We are pleased to have Alex Paterson from Tu Gallery jury the Hidden Talent Students artwork for an exhibition for the Edmonton Gallery Walk! The last day to deliver art is by 2:00 Sat June 19th.
Many of our students have never entered into a juried competition and I thought I would share what goes on behind the scenes.
Remember that not all artworks can be picked. If yours isn't it DOES NOT mean it is not worthy! There are 100's of other factors that come into play for the selection of a show. The art that is produced at Hidden Talent is far far above average...the jurors will have a heck of a time picking only a few! There is limited space on the gallery's walls and the gallery owner must select works with his clients in mind.
Your artwork is placed in an area where the juror or jurors can see them. Sometimes the names are covered over so that the judge is not influenced by who did the artwork instead of the artwork itself.
There are many ways for the jurors to pick their favorites. Sometimes each is given a list and they place their top 20 pieces on it.If there is total agreement the jurying is complete. You can imagine this rarely happens!
Sometimes each juror is given a post-it note or something similar and then these are placed on the artwork. Those without a paper are removed, then the judges ween down their selections by talking about their selections and why they were chosen. There is alot of negotiating and thinking about things other than just the artwork. For example: will these pieces hang well together? Is there a theme? Is there enough or to much size differences? Are there enough subjects? Are these works that will sell to gallery clients? This is where the real WORK comes in. I have been a juror many times, and believe me it is real work. At times you must defend your choices, compromise or just disagree.
After the exhibition art is selected ( and this could be a LONG time), the artists will be notified . If there are any concerns about framimg, pricing or printing, the artist will receive a call from the gallery owner (or me!)
In Hidden Talent's case, all artwork can be picked up on Monday and taken home. Those paintings that are selected are 'saved' by the artist for the fall Gallery Walk to be delivered at a later date. If you need to giclee your original, make sure it is done before October. You will be required to fill out forms from the gallery, a contract and info page, then, at a later date supply Tu Gallery with a list of names for them to invite on your behalf.
Please note: give as many names as you can! Doctors, dentists, accountants, relatives, neighbours, friends, church people. Remember that who you invite does not necessarily need to love your art. There will be plenty of great art for them to look at! Besides, it is quite the honor to be personally invited to attend an artists showing. A minimum mailing list for a gallery going to the expense of showing your art should include 50+ names. Sounds like alot? If you really think about it, must of us can come up with considerably more if we think who we interact with each day.
Next, as the exhibition gets closer, GET ON THE PHONE! SEND OUT EMAIL REMINDERS! Make sure 'your people' will be there! A good friend of mine and one smart artist, Sharon showed for the first time in a posh gallery. She will always be welcomed there because she presold her art before it even got hung up! She sold out her first show! Did the gallery owner do all the work? No, Sharon was on the phone and promoting herself where ever she could. She made sure that she had clients ready to come and talk with her at their opening. And it was impressive!
Maybe you don't have buyers yet, but your friend and family should be encouraged to bring along their friends. Every painting has an owner. We just have to make sure they meet!
I hope this is helpful! If you have any questions please leave a comment or call me at the studio.Good luck to everyone!! It's going to be very difficult to chose only a few when there are so many great paintings!
Laura
