Showing posts with label Calls for Art. Show all posts

Monday, October 20, 2025

Post 419: More About a Call for Art

More About a Call for Art

Additional thoughts about an art organization's call for art, because baby, its CRAZY out there! Hey, its another blog post about artists answering a call for art and I like to cover lots of angles. More of an opinion piece but a bit necessary, even a bit of a rant - sure. But here goes...

All art galleries, studios, shows, as well as the participating artists want to have a great show, perhaps make a few bucks - all towards everyone success.

______START RANT HERE___________________

Frustrating, Discouraging, Puzzled and Occasionally, What Were You Thinking?

These are the emotions that anyone running a call for art will feel and think during their call for art process.

I am a volunteer for an art group. I've volunteered to help with many a project for my art group including helping with the setup and maintenance of many calls for art for our art shows. I'm not looking for anything except for understanding, perhaps your patience, and mainly your consideration on the part you play too.

(Oh, I also do the PWAS Artistry Spin Blog and of course, my Donna's Cave Painting Blog are both volunteering too BTW.)

After being on opposite sides of an art call, a call for art, and/or a call for artists (all virtually the same thing), I have developed some opinions on the subject. Maybe you don't care, but I'm using this blog post to toss these thoughts onto the world's canvas. AND I am absolutely confident that ANYONE that has been in the art call process can tell me similar and crazier stories too.

Meaning that I've submitted to a calls for art, and I've written calls for art with a team of artists, a gallery committee no less. But golly, it does all get frustrating at times. There is a TON of work done as a volunteer behind the scenes that you need to be aware of.

Believe me, I do try to be helpful and answer the questions asked, to help folks understand the process and all that jazz. Hey, I already wrote this one - How to Apply for a Call for Art to try to address the topic. And I am sooo reminded of a saying my mom says, "You give them books and you give them books, and all they do is chew the covers."

I've said this in several ways already but...

Read the dang Call for Art. I mean it. In full. Print it out. Highlight the very important key items.

BEFORE you do anything when considering answering a call for art is to READ said call for art to know if its the right call for YOU.
Before you register, certainly before you pay the fee, READ the CALL FOR ART!
BEFORE you ask any questions, READ IT. Can I be any clearer?

THIS is the number one most frustrating of items about an art call. The information is there waiting for you. Just take your time and READ it. Slowly. Don't skim it.

This is YOUR JOB as an artist and your duty to the VOLUNTEERS trying to help get the show together. It is NOT the volunteer's duty to walk you through the process and every detail.

And another thing, don't wait until the last minutes of the art call with the deadline breathing down your neck.

Here's a story for you...

I remember when I was growing up and getting ready to go out into the workforce being taught to avoid asking whomever the boss would be, too many unnecessary questions as much as possible. Seems strange in a way don't you think? Maybe it shouldn't. There are necessary things to ask and there are definitely some goofball questions. And what do you think the "boss" is thinking when you ask a question that has already been answered elsewhere?....If you read the art call, you'd see the answer there.

The thought behind this lesson learned is as follows: If you have all the information, the instructions, the data, have been handed the manual, and have been sent the email with the to-do list, wouldn't you need to not disturb your "boss" (art organizers) from his/her work and knuckle down and do your own work (Read the dang call for art requirements).

I'm taking this a bit far out there to get to my point but here goes.

The members of a nonprofit art group are typically volunteers doing the work it takes to get a project done. They don't get paid. They do the work in front of and behind the scenes. Why would you take the time to send an email to ask a question when it is so clearly already stated in the call for art? Yet it happens over and over again.

I know people are people are people but good golly!

Here's another amazing fact...

Not every call is exactly alike.

Surprise! They don't have to be and they can vary any way that art call organizer might want or must have it. Too bad so sad if it isn't what you do. Maybe its not the art call for you. Could be a very legit reason for it but I just don't see why they need to explain every detail either.

Nor does the art call for the same annual or biannual art show have to be the same.

You'll only learn the differences if you read it.

SO MANY QUESTIONS!

The gallery committee, the show organizers, art call admins get zillions of questions about:

We were asked about 3D art. If its not stated in the call for art, maybe they don't have a place to put it. Perhaps even to safely display it. Think about some child running through a gallery and knocking into your art piece (HORRORS!). If its not on the call requirements, consider it as - sorry, no 3D artwork. Yet we had someone ask why we didn't. Seriously?

