Rejection Letters of an Emerging Artist

Portland Oregon, thanks me for my efforts... but passes

2007-05-14T07:55:00.000-04:00

"Dear Suzanne,
The Art exhibit committee a our Portland gallery has reviewed your submission for the first and second galleries. We appreciate the opportunity to view your selection of artistic work. However, we are unable to offer you a show at this time. Thank you for your time and interest. We encourage you to submit work to this and other galleries in the future. If you have any questions regarding our juried selection process, please feel free to call our office at (555) 555-5555.

Sincerely,

The Gallery Assistant"

Typically, you don't get a phone number encouraging questions, but kudos to them for being so willing to do so.

University Fine Arts Juried Show a No No

2007-04-09T16:16:00.000-04:00

“Dear Combined Talents Applicant:

On behalf of the University Museum of Fine Arts, I would like to than you for entering the Combined Talents Competition. Due to the inherent nature of jurying by panel, and because of space limitations with any given exhibition, many fine works could not be included, and it is with regret that I inform you, your work was not selected for including in this year’s show.

This year 359 artists entered the competition creating a total of over 700 works for the jurors to consider. After much deliberation, the work of forty-eight artists was selected for exhibition (a total of 65 pieces). The jury panel consisted of two faculty members from the Visual Arts Department.

Each artist who entered the competition with receive a complimentary copy of the catalog which will be mailed in September. Thank you once again for your participation in the Combined Talents Competition. We hope that your interest will continue.

Sincerely yours,

Combined Talents Coordinator”

Local Museum Jurried Exhibition... No Thank You

2007-04-05T13:46:00.000-04:00

Recently, I entered two pieces for consideration by the local museum for their jurried art show. I thought about submitting more edgy work, but on a last minute whim I submitted the following tow pieces:

"Quiet Melancholy" 24"x36"

"Study" 24"x36"

Today I recieved electronically the letter regretfully informing me of their decision:

"Dear Artist,

On behalf of the Local Museum of Art and Science thank you for submitting your work to the 2007 Juried Exhibition. The juror had a challenging job choosing from over 300 submissions. We regret to inform you, your submission was not selected this year. We hope you will apply next time.

We wish you continued success in all of your creative endeavors.

Sincerely,

2007 Juried Exhibition Committee"

It would have been nice to have the emails mail merged, but all in all it's not a bad letter.

Onward...

Among the Least Personal Rejections

2007-01-13T19:26:00.000-05:00

Reneé and I submitted another proposal on behalf of our summer exhibition, Our Creature Comforts. This would be the second rejection letter on this one. Of all the letters, this is probably the most efficient for the venue, but among the least personal to us the artists. Having been on both sides of this process, I completely understand the desire for efficiency, but still... even if you have to be short and sweet as the last one was, I'd prefer 1 sentence to 10 that everyone got.

“City of North Springfield
Cultural Arts Department

December 28, 2006

Dear Renee Decator and Suzanne Clements (Our Creature Comforts)

Thank you for submitting a North Springfield City Gallery application. The City Gallery is located at the North Springfield Performing Arts and Springfield Area Convention Center Complex. A panel comprised of working artists and visual art professionals reviewed the application and made the selection as indicated below. The quality and quantity of the applications made the task a challenging one.

____ Your application was accepted. Please complete the enclosed Exhibition Agreement and return to the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department.

_X__ Your application was not accepted. Please consider the annual and group exhibition opportunities offered throughout the year.

Notes:

Thank you again for your interest in promoting the visual arts in Springfield. For questions contact John Smith directly at 555-555-5555.

Sincerely,

The Director”

e-Jection

2007-01-11T19:24:00.000-05:00

In the last two weeks I've submitted my work for consideration to 12 galleries. I received one reply back today from a location in Southern California. Short, but sweet:

"Thanks Suzanne but I do not see it as a fit for my gallery."

It's hard to gauge what exactly may be a good fit from such a far distance, I'm just happy for the response as sometimes you never hear back on digital submissions.

A Wayward Rejection that Wasn't

2007-01-04T12:09:00.000-05:00

This past September I sent two exhibition proposals to a desirable Florida gallery near the Atlantic Ocean. The first proposal, which was for my two woman show “Our Creature Comforts” came back as a “Thank you, but no thank you.” Once that one arrived, I waited patiently for my own personal rejection letter to arrive. I checked my PO box every few days and nothing came.

