“Record” Management

Last Friday, both the joyous news and the sad news was shared with the 664 artists that submitted artworks for consideration to the 2023 Birds in Art exhibition. Jurying nearly 1,200 artworks is not an easy task; it is even harder choosing the 89 artworks that will be exhibited this September, but the jurors lent their expertise in selecting wonderful contemporary artworks displaying the best of avian art.

This year, we received nearly a 20% increase from the previous year in artists and artworks that were submitted. As a museum, we are always trying to attract new artists to the exhibition while also maintaining our lifelong relationships with all Birds in Art artists from the exhibition’s 48-year history. This healthy balance aims to create a diverse exhibition showcasing talented artists of all mediums.

With a record-breaking number of entries, we were happy to have initiated a new system for processing submissions. After researching products made for submitting artworks and chatting with colleagues at other art institutions, we decided to use SlideRoom. Considering the number of troubleshooting phone calls received and the amount of administrative time saved, I can attest that it was a huge success. We were able to process almost 100 more submissions this year in a fraction of the time. The user interface built for evaluating media made remote judging a cinch and allowed for all artists to be closely considered and for their artworks to be equally displayed on the computer screen.

Birds in Art 2023 will open on Saturday, September 9 and run through Sunday, November 26, 2023. In addition to the 90 accepted artists (one artwork is a brother/sister collaboration), the work of 2023 Master Wildlife Artist, Paul Rhymer, and 21 Master Artists previously honored by the Museum who are exempt from the jury process will also be on display. Stay tuned for the list of artists, but for now, here is the breakdown of some interesting information.