May 5, 2010

 ACE Newsletter

Selecting your ART shows Part 1

by M Theresa Brown

Hi Friend 

As the warm weather sets in and the outdoors beckons, artists everywhere are preparing for the outdoor art shows.For some, the show season never ended. It is possible to participate in shows year round simply by following the professional promoters as the seasons change. For the beginner show participant, the outdoor shows normally begin closer to home and as the spring and summer emerge.

The basics of an art show are fairly straightforward. The show is either a juried or a non juried show. A juried show means that you send in examples of your work to a panel on the show committee who see if your work meets the standards that they have set for their show.  The reasoning behind this selection process is to prevent  artists from bringing in foreign imports and to maintain a level of quality so that the show is known for quality art. The juried process is also carried on by professional show promoters who also like to see a varied and professional level of art and artists at their shows. It's all about their image!

Does that mean that if your work is not selected for a particular juried show that your art is "no good?" Absolutely not!  Another reason is to prevent too many of the same forms of art from being represented such as too many jewelers or potters or landscape artists. Art is a personal choice as well and jury panels are humans. Even award winning artists find the rejection notice in the mail so keep on entering!

The non juried shows are art shows where there is no jurying process. Anyone can participate if the vendor fee is paid.
So is one art show better than the other? Meaning, can an artist make more money at one versus the other?
It would be nice to have a definitive answer but in reality, the correct answer is; it depends. 

What does that mean? Well, it depends on who walked through the show that day, what the weather was like on that particular show day, if there were crowds willing to buy and if the promoters advertised the show well. It can depend on who was set up next to you, the show's location and if you, as an artist were prepared  in every way to market your art product that day.

In other words, regardless of what you have invested in the art show that day-money, time and energy, your return on your investment may be as varied as leaving with nothing to "beyond your wildest dreams!"  Artists can leave a show with zero dollars and yet within weeks have it become a high dollar show. How well you do AFTER a show depends on how prepared you are to work your show after it is over.

Both juried and non juried shows can be very profitable for an artist. Both can be depressingly unprofitable. There are no guarantees except that you need to be prepared for it to be a GREAT show! The other certainty is that nothing works if you don't try it. One show, good or bad,  does not determine what your future successes will be.  It's all about your perseverance and attitude.

It's also about being prepared. Part 2 of this article will cover what you need to be ready for success at an art show of any type!

Until later,

Theresa and Steve