Bear in mind that while this was a bit of a departure from our usual spring shows of late, the Buffalo Society of Artists has held many Thumb Box exhibitions in its one hundred and nineteen years of existence. This particular show, then, might be viewed as a tradition revisited.
Congratulations to those members who were accepted to this exhibition. The juror, Mr. Massier, was highly selective, accepting some twenty-five works by twenty of our members, out of slightly over fifty entries. Though this may be the smallest exhibition we’ve ever had, what it lacks in quantity, it compensates for in quality. For those whose works were declined, take heart: we have all been there before. We need not go into any discourses about the subjective nature of art assessment, but I do recommend that everyone read Mr. Massier’s juror’s statement. It is thoughtful and heartfelt, and might provide some valuable insight into to the thinking that went into his choices.
Our congratulations to the prize winners: John O’Reilly, First place; Norine Spurling, Second place: Rita Argen Aurbach, Third place and David Vitrano, Honorable Mention. Getting to the winners circle (see second paragraph) was no small feat. It never is, but this year, I suppose, is even more special.
I want to thank Beth Pedersen and our Exhibition Committee for their work generally, and specifically cite the ad hoc chair Paula Sciuk for the excellent work she did in making sure all the incidentals and nuances of this particular show were attended to. Also, thank you to Partners in Art Gallery for hosting the thumb box and to Erin Harris for creating an excellent program.
I urge all of our members to attend this show. For those of us who didn’t, for whatever reason, participate, come see what great things come in small packages: see if there is any merit in the saying, less is more.
Enjoy!
George Grace
