Forum

When I first started this insanity, I was a paper maker with handbound books as my primary product. Over the years the absurdity of making my own paper with which to make books was brought home to me when a show promoter said to me "Pat, nobody knows you make your own paper. You get in because of your books" and a show friend, a leather guy, reminded me that he did not slaughter the cow. I found great places to buy amazing papers (too many superlatives there?) and proceeded to make journals until the craze started to wane and the need for precision in book making started to chafe. I had saved every scrap of my paper as well as the purchased ones and began to experiment with collage which has proven to be where I was meant to land. I began to jury in as "mixed media" because that is exactly what I was doing and I have been very lucky with acceptances. Pretty much. Every so often a show has a paper category and I jump on it, of course. My primary material is paper, everything I make is made of paper, paper is the material with which I make my art.
I started to hear grumblings about categories a few years ago from jewelers who were bummed that some entries under "mixed media" were actually jewelers trying to find a way into an overloaded category. Sometimes they would have a couple of assemblages in a booth filled with earrings and pendants, but mostly they had jewelry that was made with various components. Like vintage findings and such. Still looked like jewelry to me. It only bothered me when one of the "mixed jewelers" as I called them, won awards. It didn't seem fair even though I have never been in the ribbon hunt. That changed when I started to get a few ribbons here and there and it rankled when a jeweler won for mixed media. I know...petty.
Now I'm noticing creative classification in the "paper" category. There aren't too many shows that have that one and it increases my chances at a really good show. Increasingly, anyone who uses paper in their work, whether they print on it, paint on it, draw on it, seem to be able to jury in as a paper artist. I call foul.
If you are an artist and you print your work on paper, that does not make you a paper artist. If you show up with a booth full of jewelry, you are a jeweler, not a mixed media artist.
I do mostly fine craft and art shows. These "category shoppers" are all talented, creative people. I am in no way disrespecting their work. But the competitive shows are so hard to get,I say "please stay out of my category and take your chances in your own." I don't think it has affected me yet, but the trend is worrisome.
Am I wrong here? Petty? I tried not to whine. But I am interested in your opinions.