Some Thoughts About Juried Shows

I've been on all sides of the juried exhibition process. As an arts administrator, I've organized juried shows from the local to the national level, setting up and facilitating the process from start to finish. I've served as juror for exhibitions. And of course, as an artist applying for juried shows, I've had my share of acceptances and non-acceptances (most recently not making it into the Adirondack National Exhibition of American Watercolors, oh well).

I think my experiences as a show organizer and juror have given me a healthy perspective on handling not being selected for a show I've applied to - after a short moment of disappointment, I move on. I don't internalize it or allow the news to tear me down. Because I know that there are many reasons why a painting may or may not be selected for a show...

What goes into juried selection?
The juror or jurors may be instructed to apply certain criteria to their process by the exhibiting organization, or just unleashed on the works using their own hierarchy of criteria of what makes a work great over a work that is good or mediocre. Jurors usually take into account the following: strong composition, mastery of medium, use of color/value/shape and mark-making, artistic style, how compelling the subject matter or concept is, and if there is a theme, how did the artist interpret that.

​In exhibitions where multiple genres will be shown, the juror may or may not be instructed to select the best of each genre. Or the organization curators step in to finalize the juror's selections so that there is equal representation of each genre to make a more balanced show and provide enough variety of subject matter and styles.

The mix of work entered in any given year could be heavy in a certain genre or style, and the juror has the difficult task of selecting what stands out, not just based on excellence since there would be many exemplary works to choose from, but what gives the juror a little something extra to think about, reflect upon and react to. That last visceral reaction is purely subjective on the part of the juror, and that's fine.

Finally, its important for any artist to acknowledge that there is always room for growth. The work entered may actually just need a little improvement; more practice in getting down a dynamic composition, taking another look at values and how they can add to (or detract) from the work, create more excitement with color, etc... It's a continuous learning process; the important thing is to keep experimenting, exploring and if entering juried art shows is your thing, keep trying. Each year, for the big shows, a different juror or jurying panel is looking at the work and the outcome might end up in your favor. And if not, give it another shot the next year.