We were asked about sizes. If the requirements ask for a size range, the organizers of the show have their reasons for this request. Maybe the space looks better with larger pieces, maybe there is no place for tiny pieces. Maybe the theme IS that canvas size. Who knows? But if the call says THESE sizes, best to stick with those sizes. Occasionally you -may- get away with close-to-the-size-requirements, but your entries are left to chance at the moment of jurying. I'd put that under a low volume of entries possibility, but it's better to have a variety of artwork inventory sizes available in this respect.

What if when we get a gallery of our own at some point and want to do a beautiful art show with artworks with all of the exact same sized art, making the gallery space perfectly symmetrical? Hey, it could happen.

I was asked a question about the art size dimensions via an email reply that was answered within the original email they were responding to. I just shook my head on that one.

Consider that the bigger and more entries an art show has, the more slicing and dicing of art entries there will be especially of art that does not follow the criteria required.

We were asked about a theme. - the art call didn't say it had a theme did it? Did the title of the show say "Gallery Art Show for Nature's Animals"?

If no theme was asked for in the title or body of the requirements, go with any artwork you like. And I can pretty much guarantee if you submit an artwork to the "Nature's Animals" show with no animals on it, you won't be juried in.

We were asked about photography and digital art. - this is beyond my pay grade. There are differences, some shows may take neither, one or the other, whatever. Ya gotta read the requirements - Surprise!

We were asked about frames - to frame or not to frame, size of artwork to frame, etc. Can you say Display? Art calls will give you the info you need.

We were asked about changing their artwork in ARTCALL.org - as stated in there, you can change the artwork you submitted right up to the deadline. Heck, I even deleted a previous entry to two to newer artworks, so I updated the title, size, price and image.

We were asked questions through the all the wrong channels. - Instead of going through the proper route to ask a support question - the artist goes to a fellow member directly. There is a Contact Form to ask questions ON the art call. Quite a few people didn't use that. The email that we specified to answer questions about the call for art was a group email so that anyone from the team could see the question and answer it as quickly as possible within our parameters. If asking the organizer volunteer directly - you are more in that persons personal space and time.

We even got a question about the PWAS classes that our art group offers from ARTCALL.org. Not kidding.

We were asked about using the same artwork in the two shows we were running. -It didn't say you couldn't, perhaps it should have been. But what if it sells in the first one? Then you are one down in the next show.

We were asked questions at the last minute! I saw this happen at 11:05pm and the art call ended at 11:59pm. I had gone to bed already. You know the saying...."You snooze, you lose." Except I was already snoozing....sorry artist.

Seemingly innocent enough questions BUT... think about it. The organizers get asked those same questions over and over and over again by multiple people. In person, via email, via Contact Phone and text message. Occasionally I am thinking to myself that there is only one of me and potentially hundreds of you. There could very well be questions unanswered when asked via the wrong channel.

Basically, don't read more into the Call than is in the Call.
What if the art call doesn't say anything about the art that you do?
A call for art requirements isn't just about what it does ask for, but its also about what it doesn't ask for or say. What does that mean?
If the art call says 2D art including multiple mediums: oil, acrylic, pastels, watercolor. If it stopped there, I would say that's all they may want for that show. (You wouldn't submit an oil painting to a watercolor show.)
If there is no mention of 3D art and that's what you have. Sorry, they did not ask for 3D art.
If it says no Photography then no photography. If it says no fabric art...OK, you get the picture.

How to Jury Yourself Right Out of an Art Call

I've seen it. And felt it. You may have seen and felt it before too. I've seen artists not follow the directions, for a lot of different reasons. But remember, the art show really isn't just about you. The organizers can't bend the rules, their requirements for any one person. No matter how fabulous your art might be (for real or in your own mind).

With all that said, here are a few things that the juror's ax may very easily fall on:

Not submitting your very BEST possible pieces of artwork for that particular show. See Art Rejection.
Submitting the totally wrong size artwork as requested, under or over sized.
Being late to drop off artwork.
Dropping off artwork that has no wire.
Having artwork with saw-tooth hangers.
Having prints improperly presented.

