The Pros and Cons of Juried Exhibitions

Entering Juried exhibitions is an important first step for an artist to gain recognition and establish a reputation, after that I see no significant purpose to go through the juried process.  Juried exhibitions are expensive, most charge a fee to enter, and have specific framing requirements (you may need to re-frame your work), and the fees are not refunded if your work is rejected.  These fees are often the primary funding for the operation of the sponsoring organizations.

Selection into a juried show by important jurors (recognized experts in the field) is gratifying, adds to your resume and helps you understand your weakness and strengths.  Unfortunately jurying is subjective, paintings are selected or rejected based on the bias of the judge or judges. It is wise to know the preferences of the judges, whether or not they prefer representational realism, contemporary, or abstract painting and you should only submit to shows that embrace your style of work.

Some competitions require a specific type of crating, and ask that you pay a broker to pick-up the work, unpack, re-crate and ship back.  These costs can be prohibitive.  It is wise to learn about the physical facility where the exhibit will take place and if the public will have regular access.  Once I was accepted into a prestigious New York show later to find that the exhibit hung in a basement with pool table lighting, very dark, where only members had access.  Needless to say this did not do much to further my career, it just added a notch to my belt and cost me a bundle of cash.

Most competitions require submissions either by slides or digital images on CD.  In both cases it is important to have color accurate images and the services of a professional photographer should be employed for the best results.  Make sure that when your work is accepted from a slide or CD, that the final selection for the show is NOT made from the actual art.  It should be obvious that shipping and crating is far too costly to have the work rejected once it arrives.  I do, however, approve of rejecting any art that is selected that does not resemble the submitted image in color or clarity, or poorly framed.  I cannot stress enough the importance of using professionals to photograph and frame your work.

So, artists before submitting to a juried exhibition, do your homework.
Gail Niebrugge, Alaska artist