Curatorial Statement
Being invited to jury an exhibition may be similar to being the subject of a surprise party: one may be titillated and happy with the encounter, or perhaps a bit dismayed. I was more than titillated with the process of choosing artworks for the Juried National 3. Intrigued, curious, engaged, and amused are a few of the words with which to describe the experience.
As I became more familiar with the works entered, I came to see that they well-represented nearly all that is going on in the field today; from pots to sculpture, from pedestal to wall and ceiling, from decorative to Bauhausian, to politically didactic. I felt that this exhibition had the potential to be educational for the audience. Ultimately I decided to include fewer artists, each showing the three pieces they had submitted, with the intention of placing emphasis on depth rather than breadth in terms of the number of artists and works to be exhibited.
I believe that the audience for this exhibition will move from piece to piece and be challenged by the diversity and scope of ideas and techniques on display. Those of us who work with the medium of clay are well aware of the nature of the material to be able to be articulated in almost any manner by the maker, from meticulous to casual, from sculptural to utilitarian, from earthy to airy. Juried National 3 well demonstrates and celebrates the unique and expressive nature of fired clay.
I thank the director, David Hiltner, and the two gallery directors I have worked with over the last eighteen months, Jill Foote-Hutton and Wesley Harvey, for their organization, support, and good nature as we worked to bring this exhibition together.
I thank those who entered the exhibition and wish one and all, good luck with their future endeavors.
Gail Kendall
Juror’s Choice Award – Jordan Pieper
Director’s Choice Award – Von Venhuizen
Curator’s Choice Award – Kwok-Pong Tso