Failure to follow the directions in any way could potentially place a boot in your backside.

This list has happened at about every show I have been to and been in one way or another.

We have even had a person get angry with US because we did not have the equipment to help wire their artwork that they forgot to wire.

After an art gallery committee was waiting all day for art to be dropped off, at the end of their shift, they went home. An hour later someone contacted me asking where they were, she'd fallen asleep and couldn't be there on time. Serious case of 'you snooze, you lose.'

We've seen sawtooth hangers, we've seen prints in plastic wrap, we've seen artwork falling out of its frame. We've seen not only artwork not signed at all (WHY would you do that to your artwork?), but unfinished sides. And once again, the link to the PWAS Display Requirements is here.

The requirements are as stated so why add or subtract from the stated instructions?

Maybe I'm the female version of Grumpy Old Men but I'm seriously thinking of just doing the old commercial for Prego Spaghetti Sauce and answering people by just saying "Prego". For those of you too young to remember that commercial, the meaning behind that is, "It's in there". See that here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2J87QekxQVI Of course "It's in there" means its in the call for art requirements. Here that "Prego"?

Most Artists DO Get it Right, Thankfully

And I have to give out BIG kudos and thank yous to those that did and do follow the instructions correctly.

There are certainly upcoming and newer artists that have never submitted art to a show, gallery or art event before. And of course, we're all human and we do make mistakes...and sure, there is a first time for everything but it is still up to YOU to do the work and the homework. No one has the time or desire to hold your hand through the process, especially with so much information out there for you to LEARN the process.

And finally, by all means, don't rush and wait until the last minutes before that deadline is looming to enter a show.

______END RANT HERE___________________

Many people learn by doing, so I do suggest that you volunteer for the art projects that will put you in closer proximity to LEARN the art projects/processes you need to know about. There so many art groups near you that do need help and bodies that are willing to volunteer in some capacity. Get on a committee, get on the Board, share the experiences and in turn, you will learn from those around you.

Like my content? Follow my Blog!_________________________

Author: Donna Liguria is the Blogmaster for Donna's Cave Paintings and the PWAS Artistry Spin Blog and an artist member of the Prince William Art Society (PWAS) in Woodbridge, VA. Donna specializes in acrylic paintings of landscapes, seascapes, historic locations, animals and many subjects. Visit her Website at DonnaLiguriaArt.com and her Donna's Esty site to shop her art.

*I LOVE reading your comments on my posts! Just remember that the blog comments are monitored so they may not appear right away.

Do you need a handmade, original painting for yourself or as a gift for a friend or family member? Yes, I do most commissions, so please contact me through this blog, on Facebook, My Website at https://DonnaLiguriaArt.com, or go to Donna Liguria Art on Etsy at https://donnaliguriaart.etsy.com to shop my available Artwork.

Monday, August 25, 2025

Post 405: Artwork Rejection

Artwork Rejection

Updated: August 16, 2025.

You've done the work. You created your artwork and submitted it to a juried art show or gallery in the hope of showing off your artwork to the masses. You may even have submitted a fee to enter the show. Now, the wait begins to see if you get the thumbs up or the thumb down.

Photo by Luke van Zyl on Unsplash

Out of Your Control vs In Your Control

(Warning: Please note that I'm not going to sugarcoat this article.)

And then the notice comes in that your artwork was NOT accepted.

There are some things within the artist's control when submitting artwork to a gallery for selection, but probably much more frustrating is that there are more things that ARE NOT within the artist's control. And even more confusing and/or frustrating, the reasons for rejection that are out of your control, you may never ever know about.

Some art shows have one juror, some have several jurors at the same time when the volume is huge for a show. Some art spaces have a jury committee - a group of people that decide what will be included in the show. But what they should all have in common is that they all want the best display of artwork for their upcoming show, period.

When the Prince William Art Society (PWAS) was at the Open Space Arts (OSA) at Stonebridge (now defunct) , we used a "Jury Committee" which is a group of artists with a variety of art backgrounds that review all art submissions. While we cannot speak for every juried art show in the world, there are common features that are taken into consideration when populating a gallery for specific art shows.

