Thank you!

[shockme@xxxxxxxxxxx]

Thanks to everyone that posted their thoughts about
"cultural appropriation". As a rather isolated novice, I
took a lot from your comments and managed to regain some
confidence. My initial concerns were with the Jury of
the Craft Council. None of the jurors which reviewed and
rejected my work have any stone sculpting experience.
Out of the 4 that reviewed it, only 2 filled out the
forms. One is a juried member known for recycling silver
cutlery.

I feel that this is not a legitimate jury and feel I
wasted the $30 dollars they required for this so-called
jurying session. The point of getting juried is to be
allowed to participate in two exclusive shows. For me it
is an important income supplement in the summer, and I
already attend the shows with my pottery, which was
accepted 3 years ago.

Another problem with this council is that they let
people who already compete at these shows for the public
purse, decide whether anyone else gets in. Regardless of
what new medium is submitted, there is a certain amount
of money spent at these shows, and everyone wants a
piece of it.

I consider this a blatant conflict of interest. Who ever
heard of a system where the competition decides whether
you'll be ' allowed ' into the market.

Has anyone ever had similar experiences? Does anyone
agree that there are serious problems with the way these
people are running things here.

Any comments appreciated. I am presently working to
appeal the results. You can see why comments about
cultural appropriation from such a 'jury' would only add
insult to injury.

Thanks again for all your helpful commentary. It helps
to put a perspective on things.

Best Regards,

Rod Marquart -