Very few juried art shows invite the public to take a peek behind the curtains of an art jury process, but that is exactly what Central Oregon’s Art in the High Desert (AHD) is doing.  They are opening the doors for a jury preview on March 27 at 4pm in Bend’s Old Mill District.

 
Now ranked 12th in the nation for sales, Art in the High Desert organizers continue to take the jury process and outdoor art shows to new levels.  Last year AHD moved from using a series of calibrated computers and monitors to view the applications to a new state-of-the-art projection jury system. “We have been using the online application system known as ZAPP (Zapplication.org) for years,” said show director Carla Fox. “Now we have the opportunity to advance the process as ZAPP moves the technology forward. This, our second year of the jury preview, will see yet more advances in that technology.”

 
“The Art in the High Desert Jury Preview is the only opportunity west of the Rocky Mountains to see the ZAPP projection jurying system in action. This is it! From an artist’s perspective it is very helpful to see how the jurors see artists applications and see the work of other artists in any particular media,” said AHD Board Member Cameron Kaseberg. “Seeing how your images look in the jury process can be a game changer for an artist.”

 
ZAPP enables artists to apply online to multiple art shows through one central website. The online application process also allows artists to directly upload digital images of their artwork for jury review. The result is that all artwork in the system is in a consistent, high-quality, digital format. The digital images are presented to the jurors and the system allows them to score online.

 
“This is not a mock jury, but a chance for artists, friends, family, and anyone interested to see how artist application images look in the ZAPP projection environment,” said AHD Board Member Shari Crandall.

The jury preview is open to the public and will take place March 27 from 4-6pm in Bend’s Old Mill District at 330 SW Powerhouse Drive, Suite #130 (between Desperado and Jimmy John’s).

 

Art in the High Desert showcases over 110 talented, professional artists each year and takes place the weekend before Labor Day weekend in Bend’s Old Mill District. The 2015 festival event dates are August 28, 29 and 30.

www.artinthehighdesert.com