Hurrah! I am soooo happy. I have been officially upgraded
to an Exhibiting member of the Charleston Artist Guild
It's
been a long week /month. I belong to four different art guilds. Beicoming a
member of the guilds is easy... Just pay your dues, But becoming accepted as an
exhibiting artist in each of them, and putting things into each of their shows,
requires an effort over and beyond what the wallet will buy. The most difficult
for me has been the Charleston Artists Guild. Not only do members have to pay
their dues, be active in the organization, and attend the meetings, but they
have to be accepted in through a rigorous jurying process which only occurs
twice a year.
So???? you say...
The catch is that all of the above takes place in Charleston
which is a 75 mile drive ( one way.) So this past week I put 150 miles on my
car hauling three paintings down to the guilds gallery on a Sunday morning. I
had to drop three, original, framed paintings off between 9 and 9:30 am. Then
while the paintings were being judged on composition, brushwork, consitency of
style, theme etc, I had to wait around for four hours in the heat to pick the
paintings up again.
Two days later I make another 150 mile
trip to Charleston to attend the Guild's, first membership meeting of the
year.
Then , after two days of nail biting wondering whether I
would be accepted.....Hurray! The acceptance letter just arrived. I am so
happy.
"So why all the bother?", you
ask.
Answer:
(1) Exposure: The Guild's Gallery is
right on the main tourist drag in the heart of the arts and historical
district. In addition they sponsor and participate in manyhighly visible art
shows all around the city.
(2) Prestige: Because they are picky about
who can be an exhibitor, they have a reputation for high quality work, so just
saying you are an exhibiting memebr improves my resume.
(3) Personal
Growth: They sponsor all sorts of lectures and workshops with well known
instructors, and just there is much to be learned just hanging out with other
high califber artists.
And (4) $$$ is always a consideration. Just look
at the prizes for an upcoming exhibition being help next
month...
Awards:
People’s Choice (determined by
public voting) - $500
Purchase Award - $1,800
Best in Show -
$900
First Place - $400
Second Place - $300
Third
Place - $200
Honorable Mention (4 awards) - $50
Winning
one of those ought to pay for the gas to Charleston and back.
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