Art gallery displays juried works from students

By Tania Cervantes
The Guardsman

The City College Annual Juried Student Exhibition Art Show has begun and will be open in the City College Art Gallery at Ocean Campus through May 19.

The exhibition allowed students to submit up to two pieces in any media and compete in a professional setting to have their work showcased in the gallery. A professional in the field is in charge of judging the artwork.

“The point of this juried exhibition is for students to get an understanding of what it’s like in the real world,” art professor and gallery manager Nancy Elliot said. “It’s good practice to learn how to handle rejection.”

Elliot said the Art department makes it a point to hire a critic from outside the college.

David Hoff, coordinator and curator for Pro Arts Gallery in Oakland, was the juror this year.

“So far people visiting have really enjoyed the exhibition. It is very colorful, I think it has a good balance,” gallery attendant and art student Miguel Paez said.

Paez, whose artwork was accepted into the exhibition, said past jurors have favored gray or black and white pieces.

His piece consists of black china paint, which he scraped with a metal tool to form a landscape.

“I wanted to do something nocturnal,” he said.

Elliot said students do not really know what the juror is looking for during judging. Some try to do research beforehand, but ultimately it is the juror’s choice.

The judging process involves assessing the art’s quality and whether technique has been used effectively.

“In that sense it is not subjective. Once the artwork has been sorted, then the juror will choose according to taste. He also made an effort to make the exhibition cohesive,” Elliot said.

The art department traditionally organizes the Juried Student Exhibition as the final show of the academic year. Students have the option to submit rejected pieces in next year’s competition.

“If their piece was not accepted it is not to say it is bad,” Elliot said. “You just have to grow thicker skin.”