I am planning to enter a few competitions for exhibitions in my region.
I see it as a can't lose situation. If I am one of the fortunate artists to be selected for the prize, the reward is obvious. However, I believe the process of submitting my work is a reward in itself.
The competitions are providing short-term goals for my studio work.
It is very easy to get distracted with long term goals, such as an art show 4 months away. It's easy to procrastinate and lose focus.
One jury requires 20 samples of the artist's work.
This has been an excellent opportunity to work in a series. My 20 pieces will all relate to each other. I believe unity in the work will create a powerful display.
Competitions will help me develop my work.
I believe that artist's work is influenced by economic factors. Art that makes a good design in a home or office is easy to sell, but does not always express a complicated thought. I believe that museums and other exhibition venues are more interested in what the artist has to say than whether the work is pretty or easy to sell. This provides an excellent opportunity to experiment with new ideas and break comfortable molds with my art.
What do you think?
Does anyone have any positive or negative experiences with art competitions? Any suggestions for other artists? I would like to hear from you, so please leave a comment for everyone.
Have a great week!
ken
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
Hi Ken,
I have been in several different competitions. Mostly for the values you have talked about, improving my work, creating opportunities for me to be more creative, etc. The juror is not usually associated with the gallery directly. I haven't entered shows thinking I would get a prize, but for the opportunity to show my work.
A lot of the contests have very small fees, and thus very small prizes. Being juried into a show usually means that your work is shown with all the others that are chosen for that venue. This means a fairly big opportunity for exposure at a very low cost. The gallery wants people to show up and purchase, as they usually get a commission on sales, so the entry fee covers the cost of the show display, advertisement, etc. All you have to do is enter. A lot of the work of marketing is done for you by the exhibiting gallery.
Some people get hung up on whether or not they actually get in, and I think that is too bad because any one juror can have extremely individual taste, and being chosen doesn't actually mean much if the juror has a particular bent. Its important to not take this personally or get discouraged. Last year I entered a juried show for the Coastal Arts League. The juror chose all pastels in all media. So while I happened to have entered some pastel lusters, the really spectacular pieces (in my opinion) didn't get chose because they weren't pastel. The sole exception was a very red piece that the coordinator said had looked pink on the entry photo. So go figure.
Any way that's my experience, and I hope this helps.
Pat Dailey
Pat,
This is a new venue for my work, and I appreciate your insight on competitions. I have always thought it would be hard to judge something as subjective as art. I have learned to take it with a grain of salt...but it always feels great when your work is accepted!
A special treat for those participating in my blog. I have posted a few paintings of my new series:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/usartdude/
No one has seen these paintings. This is the only link to these images, so thank you for reading my blog, and enjoy!
ken
Hi Ken,
I really like your 5 acrylic works. They are charming and fresh. My favorite of course is the Christmas one. I'm a sucker for Christmas and animals.
Pat Dailey
Post a Comment