Here are some things that the gallery has total control over:

1. Quality Images to Jury. The gallery, actually the jury person(s) have control over what was submitted to them. If the image of the art - the photo that you took of your art looks terrible, the jury or juror can easily drop the submission. The artwork may look fantastic in person, but what the juror saw was not good.

2. Art Venue Space. How large the gallery space is vs. the number of pieces submitted, also vs the size of the pieces submitted. Say a gallery has room for 100 large pieces and they receive 350 pieces of large art to jury. Do the math, that's a lot of rejected art.

3. Art Show Theme. IF the gallery is looking for a theme and the artwork submitted doesn't fit that theme, it has to be cut. Although the occasional gallery may not have or want to necessarily stick to a theme for each art show, occasionally the title of the show does dictate a "theme". It's all about the artist fully reading the call for art.

Say the show was "Summer Spotlight on Art" and artists submit art that has snow, ice, fall colors and the like. Although the art might be scrumptious, the time of year along with 'what might sell best at this show' would mean that these pieces may do better if submitted for a fall or winter seasonal show. Again, look at Number 2, something has to go.

If a theme is stated, your artwork submitted should obviously fit that theme. If no theme is stated, run with whatever YOU DO BEST. If the art show is called something like Best of the Region, obviously they want the absolute best artwork representing the artists from around that area.

4. Best of the Best vs Diversity. I can speak for PWAS and the shows we have juried on this topic, we always strive for the BEST of the art submitted. We want the highest quality of art from Prince William County artists for every show we have juried. That takes precedence. We realize that some artists only do abstracts, some only do large works, some artists do photography, and others do realism. We compare an artist's submissions against other pieces that same artist submitted (often taking the best out of that artist's entries) as well as the entire shows submissions.

There are galleries that are all about featuring every style of visual art known to man, perhaps to appeal to the diversity of potential gallery visitors. And in essence, there is nothing wrong with that. Again, gallery space over the number of pieces submitted means cutting out some great art.

5. Being Fair. Although I was on the Jury Committee for that previous gallery back then, I do like to think we were being fair in our selections. We voted on pieces and we did try to be inclusive. We each have our own opinions about what we like and do not like in art and this is true for any jurist or jury committee at any gallery. I believe that a committee vote works better than a single person selecting work for a show. Our committee members are objective in their decisions, seeking the quality of the artwork submitted as our priority. A single jurist may or may not be as objective - I've seen it at some galleries as you probably have.

Consider this, what if the juror dislikes the color pink and your artwork is all about flavors of magenta. Oh dear artist of the pink painted perusal of pandas, your art may be at risk on the proverbial cutting room floor....I've heard some of our artists that like to research the potential juror to know in advance their likes and dislikes.

6. A Single Juror Made the Decision. I'm sure all of us have entered shows, paid the fee, and done the wait game. We must remember that we are totally at the personal preferences of whomever the juror is. I've been to art shows where I've wondered why certain pieces were juried in and I've also looked at artworks and thought, "when I grow up, I want to paint like that." But that is MY view of that artwork, it wasn't the person that made the decision for that show.

7. The Art Submissions Were THAT Good. Perhaps all of the art submitted was so outstanding, the absolute best artwork from so many artists that a whole new bar was hit. Things start getting technical at that point. The art venue may even consider, "will this sell?" (and will it sell at THAT price??).

I do think that sometimes we get so used to getting in this show or that show, so that when we do hit that WALL "you're artwork was not accepted", it decks us. We might get angry, or hurt. But there really is sometimes, just nothing we can do but put up your dukes, and get back to painting again.

A Rejected Art Piece

I'm going to show you an example of one of the oddities in art jurying. This is a photograph of a piece I painted and had submitted to the OSA Hispanic Heritage Art Celebration show that is was open from September 21 to October 16, 2022. This piece was rejected from the Call for Art.

Pinata by Donna Liguria, 2022 Acrylic on Canvas

Now, why I am showing you this, is that on Saturday, September 24, at the Occoquan Arts and Crafts Show, the Prince William Art Society (PWAS) had a tent up with 9 artist members displaying a diverse tent of talent. This painting was the first piece that sold in the first hour of the show. Funny but true and others have similar stories.

And another artist that I know, she has an art piece that I've seen accepted to various shows, and I believe it has previously won a people's choice award - it always gets rave reviews. Then I saw it NOT accepted to a juried show. It truly is what it is when it comes to art.

