THE
FIRST CLEVELAND BIENNIAL JURIED EXHIBITION
November
2 to December 15, 2001
director's statement preamble and procedures main page
J u r or ' s S t a t e m e n t
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It has been an honor to serve as the juror for the first ever Cleveland Biennial—a newly established periodic exhibition that finds its roots in the historic May Show. Open to artists from or working in the Western Reserve, this inaugural biennial focuses on painting and sculpture. In reviewing submissions by slide (an imperfect but certainly efficient process), I was delighted to find that the task of honing the pool to a number of works for the exhibition that could be reasonably accommodated by the gallery space was not an easy one. Without knowing anything about either the artist or the circumstances of the creation of any given work of art, I assessed the works in visual terms alone—looking carefully at the formal language, handling of materials, and approach to subject matter with an eye toward particular inventiveness and true inspiration, which I found in many, many of the paintings and sculptures submitted. As the exhibition demonstrates, this process yielded engaging works that reflect a broad range of sensibilities. While a small percentage of the works are specific to the region in their concerns, it is clear that the works in this exhibition come out of many different places, and that the Western Reserve nurtures diverse and distinctive artistic visions in both two and three dimensions. This first biennial comes at an extraordinary moment in history—the planning process and submissions having been made before September 11, the selections and exhibition itself occurring in its aftermath. The opportunity to consider and present the achievements of artists from this region is a reminder of why art matters, of how it has the capacity to add value and meaning to our lives. Janet Bishop
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