When I was in college, I used to get pretty excited about the juried exhibition that occurred at the end of each semester. I am a competitive person (mostly with myself) and I was always striving to get as many works in as possible.
It seemed, though, each time the professor selected work for jury, I ended up disappointed. Not because I missed out on having work chosen for the show, but because it seemed inevitable they would always choose the piece I disliked the most. The moldy corner painting from my painting class, the misshapen ellipses from my drawing class, the silly plant assignment from my color course... I could go on and on with how there were other, more noteworthy works in my portfolio that could or should have been selected, but there is no changing the past.
That is why when it comes to displaying student work, I will not select pieces. I leave it up to the artists. If they ask my opinion, I try to stay out of it. I remind them that they are the artist and have to make that choice. The students are the ones showing off their works to an audience and I want them to feel happy about what is selected for display. I am also interested in what they believe to be their best work. It helps me learn something about their aesthetic and what trends occur with the projects I teach.
I am not sure if it is the best way to get work ready for display, but I think it offers my students the option if having a say in how they are represented. I think that is always a good thing. You can check out student work at The Van Singel Fine Arts Center now until the 21st.
How do you go about getting work ready for shows and exhibitions? Do you let students choose, or do you pick for them?
It seemed, though, each time the professor selected work for jury, I ended up disappointed. Not because I missed out on having work chosen for the show, but because it seemed inevitable they would always choose the piece I disliked the most. The moldy corner painting from my painting class, the misshapen ellipses from my drawing class, the silly plant assignment from my color course... I could go on and on with how there were other, more noteworthy works in my portfolio that could or should have been selected, but there is no changing the past.
That is why when it comes to displaying student work, I will not select pieces. I leave it up to the artists. If they ask my opinion, I try to stay out of it. I remind them that they are the artist and have to make that choice. The students are the ones showing off their works to an audience and I want them to feel happy about what is selected for display. I am also interested in what they believe to be their best work. It helps me learn something about their aesthetic and what trends occur with the projects I teach.
I am not sure if it is the best way to get work ready for display, but I think it offers my students the option if having a say in how they are represented. I think that is always a good thing. You can check out student work at The Van Singel Fine Arts Center now until the 21st.
How do you go about getting work ready for shows and exhibitions? Do you let students choose, or do you pick for them?
RSS Feed
