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JUROR Daniel M. Finch was born in 1971 in Orlando Florida, the same year that Disneyworld opened its doors. Childhood was spent in various states including Virginia and Maryland before settling in Augusta Georgia. The son of a sculptor, Finch attended Augusta State University to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. He later earned his MFA in Painting and Drawing from the University of Georgia in Athens. He currently resides in a suburb of Harrisburg, PA, with his wife, and their two children, Mira and Dominic. His work has been exhibited extensively across the country as well as internationally. Many of his commissioned, public murals can be seen across Central Pennsylvania, and he has been featured numerous times in the national publication, New American Paintings. Daniel Finch is currently Professor of Painting and Drawing at Messiah University in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. His website is: danielfinch.com L - R: Edward Shmunes, Study in Straw, Portugal, 22x17; Donna M Masi, Betty with Cigarette, 30x29; Emil Thomas Petruncio, St. Augustine Intersection,9x9 (HM Award) Streets, lanes and country roads tell the stories of communities. Who and what we see there defines a place in our memories. In this exhibition artists showed us what resonates with them in towns and cities, large and small; people, shops, traffic - anything at all that evoked a distinctive sense of a place. Entries were open internationally for MFA’s (Maryland Federation of Art) online only exhibition. Following exhibition guidelines, any 2-D or 3-D work was eligible for entry. Submissions representing 8 states, Washington D.C and Canada. totaled 371 artworks from 105 artists. The juror selected 57 works by 43 artists for display on MFA’s online Sales Gallery from February 15- March 31, 2012. CATALOG Circle Gallery Voted Best Gallery in Annapolis: MFA and Circle Gallery Celebrate 50+ Years Located:18 State Circle, Annapolis, MD 21401• Open Daily, 11-5pm Telephone: 410-268-4566 • Website: www.mdfedart.org MD Relay:1-800-735-2258 • Gallery is accessible to persons with disabilities. Please visit MFA’s website to explore membership options, and numerous exhibition possibilities at MFA’s Circle Gallery and at off-site locations. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Exhibition Chairs: Richard Niewerth and Wil Scott The MFA appreciates the support of the Arts Council of Anne Arundel Co., Inc., and Maryland State Arts Council MFA Board President: David Diaz Executive Director: Joann Vaughan Exhibitions Manager: Evan Herzing Communications Manager: Martha Campbell Gallery Intern: Laura Capty AWARDS Cash awards selected by the juror total $500. SALES NOTE: MFA’s Online Sales Gallery is provided to North American artists to sell their work. Only artists in the 48 contiguous United States may set a price. MFA will reimburse appropriate shipping costs to those artists for online sales shipments. All other artists must enter Price on Request (POR) and purchase inquiries will be referred by MFA to the artist. MFA retains 20% commission (15% for members) on any work sold through MFA. Artists will be responsible for fulfillment of sales. After close of MFA exhibitions images of the artwork are archived and may be viewed at: https://mdfedart.com/mfaentry/archive/index.php?myid=6FKGZPA9 Street Scenes JUROR’S STATEMENT Streets, highways, trails, and sidewalks (among other linear passageways are at once both powerful and peculiar structures. They consist of both the concrete, stoic forms that make up their substance, as well as the transient, embodied characters who traverse their spans through time and space. The silent but directing pathway becomes both a facilitator and a collector of narratives for those willing to see, listen, and perhaps participate in this journey. This beautiful tension between the permanent and the ephemeral was captured in a myriad of ways by the 57 images that I was privileged to curate into Street Scenes, 2021. As someone who has been quite often on the other side of the jurying process, I found the act of viewing and sorting through the 371 images to be a genuine pleasure, punctuated with far too many moments of internal conflict and debate within my own mind. The sheer volume of quality work, in a multitude of media, could’ve conceivably generated 3 or 4 different shows, all of which would have been fascinating to curate and visit. My own lifelong experience with, and allegiance to, painting was tested, challenged and broadened as I had the incredible privilege of viewing a superbly rich abundance of photographic and digital imagery. Ultimately, my 57 picks achieved a number of distinctions. In particular, they were able to transcend their medium and give the viewer an experience greater than the sum of their parts. In the end, the most important criteria was that the imagery had to be BEAUTIFUL, even if the content dealt with difficult, mundane or obscure truths. Beauty, and its uncanny ability to speak truth directly to the soul, was my prime, guiding factor. The street has historically existed as a metaphor for our collective and individual pilgrimage through life. I trust that these thoughtful images will speak to you in a multitude of unexpected ways as you take this moment to pause and reflect upon your own journey. Daniel M. Finch, January, 2021
