I enjoyed Paul’s letter, it just proves the arrogance that exists in these organizations, and their resistance to a FREE society. The other ironic part is that Paul wrote the letter (sits on the board at SW and PAV). It seems he couldn’t recruit any artist to defend their policies). Funny.

A couple of things JUMPED out at me in the letter; There is a part where he basically tells artists to ‘Shut up and Paint.’

He also talks about ‘Clairity’ in life. Hate to break you the NEWS Paul, but both of these PROGRAMS are publicly funded, therefore we require them to be transparent. That’s that FREE SOCIETY thing that artists and newspapers alike bring up ever so often. I suggest you pick up a copy of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and take a gander at it.

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Art judged openly, fairly
By Paul K. Schiller

I would like to disagree with our troubled artisans who feel that they need crystal clear governance in the judging of art for Arts Night at the Washington Pavilion. This is the same argument and noise they put forth in the judging of SculptureWalk.

Arts Night is a fundraiser for the Visual Arts Center, and submissions of art are voluntary. When an artist submits work into these “competitions,” you do so knowing that it’s a credible organization that has a fair and qualified selection process. That is the case with both the Washington Pavilion’s Arts Night and our ever-popular SculptureWalk.

A funny thing happened on the way to Arts Night this year. Ninety artists submitted work for a fundraising auction that had room for about 60 pieces. In past years the Arts Night committee was lucky to receive 50 to 60 pieces of art. The event is growing in popularity with both artists and art buyers. The result is a sold-out event with a great selection of quality art. The uneventful result of this year’s success was the fact that some pieces had to be rejected.

So we’re back to openness and fairness. I find the art-judging process open and fair. Have I had my art rejected in other competitions? Yes. Does it feel good? No. But rejection results in one of two things: You go around and complain about the process not being open and fair, or you go back and create better art for next year’s competition.

If that’s not satisfactory, then I suggest if you want absolute clarity in all forms of life, you could partner with the Argus Leader and take on their quest for total transparency in city and state government!

This year’s Art of Jazz was at the Touch of Europe on April 27. The artists involved besides me were; Rob Arlt, Jamie Scarbrough & the lovely Hope Happeny. We produced three very solid images that will be later stretched and auctioned at the SFJB Jazz & Brews event.

Rob is a student in Fargo, ND. He is going to school for fine arts and architecture. He was one of the 4 artists that assisted us with the 2nd Annual Art of Jazz.

Check out the story, and if you go to the left of the screen there is a link to the posters:

http://www.argusleader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070422/LIFE/70420022/1004/LIFE