This is that works entered through the 'open submission' are judged by each of the six selectors acting individually and not by them acting as a committee. This gives the artist - and in fact each of their submitted works - six chances of being selected for inclusion in the exhibition. Another feature that has served the exhibition well is the size limit on works.

Whilst it is unlikely that either of these two very successful aspects of the exhibition will change, it is my job as Chief Executive, along with my board of directors, organisers Parker Harris and our sponsor ING, to ensure that the Discerning Eye continues to move forward, particularly for exhibiting artists and the buying and viewing public.

This means that we are constantly reviewing what, if anything, can be done to improve the annual exhibition, whilst at the same time keeping it true to the roots laid down by the founding group of artists some sixteen years ago. To assist in this task, we have a very active Educational Advisory Board consisting entirely of practitioners/teachers. We have also been fortunate over the years that many of our eminent selectors have been generous with their time and expertise.

Notwithstanding the success of the DE/ING relationship to date (without which the Discerning Eye would simply not have been able to undertake as many activities as it has for the benefit of artists, nor given so many visitors to the exhibition so much pleasure), ING is more enthusiastic than ever to assist with future development. This could not have been more evident than on 21 September, when I attended an ING/DE lunch kindly organised and hosted by John Howland Jackson, ING's CEO UK and Ireland, at ING's London Headquarters. Also present were three of this year's selectors, Anthony Green RA, Stuart Pearson Wright and Laura Gascoigne, together with former selector and renowned art critic William Packer, FT journalist Clay Harris, ING's London art curator Jane Waller and Siobhan Kneale from our organisers Parker Harris.

Alongside a delicious lunch and fine wines, a lively and honest debate ensued which indicated how passionate everybody was about the visual arts in general and about the ING Discerning Eye exhibition in particular. Topics of discussion ranged from the quality of open submission works and what could be done to encourage more established artists to submit in that way, to the perception of the exhibition through the eyes of the media, younger artists and different kinds of buyers. Also discussed were the pros and cons of our size limit (the general feeling was that limitations stimulated creativity and that few other exhibitions catered properly for domestic scale works) and the advantages/disadvantages of having the Mall Galleries as our exhibition venue.

Finally, we discussed what, if anything, we might do to widen the base of the exhibition by involving less traditional selectors and the effect this might have on the image of the exhibition or the impact it might have on sales. Of course opinions varied, but what was impressive was that however radical some of the thoughts might have been, all arguments were presented with a level of sensitivity and were based on an inherent understanding of what the Discerning Eye stands for. It really was an engaging and informative meeting and I would like to take this opportunity to thank John Howland Jackson for organising it and taking such an active part in person. Based on the success of this first gathering, I would like to suggest that John organises further lunch meetings – perhaps as a series entitled 'Food for Thought', as he served up plenty of both.

 

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