The juried show happens once every two years at Glenhyrst and this year saw 360 entries from 135 artists.

Acceptance was narrowed down to 59 individual works that the jurors felt best embodied the spirit of the exhibition they envisioned.  It opened on July 28 and runs until September 23.

“For me, the most exciting part of the juried exhibition is what I find most exciting about all of our exhibitions: seeing people experience art, talk openly about art, think about art, be moved by art, and leaving the gallery with perhaps a different view of the world.” Matthew Smith, Curator of Glenhyrst Gallery said.   

Although one of the artists comes from as far away as Saskatoon, approximately 90per cent of the artists represented in the show are local.  This speaks to the fact that there are scores of talented people that live in our midst. 

Juried shows offer a variety of genres and hopefully, something for every taste.  Some of the art inspires, delights, challenges and some, intentionally repulses.  All of the pieces are there to speak a truth that the artist wishes to convey.  There is not a common thread that links the pieces on display.

“We have a wide breadth of mediums, materials, and subject matter on display;  visitors will encounter portrait paintings, nature photographs, fibre landscapes, encaustic sculpture, modernist abstraction, jewellery, conceptual art, still life painting, and much more,” Smith said.

Jennifer Budd, L’Ile-Aux-Marins. Wet felted merino wool and silk embelished with machine embroidery

Cathy Grieve, The Mohawk Chapel, Oil on Canvas

A juried art show is one at which exhibiting artists had to be found worthy of entry by presenting their work to a panel of, ‘jurors’ or judges. These judges can often be fellow artists or knowledgable members of the art community — such as museum curators and gallery owners — selected by the sponsoring organization.  In this case, the jurors were Stephanie Radu, Phd., Museum Curator at Beachville Museum,  and Jenna Faye Powell Jenna Faye Powell, MA is Associate Director of Division Gallery / Arsenal Contemporary in Toronto.

Each art show has different criteria by which the judges are to evaluate applicants; some subjective and some objective. Sometimes jurors specifically look for art they think will appeal to the local patrons.

“Because art is a social force, the gallery acts as a vehicle to facilitate important debates, ideas, and discussions. This is as much part of our temporary exhibitions as they are our juried exhibitions.  The most exciting part of the juried exhibition is what I find most exciting about all of our exhibitions: seeing people experience art, talk openly about art, think about art, be moved by art, and leaving the gallery with perhaps a different view of the world.” Smith said.

Sounds like a great experience to have!

Mercedes Victoria, A Conspiracy of Unkindness, (detail), Graphite pencil

Trevor Jamieson, Filthy Rich, Acrylic on Canvas

Glenhyrst Gallery is located at 20 Ava Rd, Brantford.  The gallery’s mandate is to highlight significant artistic, educational, and historic artworks from Brantford, Brant Region, Six Nations of the GrandRiver, and Southwestern Ontario. This year, every exhibition has or will feature artists from Brantford or Six Nations, including Robert R. Whale, Kapwani Kiwanga and Talking Earth Pottery. Next year, programming features artists from Brantford, Simcoe, Port Dover, and the surrounding areas.