Finally after about a month I called them yesterday morning to inquire just in case something was sent to me, but didn't make it. Yesterday afternoon they called me back and told me that they were holding onto my proposal materials just in case someone drops out. The curator said that they were very impressed with my work and felt it would work well as a solo show, but that there were only two available in 2007 - hence my position on the waiting list. I was told that 2008 should work and to definitely resubmit a proposal in September for that calendar year.

I guess you could count it as a near miss, but just getting that feedback was great. My calendar is marked for September and you can bet that I'll be contacting them again if I don't hear from them this year.

On a side note, I've submitted my work to 10 additional galleries which means more rejection letters will be heading this way so stay tuned.

Two Rejection Letters for the Price of One

2007-01-02T17:18:00.000-05:00

"Hi Suzanne,

Thank you for showing interest in our gallery. Unfortunately, the gallery has changed hands and we are now known as another gallery. At the moment we are not interested in representing realistic figurative work. However, we will keep your images on file if a show of that genre comes up. Please keep up the great work.

Happy Holidays,

Gallery Manager"

And number two...

"Dear Suzanne Clements,

Thank you for your interest in our gallery.

We are afraid that we are not able to select your work for exhibition at our Gallery. This year we have received an unprecedented number of high quality submissions. Unfortunately not all the work that we like can be shown.

We wish you the very best in your pursuits, artistic and otherwise. Sincerely,

The Owner"

Juried Show No No

2007-01-02T09:38:00.000-05:00

"December 2006

Dear Artist,

I am sorry to say that your work was not selected for the upcoming Emerging Artists exhibition and Internet promotion. Please don't be discouraged as there was a lot of great work submitted it is impossible to include all the deserving artists.

You can view the winners of the competition on the web site. They will soon be posted on the results page.

Also, the 2007 Emerging Artists will be featured on the Limner website. The work may be seen on our website.

If you are not on the mailing list already I will add your email address and let you know of upcoming events and publication opportunities with Direct Art. If you do not want to be on the email list, just email back when I send the first notice and let me know so I can take you off.

Thank you for taking part in Emerging Artists and good luck with your continuing work.

Sincerely,

The Owner"

It looks like they truly only selected a small handful of artists to participate. If they had even just 100 entries it would have been tough odds. I'm certainly interested to see the results of their jury though. The artist's works should be online in February.

Artist Retreat Rejection

2006-12-29T10:13:00.000-05:00

"Dear Ms. Clements:

Thank you so much for applying for the Retreat. At this time your application has been thoroughly reviewed for this opportunity. As you know, there were only 48 spots available at these weekend workshops and we had an overwhelming response to this fantastic opportunity. Unfortunately, we do not have space to accommodate all applicants, therefore your application was not recommended for inclusion in the workshop this year.

This is the first time the Division has offered an opportunity like this for Florida's individual artists. These types of opportunities are something that we would like to continue, and we do encourage you to reapply should the opportunity come up again. Thank you for sharing your work with us and for showing interest in this opportunity. The overwhelming number of applications that we received this year provides a great justification for continuing these types of services for artists.

Thank you, again, for your interest and response. We hope you will stay in touch with the Division and look forward to seeing your application to one of our other programs in the future.

Most Sincerely,

Director"

It was a bit of a long shot, not only did you apply for the program, but you had to pick a weekend and location of preference. I figure that selecting the location that most people would (in this instance near Orlando) that your odds would be even more reduced. No worries, there will be plenty more letters to come. It's nearly time to check the ol' po box again. ;)

Happy New Year!

"Our Creature Comforts" first rejection

2006-11-30T15:13:00.000-05:00

A local friend and I decided to do an exhibition together this past fall. We created an entirely new body of work for the show and titled it, "Our Creature Comforts" (www.ourcreaturecomforts.com) The show exhibited in Cocoa Beach for the month of September and October and got plenty of press coverage.

As a result, we started to hunt around for alternative venues to hold future showings of our collaborative exhibition. Today, we received our very first two woman rejection from a well known Florida art center and gallery:

"Hello Artist,

I want to thank you for answering our call for artists for the upcoming 2007 gallery season. This being my first review as curator of the gallery, I was surprised and pleased with amount of talented artists that applied. The two judges that helped me with the review process both commented on the fine caliber of artwork reviewed.

