Standout Submission
Think Like A Curator
Image by Darya Tryfanava
Submitting your artwork to open calls is an effective way for all artists to advance their careers. Submission allows the opportunities for artists to present their work to curators, editors and publishers, and to possibly be seen by collectors, galleries, museums and other exclusive art organizations.
A submission that stands among other strong artists, can be a challenge. Jurors and curators must look at photos of work instead of the actual art, so savvy artists rely on digital images and their artist statements to tell their complete stories. Our experience working with curators will illuminate how successful artists make a bigger splash when they submit work for open calls.
HAVE THE ORGANIZATION + CURATOR ON YOUR RADAR
Artists should understand the modus operandi of the organization they’re submitting to and be proactive, thinking about the eyes that will be reviewing a submission.
Michelle May, the co-founder of Juniper Rag, says artists who are thinking of submitting to their open call should take a look at previous issues and pay attention to social media. Read our website, to get a feel for who we are and what our mission is. Each call for art is like a mini-show, except people hang on to the magazine. It does not physically come down and the browser never closes.” Juniper Rag features emerging and mid-career visual artists, through curation and features. A unique feature about the magazine is that they connect interior designers, creative business owners and art-related stories, ultimately giving artists many new networks at one time. Connecting is at the core of Juniper Rag.
Curators are invited for Juniper Rag’s dedicated curation section, made up of a combination of curators, editors, publishers and other art professionals representing the art industry. It’s an educated, professional, connected and well, sophisticated selection. The artwork that we seek is “significant”, universally significant art. We showcase art that engages with themes that a wide audience may relate to. Art that is relevant, timely or has a point of view. Our selections must show risk, have the technical expertise and of course, uniqueness.
DO YOUR HOMEWORK
In every issue we feature “Curation Insights” where we point out learned tips from our curators. They see differently. They are experts in their field and understand the nuances of process and, materials and difficulty. Beware of cliché, common tropes and repetition. Research about similar work that preceded yours. Standout submissions tell a story with a fresh and original approach, often inspired by the artist’s own unique experiences.
Troubling but true, curators often view work and have an immediate categorization for it, because they’ve seen so much of it. Subjects like landscapes/seascapes or anything cliche, will all be a hard sell. Trending subjects may be familiar to judges, like political subjects, gentrification, or the demise of small-town America. We advise artists to take risks with their work, to see things in a new way, to present new perspectives and new processes. If you have been on one path for several years, we encourage you to shift gears and get out of your comfort zone. Your creativity is endless, look at subjects in a new way.
THINK ABOUT THE FORMAT OF THE PUBLICATION
Artists submitting to exhibition open calls, magazine calls and online digital shows should pay attention to the format and organize their artwork accordingly. If there is a call for an exhibition, you can bet your booty they want to see cohesive bodies of work.
READ OUR SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
Obviously, right? We need to reiterate, repeat and say it again here because, quite often, more than a human would expect, people submitting don’t read the instructions. We want fresh content in our magazine, we need to have it prepared so we can use it in our magazine. The more professional your submission, the more impressive you are as an artist. Do you think unorganized types get the solo shows? Nah. The artists who consistently show their game, they‘re the ones that can be trusted to come through with deadlines, organization and represent themselves on the business end. Read please.
TIMING IS EVERYTHING
We know the term “Free Love” for very good reason. It was the definition of a cultural zeitgeist of the 60s. Art that captures the spirit of the times has a better chance of grabbing attention--it’s relatable to all. If it is controversial, well it may inspire some worthwhile conversation. Timing can make all the difference in the universal interest of artwork. If your work is relative to what is trending and has a unique point of view then submit to as many calls for art as you can.
SEQUENCING YOUR ART IS IMPORTANT
Sequence your images. Present them in a qualifying order to help your submission stand out. Jurors and curators will notice a cohesive sequence because that is how they build shows. It also helps communicate the intention of the artist. Think like a curator folks. Be intently conscious of the experience of your viewer.
YOUR WORK MUST APPEAR ACCURATE IN DIGITAL PHOTOS
Your photographs must represent the actual work. You do not want to misrepresent your work with photos that are retouched or are not good enough. It could go a few different ways--either it looks better in the photos, you get accepted and disappoint the curators when it’s received, or worse, you submit subpar photos and never get accepted. In a few cases, we found work interesting and could not understand the process, materials, statement of work, or connect the dots in any way, but the artist posted gorgeous images of the work on social media, that told the whole visual story. Be accurate, submit professional photos and connect your statement to the work submitted. Your process and materials must also be explained, especially if it is unique, innovative or takes unique skill.
Artists can be descriptive in their artist statements. The curator or juror must understand it or unfortunately, the opportunity may be missed if nothing makes sense.
RELEVANT ARTIST STATEMENTS
Artist statements are tough to write but they can make or break a submission. Your statement can help connect the dots for the viewer. Your clear and concise explanation assists the curator as they understand the nuance and connections of the body of work. They are a reference point about your perspective from a conceptual viewpoint. You have to construct and control your story for them to help the curator understand your point of view and their significance.
Be brief, be clear, and stay around 300 words. Do not use the same statement for all of your work and for all of your submissions. There is evolution and growth in your work that should be addressed in your statement. If you submit in the same geolocation, the same viewers are re-reading your statement repetitively. Put a little Windex on it. If the statement does not clearly relate to the body of work, specifically, curators will often take a pass on this principle. General statements about yourself and how the art makes you feel are not adequate. Why do you make art? What message are you sharing? What risk are you taking? What significance does it have to others? Dig for a proper statement.
A number of artists have contacted us about writing artists statements for them. Feel free to connect with us if we can help.
FOLLOW UP
Following up with us is always a good idea. Whether you are selected or not, it is great to connect and create a relationship. In our experience, the people that follow up are the people who go the extra mile, the ones that cover all the bases. Relationship building is how artists can make great strides. Invest in your efforts by opening a conversation. We learned about upcoming shows, planned social media strategies and awards through spontaneous conversations with our artists. You have to have some kind of strategy. You can’t expect the publication to do this work. If you’re waiting for a response, it might never come, with hundreds of submissions, so reach out. Connect on social and become part of our community. If you are not selected, remember that it is one curator at one time and place. Keep making art, keep submitting your art and actively find your place. You may find that it may not be with us, but we certainly would like to be a part of your journey. Some of our artists have submitted for every issue, they are also the ones so active on social that we have a hard time keeping up. They are also the ones keeping in touch, informing us about their updates and feeding us new material of theirs to share. They have gratefully become part of our inner circle, from New England to India and places in between!
CONNECT WITH US + PAY ATTENTION TO SOCIAL MEDIA
So, stay close, pay attention and get in that sharing zone. We are here for you on social. We pay attention and interact in a meaningful way. We are not passive. Juniper Rag engages and we have learned there are 3 camps. Those who never use social and do not have accounts, those who have accounts and never use them, or some that are lit up in a blaze of artistic glory daily. We make it our job to support you, so follow us, like us and watch for notifications, because we are there for you. The active participants get more shows, make more connections, and ultimately sell more art. Social media is a FREE TOOL for artists to market their work. This is a digital age, so if you want success, we can’t urge you enough to learn more about social media. We can quickly identify the artists that are strong online, they keep us up to date on new images to post, new videos to upload to reels. All of this interaction helps both the artists and Juniper Rag grow an audience in a collaborative effort of fusing followers.
