For this year's Art Hop in Burlington, VT, I submitted my piece Celebration for the outdoor juried show. It had been on display at the Vermont Arts Council in Montpelier for a couple of years but that exhibit had run its course so I was happy to find another location, which turned out to be in front of Lake Champlain Chocolates on Pine Street.
Celebration
northern white cedar and metal hardware
47" x 152" x 152"
2011
The exhibit was juried by Pavel Zoubok, of his eponymous Chelsea gallery, so I was doubly pleased to be awarded second place and receive my second Art Hop juried show award. I try not to put to much value in juried shows, but I can't say that the recognition isn't nice and I'm certainly not going to complain about the cash prize either.
Much to my surprise, I just won my first juried show at the Burlington Art Hop with Three Days in September. I guess the Big O is right, an America where a black man can become President is an America where anything is possible. Not that I have any disagreement with the juror. I think it is a great piece too; it is just that after getting rejected from so many juried shows, not even making the cut with a number of other pieces I consider at least as good as this one, let alone placing, I found it shocking that my work was selected for first place. It just goes to show what a crap shoot juried shows are. Every juror has a completely different aesthetic and a different selection process as well. I don't think there is a way for it ever to make any sense to anyone other than ther juror. The great thing about the Art Hop is that they show all the work that was submitted, not just what was juried in, and everyone can make their own selections. With this show, and I am sure other as well (certainly any shows I entered and didn't make the cut), there were many excellent pieces that weren't juried in. It just goes to show that recognition or lack there of isn't necessarily a judgement of quality or talent. All the same, it is nice to get the recognition and I choose to accept it as an indication of the quality of the work; while retaining the right to dismiss the lack of selection in past and future juried shows as meaningless.
Three Days in September
36" x 13" x 1"
shellac on curly maple and cherry
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