Art associations, dues, and juries

Here's a new painting on its way out the door. I show you both finished and unfinished art, so you must sometimes wonder, what does this guys stuff actually look like. Its a 16x20. I started it up in Vermont last fall and finished it in the studio over the last week or two.

I think I will talk a little more about juries and exhibitions, I got started on it and I would like to lay the subject to rest before I move on. Now here comes a basic fact of the art world that constantly influences what is going on.

THERE IS MORE ART THAN THERE ARE WALLS IN THE GALLERIES TO SHOW THAT ART. LOTS MORE.

Because of that there is some kind of a vetting process, always. There are two different types of membership organizations. The first type tries to be inclusive, they often have huge memberships and will take people who a more elite organizations won't. Sometimes the only question is, can you pay the dues to be a member.

The second sort of organization is more of a guild. They keep a relatively small membership and try to be elite. That is,although they jury lots of hopeful artists they only take those they deem the best, most skilled or whatever it is that they value as an institution.

Many people think that the inclusive model is fairer and the exclusivist organizations are elitist, particularly if they have been rejected from one .Oddly enough, those same people expect the staff at their hospital to be an elite, rather than trying to let everybody in the communiity have an oportunity to do gall bladder surgery.These people often see art as therapy for those who do it, therefore the largest number of citizens should be able to have that benefit.

The dirty secret of the inclusivist organizations is they have lots more members than they can actually show. They collect their dues before you are juried . A member may submit paintings to them and pay his dues year after year and never get his art on to the walls. The exclusivist organization juries you, if they take you, THEN you pay your dues and usually your work is hung. In some of these organizations you will always have something hanging on their walls. But you don't pay dues and not get hung .

Sometimes the inclusivist organizations may decide to push their membership out to many hundreds of members in order to receive the dues money.So either way you are going to be juried either before you pay or after. I like after a whole lot better.

I think that unless you are in a school or atelier you should consider joining either an art association or a painters group that meets to draw the figure or paint outdoors. You should be in the most professional art association you can get into. If the one you are in now is a sick joke, start applying to better ones and upgrade when you get in. The best art organizations have the best painters. It is important to find an organization that has working professional painters in it. Search around, they exist in almost every area of the country.

Art associations will introduce you to other painters, try to get to know the best of them and see if you can tag along behind them. If you wanted to be a good tennis player you would seek out good tennis players to learn from and compete with. Often the more accomplished artists are very happy to teach other painters who are WORKERS, no one bothers to help the lazy.


I have been involved for many years with several members organizations and I know a lot of artists because of them. In fact almost all of my painting buddies were met within these organizations. Business people network, this how the artists' network.

You also need to show your paintings. This is where you will start. That's part of learning, just like playing recitals is a part of piano lessons. Don't look at art associations as a place to make money, incidentally. Generally they don't sell a lot of art at at serious prices. You will sometimes see an artist get in to an organization and do a few shows then leave because they aren't making any money. They missed the point, money is made out in the commercial galleries. But friends, reputations and connections can be made in the art associations. More tomorrow.