The Art League Blog is taking a trip down memory lane and reposting some of our most popular resources! Please enjoy this post from the vault, originally published August 11, 2017 and updated with info for 2018–19.
If you’re just starting out as an exhibiting artist, congratulations! You’ve taken an important step in your artistic growth, and we wish you the best of luck.
At The Art League, we operate a membership gallery, which means artist members can enter juried shows and, hopefully, have artwork accepted into an exhibit. (That part’s up to the juror.)
With the 2018–19 exhibit year starting July 1, we wanted to put together an overview of how the juried exhibit process works. We’ve also compiled lots of links to other articles that will help you through the process. If you have any questions, please let us know in the comments below!
This part is pretty straightforward. You can join as an artist on this page. The membership year runs from July 1 to June 30. Toward the end of the year, the cost of a membership is prorated.
There are two options for how to pay:
Which one is right for you depends on how many exhibits you plan on entering.
Stay on top of those deadlines! We have new exhibits every month. (Upcoming deadlines: entries for Tabletop and the July Open Exhibit).
Starting July 2018, all monthly Art League exhibits will be juried by digital-entry. The deadline is typically the 15th of the month before the exhibit. See the upcoming exhibit calendar.
You’ll also want to look out for any potential awards for specific exhibits. All months have cash awards for best-in-show; some months have cash awards for specific media as well, like pastel, watercolor, or collage.
Artists may enter multiple artworks (three), but jurors may only select up to one artwork by each artist.
Some exhibits are Open Exhibits, which means there is no limitation on theme, medium, process, or content. Other exhibits have themes, which may suggest different subject matters, sizes, or other guidelines.
(Note that there is always one limitation on size: artwork must fit through our doors, and must be installed by the artist if it weighs over 60 pounds.)
Settle on a title and price for each artwork ahead of time so you’re ready to fill out the entry form when the time comes!
You’ll submit artwork online at theartleague.submittable.com. You’ll need to create a free account first, then enter the information for each piece of artwork you’re entering: title, medium, price, and so forth. You also need to submit a digital image of your artwork! Give yourself plenty of time to get the best photograph you can, since this is how the juror will judge your artwork.
You won’t be around for this part, but it’s important to know what happens.
Exhibits at The Art League are blind juried, meaning the juror doesn’t see the artist’s name.
Each juror goes at their own pace, but generally this is how it works: each piece gets a Yes, No, or Maybe from the juror during the first go-round. (Remember that a single artist may only have up to one artwork selected.)
Jurors are instructed to select around 100 pieces for a typical show, because that’s roughly what can fit, but their decisions are theirs alone. After selections are made, the juror goes back to award any cash prizes and honorable mentions.
What happens after jurying? If you’re accepted to the exhibit, congratulations! You’ll get an email with the results and instructions for bringing in your artwork, if applicable. We’ll notify you if you were selected for any awards. During the exhibit, we’ll also notify you if your artwork is sold! Please pick up any unsold artwork at the end of the exhibit.
The Art League has a separate jurying process for solo exhibits, taking place two years ahead of time. Read more about solo exhibits on this page.
Gallery hours:
Contact information:
Gallery location:
If you have any questions, you can also leave a comment below. Good luck to all our exhibiting artists!
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