Put Your Best Foot Forward
Festival Director Seth Lewis
Submitting Images
Submitting images that vividly and succinctly portray your body of work is paramount. If you have two distinct bodies of work, consider creating two separate applications to ensure your submission stands out among the close to 2,000 applicants. This strategic approach will instill a sense of confidence in your application. Please submit only one application with the same images. Submitting two with the same images does not increase your chance of selection. Artists should consider having their images professionally photographed and put their best foot forward in marketing their work to jurors. Images with the same background color, similar in size/scale, etc., are helpful for a clear presentation. Ensure nothing detracts from the artwork. Images do not need a matte or frame included in the photos.
Create a professional, clean booth or display of your work. The purpose is to show overall continuity and a professional presentation of your current body of work, as well as a quick visual reference of the size and scale of the work. The artwork in your booth shot should represent the images submitted. Considering the perspective from which your booth shot is taken, jurors find it easier to get a clear view of the booth when frontal facing versus a side angle, which may skew the artwork in the booth. Ensure your artist statement and descriptions are meticulously crafted and free of grammatical errors. Keep them concise yet informative about your artistic process and the intention behind your artwork. This will help the jurors better understand your work.
The Jury Process
For Festival of the Arts, our jury process includes three jurors, one from within Oklahoma and two national jurors. They are selected for their art and/or festival involvement. We strive to have a diverse jury panel. They have been gallery owners, artists, museum curators, visual art directors, leaders in the art community, and festival directors. When artists apply, they answer a few questions, including price range of artwork, whether it is a collaborative partnership, and if they are applying in more than one medium. We require an artist statement up to 300 words (pronouns and locations are removed from statements). Artists supply five images of work, including the title, size, and price, along with a booth shot. In the first round, jurors see the artists invited to the festival, including the top 25% grossing artists and award winners from the previous year. These images are shown on projector screens, along with laptops for scoring. A top-grossing artist may only be invited for up to three years before having to jury again.
In the second round, we go through all applications for 15 seconds, with no scoring. In the third round, their artist statement is read aloud, and jurors score from 1 to 7, with no 4s allowed. Further rounds occur to eliminate ties and create a waitlist for uninvited artists. For the balance of the show, we do not allow any medium to have more than 20% of the show, Â with 40% of the show being 3D art, and 60% 2D. If artists do not have a booth shot because it is their first show, we ask them to display their work on a gallery wall or in a certain style. It lets us see their work and shows a bit of scale. If you have your tent and supplies, set it up in your yard or driveway. It is good practice.
Mistakes We See
The most common mistakes are incomplete applications. Examples include not answering questions and showing names on booth shots or signatures on artwork. If they are incomplete, we contact the artists to make the appropriate changes. Work will not be juried if the applications are not corrected. Be consistent. Do not have multiple backdrops in photos. Use solid black or white backdrops for the photos — make the work stand out. Other backdrops can be distracting. Investing in the look of your images can go a long way. Cellphone pictures of work will always look like cellphone pictures. When filling out your application, double-check spelling, grammar, and punctuation. We often take that information and directly input it into websites, profiles, etc. Having to go back and correct information is time-consuming for festival staff. If you have questions about the process or need clarification, contact the festival staff. If they are unavailable, leave a message. They will get back to you.
Remember, festivals are often run by one or two individuals, with a small support staff or volunteers. Double-check your application. Does your booth shot have your name or face in it? Most of all, when working with festival directors, staff, and other artists — be kind
