Art Submissions

I never cease to be amazed at how disorganized the art submission process can be, on behalf of both the show organizers and artists.

From an organizational standpoint, it is all too easy to overlook things because of the large amount of information that needs to be imparted, including requirements concerning both the submitted artwork (size, media, age, presentation limitations...) and the submission process itself (drop off, accepted image types, image labeling...), insurance & liability information, commission amounts, the handling of sales, dates & deadlines, and so on. However it bothers me when galleries cannot abide by their own rules, dates and deadlines. Sometimes it can take months to hear back from someplace regarding a submission and juried shows can get in touch very close to the show dates, leaving little time to get your work to them. This can be very frustrating because it ties up artwork so that it cannot be submitted or sold elsewhere. And sometimes show organizers are not in good communication regarding changes made to the deadlines, especially regarding drop off and pick up times, which can make the process even more frustrating.

At the same time, artists do not always follow instructions and drop off work late or bother the show organizer, which only adds to any delays. Admittedly, sometimes the guidelines are not clearly spelled out or (worse yet) contradict themselves. But a lot of artists just don't read them in their entirety before putting together a submission packet and sending it off, especially if they waited until the last minute to submit work. Artists can also not include requested information, sometimes intentionally because they know that their work should be ineligible for some reason or another and they decide to submit anyway. Or they can try to bend the rules to suit their own needs, pestering the show organizers with unsolicited requests.

All in all, the experience can be very trying from both sides. Both show organizers and artists need one another so everyone should do their best to respect one another and abide by the requirements that are laid out beforehand. I try to do my best regarding this and to be as organized and thorough as possible, although I have been known to create or enlarge problems due to misunderstandings, questions and concerns that I have regarding submission procedures that I do not understand. We all make mistakes - that is inevitable. But we should all be as consistent and punctual as possible while doing our best to pay attention to the submission process to ease or lessen any issues that may arise.