Jury Outcome Fact or Fiction, Random or Precise?

Have you ever wondered or at least hoped that there was some type of consistency on the jury process from show to show? I have always been very baffled by this very secret process. When you hit the tab in Zapplication for Jury Details, it may or may not give you any insight whether your jury fees are money well spent or if it is just put into the coffers of the event director. Some with detailed information-some with no details at all!

Please don\'t get me wrong, I have been excepted into many Fine Art Shows and have won awards. I sometimes am baffled though when or if I am rejected to find out that someone that I know gets into an art show under the same category that is a little less artistic or knowledge of that art. I know what you are thinking either I am all into myself or a sore loser-the answer is no! I am just trying find the rhyme or reason to it all.
Once we all crack those codes we will all be able to sleep tonight.

What I am finding out over the years is that by applying to an art show no artist is guaranteed that you will judged by a juror with knowledge of your art category. That a juror may judge on personal taste and not the content and the mastery of the piece. The juror may judge higher marks and critique a submission on the same art that they do. When do we start questioning the outcome and make some shows be accountable on the process of their jury selection and scores? Are we asking too much for the 30-45.00 dollars we paid in advance to have them be the gate keepers? Why is it not required at the point of denial that in that letter it gives a brief comment as to why you received that rejection? So, what did my 45.00 go toward? 3 Photos of my art and 1 photo of my booth with 3 jurors looking at each one of my photos less than 2-5 minutes....

A new day will come when artist band together and start a Union for equality and accountability.

I know there are other artist out there with my own bad taste and concern over the jury process. Maybe Zapplication can be a leader and make some type of standard for us artist that is using this forum to apply to show? Until then we as artist need to be actively reviewing these art shows and posting them on the available forums so other artist can make a more educated decision to apply. Not only just on the experience of the show but the interaction with the show hosts whether they were accommodating to your requests on your score outcome, or whether they could give you impute why you were not selected. Some shows will not give you the time of the day after the judging ends and some will give open criticism that could help you secure the next show. Is that too much to ask for that is included in the jury fee?

No offense taken Al, I’m just trying to point out why I am so left brained about shows. I posted three articles on this site about how I research shows, and the who/why is something I consider in how the show will be juried. Brenda my comments are to show that marketing can be part of the jurying process that some artists might not consider. I will also add that Zapp is not involved in jurying any shows that I am aware of. They are simple a middle man connecting artists with shows and forwarding artist images etc. to a show. What happens to these data are within the show’s administration.

I don’t think market consideration corrupt a show. You can look at the reviews of the shows I do/have done and these managements bring out buyers with money to be spent on art. What more can an artist ask for (besides clean close by toilets, traffic control, no buy/sell etc. LOL)? Nor do market considerations detract from the quality and variety of artists at these shows. On the other hand I have been in shows where “purity of art” reigned and there was a lot of esoteric work and unhappy artist who made no sales to a large wealthy crowd. I remember a couple shows with some steel ballerina skirt sculptures and large painted abstract steel panels that simple were not a good fit with summer homes and condos in the Colorado mountains, whereas, wildlife photographers and artists usually did pretty well.

I agree with Brenda about what do we get for our jury fees. Sometimes we get nothing other than a rejection without any explanation. I further agree that no single juror is qualified to jury all mediums and it is a very subjective process. How many jurors out there have the knowledge you have about your medium and your level of work? Mine is leather, and I am lucky if I get a 60’s hippie who once made sandals to begin to understand what I am doing.

Replies

Bill Shattuck May 17, 2017 at 1:29am

Unions?? That's so living in the liberal world.........
R. C. Fulwiler May 12, 2017 at 12:23pm

Brenda, you may be interested in reading this old post on this site. It deals with some of the same issues.

http://www.artfairinsiders.com/profiles/blogs/something-to-think-ab...
Shelly Leitheiser February 8, 2017 at 10:26pm

All jurying is personal preference and subjectiveness. I have seen terrible messes of paintings win awards. It's a total crap shoot. I say that with over 20+ years of entering shows. All you can do it hope you get a juror who likes what you do, but there is no rhyme or reason to it.

