Jurors Statement

"In this season of reflection, as we bid farewell to one year and usher in the next, I look to artists to guide my sight to the horizon line. Art has the power to map this journey, uncovering where we have been while illuminating what’s to come – most importantly it embodies that which is possible.

It is a tremendous honor to select works for the Durham Art Guild’s 71st Annual Juried Exhibition, showcasing the depth and range of artistic voices that call the Triangle home. Many of the artworks presented here are in dialogue with the process of reassembling, to take apart that which is familiar, revered, cherished, discarded, or destroyed, and imagine something new. 

Artists in this show wrestle with and embrace this idea: they are creating works in response to the present moment, excavating the past to find meaning in the present, holding space for self-reflection, and fighting to create the futures that reside within our dreams. 

Among these works there are tensions and expressions of oppositional forces, both theoretically and in materiality. Some grapple with and express our environmental, social, and political climate, while others celebrate healing, relishing in the quotidian and joy as an act of resistance and self-preservation. 

For me, a juried show is about cultivating a dialogue. This exhibition also posits a call to action, asking visitors to reflect on what catches your eye and speaks to your soul – please take a moment to linger there. My hope is that these works also invite the vital curatorial voices we rely on to continue to offer the context that mediates these important artistic voices and the work they create. I look forward to the Durham Art Guild continuing to platform artists, curators, and the community in this important dialogue.

I extend my gratitude to the Durham Art Guild and Dara Baldwin for entrusting me with this special responsibility, and I thank Pam Irvin for her work in shepherding this process. Most importantly, I want to thank each and every artist who took the time to thoughtfully prepare and submit their work for consideration in this exhibition. Your artistic voices are needed now more than ever, and I look forward to DAG moving toward a bright future under the leadership of Michael Gianakos to strengthen this vital connection between artists and the community. “

-Colony Little