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October 10, 2012 at 12:33 am #448500
What’s the best shows have you participated in with your wildlife art? Break them up into shows mainly about competition and shows mainly about sales. In other words:
1. What do you think are some of the best juried shows wildlife artists should enter? Best in terms of prestige and exposure?
2. What exhibits/festivals have you found most successful for sales and/or getting exposure that added new potential buyers to your mailing list that resulted in later sales?
Crista Forest
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SaveOctober 10, 2012 at 1:05 am #524968October 10, 2012 at 2:51 am #524961Prix de West, by far.
That’s primarily Western though, isn’t it? I mean, cowboys and horses. Not lions and tigers and bears (oh my!).
Well, maybe bears…attacking a cowboy.
Or maybe a lion … if it’s a mountain lion.
No tigers though….unless the wild west includes Las Vegas.
Ok, it’s obviously too late for me. Time for bed!Crista Forest
My Animal Art Sites[/COLOR] -- My Animal Art Gifts -- My Art Prints Page
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SaveOctober 10, 2012 at 11:02 am #524965Actually, it would be a fantastic resource if there were a listing of wildlife art shows and wildlife-friendly* art shows by region!! Does anyone know if such a thing exists? Should we start one?
In the past I have done shows where folks will approach me and tell me that my work would be great at “such and such” show, which always baffles me that I’d never heard of it even though I actively seek new places to show! I wish there were a listing.
*By wildlife-friendly, I mean that artists whose body of work is mostly wildlife would be welcome and have cross-over patrons. Western art patrons, for example, often also collect wildlife art.
October 10, 2012 at 2:15 pm #524956Most Western art shows are open to North American wildlife species. Western Art Shows have generated more sales for me than strictly wildlife shows by a lot!
Here are some animal specific shows that I am aware of:
Society of Animal Artists Annual Exhibition- shows held in museum venues, juried to become a member and the show is also juried. A percentage of work goes on tour to 4+ museums for a year. High prestige and great for resume – however you must be a member of SAA to even enter. Many people don’t sell all that well (most people don’t go to a museum to buy artwork), but I have sold my work 3 out of the 4 years I have been in.
Artists For Conservation (AFC) – much like SAA show above. I am not a member, so don’t know the specifics, but they do both a live exhibit and an online one each year.
Birds In Art – Limited to birds as a subject matter and must be completed in past two years. BIA is another great one for the resume/prestige, but the show is HARD to get into. I have gotten in one out of four years that I have submitted. If you get in you GO to the show – everything except your travel is paid for! While a super high quality show sometimes it feels like a crap shoot getting in with many outstanding works getting rejected from top wildlife artists and sometimes works that I don’t think are that great get in April entry deadline.
OVAL Kentucky National Wildlife Exhibition – Limited to North American Species and the show is only held every 2 years (even years). They give out over $10,000 in awards. Fall entry deadline.
LSU Animals In Art – January Entry deadline. I have sold one work at this show (small one).
Art Show At the Dog Show – January Deadline. Lots of awards. Limited to dogs as a subject matter.
Bennington Center For the Arts “Art of The Animal Kingdom” – must be invited to submit work (you can e-mail to find out about how to get invited) and then work is juried as well. Nice venue. I have sold one work there in three years.
American Academy of Equine Art – Horse specific subject matter. Fall deadline. I have sold one work there.
As far as sales type shows
I know Nature Works is one that generates a lot of sales – hard to get into and you must be invited. Openings do not become available very often. It is in Feb. in Oklahoma each year, but as I can’t get into it (yet) I don’t know specifics.
Southeastern Wildlife Festival (SEWE) – some people do really well here and others don’t. I have not participated. Must apply and be accepted.
Easton Waterfowl Festival – similar to SEWE – some people do really well here and others don’t. I have not participated. Must apply and be accepted.
Dallas Safari Club – no experience, expensive to enter. Some do well, most new artists do not (from what I have heard).
There are a LOT of western art shows and most will accept horses and NA wildlife. The western shows fit a wide range of pretige and difficulty to get into. A lot of the higher end shows will require you to have the right connections to get into (and you make these connections through galleries and mid-level shows – you make the connections for the mid-level shows through lower end shows or juried shows)… in the art world it truly isn’t just about what you do but also who you know!
[FONT="Comic Sans MS"]Cathy Sheeter
Check out the new International Society of Scratchboard Artists!
October 10, 2012 at 5:32 pm #524960Actually, it would be a [B]fantastic [/B]resource if there were a listing of wildlife art shows and wildlife-friendly* art shows by region!! Does anyone know if such a thing exists? Should we start one?
