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Bridging the Gap Between Artists and Museums
By Michele L. Bechtell
"Look for art exhibitions where the jury is composed of art educators, curators, critics,
and gallery directors."
By Michele L. Bechtell
"Look for art exhibitions where the jury is composed of art educators, curators, critics,
and gallery directors."
And several practices can enhance the probability of attracting juried art
audiences and provide comfort when artwork is rejected.
1. Write your bio as if you were deceased. Use the structured format in
museum catalogs. Include your birth year, birthplace, academic credentials,
exhibition history, life altering reference points, and stylistic evolution.
Avoid self assigned poetic descriptions. Include published quotes from
respected critics when possible. If you record famous artists who influence
your work, then specify which aesthetic you incorporate and which you
reject.
2. Enter as many juried exhibitions as possible. Look for art exhibitions
where the jury is composed of art educators, curators, critics, and gallery
directors. An online presence is an advantage. Many museums, galleries,
and collectors review the exhibitions and prizes on artist resumes. And
exhibitions can create a following; so distribute business cards and solicit
names to build a mailing list. Treat each exhibition, not as a mere event, but
as a sequential step in an audience-building process.
3. Treat Failure as information. When you do not win acceptance or a prize,
maintain the worth of the competition. Study the differential attributes of
prize winning works for possible inclusion in your work or rejection by
choice, not capability. Do not always assume that prize winning works are
better works of art. Rather, consider the possibility that jurors favored a
particular aesthetic, style, region, or audience.
4. Strive for excellence in a mediocre art era. American artists inhabit a
populist mass market culture that indulges mediocrity, instant gratification,
and gross ignorance of the God given intelligence behind visual art.
audiences and provide comfort when artwork is rejected.
1. Write your bio as if you were deceased. Use the structured format in
museum catalogs. Include your birth year, birthplace, academic credentials,
exhibition history, life altering reference points, and stylistic evolution.
Avoid self assigned poetic descriptions. Include published quotes from
respected critics when possible. If you record famous artists who influence
your work, then specify which aesthetic you incorporate and which you
reject.
2. Enter as many juried exhibitions as possible. Look for art exhibitions
where the jury is composed of art educators, curators, critics, and gallery
directors. An online presence is an advantage. Many museums, galleries,
and collectors review the exhibitions and prizes on artist resumes. And
exhibitions can create a following; so distribute business cards and solicit
names to build a mailing list. Treat each exhibition, not as a mere event, but
as a sequential step in an audience-building process.
3. Treat Failure as information. When you do not win acceptance or a prize,
maintain the worth of the competition. Study the differential attributes of
prize winning works for possible inclusion in your work or rejection by
choice, not capability. Do not always assume that prize winning works are
better works of art. Rather, consider the possibility that jurors favored a
particular aesthetic, style, region, or audience.
4. Strive for excellence in a mediocre art era. American artists inhabit a
populist mass market culture that indulges mediocrity, instant gratification,
and gross ignorance of the God given intelligence behind visual art.
Hopefully a globally depressed economy, weariness of widespread financial
irresponsibility and unsustainable public debt may reset the aesthetic clock
to raise awareness that visual art is worthy of the pursuit of excellence.
5. Be honest. What type of art do you create? Is it powerful contemplative
art? Or is it decorative? There is no shame in declaring your works as
solely intended to decorate a room or hotel lobby.
There is prosperity for artists in the decorative arts industry. Many talented
artists convert walls, windows, and floors into a pleasing aesthetic
experience using a variety of media. So, embrace your style and look for
the proper audience and market.
Are you essentially a graphic designer? Are you an illustrator? Are you a
photographer? And if so, what kind?
irresponsibility and unsustainable public debt may reset the aesthetic clock
to raise awareness that visual art is worthy of the pursuit of excellence.
5. Be honest. What type of art do you create? Is it powerful contemplative
art? Or is it decorative? There is no shame in declaring your works as
solely intended to decorate a room or hotel lobby.
There is prosperity for artists in the decorative arts industry. Many talented
artists convert walls, windows, and floors into a pleasing aesthetic
experience using a variety of media. So, embrace your style and look for
the proper audience and market.
Are you essentially a graphic designer? Are you an illustrator? Are you a
photographer? And if so, what kind?
Present your work to the appropriate audience. If you are seeking
recognition as a fine art artist, beware. No serious collector or art
museum wants an imitation of an earlier artist. The audience for imitations
is the decoration industry. There is something different about a “fine art”
artist. Fine art exudes a rarefied essence, a rigor, an intriguing pulse, a
mesmerizing atmosphere, a unique “je ne sais quoi” that differentiates it
from decorative art.
6. Avoid an attitude of entitlement. The early 21st century is marked by a
broad feeling of entitlement in many aspects of American community life.
And art is no exception. A syndicated column in a local newspaper
recently admonished readers with an obligation to buy art from local
artists because they are struggling. That is nonsense. Most everyone
strives for recognition in his or her profession, and art is no exception.
Activity doesn’t guarantee an audience or income even for art masters.
