The Art League Blog is taking a trip down memory lane and reposting/updating some of our most popular resources.
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.)
Since a new exhibit year just started, 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!
Step 1: Join as an exhibiting artist and pay your dues
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:
- Traditional: pay the membership fee (currently $95) and pay $5 each time you enter an artwork
- All-Inclusive: pay the membership fee (currently $144) and entry fees are included
Which one is right for you depends on how many exhibits you plan on entering.
Step 2: Take a look at our schedule of upcoming exhibits
Stay on top of those deadlines! We have new exhibits every month.
For our new digital-entry-only exhibits, the deadline is typically the 15th of the month before the exhibit.
- Calendar: Gallery At-a-Glance for 2017–18
- Resource: Exhibiting Artist Organizer
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.
Step 3: Choose what you want to enter
Artists may enter multiple artworks, but jurors may only select up to one artwork by each artist. For digitally juried shows, you can typically submit up to three artworks. For traditional receiving, the limit is two.
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 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!
Step 4: Submit
You’ll submit artwork one of two different ways, depending on the exhibit. The Art League now only accepts digital entry.
Digital entry: All our online exhibits can be found 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.
- How-to: The Zero-Budget Guide to Photographing Artwork
- How-to: Visual Guide: How to Apply to an Art League Gallery Show
- Event: Artwork Photoshoot with Greg Staley (October 16, 2018)
Important: If you are entering two artworks, keep them together, even if they fall under different categories. The juror will be shown both artworks together.
- Resource: Framing guidelines for The Art League
Step 5: Jurying
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. Online, the software withholds the artist’s name from the juror. In person, volunteers present the artwork to the juror with the label not visible. (The juror may ask for information like the title of the piece.)
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.) Nos are set aside immediately. Yeses are accepted into the show. Maybes will get another pass.
Jurors are instructed to select around 100 pieces for the 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.
Step 6: After
What happens after jurying? For digital entry exhibits, you’ll get an email with the results (around the 25 of the month) and instructions for bringing in your artwork, if applicable.
If you’re accepted to the exhibit, congratulations! 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.
Other information
The Art League has a separate jurying process for solo exhibits, taking place two years ahead of time. The deadline for solo jurying has been extended to October 8, 2018! Read more about solo exhibits on this page.
Gallery hours:
- Monday–Saturday: 10:00 am–6:00 pm
- Thursday: 10:00 am–9:00 pm
- Sunday: 12:00 noon–6:00 pm
Contact information:
- [email protected]
- 703-683-1780
Gallery location:
- 105 N. Union St.
Studio 21
Alexandria, VA 22314
If you have any questions, you can also leave a comment below. Good luck to all our exhibiting artists!