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  Patricia Sadler Trainor April 3, 2015 at 4:56pm

  I, too, am having this happen this year. Last year was a great year for me getting into some good shows. But this year is indeed different, and I'm not sure why, either. Shows that I got into easily last year, I am either wait-listed or rejected for. Another today. One that I have done several times, and I'm not even an alternate! Yes, it stings. I went through  my applications, trying to figure out if last year's photos were better. I don't think so. I used some of the same ones, and some new good quality ones also. So I am puzzled, to say the least. I guess the best advice I can give is to never presume you'll get into a show that you've been in before, and just apply to many shows. And realize that you are giving your best, and will continue to grow and learn. At times, I liken applying for shows to playing the lottery. You can do things to improve your chances, but in the end, it's out of our hands. On a positive note, I did get into one very good show that I've never done before, am doing some other easier shows, and am waitlisted for others I would love to do again.
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  Jeff Gracz April 3, 2015 at 12:08pm

  I got into a show in Sunriver, OR 5 years in a row - every year since the show started. Now, this year, I'm an alternate. Yes, it's a blow to the ego and it certainly feeds the competitive juices. Keep your chin up! It happens to the best of us. And I agree with Robert, you have to mix up what you submit. Just because it works a few years in a row, doesn't mean it is a shoe-in.
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  Christina L. Towell April 3, 2015 at 8:51am

  Sorry to hear that, Scott, I'm sure it's a big blow to one's ego, in fact I know it is from personal experience.  I think you've got some good advice here from the pros, so buck up and don't stop trying, things are bound to turn around for you.  Sending you positive thoughts...
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  Mark V. Turner April 2, 2015 at 2:35pm

  There's also weirdness with shows that change dates vs shows that don't and the therefore conflicting dates which make artists apply to multiple shows for the same weekend and then see who accepts them. The shows they reject then have spots open on the wait list early on. And this wont happen all the time, b/c given the ways shows can schedule, their actual weekend in the month can float... Sometimes this can mean they overlap with other desirable shows...

  And this can have some effect when there is a goodly amount of grandparenting of existing exhibitors into an event.

  So when you have event schedule overlap and folks who are normally grandparented intoboth shows (not that most shows which say they are 100% juried will EVER admit), those folks will pick the show that they think will make them the most revenue and a spot opens for someone on the wait list... The following year, the shows don't overlap and that spot for someone waitlisted is gone..
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  Barrie Lynn Bryant April 2, 2015 at 8:13am

  Some shows have bigger turnover/attrition than others, but most likely the question about previous years is for statistical purposes only. To help put proof in your pudding theory, you'd have to compare the artist roster from several years, but I don't think you'll find it very helpful to do so.
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  Thomas Felsted April 2, 2015 at 12:50am

  No idea exactly, but something I've been noticing. A seems like a lot if shows I apply to have this concept of. " if you've never shown here before , you get accepted, if you have shown here , I'm going to reject you to make room for those who have never shown here " mentality. That's why they go to the trouble of asking you on the application if you have ever shown here , if so when?
  
  That is why it is hard to get into " top tier " shows back to back.
  
  Just a random guess, no proof in my pudding, except personal experience
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  Robert Wallis April 2, 2015 at 12:18am

  Probably nothing. Some times you get the bear and sometimes the bear gets you. Just make sure you're adding one or two new pieces and not duplicating the exact same work from last year. Some of the most original work I ever did was the GI Joe and Barbie shots, yet those were soundly rejected by several art fairs in the past, and I've never used them for jurying since. It all depends on the juror, and the quality of the jurors is all over the place.
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  Scott Pakulski April 1, 2015 at 10:46pm

  I just don't get it. I think I was rejected for Lakewood Arts Festival today too. What am I doing wrong?
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  Robert Wallis April 1, 2015 at 9:47pm

  Scott, I just noticed the Crosby Gardens deadline for the first rounders is May 8 to accept and pay. That seems awfully late so there may be hope yet for getting in off the wait list.
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  Amy Fletcher April 1, 2015 at 10:58am

  I, too, got rejected from a show that I had gotten into two years in a row and was one of my best last year!  I was SO upset because I feel it could dig into my income, but, then again, it might not. Then I have to scramble for backup shows that I have not been to before. And, I've been waitlisted to several shows, too, this year which makes me even more nervous! 

  Keep the faith and hang in there!  I am!