We had around a hundred applications and could only select 10 artist for solo or shared exhibitions, it was a difficult task. Unfortunately, we were unable to place your work into exhibition this year, but I hope that you will submit again next year. I also hope that you will come to the gallery and check out our shows that change every month with the first Saturday of each month being the opening reception (4 to 7 pm).

Again thank you for your submission, I appreciate the time you took to prepare it.

Curator"

I have to admit that this is one of the best rejection letters I've received. Although our chances were good given 1 out of 10 or less people were selected, perhaps we just weren't what the judges were looking for this time around. No worries, we have another 8 proposals out there for the show.

More little army men marching this way soon

2006-11-17T08:14:00.000-05:00

Things have been quite busy lately, but fear not. I have 17 exhibition proposals in the pipeline and you all know what that means. New rejection letters will be born and sent to my beloved PO box. As soon as the first one arrives, I'll get it up here lickety split.

Wishing all of you the best of luck and good results for your efforts, especially as we near the holiday season.

Not a Rejection, but a solo show!

2006-07-30T09:17:00.000-04:00

"Dear Ms. Clements,

Congratulations! Your work has been accepted by the College Fine Arts Gallery Committee for a solo show in our 2006-2008-exhibition schedule.

Our committee is composed of Full-Time and Part-Time Fine Arts Faculty, the Fine Arts Department Head, and the Fine Arts Gallery Curator. In total we received over 60 submissions for the 11 openings that we have planned in our gallery from August 2006 to May 2008, out of which 19 artists were selected for group and solo shows. Because of the limited number of spaces we have available in our schedule the awarding of a solo show carries extra prestige.

Attached you will find the pertinent material for your exhibition, including the date of the exhibition and required work delivery date. As stated in the call for entries, the gallery pays for the return shipment of artwork and insurance during the shipment. We ask that if you work is arriving by freight delivery, that you specify which carrier you wish for your work to be returned with and that you contact the carrier to confirm that they are willing to deliver fine art.

Again, congratulations on your solo show, we are excited to have you exhibit with us at the College Fine Arts Gallery. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely,

The Curator"

How's that for a little encouragement? Every now and then you'll get a really good letter back. Don't let all the rejections keep you from trying. Rejection is simply part of the game, with so many different opportunities, venues, directors, and jurors, the odds of being just what they need, exactly when they need it can often work against you, but eventually something will shake loose.

And an email rejection... two for one today

2006-07-08T22:50:00.000-04:00

"July 7, 2006

Dear Suzanne Clements,

Thank you very much for sending us your website link to your portfolio of work, which was presented to our selection committee at a recent meeting.

After carefully evaluating your material, we feel that we cannot offer you an exhibition slot at this time. This is no reflection on the quality of your portfolio. Rather, it is our assessment of what will provide the best balance of local and national art

If you should develop a new body of work that you would like us to consider, please feel free to re-submit.

Thank you for your portfolio submission to our gallery.

Sincerely,

The folks in charge"

I actually don't even remember applying to this one so it must have been a good while back. Email inquiries actually get fewer responses than snail mail. I think many galleries have email addresses, but either don't check them often enough, or ignore them altogether.

A Magazine Rejection... just for me

2006-07-08T22:46:00.000-04:00

"Dear Southern Artist,

I am sorry to say these slides must be returned to you at this time, for it means that our juror, Mr. Smith, Director of the Such N’ Such Art Gallery at the University at Springfield, did not select them for this year’s southern edition. Only 40 artists could be selected from among the hundreds who competed in the eleventh Open Studios Southern States Competition.

Over the years, our competitions have become increasingly competitive. We do hope that you will compete again next year. Numerous artists we have published have submitted more than once before being selected.

If you would like a copy of the magazine in which this competition’s winners will appear, you can order a copy directly from us at a 40% discount. Mail this letter with your name and address printed below, and a check (or your credit card information) for $15. We will ship you a book when it comes off the press in June.

Thank you for competing. The deadline for next year’s southern entries will be December 31, 2006.

