juror's statement


Elizabeth Zanzinger ezanzin@gmail.com “Best of Gage” Show, Gage Academy June 18, 2009 – Juror’s statement The works presented for consideration for the Gage Academy’s 17th Annual Gage Academy Student Show clearly demonstrate commitment and passion for the traditional craft associated with figurative painting and sculpture. The overall excellence of the submissions and the student’s dedication to the craft of painting are irrefutable, even by the most dogged critics of this art. To my eye, Elizabeth Zanzinger’s Permanence, which I selected Best in Show, represents an invaluable combination of technical brilliance, honed skills, and a respect for tradition. Within this highly finished study, I found a lightness of touch and a freshness that bridges many centuries of academic rigor with a firm grasp on the contemporary world. Ms. Zanzinger’s Permanence connects the viewer to a real, contemporary person. Further, her rendering of the model does not or cannot exist without the history of philosophy, the history of art, or the universal experience of growing older. The critical importance of this dynamic relationship between past and present, innovation and tradition encapsulates the opportunities and paradox facing artists who excel using this idiom. The challenge is to create meaningful art that functions on a variety of levels, triggering multiple responses and nuanced interpretations. Like all other artists, the students of Gage must continue to provide respite from the turbulence of the time, offering works of beauty and solace—even if difficult—that reflect the reality of our time and guide us as we make meaning of our lives, seek connections to our fellow humans, and improve the world. Rock Hushka Curator of Contemporary and Northwest Art Tacoma Art Museum

“Best of Gage” Show, Gage Academy June 18, 2009 – Juror’s statement

The works presented for consideration for the Gage Academy’s 17th Annual Gage Academy Student Show clearly demonstrate commitment and passion for the traditional craft associated with figurative painting and sculpture. The overall excellence of the submissions and the student’s dedication to the craft of painting are irrefutable, even by the most dogged critics of this art.

To my eye, Elizabeth Zanzinger’s Permanence, which I selected Best in Show, represents an invaluable combination of technical brilliance, honed skills, and a respect for tradition. Within this highly finished study, I found a lightness of touch and a freshness that bridges many centuries of academic rigor with a firm grasp on the contemporary world. Ms. Zanzinger’s Permanence connects the viewer to a real, contemporary person. Further, her rendering of the model does not or cannot exist without the history of philosophy, the history of art, or the universal experience of growing older.

The critical importance of this dynamic relationship between past and present, innovation and tradition encapsulates the opportunities and paradox facing artists who excel using this idiom. The challenge is to create meaningful art that functions on a variety of levels, triggering multiple responses and nuanced interpretations. Like all other artists, the students of Gage must continue to provide respite from the turbulence of the time, offering works of beauty and solace—even if difficult—that reflect the reality of our time and guide us as we make meaning of our lives, seek connections to our fellow humans, and improve the world.

Rock Hushka
Curator of Contemporary and Northwest Art
Tacoma Art Museum