Art Crafts vs Fine Art

I do think that an understanding should be made here about the difference between fine art and craft art. See this article Difference Between Craft and Fine Art

At PWAS shows - certainly the juried shows, we have turned away craft art. It is also worth remembering that the Gallery Committee, made up of Prince William Art Society members, needs to also work under the guidelines of our gallery sponsors - meaning that the artwork on display must be FINE ART of the best quality.

What is in the Artist's Control?

1. Follow the Rules, the Directions, the Process. Proofread your submission BEFORE you submit it. You know the saying, "Dot your 'i's and cross your 't's"? When a gallery has A LOT of artists submitting hundreds of pieces of art, what is really unfortunate is when an artist DID NOT FOLLOW DIRECTIONS. Print out the directions so that it is easier for you to follow the checklist of things to do! Highlight the important dates and info.

I've seen so many artists, both newbies and well established artists NOT read the requirements! At the 2025 Best of the Region art show we sponsored at the ARTfactory, we had to reject so many artists because they submitted artwork so much smaller than what we were asking for!

The Call for Art has the directions on it and if you don't take the time to read it, well that's on your head.

...I could stop this list at this point because that is simply where most mistakes happen...but...

With everything on the internet, on YouTube, on this blog or elsewhere, a simple search and doing your homework will help you understand the art business world and its expectations. It is a business and an artist wants to sell art as much as the gallery does. If a gallery has requirements, it is UP TO YOU TO MEET THOSE REQUIREMENTS. Otherwise, maybe a juried art show might not be what you should do if you can't take rejection.

If I come across as harsh on this, I'm not going to apologize. I've had artwork rejected too. It happens and it probably has to you too. Nonetheless, here are some areas where mistakes can and do happen when submitting art to galleries to be juried:

2. Bad Photos. A bad photo will make great artwork look bad.

To be blunt - your artwork may look great in person, but the image of it that the jury sees - well, sucks. Actually this happens a lot and the artist does have control over taking the photo of it. Do NOT include background in your art photos. Take a GREAT picture and CROP out the background. And quite frankly, because of techie things, the image may not translate well from image to projected when the jury is doing their thing.

3. Missing Information. When space is limited on the art venue's walls, not following the directions or not filling in the applicable info is too easy a way for a juror to cut that artwork.

4. Unfinished Artwork. (This covers a lot of territory from under-drawing showing to unfinished edges.)

5. Badly Framed or Matted and Framed Artwork, or unprofessionally packaged art prints.

6. Improperly Wired Artwork. (We have received artwork with no way to hang it, whatsoever. AND it is NOT up to the gallery to fix any wiring issue your artwork may have.)

7. Not Original Artwork. (Unless you are Walt Disney, don't submit Mickey Mouse art.)

8. Incomplete, unprofessional artist bio, especially if requested. Some galleries request an "about the art" or inspiration statement of some sort. Juice that baby up!

9. Submitting Only One Entry. Being able to submit the total limit of submissions, can increase your chances that something will get in. Limiting to only one entry could be a sort of an alert that you may be a beginner and you may be overlooked for a more aggressive entrant or perceived as larger body of work artist.

10. Failure in Not Submitting Your Images in the Requested Format. Also note, if asked to ATTACH the image is different than EMBEDDING the artwork in the email. Often, although perhaps unknown to you, there are good reasons for specific requests. When dealing with hundreds (or more) pieces of art, each gallery has their own methods of doing things, so proper labeling helps to clearly identify the files.

11. Failure to Submit Art on Time, to deliver art on time or failure to respond to an email for more information on time.

12. Failure to Not Submit Your Best Artwork.

13. Poorly Constructed compositions, proportions, technical flaws. This is also known as not executed well. (We have seen artwork where the subject matter is quite good, but the piece's background is not. Or the human's hands are out of proportion to the rest of the portrait.) Or seeing the original sketch work showing through the artwork...

14. The Uniqueness of Your Art. How does your artwork stand out, what makes it so far superior to another landscape or similar subject matter?

15. Submitting the Same Pieces over and over again. (The expectation is that you are growing as an artist and have much more artwork to show.) We've seen previously submitted artwork get recognized as being previously submitted!