Sincerely,

Jessica Smith
Managing Editor"

Well... I tried. I suppose if as many as 500 artists applied for the book (I'd be kind of surprised if they had that many entries), and only 40 got in that I only had an 8% chance of being selected. To be fair, my chances were probably better than that given how many entries were likely unusable due to poor slides, incomplete entries, and other criteria not followed correctly (oh how often that happens). We shall see. I suppose I didn't realize there would only be one juror! That's quite a big job for one person.

No Name Rejection...

2006-04-24T08:09:00.000-04:00

A long long while back (August 2005), I entered what I believed to be my strongest work for consideration by a local museum. Attached to my entry were ten slides including, Sweet Dreams, Breakfast in Bed, Better Days, Leftovers, Empty, Hungry Couple, Core, Solitary, and Origin. Everything was clearly labeled, and I even included references from past exhibitions to prove my professionalism. At any rate, Just recently I received a reply to my efforts:

"We at the John Smith Memorial Art Museum appreciate your dedication as an artist and wish you much success with your career goals. The Museum's exhibition committee met and reviewed all submissions for future shows. At this time we are returning the materials you submitted to us. The committee felt at this time they did not fit into our schedule of exhibitions.

Best of luck to you in your future endeavors.

Sincerely,

John Smith
Director"

Not even a salutation to me, or even my own name. They must just churn out rejection letters at an alarming rate, sign them, and slap them into SASE's without a moment's thought. And really, if they recieved that many entries, I'm sure they had no choice. I at least prefer the rejection letters with my name on them. You know they had to pay more attention slipping them into the right envelopes at least. ;)

Near Miss... maybe

2006-02-07T17:01:00.000-05:00

"January 25, 2006

Dear Suzanne,

Thank you for submitting an application for exhibition to our gallery. We received many submissions and have created an exhibition schedule through July 2007. Although we did not select your work at this time, I hop you will submit again in the future. Due to the large number of submissions and the limited slots available the exhibition committee had the difficult task of turning down 117 highly qualified artists this year.

In June of 2006 we are planning the National All Media Juried Exhibition. Based on the quality of your artwork we encourage you to submit an application to this exhibition. Application information will be available on our website in the upcoming months. In addition, we will keep your name and address on our artists mailing list to advise you of other exhibition opportunities at the Gallery. Our board will again view slides for exhibition in Fall of 06 for the September 2007-July 2008 Schedule. Again we appreciate the opportunity to view your work.

Sincerely,

The Executive Director"

It's been a little while since I've opened up the ol' PO box and found me a rejection letter (not to say I'm getting acceptance letters, but with all the shows I've been doing, I haven't had time to organize a mass mailing in a little while). This one seems somewhat encouraging and maybe if I can beef up my portfolio before the next mass mailing, I can land me something good. We shall see. You just never know with a reply like the one above if they really did like your work, or if they just want that application fee for the juried show. :P

Anyhow,... onwards! And if you're curious about how the shows and portfolios are going you can check me out at:
http://www.fifthavenueartgallery.com (where my work hangs physically)
http://www.suzanneclements.com
http://www.livejournal.com/users/ninakatz/

Happy New Year from a gallery in LA

2005-12-30T15:07:00.000-05:00

Just to be festive and good natured, here's a new rejection letter, fresh from the ol' PO box:

"Dear Suzanne,

Thank you for giving us the opportunity to view your work, which we are returning with this note. Unfortunately, our exhibition schedule is booked through next year, and we are not making additional arrangements at this time.

We wish you continued success.

Sincerely,
The person in charge"

That'll finish up 2005's letters. Here's to hoping for more thrilling letters in 2006! Maybe even a few that won't qualify for this site. ;)

Happy New Year everyone!

Four for Monday...

2005-11-14T14:55:00.000-05:00

First, a letter from a competition to have included in a university's permanent on-campus collection:
“Dear Suzanne,

Thank you for submitting sample of your work for our University’s 2005 Art on Campus Competition. Although we’re offering the awards to other artists, we want you to know that the Visual Arts Committee was very impressed by your work. We received substantially more submission than we anticipated, and the quality of the submissions was especially high this year. We encourage you to try again in future competitions. Our committee annually makes an effort to obtain both interior and exterior works for the campus. Please visit our website for current competitions.

Sincerely,

Person in Charge”

One from a foundation where I sent a grant application to (my first grant application):
“Dear Artist,

On Behalf of the Board of Directors, thank you for submitting your art/craft project to the foundation.

