Every year I have to apply for about 12 to 20 “jobs”. It’s art fair application time! Most people don’t realize how competitive it is to get into art fairs. There are some “top tier” shows that have over 1000 applications for 200 or so spots. So every year about this time I wrestle with the decisions of which three or four images to submit to each art fair and which art fairs I want to try for.
You would think that in my 31st year of applying to arts festivals I would have finally figured it all out but I’m amazed how much I still have to learn. I recently watched two “mock juries” one with my work as part of the jury and another without. This is where two or three people that have been jurors in the past go through submitted artworks and give suggestions on how to improve your images and your artist statements. I was amazed how much I had to learn watching these!
Here’s one group of four pieces I am using this year to apply for festivals.
In most cases artists use a system called Zapplications where you upload three or four images of your art and one of your booth full of your art. You also get a 100 to 300 character statement about your work. As a sculptor that creates three dimensional work that is experienced differently up close and far away it’s a big challenge to photograph my work. It’s also a challenge to pick three or four pieces that capture the scope of what I do.
After watching the mock jury of my work I felt pretty good about my selection of pieces but I learned that I needed a new booth shot. The booth shot is the biggest challenge to most artists and it’s been a struggle for me for all 30 years of my career. If you have been to my booth you know I love to fill it up! It’s my aesthetic - more is more in my world! But I have to realize the booth image is not the same as walking into a booth and I need to pare it way down. I did a mock up on photoshop of my booth with less art and less display materials like my run and floor banner. What do you think?
Regular Booth Shot vs. Less stuff Booth Shot
Watching both mock juries was another reminder that every jury will have different opinions. On one mock jury the jurors hated booth shots on grass and on the other they loved grassy settings! It is such a gamble to apply to shows- one year they will love your style of work and the next they year they won’t.. I always joke about how many “lottery tickets” I am buying each year. That’s how I feel when I spend the required $30 to $50 fee just to apply to each show each year. There are about 4 or 5 shows that I apply to every year that either I have never gotten into or I’ve only gotten into once. I already received my annual rejection letter from my “favorite lottery ticket show”. I got in this show off the waitlist once in 2017. If you added up all the money I have spent on jury fees for that show it is probably far more than I made at the show the one year I was in. . But just like a gambler I can’t help trying every year.
And now with the tidbits of knowledge I gained from watching the mock juries I feel ready to buy a bunch of “lottery tickets” this year and see if I’ve improved my chances. In the meantime I wait it out in hopes of getting at least 12 emails with “Congratulations” in the subject line.
At least this year I have a few shows that I know I’m in because I received awards the year before!