Art and Creativity: The Dubious Nature of "Pay to Play" Art Shows

The other day, I got a flyer in the mail concerning a "juried" art exhibition in one of our nearby cities. I didn't pay so much attention to it, but then it was followed up with a visit from the organizer today.

She showed up here at the Red Dragonfly and wanted to know if we would be willing to hand out promotional cards for the event — which is scheduled to happen sometime in October.

Equal Opportunity for All Who Can AFFORD It...

Rather than arbitrarily saying "yes" I asked for more specifics about the show: How many artists, where would the show be, who are the judges, and so forth. 

As it turned out — not entirely to my surprise — the event seems to be largely a "vanity" show. That is, the most substantial component of the show seems to be collecting $100 entrance fees from participating artists.

In fact, with a little prodding, it became quite clear that the "$2000 Grand Prize!" for the winning artist comes not from a sponsor or a patron of the arts... but from the artist entry fees into the contest. 

At that point I declined any further involvement, realizing that something wasn't quite right.

Be Careful with "Tall Promises!"

In this case, it was quite clear that this particular art show was less about "Great Exposure for Emerging Artists!" than it was about making money for the organizer. 

Of course, the promise of a "$2,000 Grand Prize" may sound very alluring to a starving artist — even in view of a $100 "submission fee" — but when you consider an organizer willing to take 200 art entries at $100 each, give out $3,000 in prizes, spend $2,000 on minimal publicity... that means the organizer pockets $15,000 for their efforts.

Geranium

"But the show is JURIED, right?"

Well, that's perhaps true, but mostly that applies in the sense that the "curation" serves in part to keep complete high school level work out, but mostly the show is limited to "those willing to pay $100."

Which is really a bit of a scam.

So Who Buys Into These?

Aside from the prize money, the "pitch" is typically the "exposure and publicity" surrounding what's billed as a "major art event."

Although the promise is not made directly, there's the suggestion that participation will "fast track" an artist into  visibility and the big time. 

But from a realistic perspective, you have to ask yourself just how much value there is in being one-of-250 artists in an event that might draw 200 people on a single day or a weekend.

Now I'm not suggesting all such art shows and publicity events are scams or bad deals. Some have long track records, with prize money generally donated by a sponsor. Typically, entrance fees are much lower (maybe a $20 "administration fee") and part of the deal is that the art will be on display at a popular art gallery for 60 or 90 days... not just for a single day. 

In such events, the organizer typically has working partnerships with newspapers and radio stations, and will be happy to show you their promotional schedule. You should also be able to verify the veracity of the show by asking for a list of the previous year's winners. 

On the whole, though, we generally advise our Red Dragonfly artists to give "pay to play" art shows a pass!

Thank you for reading! Red Dragonfly is a proud graduate through the @sndbox creative incubator program, part of the "Cohort 1" team of May 31st, 2018. 

The Red Dragonfly is an independent alternative art gallery located in Port Townsend, WA; showcasing edgy and unique contemporary art & handmade crafts by local and worldwide artists. All images are our own, unless otherwise credited. Where applicable, artist images used with permission.