A Gallery of Student Art

One of the great things about being the CEO of 1000 Markets is that I get to encourage experimentation.

Recently, one of our fine artists, Eleanor Gilpatrick, approached me with the idea of organizing a gallery space on 1000 Markets to showcase exceptional student art. Eleanor has a persuasive energy, and I had to admire the twinkle in her eye, so I decided to work with her on this idea.

We started with some ground rules to keep it on the up-and-up: Only the best “juried” student art, strict quality control, good photos, and a stipulation that all the net proceeds from a sale (after the normal 1000 markets fee) would go to the artists themselves, just as if the students had listed the art in their own shop on 1000 Markets. Then Eleanor contacted each of the artists and the end result is a specially-sanctioned shop here on 1000 Markets, called Juried Student Art

I spoke with Eleanor about the Juried Student Art gallery and her role in bringing it to fruition.

Q. Eleanor, you've set up the Juried Student Art gallery. This gallery is unusual for 1000 Markets. You needed special permission to create it because it does not sell your own work Please tell us what it is and how it came about.

A. Well, for nine years I have been the curator and juror for an undergraduate student art competition at Hunter College, City University of New York. In 1999 I painted a triptych at Hunter College, where I was both a professor and an art student. It showed students at Hunter College on the third floor crosswalk between buildings. I offered to have it hung in an administrative space where students deal with registration and related issues. And it was accepted.

Q: And this was the start of a student art showcase?

The subject arose that other student artworks would be very welcome there. And I got permission to run a competition for undergraduate and auditor (senior) art students. Students accepted in the BFA program and the MFA program have thesis shows, but these other art students had no outlet to show their drawings and paintings, and there was interest in showing student work. Eventually I was invited to show in another administrative space.

Q: I understand the showcase was popular, but they started taking your space away?

I was showing about 16 pieces per show; the competition was run annually; and the selected work stayed up a year.

As time went by, things and people changed, and little by little the areas and walls where the work could be hung began to dwindle. Finally, near the close of 2008, I was down to space for only six pieces plus my triptych and a case in the library. When I was told reduce the six to four pieces I ended the show and removed all the work, including my piece. I was very sad about this, and not only were the artists disappointed, the work had been enjoyed by those who saw it.

Q: So you decided to take it online?

Yes! I got a great new idea. One of the benefits of the student competition was that it gave students the experience of a juried competition, with rules to follow about how to apply and standards for presentation. Great preparation for the real world of art out there. But the world of art has been moving into the digital age, with online galleries and digital submissions via email or CDs. I myself have been selling online in several galleries, and it occurred to me that I could provide a shop that would show the student work. I could jury the work, and students would learn about preparation of work for sale on the Internet; and buyers would get to see juried work of young artists in the early stages of their craft or senior artists still working in Hunter studios. And so I created the Juried Student Art shop on 1000Markets with your encouragement.

Q. So, what is your relationship to the Hunter College art program? What is your background?

A. I paint at Hunter College. I am Professor Emerita, having taught and directed a masters program in administration at The School Of Health Sciences at Hunter, and later courses in critical thinking and writing for pre-health science undergraduates. In 1998, I began to sketch and paint again, having left that part of my life to enter college. I had not lost the touch, and began to study seriously, taking plein air (outdoor) courses in Italy, and then studio courses at Hunter College, where I was lucky to have some wonderful professors.

Q. What motivates you to organize the student art shows?

The student art show is a way for me to "give back." I enroll each semester and have the opportunity, as an auditor, to use the studio and storage facilities. There has grown up a community of auditor painters who contribute to the departmental culture. By now I have sold over 60 paintings and drawings in galleries and online, and I feel I am in a wonderful phase of my life.

Q. So who are you showing in the Juried Student Art gallery right now?

A. I offered the six students who were showing in the space we lost to show at once online, as soon they could prepare the work for online viewing. (The students showing in the library case are still on display there.) Of the six students, I have eight pieces in the shop, the work of four of the students.

Q: You use the term “juried.” Some readers may not understand what that means. Can you explain it?

Juried comes from the word "jury." A piece of juried art is an artwork that has been judged to be good enough to be shown in an actual or virtual gallery or shop. It means that someone or several people have approved the work's quality. Most artists test themselves by entering "juried shows." (I have been selected for well over 25.) At some point one arrives at a place where one feels validated. In most cases juried shows only have one juror. For this shop I am the juror. Over the 9 years I have been curating and jurying the student show I have rejected work for inappropriate content for a public location, but mostly for not being of a quality I deem adequate to be put on exhibit. As in all cases of juried shows, the criterion of the juror is subjective, although we try to apply standards that are not affected by our own taste in style. So I have juried in works I would not want for myself, but I consider are good of their kind.

Q. Have you found challenges, transitioning students from showing their art in a college space to offering it for sale online?

Selling, especially selling online, poses serious issues of standards that did not come up for students showing in college spaces. For example, the professional standard for work on stretched canvas is stretcher boards 1.5 inches thick; painted sides, staples in the back, and wired to hang. Students were able to show their wok at Hunter even if the stretchers were ¾ inch thick, as long as the sides were taped or painted and the piece was wired to hang. But ¾ inch stretchers are prone to warping. There is no way I would allow a warped painting to appear in the shop.

So the students had to examine their work. They had the opportunity to submit other work instead of sub-standard pieces, or wait for the new competition. Some of the students have graduated; but I allowed the work of artists who were at Hunter when the student show ended,.

Q. How often will you be adding new work?

A. The new competition begins in January with a February deadline Once the new competition begins I expect to add about 12 pieces each February, unless there are fewer good applications or a larger number of really good pieces. I can't tell yet what the response will be, but I will never show work I cannot accept for quality reasons.

Q. Do you consider the opening of the shop to be a newsworthy event?

A. Yes, I do. An online shop for juried student work from a particular college that is free to the students and in a legitimate commercial online site may be a first. I hope it will be publicized.

Q. Tell us about the portrait and banner you are using for the Juried Art Student shop.

A. Well the portrait of a shop is usually of a single artist. That does not fit this shop. So I have found a use for my triptych! The portrait is the triptych, which portrays Hunter students. And the banner is the widest cross-section of the painting. The piece is actually for sale in my shop (here).

Q. That reminds me that you also have your own shop on 1000 Markets. Tell us a little about your work.

A. Yes, I do have a shop here and I love being here and in the Gallery 11 Market. My work has evolved over time, but it remains primarily contemporary realist, with its strengths being color and composition. I call it "painting from the heart," and people seem to pick up the excitement I feel about my landscapes, people, and even abstracts. Recently I have been expressing my connection with the people, especially the women, of Iraq.

Q: I noticed a wide range of prices for the student art. How did you determine the prices of student artwork? *

Q: As a buyer, how do I know I am getting good value for my money?*

The same way you would judge any piece of artwork. The fact that they are students should not enter in to your assessment of a piece of work that you might want for your home.

Q. Are there any caveats for the buyer?

A. Yes there are. The Juried Student Art shop profile explains what characteristics are considered professional standards and what student work may present. It explains the danger of warping and assures the buyer that we will not present warped work. We also indicate that some students will only be able to sell to people they can reach in the Greater New York Metropolitan Area, and we remind the viewer to read the descriptions of each piece, where all the information is listed.

Q: If a shopper buys one of these paintings, does the artist receive all of the money?

I take no money, fee, or commission, and that is stated in the contract I send to the student. The student pays whatever marketplace fee 1000 Markets requires, and either pays for or charges for taxes and shipping. I get nothing but a warm glow.

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