During 1992 several Guild
members held studio visits for the membership. These are the artists
who graciously opened their studios: Madelyn Engle, Michael Wheelden,
Joe Nyiri, and JoAnn Tanzer
The following was recorded
in the minutes of the February 16, 1993 meeting:
"Beverly Pearson reported
that we have 118 paid members."
Beverly Pearson, Membership
Chairmen, wrote this note to Robert Perine on February 26, 1993:
"Members of the Artists
Guild are still talking about the smashing party at your home and
gallery on February 6. It was a rare treat to see your unique architectural
creation and collections, not the least of which is your own work.
I particularly enjoyed the exceptionally fine African sculpture,
since I once lived in Africa for two years. The occasion gave everyone
a welcome chance to visit with old and new artist friends, we are
all most grateful to you and Blaze.
In appreciation, at its February
meeting the Board voted to make you an honorary member of the Guild.
We note that the Museum no longer carries your name as a Guild or
Museum member, and my records indicate that you have not paid dues
to the Guild since 1990. We know you are now turning your many talents
primarily to literature, but we want to acknowledge that you are
still making a vital contribution to the Guild and the visual arts
community
."
On April 20, 1993 Steve Beck
Von Peccoz prepared and delivered detailed Job Descriptions for
officers and other members of the Board of Directors.
On April
20, 1993 the following was in the minutes:
"Membership.
It was moved by Earl, Seconded by Ginger that Beverly be authorized
to notify lapsed members of a one time only chance to rejoin without
penalty or rejurying to be in effect until September 30, 1993. Motion
passed
.
All California
Exhibition. Louise suggested that a popular award be chosen
by viewers during the show. Several people expressed concern that
this was inappropriate or that it might intrude upon the juror's
prerogatives. Earl Saunders moved that we accept the suggestion
with the mechanics to be worked out and subject to the approval
of Steve Brezzo. Earl then amended the motion make it subject to
the approval of the juror as well. The motion as amended was seconded
and passed."
This was recorded in the July
20, 1973 minutes:
"All California Show:
The juror vetoed the peoples choice award at the show."
The All California show opened
July 10, 1993. Steve Brezzo wrote this statement in the show catalog:
"We are delighted to
once again present a juried exhibition reflecting the diversity
and range of artists working throughout the state. This presentation
is a cooperative effort between the Artists Guild, working professional
artists who are members of the San Diego Museum of Art and serve
on a committee dedicated to support the museum's mission, and artists
throughout the state who submitted their works for review
.
Special thanks should go to
David Kencik, Curatorial Secretary, who on behalf of the museum
demonstrated a keen commitment to the project and boundless energy
and attention to its many details. The Artists Guild Chairperson,
Louise Merrim, was a constant source of support and goodwill and
it was a pleasure working with her and her committee.
We are pleased to offer this
juried survey and hope you find it both challenging and rewarding."
Louise Merrim wrote this statement
in the 1993 show catalog:
"The Artists Guild of
the San Diego Museum of Art proudly presents its Annual Juried Exhibition,
representing the current work of California artists in an exhibition
rich in diversity of creative expression and points of view.
The Artists Guild has been
an active arm of the Museum since its inception, celebrating seventy-eight
years of a mutually beneficial relationship, encompassing artists,
museum, and the public. The Artists Guild membership includes many
of the professional working artists of San Diego, who are dedicated
to furthering the production and dissemination of fine art through
the auspices of our growing and innovative Museum.
This year we have broadened
our scope to include the works of artists throughout the State of
California. Our juror, Jo Farb Hernandez, has culled seventy-one
works from 839 entries - a monumental task, performed skillfully
and thoughtfully, and we extend out thanks for her efforts in assembling
this varied and exciting group of works.
We wish to congratulate the
award winners and all the artists represented. We also wish to thank
David L. Kencik of the SDMA staff for his invaluable assistance,
and express appreciation to all the Guild members and Museum specialists
involved in this exhibition.
We are especially grateful
to Steven L. Brezzo, Director of the San Diego Museum of Art, and
to the Board of Trustees, without whose support and enthusiasm this
exhibition would not have been possible."
The San Diego Union-Tribune
July 26, 1993 published this article by Preston Turegano
Artist's
exhibition entry makes the cut, then gets the ax
"When Tiffany O'Farrell
received a letter last spring from the San Diego Museum of Art congratulating
her for being among the 60-plus artists whose works would be shown
in the museum's Artists Guild All-California juried Exhibition commencing
July 10, she joyously contacted friends and relatives and invited
them to the exhibition
.
But O'Farrell's elation was
short-lived. On June 29, museum curatorial secretary David Kencik
wrote O'Farrell again, this time saying O'Farrell's untitled oil
on Masonite board 'has been excluded from the show' because of a
review of a slide of the work and of the piece itself by juror Jo
Farb Hernandez
.
