Juror’s Statement, 1st Place, Wickford Art Association/ Avant-Garde

It was an interesting experience seeing the different interpretations of abstraction and the avant-garde from artists in the region. There were very good works that did not end up in the show because in the end it was my interpretation of what the title meant and a limited amount of space. Thank you to all the artists who submitted works and to the staff at the Art Association.

The term avant-garde was first used in 1863 in Paris by artists rejected from the Paris Salon show who organized their own exhibition. It has come to mean a symbol for progress, exploration and innovation. In jurying the exhibit, I also thought about my views of abstraction and the freedom from representational depictions in art by using color, texture and form to override representational accuracy.