14 VISIONS | Juror Statement + Bio

Juror’s Statement

 My process for jurying any exhibition is to always begin with the artwork itself. Apart from the theme, I first review all of the works that each artist has submitted, to assess the formal qualities of the photographs as well as the emotions or feelings they bring out in me as the viewer. I then think about the theme and again review all of the submitted photographs and ruminate on how each photographer has responded. The word “vision” can mean many things—Merriam Webster defines “vision” as the act of seeing, something seen in a dream or a trance, a thought or concept (often of hope) imagined for the future, a lovely or charming sight, or an unusual discernment or foresight. Each of the works I selected provides the viewer with a different way of seeing its subject. Even if the subject is something banal or something we see every day like the edge of a boat or curved lines of a city building, the artists have captured moments that allow the viewer to see it from a new perspective. 14 Visions features photographs by fourteen photographers who have each interpreted the varying concepts of “vision” differently, but there were underlying threads that wove together to create a cohesive exhibition. For me, these works all evoke a feeling of solitude—some feel lonely, some a sense of longing, while others a sense of wonder. Vast landscapes with no people in sight, trees standing alone appear otherworldly, looking through smudged windows or into an empty bedroom, figures standing alone or apart. While vastly different, these works come together to give the viewer a new way of seeing the world from the photographers’ perspectives.

Allison Nance

Juror’s Bio

Allison Nance is the Managing Director of The Nicholson Project, stewarding their artist residency program, gallery exhibitions, public art projects, and more. Allison is deeply dedicated to supporting and empowering artists as leaders and elevating cultural exchange opportunities both abroad and within our own communities. Allison has over 15 years of leadership experience in arts non-profit management for the visual arts. She was the Director of Hillyer Art Space from 2013-2020 where she facilitated a robust schedule of artist selection and mentorship, organizing and curating over 30 exhibitions and 85+ public programs annually. She fostered initiatives and key partnerships throughout DC and the surrounding region and broadened artist-focused projects between Washington, DC, and international counterparts. Before that, she was the Target Gallery Director and Head of Outreach at the Torpedo Factory Art Center where she worked from 2008-2013.

Allison has curated numerous exhibitions, most recently Magnifica (2021) by Italian duo Goldschmied & Chiari in partnership with the Italian Cultural Institute and the Italian Embassy in Washington, DC, and RE/ENVISIONING (2023) featuring Adele Yiseol Kenworthy, Antonio McAfee, Stephanie Mercedes, Fargo Nissim Tbakhi, Jessica Valoris, and Stephanie J. Williams at the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities.  She co-founded and co-curated Plain Sight, a storefront gallery in the historic Park View neighborhood in Washington, DC which launched in 2020 in response to the many art-space closures in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. She was the curator of exhibitions at Culture House DC from September 2020-January 2022, and served on the Alexandria Commission for the Arts from 2013-2022, and ArtTable’s DC Chapter Leadership Committee from 2016-2022. Currently, she serves on the Washington Sculptors Group Advisory Board and Dupont Underground’s Programs and Exhibitions Committee. Allison currently resides in Alexandria, VA.