers for asking me to juror the show. I must say jurying this show had its challenges, because each one of these works was wonderful.

I commend every artist that submitted, accepted or not. It takes great courage and humility to be willing to place your works on display and to be “judged” by a peer on whether you will be placed in an exhibition, or whether you’ll receive a commendation, or not.

All of the exhibition veterans are familiar with this process, understand this is a subjective situation and that a juror’s decisions are “in the moment” and could change on another day. However, I didn’t take this task lightly, and I made sure I gave equal consideration to each work during my initial review, just as I did during my second and third pass.

My initial review was the “in the moment” initial excitement of the work that pulled me into the artist’s mind quickly. Did it “speak” to me? Is it enough to make it to the next round of review? Where’s the “wow” factor? During my next review, I looked at the technical skills, application and composition. My final review was of the whole exhibit once more to verify my initial reviews. Here, I made some changes in selections. At this point I begin to select my actual Honorable Mention pieces. I then selected my third-place selection. Then I spent quite a few minutes reviewing before finally choosing the Best in Show and second-place pieces.

This was for me a very humbling experience for which I have a deep appreciation.

The WVAL amazes me in the size of its membership, the number of its annual projects, and the dedication of its members. Your energy and enthusiasm permeated my day, and I am grateful for the experience!

Joseph Hammer