CUP: THE INTIMATE OBJECT – JUROR’S STATEMENT

This act of jurying the works of serious clay artists is like walking into a Holy Place…..like being in Holy Space. Each person submitting has offered an entre into an intimate place within their lives…….where meaning takes form, where vision and expression coalesce into three-dimensional content. I found it no easy task to set aside the works that I did not select for the actual exhibition, because each was a serious attempt at communication and at offering added meaning to this most intimate of objects: the cup.

And this act of jurying has also had a way of stretching ME as well. There were pieces, upon first viewing, that I knew would never make the show: seemingly cliched works……and (absolutely) poorly photographed. Yet some of these works spoke to me through the many, many repeated viewings over these last weeks. Though poorly presented, I began to recognize an integrity of design and concept in these works that I had initially missed. And I found myself willing to take a chance with some of them. I hope that I am not unhappy with my choices in this regard, when the works actually arrive and I have a chance to see and handle them.

Some of the works that I selected for the exhibition ……well, they "bothered" me. I found myself uneasy with them. THESE works…..well it would have been almost easy to set them aside. Yet, those which unsettled me the most, inevitably made it into the show……….and not just for the sake of their ‘dis-ease’….but because I suspect they have something to teach me. Through the years, I have come to trust my intuition toward works that initially I find unsettling.

Then there were the works that looked to me – although it was the first time I had ever seen them – to be old friends…..just asking to be picked up again. Although new, they had a "familiarity" that touched a spot in my spirit…..and the act of jurying THESE works was not a conscious act of deciding, but rather a repeated act of contented enjoyment and pleasure.

And there were works that took me past my conception of cups….which prodded my imagination……which broke my stereotypes: just what I’d asked for in the prospectus statement. What a delight to have this experience/opportunity, over and over again, during the weeks of viewing the slides.

My next duty is to make prize decisions. While I have some distinct impressions about what I’m most anticipating seeing……I will make no decisions until I have had the opportunity to hold all these works in my hands….to experience these intimate objects in intimate ways: holding them in my hands, drinking from them….cradling/fondling/caressing. The works that convince me in THIS setting, these will be the award pieces.

Thank you all, for your submissions.

Dick Lehman