This Australia Day 2012, I did not go for a swim (it was raining and I didn’t want to get wet), I did not watch or listen to the cricket, I did not listen to the Hottest 100 on Triple JJJ, I did not eat lamb (but I had sparkling shiraz with my steak for dinner, does that count?) and I did not do any sewing. Instead I had the most agreeable task of immersing myself in reviewing the submissions for the Beneath the Southern Sky travelling exhibition and selecting the textile works to be displayed. All entrants will be notified by 7 February and public announcements will follow. In the meantime, here are some key statistics:
A total of 71 entries came in from 68 entrants (ie 3 double entries). I am thrilled with this enthusiastic response. I am particularly heartened at all the entries that I have received from textile artists submitting entries for a juried exhibition for the first time. Their work shows such promise.
Breakdown of entries by country of residence:
- 53 Australia
- 10 New Zealand
- 2 Europe (Belgium & UK)
- 2 Asia (Korea and Japan)
- 3 USA
- 1 Canada
Breakdown by inspiration region:
- 52 Australia
- 10 New Zealand
- 3 Trans Tasman
- 1 Antarctica
- 1 Africa
- 1 Southern Hemisphere
Number who appear to miss the title theme “Beneath the Southern Sky” all together: 3 !
Breakdown by broad themes:
- 30 Landscape
- 6 Coastal & Seascape
- 7 Cosmos
- 9 Social
- 11 Fauna
- 8 Flora
Break down by predominant technique:
- 24 Applique
- 5 Painting/Discharge
- 5 Felting (this exhibition deliberately refers to “textile works” rather than 3-layer stitched “quilts”)
- 10 Printing and Photo Transfer
- 8 Piecing
- 9 Texture/Fabric Maniulation
- 7 Thread Drawing/Stitching
- 3 Shibori
Compliance with image size and labelling requirements – 65%
Compliance with 100x40cm (LxW), or thereabouts, size requirements – 85%
Percentage of dodgy image submissions (crooked, dark, edges cropped etc) – 30%
Percentage of submitted images that are a faithful representation of the artwork – we’ll see!
Al Christensen says
I’m so glad you didn’t get wet swimming today 🙂
I’m amazed by some of the statistics you’ve mentioned – when you say ‘thereabouts’, what sort of tolerance are you allowing?
I’m looking forward to seeing the exhibits when they get here.
Brenda says
A uniform size is important for this exhibition for aesthetic and logistical reasons. However, I accepted a 1-2cm variation in either direction (with a preference for the lower end). No entry was eliminated on the basis of size alone.
Deborah says
Very interesting, Brenda. How about realistic vs abstract or somewhere in between? Good luck jurying. You have the very challenging task of picking works that are not only strong on their own, but create a cohesive group for the show.
Brenda says
Following your question Deborah, I looked through the entries and they are fairly evenly divided across the three categories abstract, realistic and something in between. Now to have a look at what I actually selected!
Ali George says
That’s a terrific response – and an enviable task of getting immersed in the entries. Better than immersion in … water.
Salley says
What a fascinating day for you! Like opening Xmas gifts…..but not to be envied. Will image be more important than excellence in technique?
HG says
yaaa thanks Brenda…..really liked the set size…will make for a great exhibition that truly hang as a group. Great to see the OS entries too. congrats to you on a lot of hard work already…now the reward of seeing them all enjoyed by so many. well down Brenda…I also always admire how well you do with making the cyber side of things all hang together so well….. talented lady. Loking forward to seeing them all.
Brenda says
Thanks Helen. This is my first foray as curator and juror so it was exciting to receive such an enthusiastic response to the call for entries. I look forward to see the textile works in the cloth too!
Caroline Mason says
Hi Brenda
I was so excited yesterday to get your mail accepting my piece for the exhibition. It is my first time being accepted in an inernational challenge . That was one of my goals for 2012 so I’m rapt to achieve that goal before the end of January.
More successful than the goal of losing 10 kilos !
Cheers
Caroline