Results of 2015 "Anything Goes" Open Juried Show

Juror: Rebecca Seimering

Congratulations to the winners!

1st Place: Kathleen Laquerre: "Dziadzu's Pleasures"

2nd Place: Bonnie Jaffe: "Still Kicking"

3rd Place:  Kerstin Zettmar: "Two of Us"

HM: Nina Ackmann: "Forest Primeval"

HM: Bonnie Jaffe: "Still Kicking"

Judges Award: Nancy Nielsen: "Be Leaf"

Judges Award: #89: Paul M. Murray: "Guerrero De La Abuela"

Judges Award: #56: Marc A. Jaffe: "Synagogue Door"

Juror Statement:

Rebecca Siemering

Mixed media shows can be the hardest to curate. So much diversity in work, and skill, and styles. How does one convey a sense of continuity for a large exhibition? I was happy to see the range of work from this artistic community. It shows how supportive you are of each other's individual endeavors.

What I tried to pull together for this exhibition were pieces that had a deep sense of color or texture, or a poetic gesture in each piece. As an artist and director of galleries and different art projects, I always try to pull together a link from piece to piece. A work should be in conversation with its neighbor, or with another piece across the room in one way or another. That way, the eye travels easily, and is pleased. For anyone not included in this show, this was what informed my choices. There were hard decisions, especially in terms of awards.

Of the many deserving art pieces, what came to the top for me was skill level and subject matter. There had to be something extra to keep the viewer to study and linger. First place went to Kathleen Laquere's Dziadzu's Pleasures, as not only did it have artistic merit as a painting, there was a story in it, a secret to be deciphered. Second Place went to Bonnie Jaffe's Still Kicking. Again, a story to be de-coded, layers to be unpeeled. A medium close to my heart is fiber, and I love how the medium gets transformed into paintings, so third place went to Kerstin Zetmar's Two of Us. Honorable Mentions went to both Nina Ackman and Bonnie Jaffe for their subject matter. They were pleasing to look at over and over, the rhythm of the shoes on the line, the quiet monoprint of the forest. Lastly, since I had a few more awards I could give, Juror's Choice awards went to Marc A. Jaffe, Nancy Nielson and Paul M. Murray. I went back to these photographs over and over, trying to figure out how they were executed or the story behind the image. All were fascinating.