Entering Jurored Shows: Tips from the Inside

Jurored shows are a great way to “enter the art world”, get your work a little attention, and possibly make a sale.  They are also a great way to waste a lot of money, $25 at a time, and become disappointed and ultimately discouraged.

Those who are consistently accepted and make sales at jurored shows are not just lucky, not just talented – they are smart in how they go about choosing, entering, and presenting.  Here are some ideas to consider when you are perusing the jurored show entry listings on sites such as www.ArtPerk.com.

Do the math. National and international shows are open to everyone, literally 300 million Americans or 6 billion people on earth.  City-wide shows can be open to as few as a couple thousand people.  Regional shows, maybe a few million tops are eligible.  This is not to say that everyone in America or on earth will enter a show, but it does say something about the likelihood of success on a pure mathematical basis.  Most people start locally, or regionally, where they are not only more likely to be chosen, they can go to the show and mix, mingle, and market.

Know your venue, know the theme, know your juror.  If the venue or the show is a modern art gallery and the juror is a curator of “contemporary” art, you might want to pass if you are a classical landscape painter.  While most jurors are fair, and select a great variety of pieces for the show, often the venue and theme will match their artistic preferences.  Don’t think that your work is SO good that a classical figure show jurored by a fine art figure sculptor will accept your mixed media yarn and plastic representation of a building.  Hey, they might….but we’re dealing with odds and time and money use!

Check the fine print.  The terms, conditions, fees, and requirements are very different from one show to the next.  Look into the following before deciding to enter any show:

• Hanging fees.  Most venues do not charge an additional fee beyond the juroring entry fee, but some do and those fees can be steep.  It is fine to charge these fees, but be aware that if you are accepted you will need to send an additional amount with the work when sent to the venue.
• Size limitations.  Many galleries limit the size of pieces that will be accepted.  If a venue doe not allow pieces in which any one size exceeds three feet and all of your work is over four feet per side, you will not be accepted, though your entry fee check may be cashed.
• Shipping restrictions.  Some galleries will accept stamps for return postage, others require either UPS or FedEx, often with return labels required.  Know what they’re asking and if you can provide what they need.
• Commission.  Galleries often charge 30% to 50% these days, but some take a higher percentage.  Be sure you’re comfortable with the commission schedule before you decide to enter.

Follow directions.  This point could be an entire article, perhaps even a whole book.  In every 10 or so entries, someone decides to be cute, attention grabbing, sloppy, or just doesn’t read the instructions at all.  If you are going to bother to spend $25 or more to enter, bother to do as they ask on the entry form – no more, no less.  The number one mistake people make is to send jpegs of their work that are well over the allowable size, often 10 megapixels or more.  This leads to a long time for each piece to load on most computers, and often jurors just do not have the time to wait.  Another common mistake is to send a CD that is not readable to both Macs and PCs, or is just empty.  A last common mistake, sadly, is hand writing the entry form with handwriting no one could possibly read.

If all of the above concerns and ideas mesh with what you’re comfortable providing, you should consider entering a jurored show, especially if you never have.  How do you find these shows?  Join us at www.ArtPerk.com to see dozens of shows seeking entries from artists. 

The best of luck to you!

Missy Loewe

Missy Loewe is the academic dean of the Washington School of Photography, president of Capitol Arts Network, the official photographer for Virtual Pose, and co-founder of ArtPerk, a new website designed for artists.  A frequent guest speaker, judge, and juror for art events, she has curated, jurored, and hung dozens of shows for groups throughout the Baltimore-Washington area.