How Much Will That Juried Art Show Cost You?
Those in charge of juried art shows have made it stupid easy for you to enter.
Step 1: Upload images.
Step 2: Complete form.
Step 3: Enter credit card and click the submit button.
The wise artist will pause before that last step and ask these questions.
- Does this show contribute to my goals?
- What do I want to accomplish by being in this exhibition?
- Aside from the nominal entry fee, what are the other costs that are involved if my work is selected?
There are many other things to consider, but these are at the top of the list. And it’s the final bullet point that I want to address.
The Costs of a Juried Art Show
You won’t know if a show is worth your financial investment until you do the math.
Back in 2012, an artist sent me an email about a painting she was sending to a juried art exhibition that would sell for $1200.
She outlined the fees involved as follows,
Would You Benefit From Using a Different Artist Name?
The arguments against using your given name are 1) that it’s difficult to spell or pronounce or 2) that it’s too common. Do you see how these two problems are exact opposites: one is too hard and the other too easy.
The Art Biz ep. 28: Making a Living as an Expat in Paris with Marcus McAllister
Have you ever wanted to start over? To move somewhere else and begin a new life?
In 2001 I sold many of my belongings, left my safe job in the art museum, and rented a U-Haul to start my new life in Colorado.
I had no idea what was ahead for me. I only knew that I wasn’t living the life that I was intended to lead. I was suffocating.
It was pretty brave of me to take this step, but I was just moving across the border.
My guest for this episode had a much grander adventure in mind. Twenty years ago, Marcus McAllister packed up his art supplies, flew to Paris, and never looked back.
In this episode, Marcus talks about his decision to live abroad, his sketchbooks, the sources of his income, and the importance of relationships.
Show Notes
In this interview, you will hear about:
- How Marcus has been scrappy yet intentional about his business and career.
- His sketchbooks (and why he doesn’t even walk the dog without taking one with him).
- How Marcus ended up in Paris and transitioned to a full-time artist, and how his career has changed.
- The way Marcus overcame the language barrier and presented himself as an artist to find work.
- Why it’s important that artists own the title of “artist.”
- The dedication Marcus has to always having a sketchbook on him, with
Writing A Guest Post for Someone Else’s Blog
Want more traffic for your website or blog? Write a guest post for someone else’s blog.
Guest posts broaden your audience instantly. You not only receive recognition on the other blog, but you’ll hopefully get a bit of traffic to your own. It’s free advertising and it’s more effective than paid advertising.
Think about it. If you paid for an ad, you’d get a small bit of space. With a guest blog post, you get about 500 words–a much larger virtual space + your images and credit. With a guest blog post, you’re being helpful to a community and generating good karma. Not so with an ad.
Write For This Blog
Please note: I no longer publish guest posts on this blog, but I’ve kept this here for 3 reasons:
- It might help you pitch your story to other blogs.
- I might write your story myself if it meets the criteria below.
- I might want to interview you on the Art Biz Podcast.
From time to time, I feature guest bloggers who share their stories of success (or utter failure). Do you have one to share?
Must-Have Website Info That Should Be at Your Fingertips
Your website is a home base for your art business. It’s where you send people to see your work, sign up for your email list, or even buy your art.
In short, you need for it to be up and functioning at its best. All. The. Time.
What would happen if it crashed?
And … Who would you turn to if you needed a quick update to your site because you found out you were being featured in an article? Is that person always available for you?
You may have a great relationship with your web designer and hosting service right now, but you can’t predict what might happen in the future.
I’ve witnessed so many artists get stuck because they were abandoned by their webmasters and have no idea how to access their sites.
Don’t let this happen to you!
Maybe you have a DIY site, but it’s been awhile since you have worked on the backend of it. How do you get there?
You are a savvy artist-entrepreneur, so make sure you have complete control over your Internet presence–even if you are lucky enough to have someone helping you.
You don’t want to leave this to chance. You don’t want to learn later that your life could have been so much easier if only you had a few answers at your fingertips.
What follows is a list with all of the information you need from the people who maintain your sites, even if “the people” is only you.
The Art Biz ep. 27: Multiply Your Audience and Expand Your Show’s Impact with Jill Powers
We often forget that we’re not alone. It’s easy to do because you spend so much time working by yourself in the studio. But … You don’t have to hold up the weight of a solo exhibition all by yourself.
If you get a little creative, you will find a whole bunch of people who would love to be involved with your show. They would be happy to help you install it, interpret it, and share it with others.
In my former life (a long time ago) I was an art museum curator and educator. This is exactly how we thought about exhibitions in the art museum: holistically.
We never installed the art and only hoped people would come to the museum and understand the work. We spent months discussing—as a team— how we would involve others in the show. How we would help make the art more meaningful to our visitors and, at the same time, increase chance that many more people would see the work.
This is where my guest for this episode of the podcast comes in.
Jill Powers is a sculptor and installation artist who creates art related to ecological issues. For her major exhibitions Jill creates public events designed to educate, delight, and challenge visitors and viewers. She also seeks unique collaborations with area businesses, organizations, and experts to help support and promote her artistic themes.
In this episode, she describes the many programs she has organized and how she did it. You’ll hear about how she worked with dancers, scientists, and restaurants to expand the reach of the show beyond the walls and pedestals of the galleries. You’ll see how easy it is to multiply your audience when you take this approach.
