Art exhibit displays ‘best of the best’

Students get a taste of professional selecting show off talent

By Jacquelyn Farwell

Posted on April 22, 2002, at 12:00 a.m.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder – unless you attended the annual Student Juried Exhibition Friday night at Carnegie Hall.

Following the Art Department’s annual awards ceremony, works of the University of Maine’s accomplished student artists were on display. The works were selected by juror Genetta McLean, the director of the Bates College Museum of Art.

McLean selected 107 works from more than 300 submitted by UMaine students.

McLean stated presentation weighed heavily in her assessments. According to McLean her assessments are based on “invention or imagination combined with a certain amount of technical skill.”

The exhibition is modeled on the professional selection process – something students will encounter when pursuing careers as artists.

“It’s not an open show where every piece is selected,” said Owen Smith, associate professor of art. “It allows [students] to experience the professional process.”

“It’s good to see your work hanging next to your colleagues,” McLean said. “If you’re going to be an artist, it’s going to be a constant in your life.”

The exhibit displayed works from a variety of mediums; including sculpture, painting, digital video, new media, printmaking, drawing and performance pieces.

“It’s quite a mixed bag,” said James Linehan, Art Department chair. “Most areas of the department are represented.”

Works that were not selected for consideration in the juried exhibition were displayed at “salon de refuse,” a student-sponsored show that ran in the basement of Carnegie Hall – concurrent to the juried exhibition.

The juried exhibition may be viewed during regular hours at Carnegie Hall, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

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