In a Word

       
Recently, I was given the pleasure to jury the first high school art show for the new gallery space housed at the Public Education Foundation in Las Vegas, NV. The artwork was stunning and it was no easy task to select the art to curate the In A Word show! The following is my juror statement with just a small sampling of the talent from these incredible teenagers!

                                                       Cracked Track                 Chappelle Kent

  It has been said that a picture is worth a thousand words, but it can also be worth just one. Whether resulting from a visceral reaction to a powerful image or the pure emotion of a fading memory, In a Word represents the profound impact a piece of artwork can have on its viewer. 

                                               Fear the Darkness                  Savannah Pessin

    Our current visual culture engages the viewer beyond words using a treasure trove of images -- created with a camera, an artist’s hands or simple brushstrokes. The selected artworks feature a concise efficiency, an ability to give you a single word, if any at all, to define what you are experiencing when interacting with the work. 

                                         Unwritten            Chelsea Suarez

     Using their surroundings or layering the words to create subtle undertones and meanings, the young visual artists chosen for In a Word used their voices to create a feast for the eyes. A feast our society increasingly responds to with visual answers – in some cases superseding the necessity for any words at all.

                                             Greyeyeskid                        Kristina Johnson