Here is an article from the all about Ann Arbor website, ClickOnDetroit.com. The Guild had their jurying recently at their offices in Kerrytown, heart of Ann Arbor, and they invited a reporter to attend.
To the general public the Ann Arbor Art Fairs look pretty much random: lots or artists, lots of people, vendors and distractions everywhere. Yes, the event draws over 200,000 attendees every year, so that is what it does look like to an outsider.
You and I know that you applied to these shows probably six months ago, you agonized over your work and then the application and the jury images (!), lots of stress. Of course besides your labor the organizations hosting the events have year round staff and they work on it every day of the year.
But maybe you're new to the shows and you'll find this outsider's perspective interesting: https://www.clickondetroit.com/all-about-ann-arbor/takeaways-from-the-ann-arbor-summer-art-fair-selection-process
Comments
I don't think so, Beth. The jurors with particular expertise were chosen to judge that category. They are not going to be part of the show.
Connie, the article suggests that jurors who are being juried for entry to the fair are presiding over their own discipline and judging their competitors, too? did I read that right?
After all the attempts to make things anonymous I'm a bit taken aback that the jurors announce it if they know the artists.
This is standard operating procedure for the bigger name shows, Cindy. It pretty much is across the board the standard of jurying, from the neighborhood show where the friends organize it and choose their friends to huge multiple day jurying such as this one at The Guild with specialists for each media in the jury. Any of the shows on our Top 50 Best Art Fairs list is doing this and they're very transparent about it as artists are covetous of acceptance of these shows and they are watching also. If you're not on the level it gets around.
Connie, I just read the article. I have submitted apps to juried shows before, all within about a 4 hour drive of home, so none of the really prestigious shows. It was an interesting read. I hope the dedication of the jury this reporter wrote about is found at all juries. Sometimes I feel at some shows they are going easy on their buddies but everyone else is held to a higher standard. Hopefully this is not true.