1998 World Print Festival
Llubljana, Slovenia: The Juror's Experience
By Richard Hellman

Slovenia, a small country of about 3,000,000 people just south of Austria, became an independent democratic country in 1991. Ljubljana, its capitol, has been the home of the Ljubljana graphics biennial since 1955 and thus has an interest in printmaking. The AGART Art Association is a non-political group of artists, writers, actors and musicians who, free from the old regime, are attempting to widen exposure to the arts in their country.

Since 1996, AGART has organized print shows for Japanese artists, one for Dutch and one for Scottish artists. This year they decided to expand. The purpose of the 1998 World Print Festival is to present a broad and eclectic selection of quality prints from all over the world, to expose the artists and people of Slovenia to contemporary prints in the world today-not just the avant garde, but including traditional approaches to present a balanced view. The jurors were picked for their technical expertise, exposure to wide aesthetic, and experience with the jurying process:

1. Piet Clement from Holland-Master Printer in Lithography for over 30 years, and owner of the Clement Print Workshop and Gallery Clement. Organizes a Dutch print biennial out of his gallery.

2. John Mackechnie from Scotland-Director of the Glasgow Print Studio and Gallery. Largest publisher of fine arts prints in the UK. Works with artists from all over the United Kingdom.

3. Milan Pirker from Slovania-Art historian, critic, and gallery operator in Ljubljana. Well read and knowledgeable of the art scene in Europe.

4. Richard Hellman from the United States-Intaglio specialist, print artist and teacher. Participant in national and international juried print exhibits since 1973. Recipient of many awards.

Prints were judged in seven different technical categories and will be displayed in seven different gallery locations in Slovenia to reach many people. Artists could enter prints in up to three categories and include three works in each for a possible total of nine. Generous awards will be given in each of the categories.

Usually, the size of the gallery dictates the ultimate number of prints that can effectively be shown. In this case, we were told that together, the various gallery spaces could hold from 600 to 900 prints depending on their size. The large scope and capacity of the rented spaces made this a difficult show to jury. We wanted a large show, but we also needed to be selective. The viewing procedure was somewhat cumbersome. Not only did we view slides, and photographs, but in the case of mini-prints, the actual prints themselves. As a jury we wanted to choose works and then go back over the selection again. We were told that this would not be possible because it would take too long. As it was, we worked for three days (July 2, 3 and 4th) from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., and then from 3 to 6 p.m., 7 p.m., and 8 p.m. on the last day. A final trip to the post office was made during the last day so not to miss any entries.

There were almost 350 artists to view representing over 55 countries. I don't know the exact number of slides, photos, and prints we looked at, but I estimate between 1,200 to 1,500. For each artist we viewed all of their slides and/or photos several times and voted on each one. There was frequently discussion about the work (sometimes heated) before a final vote was taken.

As a show, we were looking for different styles and points of view. In the individual pieces we were looking for graphic quality, interesting subject matter, picture structure, and content. There were many good prints submitted, some not the quality we were looking for, and some were exceptional. After seeing so many works the exceptional prints really stood out from the pack--they had something extra. What was clear in these works was a finesse of color, graphic balance, and composition that was lacking in the others. Or, a point was being made through its content that provoked discussion and was important philosophically.

Although 55 countries are represented, the majority of prints were submitted from Japan or Korea. I don't think there were more than 20 from the United States which was disappointing to me. Having entered many shows myself, my guess is that the $55 entry was seen as too high compared to other international shows. Although the quality of the catalog is excellent and the cost of return postage is not cheap, there may be a better way to organize this aspect of the exhibition. There was discussion of the fee by the jurors with the organizers and I suspect that there may be some changes in the future.

In November, the jury will meet again to see the actual prints in their respective gallery spaces. Prizes will be awarded and we will suggest a hanging arrangement. At this time we will know whether all the prints are as good as their slides and if the space demands eliminating any works.