I have also contacted people after being "rejected" from a show (or art fair) and not been enlightened whatsoever. I have also been a witness to the jurying process of an "esteemed" and "experienced" juror in a gallery show, who didn't happen to like much of anything except really terrible artwork (in my opinion). All I have learned is that it truly is just whatever they prefer.

However - it does seem to matter what the juror themselves specialize in (why do sculptors jury paintings? who knows?)

As for your union idea -- I have thought artists should have a union for a long time!
Richard L. Sherer September 30, 2016 at 2:10pm

No offense taken Al, I’m just trying to point out why I am so left brained about shows. I posted three articles on this site about how I research shows, and the who/why is something I consider in how the show will be juried. Brenda my comments are to show that marketing can be part of the jurying process that some artists might not consider. I will also add that Zapp is not involved in jurying any shows that I am aware of. They are simple a middle man connecting artists with shows and forwarding artist images etc. to a show. What happens to these data are within the show’s administration.

I don’t think market consideration corrupt a show. You can look at the reviews of the shows I do/have done and these managements bring out buyers with money to be spent on art. What more can an artist ask for (besides clean close by toilets, traffic control, no buy/sell etc. LOL)? Nor do market considerations detract from the quality and variety of artists at these shows. On the other hand I have been in shows where “purity of art” reigned and there was a lot of esoteric work and unhappy artist who made no sales to a large wealthy crowd. I remember a couple shows with some steel ballerina skirt sculptures and large painted abstract steel panels that simple were not a good fit with summer homes and condos in the Colorado mountains, whereas, wildlife photographers and artists usually did pretty well.

I agree with Brenda about what do we get for our jury fees. Sometimes we get nothing other than a rejection without any explanation. I further agree that no single juror is qualified to jury all mediums and it is a very subjective process. How many jurors out there have the knowledge you have about your medium and your level of work? Mine is leather, and I am lucky if I get a 60’s hippie who once made sandals to begin to understand what I am doing.
Hal Moran September 28, 2016 at 7:32pm

Art will never be objective!
- Judy Christian > Hal Moran September 29, 2016 at 7:39pm
  
  On the upside- promoters often visit shows looking for new work, in order to keep their show customers happy.
Richard L. Sherer September 27, 2016 at 9:18am

One important factor has not been mentioned. Who is producing the show? If it is an independent privately funded organization, the selection of artists will be different from a show produced by arts organization funded by the city, or one produced by chamber of commerce. The latter are going to invite and invite back artists who's work sells and produces tax revenue. If you get invited, don't sell squat, do you think you will get in again? Take a look at the jury process through a different lense.
- Diane Wright > Richard L. Sherer November 7, 2016 at 5:26pm
  
  I do shows in Ohio and Pa primarily. I do not file after each show but either quarterly(pa) and 2x a year Ohio. No one but me knows how much I made for each show unless it is a commission central check out show. I do not believe I am accepted or rejected based upon what I sold last year. They may consider how commercial my jewelry looks but I doubt even that. But jurying art especially without clear cut criteria is subjective at best. I have only one show that sends me scores and comments. I've juried for admissions to an arts school. It's hard and we had very specific clearly explained criteria which was shared with the auditioner prior to the audition. We are juried and it is subjective.
- Al Scovern > Richard L. Sherer September 29, 2016 at 9:19am
  
  I've heard others say what you're saying, Richard, about some shows selecting based on sales. I understand the desire to generate tax revenue(sort of), but this seems to be a total corruption of the jury system. (I don't know the correlation between sales and quality, but I'm guessing it's closer to O than 1). More puzzling is is how show organizers would have any clear idea about individual sales. If shows of this sort ask artists to self-report on sales, what possible incentive would there be to report truthfully? If I sold poorly at such a show and for some reason wished to return, I would almost certainly lie about my sales. I am not now nor have I ever been a Boy Scout.
  - Richard L. Sherer > Al Scovern September 29, 2016 at 1:21pm
    
    Look at the taxes paid, and yes I was a Boy Scout. I am also an artist who has spent a lot of time studying and analyzing the business side of art. My Ph.D was in geology with minors in chemistry, engineering and math. Hope that helps with were I am coming from.

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