Jury Levels

JURIED VIRGINIA ARTISAN

This level recognizes the artisan’s basic competency in skill, material understanding, and the artisan’s commitment to originality and/or historical merit through their medium. The goal of the designation as Juried Virginia Artisan is to recognize the artisan’s skills in their medium and to encourage continued creative expression to work toward the next stage of development, that of Professional Virginia Artisan. A formal written critique will be offered for work submitted by the artisan. Applicants achieving juried artisan status are eligible and encouraged to participate in Virginia State Fair retails sales and educational activities, The Studio Tour, and any conferences or symposiums as scheduled.

SCORE – At least 65-84 points are required to attain the level of Juried Virginia Artisan. Any artisan who has been approved by the jury process or by waiver is automatically eligible to reapply for the next level at any time.

VIRGINIA PROFESSIONAL ARTISAN

The focus of this level is to evaluate the skill and creative expression in the artisan’s work as well as the total presentation of the work that belies the competence evident in the work. Traditional and historical merit work will be reviewed with respect to form and content within the media. A critique of the artisan’s work will be compiled by the jury along with suggestions regarding their future growth as continuing professionals. The artisan’s community involvement and its importance in professional growth will be evaluated, but will not influence the outcome of the jury process. Applicants achieving professional juried artisan status are eligible and encouraged to participate in ACV’s retail sales gallery, Virginia State Fair retails sales and educational activities, The Studio Tour, and any conferences or symposiums as scheduled.

SCORE – At least 85-105 points are required to attain the level of Virginia Professional Artisan. Any artisan who has been approved by the jury process is automatically eligible to apply for Master level status within one year of attaining professional level status.

MASTER VIRGINIA ARTISAN

The artisan has attained the level of Professional Virginia Artisan and is now eligible to be critiqued on the master level. The artisan exhibits leadership and community involvement through education, advocacy and professional affiliations. Qualified activities for the master artisan may include but are not limited to teaching, mentorship and providing apprenticeship opportunities. The works produced should demonstrate extreme excellence in both design and craftsmanship and a total competency and control of the medium. The Master Artisan would be a resource for information and technical expertise in their field as requested by ACV including state and regional workshops.

EVALUATION – Candidates to be determined by a majority vote of the Standards Committee supported by a written assessment of the artisan’s achievement.