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WHO'S THE JUDGE?
When do we decide a work is
finished and who should be the judge? If nobody but
the artist is going to see a given work, it doesn't
matter, but since the main purpose of any artform is
to communicate something, it does matter.
Passing judgment is a
curious thing. Alone with your art making tools you
decide when a piece is satisfactory. You work for
the most part in isolation. You want it that way so
the distracting clutter of somebody else's presence
is at least one factor dealt with. But, like most of
us, you eventually "have" to show it to another
person (audience). That may be an artist friend or a
spouse. It's the next level of judgment - the "Other
Person" factor.
How risky is that? It
depends on how closely you are attached to the work
or the person, but it's usually safe. The judging is
now shared with someone close to you. Your ego and
self confidence are relatively intact. Then the
question arises; "How valid is that person's
assessment of your work? The colleague may be
knowledgeable, but how objective? The mate can
supply emotional responses or support, but is this
enough to test your metal as an artist?
What next? It depends again
on where you are going with your artform. Is it a
commercial "art as commodity" direction? Is it "high
art"? The commercial gallery owner may judge the
work based on the market they deal in. Is it tourist
Art? Decorator art? How can they sell it? Will it
appeal to the folks from Ohio who want to take home
a memory? Does it match the couch? Pretty scary to
you, but cut and dried to them. It pays their bills.
Screwing up the courage one
way or another to face this judgment is no easy task. It requires some degree of detective work on your
part to know who you are dealing with. Risk of
rejection is always lurking behind every encounter
of this or any other kind when we open ourselves up
to scrutiny of an art form that's dear to us, by
sometimes perfect strangers. At least it's a one on
one thing.
Another form of judgment we
subject ourselves to is the daunting challenge of
the juried show. Not the one like the county fair
where everything gets in and there are blue ribbons
in abundance, but the one where you're in or out.
Somehow, that's the most difficult to deal with.
Most likely because it's so public.
But it's that kind of risk
that in my opinion makes us better artists in the
long run. Once we get past the fear of rejection
threshold, we have to realize that the juror is just
part of an editing process. Selecting which shows to
enter requires the same detective work as the
gallery choices.
It all comes down to that
same self evaluation that compels you to make art in
the first place. Putting your work in the pool with
your contemporaries is the best way I know to gauge
your progress, increase your inventiveness, and find
an authentic voice for yourself. Stagnation is the
downfall of those who are serious about their
artwork.
Entering a variety of juried shows keeps fresh ideas
coming, especially for the younger artists. It also
exposes them to the attention of a broader range of
support for their ideas. You could look at the
process of subjecting your work to increasing levels
of judgment as a poker game of rising stakes. How
much of your ego, self confidence, and knowledge of
your craft are you willing to bet? |
