Judge and Juror

I enter a lot of art shows and exhibits and have done so for many years. In the beginning, in New Jersey in the early 80s, I can remember how wounded I was when I was rejected from shows. It was not easy. Though I do remember one in which my work was accepted. The piece in question was a five foot in diameter round art quilt. It was (and still is for that matter) called The Tree of Knowledge Was a Cherry. It had a naked Adam and Eve standing under a tree with very large cherries on it. Now this quilt had already hung in a show in Morristown, NJ and had gotten some plaudits. It eventually went on to hang at the EGA 1983 National Seminar Education Exhibit. But back to the rejection part of this tale. My work was selected to hang at a church-sponsored exhibit, not only the quilt, but several other things. At the last minute I was informed that the quilt couldn't hang because of its unorthodox and controversial subject--the very subject that got it in in the first place! So I completely withdrew from the show. I was miffed. And I still am.

The deal is that the judges jury your work in one instant in one day. The day can be bright or rainy. The judge could have spilled coffee all over herself driving in or could have asked her husband for a divorce that morning. That judge is human and is affected by human happenings. So it doesn't pay to become too upset about one rejection. Presumably there there will be a next time, unless you are suicidal. I still get rejections. I entered three very good pieces, in my estimation, into the 19th National EGA Exhibit in May of this year. Two were utterly turned down. They are good pieces and one is already in another gallery. But one did get in--and it won two prizes.

So back to the beginning. Rejection is hard to take. In the early days I was glum for days and couldn't get the rejections out of my mind. At this time I was also starting out as a new teacher of embroidery. I was getting some rejections there too. I remembered to try to not take it so personally. But it was hard. Nowadays? I hardly remember half an hour later that I was rejected. I have a fleeting feeling of sadness and then I am on to the next thing. A piece utterly rejected from one show can be the grand prize winner of the next. You just need confidence in yourself and in your work. To that end, never stop learning the craft and never stop experimenting.

The difference between judging and jurying? To be juried into a show is the first stage. A judge (sometimes called a juror) decides whether your work will fit into the current show. The award is just to get in in the first place. Then from the juried pieces the judging occurs. Not all shows have both judging and jurying, but some do. The judging is for the awards, like first and second place, or the jurors' awards.

I rarely enter exhibits where there is no jurying. It doesn't matter to me whether or not it is judged. A non-juried show does my resume no good. My prize pieces do not look their best if low quality, poorly done stuff is hanging right next to them. I like prizes and fancy ribbons as much as the next gal, but I much prefer just to get into a prestigious show.