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| Sean Whalley |
After a wonderful opening reception in Medicine Hat last Thursday, Spoon Me, Medalta’s international juried exhibition, is now live online and works are available for purchase.
Once again I was honored to be asked to jury this international competition. My experience the previous year and the challenges of jurying the work of so many skilled artisans should have sent me running for the hills. But challenges are fun even if jurying the work of your peers is intimidating.
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| Kaye Pemberton |
As a juror there are so many things to consider. Is the work technically proficient? Is it aesthetically interesting and skilled? Is the work a representation of the artists practice showcasing the strengths and integrity of their artistic vision and voice? And does the work speak to me and my aesthetics as a juror?
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| So happy to see so many of the artists in person at the reception |
Sometimes when jurying a show I have to be reminded that inclusivity isn’t always the goal. I need to stretch and challenge the boundaries of my personal aesthetic leanings, but need to also remember that it is those biases that make organizations chose specific jurors. The overall presentation and cohesiveness of the exhibition also has to be a concern. This results in good work being cut from the show at times. Every piece in the show had specific reasons to be included. And the award winning pieces were the ones that spoke to me as a juror on an even deeper level.
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| Joey Chiarello |
Joey Chiarello‘s piece which won the top prize of a month long residency at Medalta (thanks to the Medicine Hat College and the Medalta AIR), was a show stopper. Standing out because of the technical skill involved, but also the beauty of the finished sculpture, the refinement and inclusion of the smallest of details, the overall concept of the piece.
Ellen Kleckner was the winner of the Student Prize. Ellen will receive a digital
subscription to Ceramics Art & Perception and Ceramics Technical
courtesy of the publications. This piece was purchased for Medalta’s
Permanent Collection with funds generously donated by Medicine Hat
College.
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| Ellen Kleckner |
| Purchase prizes went to Vanessa Holle, Adriana Christianson, and Anne Mossman. These works will now be a permanent part of the Medalta Collection thanks to the support of the Medicine Hat College.
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| Vanessa Holle |
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| Anne Mossman |
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| Adriana Christianson |
Huge thanks to everyone that came out, to Medalta for asking me to jury again, to Jenna Stanton for installing this difficult exhibition into the cohesive aesthetic exhibition that showcased each artist’s work beautifully, and all the rest of the staff behind the scenes that helped pull this together.
Check out the whole exhibition on Pinterest with links to buy the exhibited works.
Follow me on Instagram or Medalta on Instagram to see more behind the scenes of the exhibition.
