Volume One Magazine Archives

V1 Dashboard: Sign Up | Sign In

Current Issue

cover

Read Issue #144

Opinions

Entertainment

Culture

Special Sections

Magazine Archives

 

All Issues » Issue #121 » Visual Art

March 5, 2009 Issue

Judge & Jury

a judge’s process to award one piece of art from 251

words by Kinzy Janssen
photography by Andrea Paulseth

    It comes down to pink slips and green slips. Art juror Scott Stulen has a stack of both as he weaves among rows of artwork, sticking them on frames. Pink means no, green means yes – and Stulen has an explanation for each.

    Stulen, project director for mnartists.org, a division of the education department at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, is the sole juror for ArtsWest 30, L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library’s annual juried art show. The exhibition, running from March 5 to April 10, will present 45 selections from an initial pool of 251 art pieces. The contest attracted art of every style and medium, from acrylic paint to video to jewelry. Stulen was excited about the inclusiveness of the show. “This is a rarity,” he says. “Anyone can submit – you don’t need to be a student.”

    Stulen is not a stranger to Eau Claire, having graduated from the UW-Eau Claire in 1998 with a BFA in sculpture. However, he is confident that his decisions are unbiased. “I don’t have a personal connection with the art community here any longer,” says Stulen as he crouches near a canvas to get a closer look.

    Neither is Stulen worried about his personal aesthetic getting in the way of fairness. “It’s not prominent,” he says of his fondness for multimedia. Having judged about two dozen shows – some with multiple jurors involved – he knows that jurors tend to gravitate toward the same pieces in spite of their separate backgrounds and preferences.

    “A line starts to form, and quality rises to the top,” he says. “Usually, if we differ at all, it’s only on about 10 pieces.” In fact, he once collaborated with three judges for a college show in Minnesota and the outcome was argument-free: all three jurors picked the same pieces. 

    Stulen has general criteria, but does not follow a strict rubric. Indeed, he carries no notebook. Instead, as he makes the first few rounds, he deliberately leaves some pieces of artwork untouched. These are the ones that require more contemplation.

Page 1   Page 2  

 

I Like This

Share/Save/Bookmark

Comments (0)

Post a Comment

 

Create an account or login to skip entering your name and email.

Allowed HTML tags: b,i,a[href],strong

Notify me of new comments via e-mail

 

Prove you are human. Type the numbers. Click the image for a new one if you cannot read it. Create an account or login and you will not have to do this.

 
 
You / Reader Comments

"It’s the “cultural center” vibe of the project that puts it in a c...

Brent K
02/08/10

from article: New Venue?

I applaud the Vernon's efforts here! This idea could be such a fantastic ad...

Emily
02/05/10

from article: New Venue?

I can see and hear why it is called the Bottom Rung Production Co.

Randall R. Kniess
02/05/10

from article: Small-Town Wisconsinite’s New Album Gets Dark

I think the Vernons are doing a wonderful thing by remembering their roots ...

Dave
02/05/10

from article: New Venue?

I am all about One Love!!! I heard this show was gonna be large and in char...

DJ Dezzi
02/04/10

from article: Frost Byte

One Love DJ's is my favorite crew. They awesome...I wish they did more rem...

Sean 'Puff Daddy, p-diddy' Combs
02/04/10

from article: Frost Byte

Wow..way to go guys!! That's an EXCELLENT achievement!! Keep up the hard ...

Cassandra
02/02/10

from article: Reinforced Metal

Seriously. This is one BANGIN' show. BOOYAH!

Breakbeat Bernie
01/31/10

from article: Frost Byte

 
V1 Insiders

Insider Giveaway:
Listen up @LongPlay Replay

Win a $50 Gift Certificate from LongPlay Replay

Insider Giveaway:
Treasure hunting at Eclectica

Win a $50 Gift Certificate from Eclectica on Grand

Insider Giveaway:
Get Your Gifts @ Cadeaux

Win a $50 Gift Certificate from Cadeaux

Insider Giveaway:
Unwire yourself @Wireless Outlet

Win a $50 Gift Certificate from Wireless Outlet