January 23-March 14, 2010
Woodmere Art Museum’s mission to support the arts of Philadelphia is realized, in part, through its annual Juried Exhibition. This, our 70th juried show, highlights a wide variety of contemporary artists in Philadelphia. Our juror, Michael Schantz, the out-going CEO and Director of Woodmere, selected 125 works by 112 artists out of a pool of over 400. A juror, selected as an expert in the arts, reviews all the submissions and decides who is in the exhibit and who is not. Michael has a strong passion for the arts. He has spent decades viewing art, mounting contemporary exhibitions, and immersing himself in the Philadelphia arts community.
Artists have not always been eager to have their work seen and evaluated either by a professional jury or by the public. For several centuries, artists were primarily concerned with pleasing their patrons. Exhibitions, so common an occurrence in today’s world, are actually a fairly new phenomenon and juried exhibitions, even more so. The first juried exhibition was held at the French Academy in the 1730s. Judged by academics, only a select few works were allowed in. The public had a...