The members of the Board regret that they are unable to fund your project. A panel of judges gave serious consideration to the many worthy applications. They reported that choosing among the applications was particularly difficult because of the high quality of the projects submitted.

Sincerely,

Form Letter Producer”

One from an exhibition proposal I sent to a Museum:
“Dear Suzanne,

Thank you for submitting your exhibition proposal to the Arts Council. As the primary arts center for our region, we receive a tremendous number of requests from artists to exhibit in our galleries. A select review panel reviews all applications under rigorous standards that must be balanced with our limited gallery space and exhibition calendar. The panel appreciates the presentation that you have provided us; however, your proposal was not selected.

Again, thank you very much for your interest in exhibiting your work at this museum.

Sincerely,

The Curator”

And Finally, one from a commercial art gallery, hand written on my original cover letter to them:
“Suzanne,

Thank you for sending your very professional packet! We have such an unusual market and client base here. Unfortunately, we are not a match.

Best of luck in finding.

-Gallery Owner”

It should be noted that all four of these arrived today, and that on this same day I was also offered a second exhibition for February. Sometimes things just happen this way.

My First Exhibition Proposal - Rejected

2005-11-08T10:51:00.000-05:00

I received a letter last week from a really exciting space that would have been lovely to get into. I found that they were accepting exhibition proposals for 2006-07 and I really wanted to get in on the action. Being that it was my first try and assembling something like this I called the space and asked a few questions to clarify what exactly they would prefer to have included. Confident that I could properly express my potential I set out to get the packet together.

I knew I was at a bit of a strange phase with my current body of work (only having a handful of pieces), but I felt like if I didn't submit my work it would be a bigger mistake than not having all the pieces done that I'd like.

I gave the stuffed envelope a big squeeze and wished it luck before sending it off to North Carolina.

A handful of months passed and it crossed my mind that I might be hearing from them soon. I swung by my PO box and sure enough, there was an envelope from them, stuffed to the gills (not a good sign).

"Dear Suzanne,

Thank you for submitting your proposal for review. We appreciate your dedication to your work and your interest in exhibiting here.

We had an extremely difficult time making a decision. We received nearly two hundred submissions and have just a few open slots to fill per year. We regret that we were unable to offer you an opportunity to exhibit at this time. Enclosed you will find your materials.

Please keep up with us and do consider submitting a proposal for our next call.

Regards,

The Director of Programs & Exhibitions"

Well, I slipped my materials out of the envelope after reading the letter. My stomach sank as I saw the slides I had selected to send for review. What in the world was I thinking?? I'm glad I took the chance, but the next time around I know that I will be much better prepared to REALLY show my work. Since then I've completed over ten more paintings and the series is much more cohesive. Next time...

Your Turn!!

2005-10-10T08:42:00.000-04:00

How many of you out there are promoting your work to publishers, art directors, and/or galleries? What sorts of experiences have you had along the way? What do you feel are your biggest obstacles? If you could get into any place of your choice (publishing house, agency, gallery, museum, etc.) what specifically would it be and why?

I'd love to hear a few stories from the lurkers out there and in turn you can ask me anything about my process along the way here too.

A Fresh Letter From the Stack

2005-10-10T08:23:00.000-04:00

"Dear Suzanne,

Thank you for providing an opportunity to view images of your recent work. While at this particular time we are not actively seeking new artists to join the gallery, we attempt to see as many examples of current work as possible. Our returning your images is less a reflection of the work than the limitations in time and physical space at the gallery. The actual roster of artists we represent is by necessity quite small so we do not frequently make additions. I appreciate your interest in the Gallery and wish you the best in the future.

Sincerely,

The Gallery"

Yeah yeah ... ok so another lesson I learned along my journeys last week. Strange as it may seem, every gallery I went to had paintings of landscapes, aquatic scenery, flowers, and the occasional pop-artish piece of work. None of them focused on figurative work, none of them even really featured figurative work like my work. There were the occasional portraits (very occasional), but truly, had I simply walked through the gallery to see if this looked like a place that would accept my work (because they seemed to specialize in figurative narrative work) I would have turned on my heels and left.

