LANCASTER—The RAL Art Center, 19 North Main Street, Kilmarnock, recently announced the judge for the 63rd Labor Day Art Show will be Diana L. Blanchard Gross, the visual arts center manager at the Charles H. Taylor Visual Arts Center in Hampton.
Some 137 works of art have been entered in the show, reported Juli Schuszler on the exhibit team. Everyone is especially looking forward to August 30 when the award-winning work will be revealed. The public is invited to attend the Fifth Friday reception from 5-7 p.m. August 30 at the RAL Art Center to view the show, including the winning pieces.
The show will continue through September 27.
Gross served as the curator of the Peninsula Fine Arts Center (PFAC), Newport News, as well as the curator for the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame, Virginia Beach.
As curator of the PFAC for six years (1996-2002), she curated 12-15 exhibitions a year and coordinated traveling exhibitions for the PFAC galleries. She has developed and curated exhibitions on James, Andrew and N.C. Wyeth, Norman Rockwell, Francisco Goya as well as exhibitions on Native American, Asian and African art.
She received her bachelor’s in history from Old Dominion University, Norfolk, and a master’s in art history and museum studies from Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond.
“Judging and jurying artworks is a critical process in the art world, involving the careful evaluation and selection of pieces for awards and exhibits,” said Gross. “As a curator, I access the submitted works based on various criteria such as creativity, technical skill, originality and relevance to the exhibition’s theme, if there is one. Judging requires a balance of objective analysis and subjective interpretation, as I consider both the technical execution and the emotional or conceptual impact of each piece.
“The goal is to curate a collection that not only represents a high standard of artistic excellence but also resonates with the intended audience, creating a cohesive and thought-provoking exhibition. This process plays a crucial role in maintaining the integrity and quality of art shows, while also providing artists with valuable feedback and recognition,” she said.
