Unjuried
Encyclopedia
An unjuried art exhibition or festival is one where all submissions are accepted.
Within theater, it is often referred to as a fringe festival
, following the unjuried Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
" or "unjuried" gathering dates to prehistory. More narrowly, the notion of an unjuried exhibition arose in response to the Paris Salon
, which began in 1725 and was juried from 1748 onwards.
The Salon was very influential in the western world during the period 1748–1890 as an arbiter of taste, and the revolt against its strictures was a key conflict in the development of western art.
An exhibitions of works refused from the official Salon was referred to as a Salon des Refusés
, which became particularly prominent from 1863 onwards, when the French government under Emperor Napoléon III funded a Salon des Refusés for the large number of rejected artworks in that year.
1884 saw the formation of the Société des Artistes Indépendants
(Society of Independent Artists), whose device was Sans jury ni récompense (Without jury nor awards), and which has run unjuried art exhibits from 1884 to the present day, under the title of Salon des Indépendants (Independents Salon).
The development of these rejected or unjuried exhibits was key in the development of the avant-garde
in painting, particularly the Ecole de Paris (Paris School), with the SAI being particularly prominent during the Gilded Age
, until World War I
.
In theater, unjuried festivals rose to prominence in the second half of the twentieth century, most prominently in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Fountain
was rejected from an unjuried art exhibition in 1917 as "not being art" – this being a stunt staged by Duchamp to challenge the conventional (even within the avant-garde) definition of "art".
Advocates of unjuried festivals, dating to Napoléon III's announcement of the 1863 Salon des Refusés, counter that members of the public should be allowed to judge for themselves; compare marketplace of ideas
.
Within theater, it is often referred to as a fringe festival
Fringe theatre
Fringe theatre is theatre that is not of the mainstream. The term comes from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, which name comes from Robert Kemp, who described the unofficial companies performing at the same time as the second Edinburgh International Festival as a ‘fringe’, writing: ‘Round the fringe...
, following the unjuried Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
History
Traditionally gatherings have had varying degrees of inclusiveness and exclusiveness, hence broadly speaking, the notion of a "juriedJuried (competition)
A juried competition is a competition in which participants' work is judged by a person or panel of persons convened specifically to judge the participants' efforts, either by the competition's stated rubric or by a subjective set of criteria dependent upon the nature of the competition or the...
" or "unjuried" gathering dates to prehistory. More narrowly, the notion of an unjuried exhibition arose in response to the Paris Salon
Paris Salon
The Salon , or rarely Paris Salon , beginning in 1725 was the official art exhibition of the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Paris, France. Between 1748–1890 it was the greatest annual or biannual art event in the Western world...
, which began in 1725 and was juried from 1748 onwards.
The Salon was very influential in the western world during the period 1748–1890 as an arbiter of taste, and the revolt against its strictures was a key conflict in the development of western art.
An exhibitions of works refused from the official Salon was referred to as a Salon des Refusés
Salon des Refusés
The Salon des Refusés, French for “exhibition of rejects” , is generally an exhibition of works rejected by the jury of the official Paris Salon, but the term is most famously used to refer to the Salon des Refusés of 1863.-Background:...
, which became particularly prominent from 1863 onwards, when the French government under Emperor Napoléon III funded a Salon des Refusés for the large number of rejected artworks in that year.
1884 saw the formation of the Société des Artistes Indépendants
Société des Artistes Indépendants
—The Société des Artistes Indépendants formed in Paris in summer 1884 choosing the device "No jury nor awards" . Albert Dubois-Pillet, Odilon Redon, Georges Seurat and Paul Signac were among its founders...
(Society of Independent Artists), whose device was Sans jury ni récompense (Without jury nor awards), and which has run unjuried art exhibits from 1884 to the present day, under the title of Salon des Indépendants (Independents Salon).
The development of these rejected or unjuried exhibits was key in the development of the avant-garde
Avant-garde
Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
in painting, particularly the Ecole de Paris (Paris School), with the SAI being particularly prominent during the Gilded Age
Gilded Age
In United States history, the Gilded Age refers to the era of rapid economic and population growth in the United States during the post–Civil War and post-Reconstruction eras of the late 19th century. The term "Gilded Age" was coined by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner in their book The Gilded...
, until World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
In theater, unjuried festivals rose to prominence in the second half of the twentieth century, most prominently in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Criteria
Despite declaring no criteria for inclusion, some unjuried exhibits or festivals have constraints on genre. Thus, while they may accept any work of art, they may reject an object as "not art". Notoriously, Marcel Duchamp'sMarcel Duchamp
Marcel Duchamp was a French artist whose work is most often associated with the Dadaist and Surrealist movements. Considered by some to be one of the most important artists of the 20th century, Duchamp's output influenced the development of post-World War I Western art...
Fountain
Fountain (Duchamp)
Fountain is a 1917 work by Marcel Duchamp. It is one of the pieces which he called readymades. In such pieces he made use of an already existing object. In this case Duchamp used a urinal, which he titled Fountain and signed "R. Mutt". Readymades also go by the term Found object...
was rejected from an unjuried art exhibition in 1917 as "not being art" – this being a stunt staged by Duchamp to challenge the conventional (even within the avant-garde) definition of "art".
Criticism
Unjuried festivals are criticized for not having the putative benefits of a jury as an arbiter of taste, and hence having artworks of poor quality or questionable taste, and a lack of focus and coherence.Advocates of unjuried festivals, dating to Napoléon III's announcement of the 1863 Salon des Refusés, counter that members of the public should be allowed to judge for themselves; compare marketplace of ideas
Marketplace of ideas
The "marketplace of ideas" is a rationale for freedom of expression based on an analogy to the economic concept of a free market. The "marketplace of ideas" belief holds that the truth or the best policy arises out of the competition of widely various ideas in free, transparent public discourse, an...
.
See also
- Fringe theatreFringe theatreFringe theatre is theatre that is not of the mainstream. The term comes from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, which name comes from Robert Kemp, who described the unofficial companies performing at the same time as the second Edinburgh International Festival as a ‘fringe’, writing: ‘Round the fringe...
- Juried competitionJuried (competition)A juried competition is a competition in which participants' work is judged by a person or panel of persons convened specifically to judge the participants' efforts, either by the competition's stated rubric or by a subjective set of criteria dependent upon the nature of the competition or the...
- Salon des RefusésSalon des RefusésThe Salon des Refusés, French for “exhibition of rejects” , is generally an exhibition of works rejected by the jury of the official Paris Salon, but the term is most famously used to refer to the Salon des Refusés of 1863.-Background:...
- Société des Artistes IndépendantsSociété des Artistes Indépendants—The Société des Artistes Indépendants formed in Paris in summer 1884 choosing the device "No jury nor awards" . Albert Dubois-Pillet, Odilon Redon, Georges Seurat and Paul Signac were among its founders...