While reviewing the submissions for the Manayunk-Roxborough Art Center’s 12th Annual Juried Online Exhibition as exhibition juror, I held onto an awareness of MRAC’s mission and the center’s vision that art brings people together. The need to maintain social distance at this time called for this year’s juried show to be held on an on-line platform rather than come together within the walls of the art center itself, but the robust response to this call for work has demonstrated that even virtually, art brings us together. As visual artists, our need to create and to then share our work is very strong and I believe, more crucial than ever. In-turn, I hope that the visitors’ response to the work selected for this show is just as great, as this on-line exhibition features impressive, innovative, and inspirational artwork across a wide range of artistic mediums.

The challenge of jurying the two hundred plus entries online was for me, also marked by the luxuries the online process afforded. I was able to linger with pieces and re-visit them in quiet contemplation. I indulged my hungry eyes with careful consideration of detail within a work as it was presented. I explored the sense of texture, paint quality and light revealing form as it was shared through submitted files. The online platform allowed me to refer to the scale of the work, noted details and artists’ statements if they were provided. I thank MRAC for the invitation to serve and all of the submitting artists for sharing your work. It was an honor to be part of this process.

Still present in the context of this virtual show is the rich dialogue found among work in group shows in galleries; that is, the pairing and partnering together of unique visual voices and varying approaches to art making. There were many strong submissions and narrowing it down to the top three pieces and honorable mentions was challenging. With regards to the seven pieces earning awards, I would like to share that their submitted digital files revealed much about that work and each of these images had me looking again and again and wishing for the in-person experience with the original. Ultimately, these pieces were recognized because of the strength of their unique vision and because they were clearly created with the partnership of an informed intent paired with skill and spark.

It should be acknowledged that the importance of presenting a well-made digital file to represent one’s work should not be underestimated when an exhibit is to be shared and juried solely online. Low resolution or poorly created digital files could not reveal work in a positive enough light for that work to be in contention for the exhibition’s awards when up against such a large group of strong work and successful images.

Pam McLean-Parker, Exhibition Juror 2020