Oh My! WOW! - Reflections from a first time Art Juror

Heidi Ragsdale 

11/5/2022

As a new member of the International DKG Arts and Humanities Jury, I traveled to Austin to be trained by the Arts Jury team. I was shocked to discover the total number of so many entrants. What I quickly realized during this training was the sheer number of submissions, showcasing such creative projects from members within the 2022 Fall submission session.

There are so many talented: poets, photographers, 2D and 3D artists, fabric artists and quilters, and authors and playwrights.  With the submissions to the Arts and Humanities Gallery, the opportunity exists to showcase one’s art at an International event, such as the upcoming International DKG conferences. A gallery event is planned for Phoenix, Arizona in July 2023. 

The categories for the Gallery submissions included:

●       Writing

●       Performance Art

●       2D Visual Arts

●       3D Visual Arts

●       Multimedia

Of the nearly 200 submissions from this fall’s collections, many members submitted two pieces. Each piece was then evaluated by at least 2 members of the Art Jury team.

Some of the pieces which really caught my jurist eye were the landscape, and close-up or macro lens-like photographs, which helps the viewer see the finite details within the photo. In the “Perfect Moment”, by Loretta Kerr of Phi Chapter in Colorado, the viewer’s eye is drawn to the center of the beautiful rose, surrounded by individual petals.

There were so many beautiful paintings, quilts, and 3D art pieces, which helps me see our member’s world from so many perspectives.

My hope is that those members in each chapter across the world, who have had accepted works, to use this moment and their creation to not only share their acceptance letter with their state, but also consider sharing at an international event. Another powerful opportunity is for members to share their unique talent with chapters, states, and communities, via Social media, or in a course or class, to empower other to learn how to do similar projects.

Finally, here are some hints for future submissions.

1.   Review the rubric for your media.  It can be found here in the Art Gallery link on the International site.

2.    Open and Read through the Helpful Documents, which provides support on: Submission Tips, How to Upload videos to YouTube, How to create Google Accounts, and more.

3.    Ensure that the photo you take of your art is clear, and not fuzzy.  Also make sure that your photo is cropped, so that there are NO borders or backgrounds. You want to allow the viewer to see just the piece itself.

 4.   Ask another member to review the rubric with you, just before you submit your piece. This might just be the way to encourage HER to submit her own creation.

5.    While editing your picture and before hitting submit on the Submission form, make sure your physical art is within the upload and dimensional limits as well as in JPG format. If your file size is too big or too small, it will not be accepted.

6.    Put your name on written work, first and last, as well as on the submission form, so we may correctly recognize you in the Gallery.

I encourage all members of Delta Kappa Gamma to get out your fabric, craft box, sewing machine, paint brushes, clay, pen and ink, canvas, wood, camera, paper, etc., and get going on your own creation to submit. Hope to see YOUR creativity in January 2023!