Everyone I met with last week said something to the effect of, "Oh this is great! We don't have any work like this in our gallery right now and this would make a wonderful addition!" The rejection letter above came from a gallery that very heavily features figurative works. I'm not saying that their comment that their gallery is tiny and already filled to the gills with artists is not true, but, if what the three galleries told me last week holds true for many galleries (that on occasion they do like to "diversify") perhaps my constant searches for something even remotely like my work is a bit misguided? Who knows, but it's certainly something to think about.

Dangerously good combination

2005-10-04T17:57:00.000-04:00

Ok – in my entry on September 28^th I emphasized the need to not be scared of using the phone. This advice also couples with the advice to always go into a gallery in person whenever possible (after calling ahead to set up a time to review your work). When you pair the two together, you may find that you get a very potent combination. In the span of a week I have managed to meet with three galleries. I am pleased to say that now, I am a very busy woman and will be painting up quite a storm. I was accepted at all three venues.

More rejections will be forth coming. And as soon as I have time I will make a proper post discussing the details of these new arrangements.

A Quickie Rejection

2005-10-03T10:24:00.000-04:00

This one is via email:

"Thank you for submitting images for review. The work is nice, but does not fit with the direction of the gallery.

Regards

Kate"

The nice thing about the occasional email inquiry is that it is quick and costs no money. It can also result in an equally fast and virtually free rejection letter.

A Sample of My Work

2005-09-28T08:09:00.000-04:00

As I wait for a new round of rejection letters to head my way, I thought it would be nice to share one of my paintings. The above image is "Sweet Dreams" from my Butterfly Series. It measures 16"x20" and is high viscosity acrylic on stretched canvas.

In news relating to all things gallery/exhibition, I have managed to secure a trendy location in town for the remainders of my September exhibit from up north. The paintings should arrive next week sometime and I'll be swinging by and dropping off a few lovelies for them to display along with a few copies of the book to sell.

Another task on my “to do” list is to visit with a small touristy gallery in Historic Downtown Cocoa Beach Florida. It's amazing what something as simple as a phone call can do. I cruised by the space on Labor Day weekend, emailed them some samples of my work... didn't hear, but then decided to follow-up with a phone call and we're on for a face to face next week and we're talking exhibition space for February (which would be ideal for me).

The moral of the story is, don't be afraid of making phone calls to galleries and alternative spaces. Speaking directly to the gallery staff, and in some cases the director, can only show initiative and in many ways will help circumvent the problems a busy schedule or not-so-web/email-savvy gallery. I think this week will find me making several phone calls. What can it hurt?

Thanks, but no thanks | Another Letter From the Stack

2005-09-24T18:13:00.000-04:00

“Dear Suzanne,

Thank you for your interest in our registry

Although I appreciated the opportunity to review your materials, I regret to inform you that they will not be incorporated into our curated artist registry. I realize that this is a potential disappointment to you, but I hope that you can understand that this process is extremely competitive, and that only a very small percentage of submissions are accepted.

Unfortunately due to the overwhelming volume of submissions we recieve each week, which I personally review, it is impossible for me to give individual feedback to each artist who submits their work for consideration.

I encourage you to look into other spaces with review programs in New York, such as Art in General, Artists Space, the Drawing Center, Exit Art, P.S. 1, and the Sculpture Center.

Thank you for allowing me to review your materials.

Best wishes,

Director & Chief Curator”

Well this is a new type of rejection letter for me. I applied a few weeks ago for a curated registry located in NYC. While I knew my odds were somewhat slim, I also took a chance and submitted a body of work that I haven’t been in the habit of promoting, my Body Series Drawings. I figured for such a gritty and edgy location I should change things up and send these works rather than my current series which are much more soft, and quiet. Well, it could have been the drawings, might have been my resume, it could have been any number of things and as you can see, even eliciting this response was an achievement. They certainly don’t have time to tell me what about that work wasn’t appropriate for their collection. One good thing though is that I can always turn around and send the series I’m working on a few weeks later. Here’s to a little trial and error.

A Fresh Selection from the Stack

2005-09-12T17:04:00.000-04:00

“Dear Suzanne,

Thank you for giving us the opportunity to see your work. Unfortunately, due to a full plate of artists, The Gallery cannot accept your work at this time. However, if you so desire, you are welcome to send us slide of your new work in the future.

