“The Durham Art Guild’s 57th Annual Juried Art Show,” Durham Arts Council building, 120 Morris St., through Jan. 8.

The Durham Art Guild’s 57th Annual Juried Show is not the greatest we have ever seen but it is not the weakest either. The 40 artists show a discipline and craftsmanship that deserve the audience’s attention. The problem is there is no excitement, no innovation, no working at the edge.

Sixty-three years ago Durham artists formed the Guild to support the visual arts. It is among the five oldest visual arts organizations in the United States and over the last 57 years has organized an annual juried competition as its major project. Over the years the Guild has had several locations but since 1988 has been the major partner in the renovated downtown Durham Arts Council Building at 120 Morris St.

One of its great strengths has been the caliber of juror for its juried competitions and this year is no exception with Linda Dougherty, chief curator and curator of contemporary art, N.C. Museum of Art, as the juror. Before her appointment to the Museum of Art, she directed public art programs for the state of North Carolina, worked as a curator for the Phillips Collection in Washington, D. C., and worked as a research associate at the National Gallery of Art and as a research assistant at Washington’s National Museum of American Art.

With that said, the exhibition is smaller than usual — 40 artists compared to 60 last year. According to Taj Forer, director of the Durham Art Guild, “Linda Dougherty wanted a tight show of the highest quality.”

The exhibition looks good, set into one open space with pedestals in the center for the one piece of jewelry and the five three-dimensional pieces. First and second prizes went to two well-known local artists, sculptor Paris Alexander and painter Constance Pappalardo, whose art consistently shows the discipline of constant work. Third place went to newcomer Klint Ericson.

Alexander, who also won a solo show, carves stone as classical sculptors have done for centuries. In every chisel mark we see years of study. Sometimes his objects are figurative, usually with a story, and sometimes they are totally abstract as is the winner, “Portal VI.” “Portal” is carved limestone that suggests a very elegant small tombstone or an ambiguous marker.

Pappalardo is an abstract painter in the style of Mark Rothko (1903-1970). She fills her canvases with strong color fields; her subject is her color and the feelings the hues and shapes may arouse in the viewer.

Ericson joined the Guild this summer and, with this recognition, has reaped huge rewards in short order. His profile portrait of a young woman is in sharp, realistic terms. He invites us to know her beyond the color of her skin and the curls in her hair. With the curve of her cheek and the look in her eyes, he shows us a strong woman who will not buckle under the things life may throw at her.

Daugherty is the acknowledged expert on photography for the N.C. Museum of Art, and on her watch the museum has added a collection of photographs that compare to any in the greatest museums in the country. I would have thought the photographers would have come out in droves for the chance to show her their work. Looking through the list of individual pieces, I found just three. When I called her to ask about the dearth of photography, she said, “There were just no photographs to choose from.”

“In fact,” she added, “I looked at over 400 single works of art; most were paintings with just a few sculptures and a few photographs.” I asked her if she was surprised at the absence of photographers and she said yes. I suggested they may have been intimidated by her expertise and she laughed but offered no comment.

Among the photographs are Jim Lee’s “Mantis Diva in Repose,” Deborah Green’s “Hudson River Sunset,” and Sondra Dorn’s “Alliums: Underwater.” Personally, I liked Green’s “Sunset.” The subject, the side of a grungy building, has been done and redone, but she has caught a shadow moving across the brick that puts the perfect tone on this dark subject.

There are a number of paintings that deserve your considered attention, including Kathryn DeMarco’s “I Dream in Black and White,” a tour de force using the technique of collage, and Judith Smith’s “Happy Birthday,” an honest portrayal of age. The birthday girl stares out at the viewer, seemingly unaware of the fuss being made over her. Lilly Langer’s “Taking a Coffee Break” also deserves a second look; it is a portrait of a working woman sitting in quiet dignity.

As for sculpture, there is Rickie Geiger’s “Global Longing,” a beautiful blue basket covered with painted outlines of the continents and poking out from around the globe are ceramic hands, palms extended in supplication.

And do not miss Trena McNabb’s “Mother Earth-Touch,” a display of draftsmanship at is best. The painting is full almost to the point of being claustrophobic; there are chicks and ducks, farm produce of bananas, cucumbers and tomatoes, great animals and small and flora and fauna everywhere. It is a happy picture inviting you to look and sort things out. Once you have done that you will see the outline of a gentle figure softly touching the earth; it is a beautiful idea done with outstanding skill.

Although this is not the Guild’s best show, Durham is fortunate to have such an organization in its midst. It gives art a platform and we need to support it.

Blue Greenberg’s column appears each week in Entertainment and More. She can be reached at blueg@bellsouth.net or by writing her in c/o The Herald-Sun, P.O. Box 2092, Durham, NC 27702.