Tuesday July 20, 2021 | SOOKE, BC [Updated July 31, 2021]
by Jalen Codrington | Island Social Trends | with notes by Mary P Brooke, Editor
Each year the selections by the jurors make an indelible mark on the style, feel and success of the Sooke Fine Arts Show. They make their selections independently, but collectively pull together a unique flavour, style, and energy for the show.
Their own individual talents, interests, career connections, and philosophies about art guide their ‘best picks’ from the many works submitted for adjudication. This year, 350 works by 249 artists were selected.
They also choose their favourite piece, which then wins a Juror’s Award ($500 to each of three artists and a great promo for their work).
This year’s jurors – Carey Newman, John Stuart Pryce, and Emily Hermant – are three talented and interdisciplinary artists, each bringing a unique perspective to the collection that participants will see online July 23 to August 2, 2021.
About the show:
This year marks the 35th anniversary of Sooke Fine Arts Show (SFAS), and the show’s second year as an online event.
Last year, the first fully-online presentation was enthusiastically embraced by artists from around the coastal region (including youth) and patrons alike, with over 10,000 unique visitors from around the globe viewing the exhibits remotely.
The highly popular annual event has boosted the profiles of local artists, and enhanced the economic tourism profile of the Sooke region.
The 35th Sooke Fine Arts Show is free online.
About the jurors:
CAREY NEWMAN – Carey Newman – Ha̱yałka̱ng̱a̱me’ – is a multidisciplinary artist and master carver of Kwakwaka’wakw, Coast Salish, and settler ancestry. He is the Audain Professor of Contemporary Art Practice of the Pacific Northwest at the University of Victoria. Carey was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal in 2017 and named to the Order of British Columbia in 2018.
Through his work, Newman strives to highlight Indigenous, social, and environmental issues, including the impacts of colonialism and capitalism.
JOHN STUART PRYCE – John received his art training through H.B. Beal Tech, with subsequent studies at Ontario College of Art and Design. He worked as graphic designer and illustrator in Toronto, Montreal, and Chicago, and spent 35 years as a freelance architectural illustrator working with some of the world’s leading architectural firms on projects across the world. He has exhibited his own works throughout Canada, the U.S., and Europe. Over the last 40 years, he has taught numerous classes and workshops in a variety of drawing & painting mediums. John was the co-founder of Plein-Air Canada.
Price says the adjudication process involves paying attention to an artist’s capability in drawing, composition, and colour theory. He suggests that artists submit pieces that have captured the moment rather than what might be popular.
EMILY HERMANT – Emily is an interdisciplinary artist whose work explores themes of communication, gendered labor, technology, and craft. She received her BFA from Concordia University, and her MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Her work has been exhibited widely in Canada and the United States, and has been featured in ArtSlant, Espace Sculpture, and TimeOut Chicago. Hermant has been awarded grants from the BC Arts Council and the Canada Council for the Arts, as well as numerous residencies. She is Associate Professor in the Audain Faculty of Art at Emily Carr University of Art + Design.
Hermant says she is looking forward to the “surprises” in this year’s submissions. She’s keen to see what kinds of practices that artists are engaging in, “especially given the current conditions we are all living through with this pandemic.”
Show awards:
Awards are to be presented at the Artists Celebration held Saturday, July 24, 2021, at 2pm (except for People’s Award, which will be awarded at the conclusion of the event).
| Awards of Excellence (8 awards) | $1000 each | |
| Juror’s Choice (3 awards) | $500 each | |
| Designers’ Choice Award | $500 | |
| Jan Johnson Memorial Award for Social Commentary | $500 | |
| District of Sooke Award | $500 | |
| People’s Choice Award | $500 | |
| Honourable Mentions (5 awards) | $100 each |
===== SPONSOR:
Long-time regional publisher and editor Mary P Brooke says that Island Social Trends is pleased to again this year be a Gold Sponsor of the Sooke Fine Arts Show. This year we will also host one of the award categories.
===== LINKS (articles about the Sooke Fine Arts Show)
Sooke Fine Arts Show online again in 2021 – starts July 23 (July 20, 2021)
Jurors & artists gearing up for 2021 online Sooke Fine Arts Show (May 14, 2021)
Sooke Fine Arts Show virtual again in year-two of pandemic (March 5, 2021)
Success for first-time virtual Sooke Fine Arts Show (August 17, 2020)
Sooke Fine Arts Show online during COVID July 24-Aug 3 (June 27, 2020)
Premier Horgan at the 33rd Sooke Fine Arts Show (July 27, 2019)