SPINDRIFT JURY SHOW GETS VOTES

A buzz went around Visual Communications Technology (VCT) building last week during the Spindrift Jury Show. Over 400 visual art entries lined the upstairs walls during the show, as people cast votes for their favorites.

Spindrift is an art publication produced annually by SCC and has been going strong since 1966, when it first began.

Originally showcasing traditional two-dimensional art, including photographs, paintings, illustrations and literary pieces, the publication broadened its horizons last year to include music and this year started accepting motion art submissions.

Seven members of the Spindrift staff, along with two faculty members, work to put this annual publication together. Entries are open to all, and works are submitted by people from all over, including folks from the East Coast and, in years past, as far away as New Zealand.

Julie Hiebert, the managing editor, said that nearly 120 people sent in art to this year’s Spindrift in hopes of being published. There were three categories in which artists could submit their pieces: written works; musical compositions and visual art, which includes illustrations, photography and moving images.

Hiebert explained that the process started in January as artists were allowed to submit up to five entries before the Jan. 31 deadline. A week later, the Jury Show took place on Feb. 7 & 8 as pictures of the visual art entries lined the VCT halls. Voting was open to all and people cast votes for up to 10 of their favorite pieces.

In the first part of January, only seven people had submitted their work, Hiebert said, which made her a bit nervous. But within three weeks, with the deadline fast approaching, artwork started flooding in. With over 400 entries in the visual category, over 130 in the written category and nearly a dozen in the music and moving images category, this year’s Spindrift could be their biggest publication yet.

“Absolutely overwhelming,” Hiebert said. “I’m amazed at all the different types of art that were submitted.”

In contrast to the visual art pieces, the written and musical entries are not open to public voting but are analyzed by the Spindrift staff for qualityand fit. Anita Proudfoot, the marketing and communications manager of Spindrift, explained that the literary team reads through all of the written art entries to decide what will make it to the final publication. The entire Spindrift team listens to the musical entries in a similar manner.

Then the real work begins. For entries that made the final cut, the Spindrift team spends about six weeks matching the literary art with pieces in the visual and music categories for the publication. As music and motion art cannot be printed in a two-dimensional format, the publication uses QR codes so that readers can view and listen to the exhibits with their phones via SoundCloud.

After about five weeks of proofreading, printing and binding, the 2018 Spindrift is anticipated to be available the first week of May, where it can be purchased at the SCC bookstore in the PUB. Artists whose work has made it into Spindrift get a free copy.

“This community college does really kickass work,” Hiebert said. Last year Spindrift placed first in the Community College only seven people had submitted their work, Hiebert said, which made her a bit nervous. But within three weeks, with the deadline fast approaching, artwork started flooding in. With over 400 entries in the visual category, over 130 in the written category and nearly a dozen in the music and moving images category, this year’s Spindrift could be their biggest publication yet.

“Absolutely overwhelming,” Hiebert said. “I’m amazed at all the different types of art that were submitted.”

In contrast to the visual art pieces, the written and musical entries are not open to public voting but are analyzed by the Spindrift staff for quality and fit. Anita Proudfoot, the marketing and communications manager of Spindrift, explained that the literary team reads through all of the written art entries to decide what will make it to the final publication. The entire Spindrift team listens to the musical entries in a similar manner.

Then the real work begins. For entries that made the final cut, the Spindrift team spends about six weeks matching the literary art with pieces in the visual and music categories for the publication. As music and motion art cannot be printed in a two-dimensional format, the publication uses QR codes so that readers can view and listen to the exhibits with their phones via SoundCloud.

After about five weeks of proofreading, printing and binding, the 2018 Spindrift is anticipated to be available the first week of May, where it can be purchased at the SCC bookstore in the PUB. Artists whose work has made it into Spindrift get a free copy.

“This community college does really kickass work,” Hiebert said. Last year Spindrift placed first in the Community College.

By Kristen Clark,
Design Director