Jury selections and curation

This week I have had the opportunity to see how submissions are processed and how the components of the final exhibit are chosen. On Thursday, we looked at all the entries for the next group show, and Tim talked to us about how the works are whittled down to the final exhibit. In looking at the entries, I was amazed at the variety and sheer number of the submissions. A jury, made up of different people such as the curator, experienced senior interns, board members, local artists, and art professors from the area, rates each work on a scale from 1 to 5. From those scores, the jury chooses about 4o pieces, although this number varies depending on the size of the show and the total number of applicants. The curator will receive the pieces that the jury chooses and start to design the exhibition. Sometimes the curator does take the liberty to go back into the pool of work that the jury did not choose and pick something so that the show works well. The designing of the exhibit is kind of like writing a paper. It starts with a first draft but there are many revisions before the final show is constructed.

I also worked this week on processing submissions for a solo show we have coming up in the future. My job was to make folders for each of the artists that applied, to enter their digital images, and to organize their proposals, resumes, and other information. Because I had plenty of time to complete the task, I was able to look at all the artwork. After looking at all the work, I'm very excited to see what the jury ultimately chooses how it is all put together by the curator for both the group and solo shows.