Thank you for your interest in The Gallery,

Sincerely,

Mr. InCharge”

Today’s rejection letter falls into that “hmmm… so, did they like me?” category. I tend to officially put these under the “neutral” column when adding them to the tally. If they loved my work and HAD to have it, they may find room for it in their gallery regardless or go out of their way to tell me so. Hence, it’s my assumption that these letters indicate something of a near miss aesthetically. Meaning, my work is close, but not quite there. It may be that the execution needs to be polished more, or perhaps the themes and concepts need to be explored more deeply, or even more simply, perhaps I just don’t have enough work yet to prove that it’ll hold up as a series. Either way, this isn’t a door closed, just one that sticks a bit and perhaps it’ll open better when the weather has changed. I plan to resubmit to these types of responses after several months have passed. You just never know.

Sometimes all the work pays off

2005-09-12T16:54:00.000-04:00

This weekend, payment for sales I made on a show last month arrived from a gallery up north. Opening the envelope and slipping that thin piece of paper from its hiding place made for a very satisfying moment indeed. There is actually a light at the end of the tunnel and that light means that all this work may eventually pay off. While my mind is filled with feelings of accomplishment and relief (the money is of course much needed), it brings with it a certain amount of tension. Will I be able to keep this up? Now that I’ve moved, will I find it difficult to drum up sales? Will it be even more difficult to build up a base of collectors in my new home town? These are all questions that I cannot answer right now. Knowing that I was able to sell most of my work at the show last month feels good and gives me hope that perhaps I can do the same with future opportunities.

Also, I just returned last night from another exhibition up north (my last scheduled show in Michigan). I flew back in order to attend the opening reception and say goodbye one last time to the city and my friends. Near the end of the reception the gallery received word that we had by far the highest attendance of any gallery in town that day. This is no small accomplishment given the location. Other parts of town hold openings in tandem in order to share the crowds of people who attend, but the gallery where my show was, was flying solo downtown on a weekend when other area merchants and restaurants are closed. Not only did we do well attendance-wise, but I also managed to make a few sales at the reception. For me, this is a first. Usually people like to steep in the work before making a decision. Opening receptions are times for cheese, fruit, crème puffs, and wine, but rarely for purchasing artwork. I’m hoping that this implies that the rest of the works may have a shot at finding new homes.

Another Selection from the Stack II

2005-09-07T20:08:00.000-04:00

"Dear Suzanne,

Thank you for your interest in representation here at the Gallery. I have followed the link to your website and have reviewed the images and information you have posted. Although I find the work interesting and it appears to be well executed, I do not feel it is right for my gallery.

Thanks again for the submission and best of luck in your search for representation.

Sincerely,

Mr. Doe"

This is a really common type of letter that I get. Part of the disadvantage of cruising all over the country seeking galleries is that it can be truly challenging to determine what sort of gallery you're attempting to make contact with. While you may see work that seems similar enough to yours on their website, they may not be able to update their site frequently and so the work may be outdated. Also the work online might only be a fraction of what the gallery has in house and again doesn't represent the gallery image well. Of course there's another factor to consider... my inability to see that there is no or very little connection with my work's themes or style to the gallery. When you don't fit perfectly into a specific genre, finding a gallery to represent your work can certainly be a challenge.

Another Selection from the Stack

2005-09-07T19:51:00.000-04:00

"Suzanne,

Sorry it took me so long to get back to you. I have recently accepted a position at The XXX Museum of Art. I am sorry to say that I stepped "down" from my position at the Gallery at last week. I do not know who is going to be taking submissions from now on. I apologize for not being able to help you. On a personal note, I think your art work is fantastic!

Sincerely,
John Doe"

So close yet so far, no? I get some honest enthusiasm for my work, but the person in charge of the gallery is no more and has no idea what the gallery will be doing in that regard in the future. It's a swing and a miss! Maybe I can make it a near miss. I wrote him back and thanked him for the email, asked him if he knew of other places that might find my work interesting and wished him luck in his new position. We’ll see.

Let's Map it Out

2005-09-03T13:32:00.000-04:00

Here's the break down regarding response types:

Neutral:
I consider a neutral reply one where a gallery has a positive reaction to my work, but may not have any exhibition space for me at this time or cannot accept new artists. This may be the gallery's attempt to let me down gently, but because they haven't said that my work is not appropriate for their space, they will remain on my mailing list.

Negative:
A negative response is one where the gallery makes it clear that my work does not align well with the gallery vision or aesthetic.