In a letter to San Diego Artists
Guild chair Sue Hiatt, O'Farrell said she was angry over the exclusion.
'There was no indication that there would be a second selection
process before the (exhibition) opening,' O'Farell wrote. 'I think
it is completely unprofessional and incomprehensible to be treated
in this inhumane way,' she added. Last week, Hernandez, who is director
of the Monterey Peninsula Museum of Art and a former president of
the California Association of Museums, confirmed she excluded O'Farrell's
painting, as well as the entries of three other artists, upon physical
examination of the works.
'I was looking for passion
and things that make a statement. The work should convey a good
command of the medium, ' Hernandez said. 'I felt her (O'Farrell's)
work was not strong enough to be in the show.' Hernandez said she
has been judging art shows for 20 years. Exhibition jurors generally
have the right to exclude previously approved entry or work. The
All-California exhibition prospectus said '(the) juror will have
the right to accept or reject any or all entries' and 'slides are
assumed to be accurate representations of actual works; the juror
will exercise the right of rejecting any work not accurately represented
by the slide.'
Rejection of an already accepted
work, however, is rare, according to art observers.
Museum of Art director Steven
Brezzo said Kencik's May 14 letter perhaps should have informed
O'Farrell that acceptance of her work was 'provisional' pending
Hernandez's physical examination of the abstract painting.
Brezzo said he did not consider
O'Farrell's complaint worthy of public note.
'Artists should be aware of
the (All-California) art show in the future,' said O'Farrell, a
graphic artist who has been painting since she was a teenager. 'They
should be aware of the process and what can happen after they tell
you 'Congratulations.'" (Note: The author had a similar experience
after entering the 1978 All-California-Hawaii Exhibition. He recalls
specifically asking if after the slide was accepted, would that
mean the work was accepted? He was told that unless the slide misrepresented
the work, then he was assured it would be accepted. He asked, because
the piece in question was a very large canvas that would require
him to rent a truck for transport and such an expense would have
been prohibitive at that time for only a rejection. Since the work
actually was far more impressive than the slide, the artist entered
his piece. It was accepted and he spent the money on transport only
to find that the juror then rejected him. When he went to see the
show the criteria he was originally told, was not the case. There
was another seascape, this one a large super-realist tracing-in-paint
of a photograph, on exhibit, which was the juror's choice over his
more geometric modern seascape. This left the author with a bad
taste for traditional juried shows. His piece had previously been
shown at an invitational show at Northeastern University in Boston
and was subsequently sent to Japan in the 1979 San Diego-Yokohama
invitational exhibition.)
In the August 1993 newsletter
was M. Sue Hiatt's President's Message:
"Our ALL-CALIFORNIA EXHIBITION
was (and still is) a huge success! The Saturday night opening reception
was indeed a gala affair. The food was just right, the tables looked
lovely and everyone (all 700 guests) obviously had a wonderful
time scrutinizing the art and enjoying the conviviality. Those of
you unable to attend missed that 'party' we promised. We were so
proud of our Guild members who were selected for the show and especially
proud of Raul Trejo, who was presented with one of the two
Gold Awards presented by SDMA. Again congratulations to all of you."
The San Diego Union-Tribune
ran this review by Robert L. Pincus in the August 5, 1993 issue:
A
juried exhibition? More like a mistrial
"After seeing the All-California
Juried Exhibition at the San Diego Museum of Art, one can only have
one reaction: They took down all of the modern and American works,
even temporarily for this? Most years, this annual event organized
by the San Diego Artists Guild is the only exhibition of contemporary
art the museum hosts. It does emerging artists no good turn to mount
a wildly uneven show like this, which contains enough sound art
to fill on room, maybe two -- but not several
.
Some of the selections of
juror Jo Farb Hernandez (director of the Monterey Peninsula Museum
of Art) are sound. She seems to have greatest sensitivity to works
of a sculptural nature
.
And turning the attention
to paintings, things get truly dicey. There are terrible pictures
every way you look, which detracts from the promising works distributed
among them. Four artists provisionally accepted by Hernandez were
ultimately excluded, generating controversy for the Artists Guild
and the museum. And we have to wonder what standards Hernandez used
to eliminate them, given what is on the walls.
It is almost unfair to single
out poor paintings, since there are so many. But it is no service
to artists to include them in a show like this if they can't stand
up to serious scrutiny
.
By the time you've suffered
through several selections such as these, it's hard to put yourself
in a frame of mind to enjoy the superior ones. Still, they are here,
if you're willing to seek them out
.
Pared down, this could have
been a decent exhibition, as juried efforts go. As it is, we have
to fault the museum, even more than the local Artists Guild, for
the presentation. An organization representing artists isn't often
going to shrink a show, even if the move is warranted. But a museum
must always be vigilant about what gets its imprimatur, and in this
instance it shirked that responsibility."
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