Your attitude in taking rejection is under your control. You can take it as a learning experience or you can always say, "They hate my art. My art is no good. I hate this gallery." And throw your paint brushes across the room (and make a mess). OR you could simply ask where you could improve from a knowledgeable source that has the time to answer your request.

Friday, August 1, 2025

Post 396: Art Show Themes That Make You Go Hmmm

Art Show Themes That Make You Go Hmmm

Calls for Art are interesting yet contemplative things for an artist. When a call for art shows up in your inbox or you see one in your social media, one of the first things you take note of is the title of the show. One of the next questions (for me at least), is where is it? This blog post looks at some of the perplexing art show themes, titles and other things where artists end up scratching their heads and going, "Hmmm".

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

Now, What Shall We Call Our Art Show?

I do realize of course that art galleries / art spaces need to name their upcoming scheduled art shows something. I could be wrong, but I'm thinking its more for the public's interest and promoting it than for the artist's sake except that how else are you going to refer to it? A call for art / art show name can make it appealing and a curiosity to the public and make it stand out, to even be a memorable event. Understood.
You can't very well name them "January", "February", "March", etc. for a lot of reasons. Many art shows don't sit in exactly those time frames either. So, what's in a name? I suppose a lot.
"Hey, do you remember that art show we did a couple of years ago called 'Coloring the County'?" - Yes, that name works better than saying, "Do you remember that art show we did in May 2022?" AND the name was pretty generic - a vague hint of submitting some colorful artwork... more or less.
And then there are the typical art show names, like "Art in Motion (insert whatever)...", "A Journey Through (insert whatever)...", and "Art Unleashed (insert whatever)...". Hmmmm. I'm thinking bicycling, traveling in my car, and freeing my canvases...
And THEN the questions that must be answered for you to figure out if you can enter the show:
Does the time frame work for me - from drop off/pickup and actual show dates?
Does the art I have fit the size or medium requirements they are asking for?
Does the location work for me - how far away is it?
Yes, location. As in WHERE the heck IS IT? I come across a lot of art calls online BUT finding out what state or city or even the country the thing is in is absolutely missing. Put out a APB to find that art show! Very often I have to do an internet search to find out WHERE it is! Maybe its me, but I think that's an important thing to PUT ON THE ART CALL. Last I remember, the internet is global.

And finally...
What is the art theme, and what the heckles are they asking for? There are titles I have puzzled over definitely. I don't like the idea of submitting my art to the show and hoping it fits the puzzle.
Photo by Reid Naaykens on Unsplash
Hmmm. Google needs to come up with an art show app to decipher the names of art shows. Does anyone have an app for that?
Is the name actually the theme of art they want you to submit or it is just a generic name of the show?
"April Showers Bring May Flowers" is rather obvious. "A Sense of Play - Young at Heart" would leave me baffled. Whimsical art maybe?
The art call should spell it all out for you - IN YOUR FACE! I'm talking neon light here in some fancy colors.
Like:
"OPEN CALL - Landscape"
Ok easy enough there, they want landscapes. K.I.S.S.
"Call for Art Word and Image"
Also pretty easy, they want some kind of image and some text on the art in some manner. Whoever can mix that up in a meaningful and delightful way gets in I presume.

Befuddling Art Show Names

I can't be the only one here...How many of you have read the title of the art show and thought, "What the heck are they asking for?" And they want you to write up a statement about the art that you submit for it! Including how your artwork reflects that theme. Hmmmm.

I did just come across an art call like this: "Call for Artists - Get ready for the biggest art show of the year! 8' x 8' Small Canvas Art Show". Do you see the problem with that one?

Even "Emerging Artists" shows - hey I'm still emerging. I haven't been doing art all that long. Or are they asking for the spring chickens here?

Sometimes you just must bring out the soapbox (maybe in this instance I should say the pochade box) and say a thing on your mind. Sure, it is good to have an interesting and appealing name for an art show's call for art. But I do like the clarity of a oh, they want THIS kind of art. Just hopefully, I have something that will fit the moniker.

I'd love to hear some art show names that have puzzled you as well. Drop a comment!

As a sidenote, check out this list 1,015 Memorable Exhibition Name Ideas to Spark Curiosity

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Donna's Cave Paintings Blog - by Donna Liguria Art

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