So....How bad is it to send the same set of jury images to the same show, two years in a row?
I guess I can't really have an answer until I get the particular show's jury results, but I was wondering how commonplace this is for the rest of you to do? I was not able to stage a new booth shot this fall, and I feel like my best foot forward is last year's images. Moreover, I talked to some exhibitors who swear by the old, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."
What do the rest of you usually do --> All new each year, or retreads?
Thanks,
Sarah
Replies
I am in my workshop every day and always try to create new pieces of work that are hopefully improved and express new design ideas learned from my past creations. My medium is wood art and i photograph each and every piece i make... this hopefully helps me improve and learn better photography skills....plus i enjoy the photography and could not afford to have each piece professionally photographed.
This gives me the opportunity to frequently update my application photos with new pieces.
I do have certain pieces of work that I really favor and have used them to apply to different shows...but usually not for the same shows year after year. It is the same with my booth shot since my booth design and presentation of my work evolves also. My booth shot has changed around a half dozen times over the past few years...but that is a personal thing because even though my booth photo and work is supposedly seen by a new set of jurors each year I do not personally want to see and use the same-old-same-old photos.
As a photographer my images are not a major investment. I believe (hope!) my work is evolving and improving so I use newer images year to year and even show to show. I have peers that I know have been using at least one favorite image for many years. I think the main thing is to find out what works for you and go with it.
For some, a set of jury images can be a major investment and it's not uncommon to expect to get a few years out of them. For others, they may change their images every year. Some artists spend their entire art show career using the same images and tweaking their presentation as they come up with a new image or two that may fit better. keep in mind that for the better shows they usually have different jurors, though some of those jurors may rotate to other shows you may be applying to.
I've heard of one juror commenting during a mock jury that they would let a particular artist in because they've always liked their work and could see improvements with their new images. That's in a blind jury situation and the director should have silenced the juror and then not use that particular juror to jury the show in the future.
I've had another juror tell me that they rejected a particular artist at three different shows because of something in their booth. When I asked if the artist had been told of their problem so they could fix it, the answer was no.
So, sometimes I'm really surprised that some of these jurors think that they art show gods and the promoters aren't supervising them properly. If a juror can't treat the situation as being blind to the creator of the work they are jurying, they should recluse themselves from being a juror.
Larry Berman
http://BermanGraphics.com
412-401-8100
Larry..I would love to know what that "something in their booth" was! Did they reveal that?
No, the juror I spoke to wouldn't tell me.
Larry Berman