One of the most discouraging and perplexing situations for artists can be when they submit their art to a particular call for artists and they get rejected. Every artist has been in that situation more than once during their career. Your goal should be to avoid rejection as much as possible. I’ve written this article to provide possible answers to “why wasn’t my art chosen?” Hopefully you’ll gain insight about how to increase your acceptances for future competitions and other opportunities for which you need to submit examples of your artwork.
I write this from the perspective as a curator for online art exhibitions for the Manhattan Arts International and The Healing Power of ART & ARTISTS websites and having presented many exhibitions in galleries and corporate venues. It breaks my heart whenever I have to reject an artist from one of my projects. I always spend hundreds of hours reviewing entries and visiting the artists’ websites for each show. I also confer with a few art experts who have had at least 10 years professional experience either as gallery owners, curators, and award-winning artists, before making my final selections.
At the end of this article you’ll find links to more related articles including “Important Basics to Know Before Submitting Your Art to A Jury”.
14 Possible Reasons for Why Wasn’t Your Art Selected?
Here are some of the reasons I’ve received from the experts I’ve worked with as well as some of my own reasons. I hope they help you understand why your art may not have been selected.
* The images the artist submitted were poorly photographed, incorrectly cropped, or the JPEG was the wrong size; therefore they could not be considered.
* Although the art was well done, there is no story or clear message; there is nothing to grasp our interest.
* The art lacks a sense of balance and attention to composition.
* The figure is not anatomically correct and/or the perspective is inaccurate.
* The artist, who submitted three different entries, appears to lack their own clear vision. My advice is, if this is a condition of the opportunity, and you’re not ready yet, it’s best to wait before submitting your entries.
* The artist submitted only one image which doesn’t give me a chance to fully grasp her/his style.
* The artist submitted art that has already been chosen for previous shows sponsored by the organization. My advice is keep a record of all entries you submit as well as your art that is included in exhibitions. If the jurors are like me they do have above average visual recall.
* The artist’s jpeg was labeled incorrectly and did not follow the requirements.
* The artist doesn’t have their own artist website (a requirement that is clearly stated on the entry form of my exhibitions and many other organizations).
* The artist doesn’t have a resume and/or biography or artist’s statement on her/his website.
* The artist’s statement makes no sense and/or has grammatical errors and/or does not relate to the art they submitted, or far surpassed the maximum word requirement. My advice is, if English is your second language, get writing before submitting it. Don’t make excuses for poor writing skills. Apologizes are unacceptable when submitting to top level curators. (Check out “How to Write Your Artist’s Statement”.)
* The artist has wonderful artwork on their website; however,the art they submitted is not representative of their best efforts. (See below about getting professional feedback.)
* The art is great but the artist totally ignored the theme.
* The artist’s website was marked “unsafe” or “under construction” or links were broken. My advice is, test your website to make sure it’s functioning properly and has all of the updates prior to sending your submissions.
More Advice Before You Enter Your Art
Learn As Much As Possible About the Curator/Jurors
Read any and all available statements written by the jurors and/or award presenters before you enter and after the winners have been announced. You’ll learn a lot about why they chose the artists they did and their criteria. Every juror has their own professional experience, education, expertise, personal tastes and stylistic preferences. This knowledge will help you select the best opportunities that match your skills and body of work and the most suitable images to increase your chances.
Barbara Markoff, art consultant, author, photographer, and former art consultant, has served several times on the awards panel for Manhattan Arts International. For one exhibition she wrote “I will be looking for an artist with a confident and distinct style that expresses a fresh approach. During the reviewing process many factors come into play for me, including technical achievement, interpretation of subject matter, and ability to creatively express a unique viewpoint.”
Keep in mind, although you may be submitting a few images, the juror or selection committee may also be judging you based on what they find on your website. For instance as a curator of exhibitions I always announce that I will be visiting the artists’ websites before tabulating my scores. These visits help me ascertain if the artist has developed a clear and unique vision or is scattered and unsure of where they are going. I also read their About the Artist page and Artist’s Statement.
Solution: Get Objective Professional Feedback
Before you submit your entries to a juried competition, residency, gallery, grant provider or other opportunity try to step back and view your art objectively. If you find this difficult, you may want to seek the advice from a mentor or creativity coach who can provide unbiased guidance. They can help you choose your best artwork for the given situation.
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