I’ve entered three juried shows in the past week, and although I don’t expect to get in, I figure eventually one day someone is actually going to pick my work for their show. Funny, but the thought of being picked makes me more nervous than being rejected. I hate the waiting part.
If you aren’t familiar with the process, it’s common for art centers, galleries, museums, etc to hold juried exhibitions. They send out notices for artists to apply for the show. Sometimes there’s a theme, or sometimes it’s an annual smorgasbord. A panel of jurers is picked to look through hundreds of slides sent in from artists and pick work for the show. Each artist that enters pays a fee, usually between $20 and $35. Some places don’t return your slides at all, others will send them back in a self addressed stamped envelope. The nice places give you rejection letters, other places you just never hear back from.
Most people hate the rejection letters but I don’t. I makes me feel a sense of accomplishment for trying to get in. If at the end of the year I have a pile of rejection letters in front of me, I know I tried my damnedest, and that feels really good. Plus each juried exhibition I apply for makes me more prepared for the next one.