Meet the Jurors
I want to start off by saying that it is a true honor to be asked to take on the role of juror and be a small road-sign on the long road of artistic growth. I take these things very seriously—in fact, creating Art (in my experience) is the most optimal way to express the experience of being alive. To put your creations out into the world for ‘judgement’ is difficult, so I wanted to say that I appreciate you for doing that, and encourage you to keep putting yourself out there to be seen and heard.
Going through the applications I was thrilled to come across artists that used their work to communicate the unsayable, particularly pieces that explored one’s personal difficulties and to read about how they made their art to investigate and explore solutions to those difficulties. To me, that’s art at its best! I saw work that pushed the boundaries of mark making, and materials. Art that ranged from the humorous to the heavy political. My goal with being a juror was to showcase that range and select pieces that were the most advanced.
There were tough choices to make. Only 10% of the applications were given a vote of Yes. I saw a lot of work that was right on the cusp of reaching a higher level, but was not quite there yet. Usually that came down to mark making abilities, brushwork, the handling of materials, or lack of depth. Those sorts of abilities will come in time, with more practice. So please don’t be discouraged if your work was not chosen this time around, it might just mean that this particular piece didn’t hit the mark. As an artist myself, I make a lot of work that I consider to be failed, it happens all the time! I embrace it though, it’s important to be someone who is constantly experimenting and making ‘Bad Art’. I encourage you to keep pushing forward, keep making new marks and exploring new ways to say the unsayable.
Aaron Delehanty
—Aaron Delehanty
Instagram: @delehanty.loud.cow.studio
Alex Girard
Alex Girard
Chairperson | Department of Art & Design
Associate Professor | Graphic Design
Steering Committee | Department of Women’s & Gender Studies
Department of Art & Design | www.southernct.edu/art
Southern Connecticut State University
Serving as a juror for the 2024 UMD Art & Design Annual Student Exhibition is an honor. However, being asked to narrow a field of 309 submissions to 35 yes votes, is an intimidating task, especially when the quality of submitted work is so high, and the range of work so broad.
To the 123 artists who submitted work, congratulations, and thank you! You and your work have served as wonderful Art & Design Department ambassadors for the University of Minnesota–Duluth. Through your work, it is clear that the department is cultivating a culture that supports the development of visionary, thoughtful, and bold artists and designers. On a personal note, I want to thank each of you because the time spent reviewing your work inspired me as an artist, designer, and educator.
Upon the first review, narrowing the field seemed impossible as the quality of work was so uniformly high, that it alone could not be used when making selections. Therefore, beyond the quality of work, I focused my selection process on works that: elevated underrepresented voices; offered a clear perspective, and narrative quality; resonated with me and caused me to pause during the review process to smile, chuckle, reflect, admire, wonder, and hope.
It is the feeling of hope that I am left with when I look back across the 35 works, from 32 artists selected. You are our future, and we need artists and designers who are kind but fierce, precise yet experimental while being reflective, thoughtful, and visionary.
I see these qualities in this body of work…so, please, keep making!
