Last night Drawing 2011 opened at the John B. Aird Gallery in Toronto. This is the twelfth year the event is held at the downtown venue. I had the good fortune of participating in this annual showcase of Canadian drawing. I’m honoured to be in a show alongside some of my favorite drawers like Amanda Burk of North Bay, Amanda Schoppel and Tom Hendry both based in Toronto. The show acquainted me with the many approaches to the drawn medium.
This year’s jurors based their final selection of 34 works from a total of 208 images submitted by 112 artists. Each artist submitted works digitally, on a disc. As someone who is involved with organizing a similar juried show at year’s end here at Station Gallery, I began to wonder if digital submissions are the way to go. Some of the pros include:
- getting broader exposure from artists outside the region—let’s call it “casting a broader net”
- a more economical and stream-lined use of resources, gallery staffing, etc.
- less chance for artwork to get damaged from over-handling
- less gas to transport the works back and forth equals a smaller carbon footprint
And on the other side, the more traditional approach of adjudicating from original artworks has its good points too:
- jurors get a better sense of the scale, texture, intent, etc…
- the final exhibition design can be stronger (i.e., themes and grouping are more apparent)
- the artist/gallery relationship is more organic, more personal
- doesn’t handicap artists who don’t have access to digital equipment
It’s a dilemma. So I put it to you, the blogosphere; what are your thoughts on submitting to juried shows? Digital or Tangible; what works best?
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March 8, 2011 at 11:32 am
Pat Stanley
Count me on the Digital side, from an artist’s perspective. Transporting work (which may involve renting a van) during specific hours (which may conflict with other tasks or jobs) and then possibly returning in a day or a week to pick up unaccepted work is a big commitment on the part of the artist. I would far rather submit via a website (first choice, a la Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition), via email, or via a CD, than drive back and forth on a chance.
July 14, 2011 at 4:33 pm
thomas Hendry
I agree with the overall convenience of digital submissions. The time for dropoffs for the Aird shpw in particular has always conflicted with a class I teach. (and kudos to them for being accommodating)
One thing I always liked was seeing the physical work by all the other entrants. The final shows have all been strong samplers of drawing, for public and artist alike.But the final show only includes a small percentage of the overall work
Aas an artist, how often can one see 200+ well-realised drawings in the same space? I felt there was valuable room for creative cross-pollination in seeing that raw collection pre-jurying. It always kept my bar set high, and I’m sure more beginning artists learned a lot from seeing the range of work, in the flesh.
For drawing, I felt that had a community-building potential all its own. Submitting digitally, we are all separate, atomised units.
Thomas Hendry