Had a rejection slip recently? According to the popular US-based online gallery, Light Space & Time Online Art Gallery, if artists have not been getting into as many exhibitions as they would like, compared to the number they have entered they should take a fresh look at how they are submitting their artworks.
There are numerous reasons why work gets rejected before it gets off the starting blocks. These include carelessness with the entry requirements, missing deadlines and in the case where photographs are requested poor quality of the images provided.
Put simply, a poor or carelessly presented entry may be the primary cause of one’s art not getting into an art exhibition, rather than the quality of the art that was entered. Artists should realise that the presentation of their entry is just as important as the art when it comes to entering competitions.
An artist’s presentation should be as if they were trying to sell their art to the judges in person. You only get one chance to impress the juror and this is not the time to get sloppy with your submission. There is a reason why they call it a ‘competition’ as you are competing with other artists for a limited amount of places in that organisation’s exhibition. Make sure your art is being prepared and submitted according to the way in which that organisation wants it to be presented. Do not give them a reason to reject your art by not following the rules or by not providing them with art that is not gallery worthy.
BELOW IS A GUIDE THAT MAY ASSIST ARTISTS TO OVERCOME THE BARRIERS TO ENTRY
1. READ THE RULES
The organisers of any art show or competition have developed their own rules in order to administer, process and judge the art in a thorough and systematic manner. Try to understand exactly what they want and conform to their process.
2. BE AWARE OF DEADLINES
Deadlines are there for a purpose. It is unfair to expect the organisation to change their schedule in order to help an artist with their scheduling issues. It is also not fair to all the other artists who got their submissions to the gallery properly and on time.
3. UNDERSTAND THE COMPETITION’S THEME AND MEDIA
Understand what the organisers want. Save yourself a lot of wasted time and effort by having the theme and media requirements clarified. If it says two-dimensional art, do not submit sculptures.
4. LABEL ENTRIES IN THE CORRECT FORMAT
The organisers want entries in a particular form for identifying, administering and for judging purposes.
5. ENTER THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT OF WORK ALLOWED
If a competition is asking for three images, give them the three images. Judges like to see if the artist has a consistent style and technique. Additional images help the juror to evaluate your art more closely.
6. PROVIDE A BIOGRAPHY IF REQUESTED
A simple biography could help the artist in getting accepted into a show. There have been times when an artist’s work has been withdrawn because the requested biography is missing.
7. FOLLOW THE SIZING REQUIREMENTS
Follow the size, resolution and quality settings the judges ask for. The main reason for this is that they are trying to standardise the judging process and if all of the entries are the same size and resolution it will help the juror to make a better judgment and decision about your art.
8. PROVIDE GOOD QUALITY IMAGES WITHOUT FRAMES
If photographic images are requested these have to be of acceptable quality. This covers all aspects of the image, colour balancing, cropping, exposure levels, hot spots and so on.
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