As the juror for this exhibition, I was very excited (and a bit daunted) about what would hopefully be a wide range of work to sift and transform into a single show. True to expectation, I was not disappointed in the variety submitted, and spent a long time living with work that I was surprised I responded to, and disappointed that I could not include more for the space provided. My tastes were challenged in the best ways possible, and with that came selections that I hope viewers will find representational of a wide swath of artists. Of note on our theme — working within the context of “young artist” as the only framework for this exhibition gave me pause on my considerations. I ultimately decided to scrap this — not to judge these images as the work of young artists — implying naivety and the crutch of potential — but as the accomplishments of artists that were elevating themselves above their contemporaries. I did decide, then, to select works based on themes that expressed themselves prominently and intricately by the artists selected. I found myself staying with work that found beauty in the grotesque, humor in the banal, and portraiture lacking in identity, but steeped in narrative or the political. Grappling with these themes and how these images would relate (or not), several of the photographers have multiple images in the exhibition. I felt that paired images would enrich the voice of the artists that did not work with single imagery, and it gave opportunity to play with how even in such a small selection these artists have a budding style, visual language and a narrative working through how they formulate and present their imagery. I look forward to seeing this exhibition come together, and hope these young artists will continue to excite with the imagery they are making.