The annual Gualala Salon & Salon des Refusés is a juried and judged fine art exhibit showcasing outstanding visual art and artists without regard to the type of media. This year's show opens Friday, December 6 at Gualala Arts, 5:00pm-7:00pm, with comments from the Judges at 6:00pm.
The annual Salon & Salon des Refusés is the largest exhibit at Gualala Arts aside from Art in the Redwoods; it has the largest number of entries of any other open call show and fills both the Burnett Gallery and Elaine Jacob Foyer. The Salon is sponsored by generous donors; not by Gualala Arts or the North Coast Artists’ Guild. Many artists save their best new art for this exhibit, as the Salon has gained much notoriety as a judged show by well-qualified people in the arts. This year’s judges are Tony Sheets, a renowned Sculpture and Painter who is familiar to many in our Community, and Robert Rhoades, professor emeritus of College of the Redwoods and print/mixed media artist.
As per tradition, the judges decide what artwork is accepted into the Salon exhibited in the Burnett Gallery. The art not juried into the Salon by the judges is displayed in the Salon des Refusés (Rejected) located in the Elaine Jacob Foyer. Thus, all artwork submitted into the show will be exhibited at Gualala Arts. Which artists are selected into the Salon is a tightly kept secret until the opening night.
The event is also known for its significant awards. This year’s Gualala Salon Awards are: First Place$1000., Second Place $750., Third Place is $500. Multiple Judges awards are also given, however how many will be handed out this year are still to be determined. The Salon des Refusés awards are decided by the public through ballots. Those awards are: First Place $100, Second Place $75, Third Place $50. There is also a “Emerging Artist under 18” award of $100.
The original Salon des Refusés was an art exhibition that took place in Paris in 1863, showing works that had been rejected by the official Paris Salon conservative judges. These judges represented the French Academy and were advocates of traditional, orthodox style of painting and sculpture. In 1863, they rejected almost 3,000 pieces of work which resulted in loud protests by the artists. Emperor Napoleon III, ever sensitive to public opinion, ordered a new exhibition to be organized – dubbed the “Salon des Refuses” – in order for the public to judge the merits of the artwork themselves.
In the spirit of the original Paris Salon des Refusés, all visitors will be able to vote for the “People’s Choice” awards. In fact, many artists prefer to be selected as a “reject” to receive the public’s opinion!