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.

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    I follow him as he pauses, then places a green slip on a giant canvas covered in clay-colored paint, the corner of which holds a small painted turtle. “One of the hardest things to learn as an artist is restraint,” he says. “This one has a clear, concise statement, and it’s got a sense of humor about it – I like that.”

Of course, the “craft” – literally how well something is painted or executed – also plays a large role in selection. In addition, Stulen stresses originality and a trace of mystery. “I like it when I can’t quite figure a piece out. It keeps me coming back. I don’t want to have to guess too much about what they’re saying, though,” he says. A good title can lead to insight, but shouldn’t be weighed too heavily.

In the end, Stulen compiled a group of 45 quality pieces for display, with additional awards going to exceptional pieces.

As an artist who holds an MFA from the University of Minnesota in Painting and Drawing, Stulen encourages artists to haul their work out of the closet, so to speak. He also understands that rejection can be difficult, because jurors often don’t give personal feedback. Furthermore, artists are ill-informed about whether they were cut right away or deliberated upon first. The difference can matter. For the ArtsWest 30 show, Stulen says he’ll happily provide an individualized critique through e-mail.

And then I asked him the impossible question: could he describe the area’s art scene? To which he answered, no; this was a mere slice of local artistic activity. “But I will say that the quality is high and people are willing to create in a variety of different mediums. Content seems to drive the project, rather than the medium.” 

    The exhibition for ArtsWest 30 officially opens for public viewing on Sunday, March 1. An evening reception will be held on Thursday, March 5, from 7-8:30 pm on the library mezzanine. Artists’ awards will be presented at 7:30 pm.

ARTSWEST PRIZE WINNERS (pictured to the right)

Best of Show
   Hero Hot Dish by Miriam Houg

First Prize
   Allouez by Eric Lee

Second Prize
   Made in France by Stephen R. Katrosits

Third Place
   Crossbeams by Bruce Warren

Honorable Mentions
   Compositions with Yellow, Blue, and Red (for Piet) by Nathan Carey

Eva by Ching Kung

   Somewhere in Pikes Peak by Elizabeth Larson

   The Arc in My Backyard by Joseph Maurer

   Painted Turtle by Adam S. Umbach