A chief curator with more than two decades’ experience, a dedicated instructor of plein air and studio art and a noted gallery owner are the panel jurors for the 28th Annual Sooke Fine Arts Show.
The panel is composed of Toronto native Michelle Jacques, newly appointed chief curator at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria; Salt Spring Island gallery owner Celia Duthie, and artist and painting instructor at the Vancouver Island School of Art and Design, Jeremy Herndl.
The three were selected by the Sooke Fine Arts Society’s adjudication committee for their complement of experience and expertise in Canadian historical and contemporary fine art.
The show features nearly 400 pieces of juried original fine art.
Artists on Vancouver Island and other coastal islands have until June 9 to submit works for adjudication.
“What the (adjudication) committee tries to achieve each year in selecting jurors is ultimately to ensure works submitted across seven different categories – everything from paintings to jewelry – receive the attention to detail and understanding of the medium each deserves,” says the show’s executive director Catherine Keogan.
The panel will review high resolution images of works submitted online over four consecutive days in June. “Before online submission (came in) coastal island artists would have made about four ferry trips just to have work considered,” says adjudication committee member Bev Petow.
“This new online process has allowed a much broader range of artists to participate. We had a record number of works submitted last year, with greater numbers of submissions coming from the more remote reaches of the islands, which goes to show just how much talent is here in our region.”
Video tutorials and an informative FAQ section on the home page (sookefinearts.com) can help. For artists requiring a little more assistance submitting online, staff can walk artists through the process, step-by-step.
Following the submission deadline, the accepted works will be announced June 17.
The show runs Friday, July 25 through Monday, Aug. 4 at the SEAPARC Leisure Complex, 2168 Phillips Rd. in Sooke.
