By E. Marie Robertson
Juried calls for art seem to be everywhere these days, for
everything from established galleries to “alternative spaces” like storefront
windows and vacant buildings. Opinions
about whether artists benefit from participating in such calls are equally
diverse; Juried calls
are characterized as everything from a great way for emerging artists to
build up their exhibition records to activities unworthy of ‘serious’ artists
or, at the far extreme, pure scams.
To be sure, there are calls for work out there that fit each
of these descriptions. How can you tell
the difference?
According to Benny Shaboy, editor and publisher of the
curated call list Art Opportunities Monthly and a thoughtful student of juried
calls for more than 18 years, your first step should be to check out the
website of the call’s sponsor. Adverise-y
language or hype is usually a tip-off, as are for-profit galleries that mention
additional fees for “hanging” or “initiation.” For-profit sponsors that charge a
submission fee but also offer framing, art consultation, or other paid services
for artists or customers may at best be a private business running a
competition to generate income. “It may
not be bogus, but the odds are slim that your work will be seen by the sort of
people you want it seen by, and the odds that it will sell are even slimmer,”
he explains.
“Good” calls for work may or may not charge a submission fee.
“In general, established calls that have
been around for at least a few years are better because they have worked out
the kinks,” Shaboy adds. "The prestige
of the [sponsoring] organization and/or the juror(s) should also be considered.”
So is it worth your time and sometimes money to respond to a
juried call? According to Shaboy, the answer is “it depends.”
“Entering a juried show on a whim is about as useful as
buying a lottery ticket,” he asserts. “It should be done as part of a
thoughtful plan.” Before pursuing participation in any juried show, consider where
you are in your art career, what your goals are, and whether actually getting
into that show will result in something that is specifically helpful to you,
whether that’s cash, exposure, sales, a solo show, or getting your work in
front of a particular juror.
If you’re considering submitting work to a juried show,
Shaboy offers the following tips to help you select and, ideally, be selected
by, the “right” kind of juried exhibition:
1. Pay close
attention to the sponsoring organization’s website. Look at what they seem
to feature or respond to, especially if they showcase the work of past winners.
Make sure the work featured is a good fit with your own in terms of type and
aesthetic outlook. If you find no website or a site with very little
information, strike that “opportunity” off you list, Shaboy suggests.
2. Consider the
artistic history and background of the juror(s). Google is your friend when seeking out this
type of information.
3. Make sure you meet
any specified criteria for the call, like medium, size, geographic location,
etc. Various estimates suggest that
25% to 40% of all work submitted to juried calls never makes it to the jury
because of immediate disqualification for not meeting one or more of the call’s
stated requirements. “In this case, the artist gets nothing and the organization
keeps the submission fee, “ Shaboy points out.
4. If you’re just
starting out, focus on local calls at first. They’re not only less
complicated to enter (avoiding fees for shipping work long distances), but
you also have the opportunity to follow
up by attending the show in person. This
is vital, especially if you were not accepted into the show; by attending and
looking at the work that WAS accepted, you learn what a particular juror or
organization is responding to. This is useful information for the next time you
submit.
5. Make note of
patterns you see emerging and be ready to adjust your plan accordingly—and keep
at it. If you feel juried shows are
for you, don’t give up; consider every show regardless of outcome a good
learning opportunity, Shaboy explains. “I have a good friend who started out
entering the shows put on by her local photography club. After the first two,
in which her submissions were rated last or next-to-last, she decided that the
photo club was not for her ideal venue. She began entering other shows, making the
kind of notes and observations I mentioned above, always looking for the type
of jurors and shows and competitions that seemed to fit her work best. She continued
this process for several years and as of today has had more than a dozen
important shows around the world, including museum shows. Her work is in about
20 museum collections in the US, the UK, Europe and Asia.”
Resources:
Carefully screened art opportunities list for traditional
and contemporary artists working in all media. Readers of this blog who are not already subscribers can
get an absolutely free three-month subscription to the Professional version of AOM by using this link: http://www.
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