Jurying an exhibition of photographs is a cumulative process. It begins by the initial response to singular imagery. What follows is a culling to fit the photographs within a finite space. Some choose to stay the course and assemble singular images that hold their own. I tend towards finding relationships between artworks and making a collective statement rather than an individual one. For me the exhibition must harmonize and hold together like a string of pearls.
There was no shortage of good work submitted to the Peter Miller Fine Art Gallery’s Juried Exhibition. It seemed that photographers dove right into my psyche for this one. So many images ignited my personal aesthetic. 130 photographs out of a thousand made the initial harvest. The space fit between 50-60 selections. To reduce the count further I had to find methods to link the photographs in conversation. The connection could be a repetitive shape or similar narrative or even just a color or subject matter. How the images get sequenced form the true conversation and move a viewer around the gallery in a rhythmic understanding, all without one word spoken.
I want to thank Peter Miller for inviting me to jury this exhibition. Assembling a final collection of photographs is very prednisone satisfying. What richness and magic we all made together. I thank you all.
Paula Tognarelli
Executive Director and Curator
Griffin Museum of Photography