Many Sunday painters are not fine artists. For the fine art artist, art is a
passion and a calling. It cannot be stopped by way of poverty, public
rejection, critical review, or adoration.
True artists more often suffer despair when they cannot achieve a
desired artistic effect than worry about public appeal. Many artists
support their art work through independent means.
7. Develop a signature aesthetic. Are you doing something different
than other artists, not for sensationalism but grounded in a unique
artistic vision? During academic training, all apples look like apples. And
many artists can imitate historic styles.
However, most museums and discerning collectors seek more. They are
intrigued when, after much practice and experimentation, the unique
seed of an art genius bursts forth in a signature “artistic voice.” It is that
revolutionary uniqueness that helps define an art master generations
later. So find your unique aesthetic fingerprint.
8. Confront your fears. Many visual art masters did not bask in the
adulation of peers and public. Rather, in pursuit of their vision, they
sometimes offended their audience. Artists like James Whistler, Eugene
Delacroix, Eduard Manet, Claude Monet, Vincent Van Gogh, and
Jackson Pollock challenged artistic perceptions of their era.
So be brave. Push to break through stylistic fears, perceived technical
challenges, or taboo subjects that intrigue you, not for the shock value,
but because you are compelled to create.
9. Go to Museums, Live in Museums There are reasons that certain
artists and their creations withstand the test of time and are celebrated
across decades and centuries. World class art history museums
celebrate the artists and original artworks that defined and redefined
human history.
Find an original work you admire or dislike and enter a virtual dialogue
with the art master. Take your sketch pad to the museum and
experiment. Create a homage to the art master. Attempt to reproduce
an admirable visual attribute. Reinterpret a work in your terms and
artistic vision.
Above all, look, see, and reflect. Breathe though your eyes and
celebrate your artistic gift as part of the cultural continuum of man’s
history.
© 2011. The American Juried Art Salon
=========================================================
than other artists, not for sensationalism but grounded in a unique
artistic vision? During academic training, all apples look like apples. And
many artists can imitate historic styles.
However, most museums and discerning collectors seek more. They are
intrigued when, after much practice and experimentation, the unique
seed of an art genius bursts forth in a signature “artistic voice.” It is that
revolutionary uniqueness that helps define an art master generations
later. So find your unique aesthetic fingerprint.
8. Confront your fears. Many visual art masters did not bask in the
adulation of peers and public. Rather, in pursuit of their vision, they
sometimes offended their audience. Artists like James Whistler, Eugene
Delacroix, Eduard Manet, Claude Monet, Vincent Van Gogh, and
Jackson Pollock challenged artistic perceptions of their era.
So be brave. Push to break through stylistic fears, perceived technical
challenges, or taboo subjects that intrigue you, not for the shock value,
but because you are compelled to create.
9. Go to Museums, Live in Museums There are reasons that certain
artists and their creations withstand the test of time and are celebrated
across decades and centuries. World class art history museums
celebrate the artists and original artworks that defined and redefined
human history.
Find an original work you admire or dislike and enter a virtual dialogue
with the art master. Take your sketch pad to the museum and
experiment. Create a homage to the art master. Attempt to reproduce
an admirable visual attribute. Reinterpret a work in your terms and
artistic vision.
Above all, look, see, and reflect. Breathe though your eyes and
celebrate your artistic gift as part of the cultural continuum of man’s
history.
© 2011. The American Juried Art Salon
=========================================================
Michele L. Bechtell has over 20 years experience in art brokering, art
appraising, and art education. She currently serves as Director of the Madison
Museum of Fine Art, a juror for the American Juried Art Salon, art appraiser,
and a court certified expert witness in art related matters.
appraising, and art education. She currently serves as Director of the Madison
Museum of Fine Art, a juror for the American Juried Art Salon, art appraiser,
and a court certified expert witness in art related matters.
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Many art museums and galleries
host juried exhibitions to recognize
emerging artists, promote art
education, and introduce the public
to the dynamic evolution of art
history. Not all emerging artists gain
the recognition they desire or
deserve. Curators and critics can
miss worthy artists who later win
respect. This disconnect is not new.
The struggle for lifetime recognition
has even troubled art celebrities
including James Whistler, Vincent
Van Gogh, Vermeer, and Amedeo
Modigliani.
Audience disconnects can cause
artists to question the value of
exhibitions. Yet the exercise of
making application and attending
exhibitions remains a worthy one.
host juried exhibitions to recognize
emerging artists, promote art
education, and introduce the public
to the dynamic evolution of art
history. Not all emerging artists gain
the recognition they desire or
deserve. Curators and critics can
miss worthy artists who later win
respect. This disconnect is not new.
The struggle for lifetime recognition
has even troubled art celebrities
including James Whistler, Vincent
Van Gogh, Vermeer, and Amedeo
Modigliani.
Audience disconnects can cause
artists to question the value of
exhibitions. Yet the exercise of
making application and attending
exhibitions remains a worthy one.
Michele L. Bechtell
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