The jury’s in
A chat with DAC jurors Greg and Jenny Gummersall

Jenny Gummersall, judge for the Durango Arts Center’s annual Juried Show, attends the show’s opening reception last Friday./Photo by David Halterman

by Jules Masterjohn

Last week, the Durango Arts Center (DAC) opened its doors for the juried exhibition “Emotions.” Tapped for the task of selecting the work for the exhibit were Allison-based artists Jenny and Greg Gummersall, who are no strangers to the rigors of the art world. Their collaborative mixed-media photo-collages, Greg’s abstract paintings, drawings, and monotypes, and Jenny’s fine art photography are included in galleries, museums and private collections around the country. Both award-winning artists, they know the discipline, practice and moxie it takes for artists to find success in the art world.

The husband and wife team whittled down the 120 artworks entered to just over 60 sculptures, paintings, photographs, drawings, and mixed media works. Here are their thoughts, with Greg as spokesperson, on their role as jurors and becoming successful artists.

Jules Masterjohn: I’m sure in your earlier lives as artists you’ve both entered juried shows. Knowing what can be at stake, emotionally, for an emerging artist in a small town, how did you approach the task?

Greg Gummersall: “Criticism” is the largest killer of artists, and we try to not be “critical.” At the same time, we want the included artists to feel honored by being juried into a quality exhibit … so it’s a difficult task from the beginning and for that reason, I’m not a big fan of juried exhibits.

JM: Some jurors choose a show of their favorite work, the pieces that they like the most. Others want a show that is representative of the community and others make selections based on what is the strongest work, regardless of their personal preferences. What criteria did you use for choosing work?

GG: The community submitted certain media categories of work for us to jury. We did not want to exclude any mediums. “Professionalism” in any of the mediums seems to be a first guide in general. So an artwork’s technical level (practiced use of the materials, compositions, color, etc,) emotional impact, communication and aesthetic flow were all factors in our choices. We may have over-corrected to ensure that our personal biases were not the main components of our choices.

JM: Describe your collective decision-making process.

GG: First we viewed all of the art by circling the room and then we began the process of eliminating work. DAC Exhibitions Coordinator Susan Anderson was very helpful in defining the categories and quietly supporting our decisions in a non-biased and safe manner. Exhibits Committee member Karen McIntire and Susan helped to make it a rapid task by following us around and removing from the gallery what Jenny and I decided should not be in the show. We made three rounds of removing work. Then we reviewed our selections to choose the award winners: Best of Show, Jurors’ Choice, Merit Award and several Honorable Mentions. It was most difficult to decide on the winners for each award. Many more deserved ‘Honorable Mention’ recognition, but we also did not want to dilute the honor. We made a point of not knowing who created the art. It was good to not know who the artists were until after the show was hung. I asked my old friend John Grow, who I have known for 30 years, not to enter the show as I didn’t want to express any prejudice.

JM: As a jury of two, what did you use as a tiebreaker?

GG: It was interesting to see how little Jenny and I varied in our choices. There were only a few differences of opinion and it went fairly fast. We just talked about our concerns. Our biggest doubts were agreed-upon doubts and only about a few pieces. In most cases we erred in the direction of eliminating works in the hopes of added simplicity and room to properly exhibit the included works.

JM: Were there any surprises?

GG: It was nice to be surprised by a number of pieces that touched us via their gentle emotion, punch and cleverness.

JM: What is the importance of getting the work out for public viewing?

GG: It is always important to get your art seen in public. We are communicators and having our work seen is a vital aspect of our creative process. Being in a show provides special encouragement to those who put their heart into their art.

JM: How important is showing experience to building a resume for an artists’ career?

GG: Building a resume, as shallow as it is, is very important. It builds agreement and validation within the art world. Who you know is probably more important in terms of referrals. Big cities and university programs provide intros to those in the ‘art scene,’ which is a pretty small world.

JM: How can our community make more opportunities for emerging and young artists’ work to be seen?

GG: We need more venues of a professional caliber, more well lit and respectful places of business and organizations that care for art and enriching their community via art.

JM: What can artists do to make more opportunities for themselves?

GG: That is a question that requires a long answer but basically, be professional. Learn the business, think and experience beyond our local art scene, and persist with your dreams. Dream BIG and OUTSIDE the box.

“Emotions” is on display through June 23 at the Durango Arts Center, 802 E. Second Ave. Works not accepted into the show are on display at Steamworks Brewing Co. Greg’s paintings are on display at the new Cosmopolitan Café on Main Avenue and at the Telluride Gallery in Telluride.

Jenny is represented by Open Shutter Gallery. View their work at www.gummersall.com. •

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