Have you ever wondered how the jury process works for art exhibits? I’ve sat on several jury’s both as a decision maker and as an admin. Through that I’ve learned several things that influence how I apply as an artist today.

First, I want to share the most common way I’ve seen jury’s work. I don’t think it happens with all jury’s but any I was involved with was based strictly on the artwork itself, with the application paperwork separate from the images. This relives any education, age or other biases. In these cases the images are all run through quickly sometimes 2x. Next, each image is visited individually and the jurors decide if they should remain in the running. The remaining artwork is then visited individually more slowly and this time the jurors make some notes using a score card from the gallery or their own. after a few minutes thinking they start discussing the work and this is the phase where more information about the artwork and artist is shared if asked. So for example if the jury wants to know how the piece will be displayed the admin would read off that part of the artist statement. This process eliminates even more artists. The final round is all that ‘s left and usually just has a handful that need to be cut. This round gets into discussion of what pieces will make for a dynamic exhibit.

Five things I’ve learned from participating in this process: Make sure you have clear and high contrast images to submit. High contrast images stand out in our mind more. I witnessed jury’s naturally respond more positively to high contrast artwork especially after a first quick run through of all the applicants. Only submit your best work and follow the guidelines for the opportunity. So for example if the show is looking for physical artworks and they don’t exhibit video then don’t submit your videos for consideration. Organize your submissions strategically. I personally like my submissions to start with one very representative of my work overall. Then a piece that is a WOW submission. End with a piece full of emotion. Make sure how it’s displayed or created is clear either through the photos or in the description. If the jury is unclear on how the piece will be hung or have other essential questions that can’t be answered by the admin they will find it much easier to eliminate your application early. Celebrate your acceptance and dust your self off if you’re rejected. Exhibition spaces are rarely big enough to showcase all the amazing art available to share. Additionally the jury need to consider how all the accepted work plays and interacts with each other. They are designing an immersive story and that means they have to consider other factors than just how great a single piece is.

I hope this is helpful as you prepare your applications. If I can be of further help though please leave a comment below or consider subscribing for more art related content.

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Hi I’m Faith Humphrey Hill, a portrait artist combining knitting and drawing with digital tools. I was a gallery director for 20 years before becoming a full time artist. Follow my journey into knit prints, knit animations and beyond on my website.

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Visit my virtual gallery here: https://www.spatial.io/s/Faith-Humphrey-Hills-Gallery-64444d48696c55107064a927?share=1700750073687642150

Music: Music track: animal friends by Lukrembo Source: https://freetouse.com/music https://youtu.be/ag2RePNqwCs

Supplies used: Museum App by Sktchy https://www.sktchy.com/ Procreate https://procreate.com/ IPad drawing board https://youtu.be/QV5DmhrOW9Q

My work provides an optimistic view of technology’s role in shaping our identity and relationships with each other. The subjects are strangers to me, just as they are to the viewer of the finished work. Being a visual artist, I use my eyes to learn about the person, and in the process find commonalities between us. Knitting (a form of binary code) is included because of its continuous flow of fibers that mirrors our interconnectedness as people. These pieces are created using new and old machines. Incorporating technology in the process reflects my life with metal implants; as I am a balance between organic and inorganic so should my art. #drawing #art #knitting #digitalart #digitalartforbeginners #artandcraft #artist #speedpaint #drawwithme #letsdraw #chill #relaxing #artprocess #digitaldrawingtutorial #portraitart #portraitartist #portraitdrawing #procreate