Dimensions is one of the “flagship” activities of the Saskatchewan Craft Council. For over three decades, this annual show has helped define and promote Saskatchewan Fine Craft. The core features of an open, juried show of excellence provide a foundation for the show.
In the past few years, however, criticism that the exhibition is “too much the same” from year to year has begun to mount. It has been growing more difficult to gain an enthusiastic reception for the show in galleries. Some craftspeople doing high quality work are not entering.
The SCC Board has been wrestling with how to reinvigorate Dimensions without losing the core strength of the show. They have decided that in 2008, Dimensions will have the theme of “Growth”. This year, the jurors will be asked to judge entries according to the twin criteria of excellence and of the interpretation of this theme.
The SCC Board and Staff will be closely monitoring the effect of this change, and seeking input on other possibilities to change future shows.
Some of you will have the following questions:
“Does this mean that the criterion of excellence is being abandoned?”
- Absolutely not. Excellence is the cornerstone of Dimensions. This will remain the major criteria for inclusion into the show – the jurors will be asked to also consider the criteria of treatment of the theme.
“What if my work doesn’t fit into a preconceived theme?”
- We’ve chosen a very broad theme – “Growth” – that can lend itself to treatment in an almost infinite variety of ways. If you want to talk over ideas and possible approaches, please call Les or Judy at 653-3616 ext. 25.
“Will there be a themed show every year?”
- Maybe. Maybe not. First, we’ll see how this one works. And – there are many other ideas to improve Dimensions. We’ll be outlining some of these in the weeks ahead and seeking everyone’s feedback. The goal is to have an exciting, excellent show now and into the future.
“How does this change the way I enter?”
- Entry forms, processes and timelines will be very similar to the past except that there will be a request for a 20 to 30 word explanation of how the work deals with the theme of “Growth”. The application forms will be out early in the New Year – we just wanted to give as much lead time as possible for people’s planning and creation of work.
“Why are you doing this now?”
- Dimensions has been, and continues to be, a huge success. We just want to have enough change to keep the show fresh and exciting.
“I don’t think this will work – won’t it change the nature of the show too much?”
- Actually, this has been done before. The 10th Dimensions 1983 had the theme of “Ten”. This resulted in a very good and interesting Dimensions.
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