Rhode Island news
The judges will remain anonymous, says the awards panel chairwoman.
09:05 AM EST on Wednesday, February 9, 2005
A few of Paul Lewis' friends called him an "angry Republican" yesterday
after they learned he had phoned TV stations and newspapers to complain
about a high school student's art project.
Lewis held his ground as his complaint was debated on talk radio.
The 34-year-old North Providence man is miffed by a three-dimensional
art piece that compares President Bush to Hitler, but he says he is more
unhappy with the teachers and artists who decided the work was worthy of
a silver key in the annual Rhode Island Scholastic Art Awards
competition.
"Who is judging this stuff?" Lewis said.
Leaders of the art association refuse to identify the three judges who
picked the project entered by Jeffrey Eden, a junior at Chariho Regional
High School, to be one of the winners in the three-dimensional category.
Mary Wayland, who chaired the awards committee, and Christine Mullen, a
teacher at Mt. Hope High School and president of the Rhode Island Art
Education Association, say they want judges to have the freedom to make
decisions without worrying about a public outcry.
The controversial entry, entitled "Bush/Hitler and How History Repeats
Itself," was among about 640 artworks entered in this year's competition
by students in grades 7 through 12.
In all, 15 judges -- teachers and professional artists -- participated.
According to Wayland, the judging goes something like this:
The initial pool of entries is divided up by grade level and type of art
-- photography, paintings, ceramics, for example.
Then, small clusters of judges begin selecting winners in each subgroup.
They look at each entry and raise a paddle if it evokes a feeling. The
entries that evoke the most feeling make it to a final round where the
judges discuss them in detail, Wayland said.
On Jan. 8, three judges selected Jeffrey Eden's piece from a collection
of three-dimensional entries as a silver key winner. Wayland says she
doesn't know how many entries there were in the category.
Enter The Providence Journal, a sponsor of the competition for at least
15 years. The newspaper publishes a list of the 208 gold and silver
winners in a promotional advertisement and arranges for a place to
exhibit the winners, according to Barbara Nauman, The Journal's director
of promotion.
This is the fourth year that Alperts Furniture Showplace on Route 6 in
Seekonk has agreed to provide space for the exhibit and for an evening
awards ceremony.
Wayland said she is always astounded by the choices the panels make.
It's such a subjective process that it's hard to predict which works
will catch the judges' eyes, she said.
"It's just a matter of who the judges are and how they decide," she
said. "And that's true of any juried art exhibit."
The winners go on display long after the judging takes place. Neither
The Providence Journal nor Alperts have anything to do with the decision
of the judges.
"I wouldn't comment on any piece of art here," the furniture store's
owner, Hershel Alpert, said last week, noting that he isn't an art
expert. "It's not my position to comment on any of this art."
| Visit the new tent city in Providence, it's got its rules | |
| Getting down with G-O-D; RPM voices at Burnside Park | |
| "Brides Across America" Military Wedding Gown Giveaway |
More top stories
Rep. Kennedy optimistic he’s on the road to sobriety
Providence River encampment’s growth draws the attention of nearby residents
Most Viewed Yesterday
Pedroia misses game to be with pregnant wife
Imprisoned for murder, ex-Providence police officer will still collect disability pension
Providence woman slain, boyfriend arrested in N.Y.
Most active surveys
React to proposed toll changes on the Pell, Mount Hope bridges
Tell us your poison ivy stories.
Why do you think Sarah Palin is prematurely stepping down as Alaska's governor?
Most e-mailed in the last 24 hours
Reader Reaction









You must be logged in to contribute. Log in | Register Now!
You are logged in as screenname | Log Out
You are logged in, but do not have a "screen" name. Create a Screen Name