A gallery is a place for work that someone believes that other people should have the benefit of seeing. Galleries take great care to hire an impartial juror to choose the work, they carefully consider placement, juxtaposition,  and lighting in order to present the work to the public. The gallery says: look at this, someone thinks it’s worth seeing.

In approaching the slightly overwhelming task of choosing from over 100 submissions, this was my guiding light.  Walking around the attic of the gallery space, studying the work, I thought to myself: which of these would I point to on a gallery wall, if accompanied by a friend, to make sure they noticed it? What work would I want to show my students?

I was struck by the colorful vibrancy of the submissions.  The bold yellows in Tanks’ Ready for the Reaper, the explosion of color in Baker’s Feeding Frenzy, the almost inedible, and yet delectable brightness of Brown’s Good Enough To Eat, and the skilled application of textural color in Herndon’s Morroco Series: Souk 2 Mint Tea. Apter & Cohen’s collaborative watercolors are full of motion and life, and knowing that they are a collaboration between sisters allowed me to vividly imagine the process behind their creation. What is it about collaboration that creates such a strong dialog between the artists and the viewer? A juried exhibition is in it’s own way, an unwilling collaboration. The works of the chosen artists, once hung, are allowed to relate to each other, inform each other, and invite the viewer to form opinions and draw connections.

I am honored to have had the chance to jury this exhibition, and to view the work of so many talented local artists. As a graduate of Mary Washington’s art department, I am honored to return and be a part of the art community in this way. Congratulations to all of the artists, in particular the award winners.