Many of my artist friends are extremely
selective about the jurors they submit work
to rather than the venue or exhibition. They
research the jurors and think that, possibly,
their work may be in this individual’s favored
wheelhouse. I do not. The venue is my
criteria and the reputation of the exhibition—
and then, maybe, the jurors. It is always
my hope that a reputable exhibition will
carefully select the jurors. Certainly, there are
times that a particular ‘slant’ is evident. But
work outside of the comfort zone of any one
particular juror may be exactly what is needed
to seal the deal. Wheee, down the roller
coaster you go!
A few years ago, I had a conversation with
a juror in a very prestigious exhibition that
has always stayed with me. The gist of her
comment was “on any other day, at any other
time, we would have chosen a different show.”
Having witnessed jurying fi rst hand, I already
knew this to be true.
Unfortunately today, notifi cations—
whether good or bad—don’t come in an
envelope with a handwritten signature.
Rejection notices feel cold, sometimes poorly
written, always noting the massive statistics
of entries and noting the small pool of
acceptances. And they sting.
The only remedy I have discovered is
similar to that of being thrown off of a horse:
Get back on. That is how I deal with it. Every
rejection is potentially another great piece
that is now available for the next entry!
Eventually, the odds will weigh in your
favor. Do the work, and remember that
jurors aren’t gods. They are just like us. And
someone asked them to jury an exhibition.
For very little money or even for free. Keep in
mind that they’ve invested a lot of time and
effort in the process, and that it’s their name
and reputation attached to the fi nal result.
Believe it or not, the jurors are on the roller
coaster, too. They’re just riding in the fi rst car.
On to the next one. Clank, clank, clank ...
..
...
“Rough Water” (2019) • Sarah Entsminger • 18" x 44"
Rejected; accepted in Road to California 2019,
and SAQA’s Connecting Our Natural WorldsPhoto^ by^ Stefanie^Kamerman