Standards and Jurying -- A Few Thoughts on the Subject

In our Guild, the Langley Weavers and Spinners, whenever we talk about Standards and Jurying, we couch it in the gentlest terms, continually making reference to the fact that many are nervous about or uncomfortable with the notion of having their work “judged”.

Our guild standards are a set of carefully constructed guidelines for all aspects of our craft, developed to ensure that the products created and made available to the public are of top quality.

Jurying for our annual Artisan’s Sale is a straightforward process. There’s the paperwork piece that is first checked. We make sure that each item is correctly labeled and recorded on the master sheet so the fibre artist will get credit (and hopefully remuneration) for her piece. Then we carefully look at each item and assess the quality.

Here’s what that looks like – if it’s a pair of mittens, are they the same size? Are the ends woven in? If it’s a hat, will it fit on a head, if a sweater, do the buttons line up with the buttonholes; are the sleeves the same length? Will a head fit through a pullover? If it’s a woven item, are there treadling errors? You see where I’m going with this – the things we are looking at are sensible things with regard to the design and creation of an item. Are there noticeable errors in the design or patterning?

In the event that there are problems with an item, often times it can be repaired. Suggestions are made and the fibre artist has the option to do so and still get her item into the sale.

The long and short of it is this. Jurying to ensure guild standards are adhered to is not rocket science or one of the great mysteries of the universe. We aren’t looking for perfection, that is ridiculous. We are looking to ensure that items have a finished, high quality look to them. This may run contrary to some people’s idea of “homespun” and “handmade” and I think that is where some of the tension around jurying comes from. And “jurying” is not an arbitrary affair. When an item is selected as a possible rejection, the entire Jurying committee discusses the issue, to make sure that all agree.

So please, if fear of having your work judged is what is preventing you from adding your pieces to the Artisan’s Sale, rest assured. You are among friends.