Wolgin Prize at Temple Gallery Misses Objective

Ryan Trecartin, Sanford Biggers, and Michael Rakowitz are all terrific and highly accomplished artists, but in my opinion are all artists who have exhibited far too widely (we think that by the time you get to exhibit in London's Whitechapel alongside Shahryar Nashat, you're waaaay past emerging) and are too well known to fit into the category envisioned by the very generous Jack Wolgin.

"There was a great deal of discussion about the term 'emerging artist,'" said Ingrid Schaffner, referring to the competition's main criteria. But after the jurors had defined their own terms, she admitted that they "surprised everyone by coming to a consensus fairly quickly."

Very lazily if you ask us. We hope that Temple University's Tyler School of Arts, who hosts the prize, has learned a lesson from this initial go around and realizes that seldom does a museum curator or any advisor to any museum (whatever that is?) is really at the leading edge of knowing who is really an "emerging artist." In fact, one of the criteria, if a museum curator is ever selected for the jury pool again, should be: "Have you ever given an artist his/her first museum show?" We also blame the "group of nine prominent international art world figures." Maybe less prominence and more street savvy would be more helpful in re-focusing this prize where I think Wolger intends it to be: emerging artists.

Let's also hope that this outrageous failure to focus the initial iteration of this important prize on the intended pool of artists will put this generous prize back on its intended path: emerging artists!

Meanwhile let's root for South Philadelphia's own Ryan Trecartin to take the loot home.

The three finalists' work is on view at at the Temple Gallery (Tyler School of Art, 12th and Norris Streets) through Oct. 31, 2009. The prize will be announced Oct. 22.