Positive:
A gallery is excited about my work and would like to offer me a show, representation, or would like to discuss the possibility of such opportunities.

A Selection From the Stack

2005-09-02T21:55:00.000-04:00

"Thank you for taking the time to share your work with us. The gallery is committed to exhibiting work that reflects a certain style. Though not easily verbalized, our mission is to represent artists whose work coincides with that direction. Our intent when choosing new artists is not to critique or judge, but to identify a style that coincides with our own.

Your work was very interesting and well presented. At this time, other work we have reviewed is a better fit for us. We wish we could represent many more artists but the reality of it is that we can only represent a few.

Thanks for your interest in the gallery.

Best regards,

Gallery X"

I love this letter. The writer really did put forth some serious effort. Sometimes I get only one sentence that says very little indeed, in this case I got several sentences that while trying to be delicate and encouraging also said very little. It still makes me smile. Perhaps I'll try them again in several months.

Here’s an abbreviated background

2005-09-02T19:54:00.000-04:00

In the last year and a half, I have attempted to dust off my resigned BFA and finally put all those years spent in the studios that I so willingly shelled out thousands of dollars for back to use. After six years of working in a corporate setting as a designer my long suppressed dream of participating in all the excitement and hubbub of the “art world” came back and bit me hard.

Here’s a little back story:
Initially upon graduation I think reality had already set in. I was going to need a steady income and I was going to have to come up with some way to get it. While college was great and provided me with numerous opportunities to explore various methods of expression and craft, I really left with no idea where to start. How does one go about finding a gallery? Is that where we’re supposed to start? Or should I get an agent? What do I need to have with me if I meet with someone? How should I dress? Before I knew it, I was way ahead of myself and I hadn’t even removed my graduation robe. Paralyzed by intimidation, I was convinced that I was the only one out there who would look foolish trying to make a dent. And so, rather than put myself through all of that, after a few feeble and misguided attempts, I resigned myself to life as a designer.

Hey, it paid well. I managed to pay off most of my student loans and picked up some very handy and useful skills along the way. After a while though, climbing the ranks towards someone else’s personal/corporate goal just wasn’t motivating any more. It didn’t help that the company I was working for was slowly going the way of many Dotcoms from the late 90’s and there was little work in the office to keep one busy. Watching the clock became painful, and in an attempt to help the hours creep by just a little quicker I started to dip my toes back in.

This is not to say that I completely avoided artwork entirely from 1998 on. But, I completed my final grand painting “I Quit” in the summer of 1998 and as far as art-art is concerned, I had retired that side of me.

In the late winter/early spring of 2004 I started to paint again. Finally I had something to say… I had experiences from the previous 6+ years that I could look back on with a new perspective. The work flowed and soon I was painting nearly every day. That summer I had my first show at a local gallery in the historic downtown area of Lansing. It wasn’t a huge venue by any means, but it was just what I needed to keep pushing. Shortly after I found a gallery in a nearby town that wanted to take me on, and my work was accepted into two other exhibits, this time in NY State.

What changed? I was no longer so worried about what “adults” would think. Here I was in my late 20’s now, I had learned a lot about people of authority. I learned that for the most part, they are as human as you or I. They weren’t scary at all. I also relied a lot on the wealth of literature available online via bookstores and community boards out there that offers artists a plethora of information, tips, and experiences to learn from. Why try to invent the wheel all over again? Learn how others have made the wheel and see if you can’t make your own wheel from what you learned?

Now What?
So here I am, a year and a half later, hopefully a little wiser. I’m trying to branch out more. I’ve moved to a new town and I’m starting all over again. Using the philosophy that with some good research, a little luck (being in the right spot at the right time), and some serious commitment to my efforts, I’m hoping to get an exhibition (beyond juried shows) and possibly some representation. I’ll be documenting my steps along the way along with the results.

And so, we come to the name of the blog, My Rejection Letters. I plan to share these with everyone as well. We need to learn to expect them and not feel as though they are personal attacks. Sometimes we’re just not what the gallery is looking for at that moment, the gallery might be full and have no room for new artists, or perhaps your research was off. Whatever the reason, you cannot be sensitive about it, you cannot take it to heart as an attack on your voice as an artist. You gotta dust yourself off, get back up and move on.