In the past I have done shows where folks will approach me and tell me that my work would be great at “such and such” show, which always baffles me that I’d never heard of it even though I actively seek new places to show! I wish there were a listing.
*By wildlife-friendly, I mean that artists whose body of work is mostly wildlife would be welcome and have cross-over patrons. Western art patrons, for example, often also collect wildlife art.
I will make this a sticky if anyone wants to add a few more to Cathy’s list.:thumbsup:
PS. Are the duck-stamp contests open to all?October 10, 2012 at 8:02 pm #524957Yes most of the federal and state stamp competitions (duck, upland game bird, etc.) are open to anyone, however a few of the state ones require you to be a resident of the state. I do caution all artists to read the rules carefully for stamp competitions, as some require you to pay for a certain number of prints if you win. Also they all have size and most have species requirements. Most of the competitions do not pay out for winning, though the prestige may make it worth it if you win.
[FONT="Comic Sans MS"]Cathy Sheeter
Check out the new International Society of Scratchboard Artists!
October 10, 2012 at 10:08 pm #524967Wow, this is a great resource! I have been wondering about this kind of thing myself recently. Thanks for posting this!
October 11, 2012 at 2:32 am #524962Yes most of the federal and state stamp competitions (duck, upland game bird, etc.) are open to anyone, however a few of the state ones require you to be a resident of the state. I do caution all artists to read the rules carefully for stamp competitions, as some require you to pay for a certain number of prints if you win. Also they all have size and most have species requirements. Most of the competitions do not pay out for winning, though the prestige may make it worth it if you win.
Really? They don’t pay anything if you win? I was under the impression the artist at least got royalties off the stamp sales. No? That kind of sucks. I do see many artists who have a disproportionate amount of game bird art on their sites, obviously stamp competitions due to the rigid format, and have to wonder if it’s worth it. It seems many artists spend most of the year painting for stamp competitions and get little other wildlife art done. If they don’t win the stamp competition, what do they do with all those duck paintings? There can’t be a market big enough. I personally don’t want to paint ducks 3/4 of the year. I remember the Federal Duck Stamp Competition used to be a huge deal. If you won that you were an overnight success. From what I’ve seen of it lately it seems to be pretty much a dud now, offering the winner little more than a pat on the back. What happened?
Crista Forest
My Animal Art Sites[/COLOR] -- My Animal Art Gifts -- My Art Prints Page
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SaveOctober 11, 2012 at 8:53 am #524966Really? They don’t pay anything if you win? I was under the impression the artist at least got royalties off the stamp sales. No? That kind of sucks.
For the Federal, $0.98 of every $1.00 goes toward wetland conservation, which is the whole point of the stamp. They are sold for conservation, and not profit. I assume the other two cents go toward printing and administrative costs, which can be considerable.
A few of the states have payouts, but they are generally funded either privately, or from the entry fees that the artists must pay to enter. The stamp money is for conservation.
October 11, 2012 at 1:05 pm #524958I think winning something like the federal, while it may not make you an overnight success, will at least bring you a lot of publicity.
[FONT="Comic Sans MS"]Cathy Sheeter
Check out the new International Society of Scratchboard Artists!
January 28, 2013 at 3:55 pm #524963International Artist has an upcoming wildlife art competition, deadline Mar 13.
http://www.international-artist.com/
I’m not sure if this is a yearly thing or not.Crista Forest
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SaveMay 13, 2013 at 1:10 pm #524969May 15, 2013 at 8:36 pm #524964?? http://www.ducks.ca/how-you-can-help/submit-artwork/http://%5B/URL%5D
Submission deadline: July 12, 2013
Ducks Unlimited fundraiser. Perhaps exposure is worth it to you as is your participation in raising funds for wetland conservation?Nell
[SIZE=1][FONT=Arial Narrow][COLOR=Navy]I'm a fixer-upper. I like the puzzle of it all. I like to get myself into trouble and try to work my way out of it. I'm never going to run out of substandard stuff. [/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=1][FONT=Arial Narrow]Robert Genn[/SIZE]
August 20, 2013 at 1:45 pm #524959I don’t live in the UK – but a few shows I am aware of (and there may be more) are:
David Shephard Wildlife Artist of the Year (WAY)
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BBC Wildlife Artist of the Year (this one is free to enter I think)National Exhibition of Wildlife Art (NEWA)
And In Austraila: Queensland Wildlife Artists Society Inc[/URL]
Olga it is true you have to have money to make money This is my almost all artists have a day job for years before doing art full time. There are entry fees, framing costs, shipping charges, etc. that all cost money. I am not aware of any cheap way to exhibit your artwork except perhaps things like local fairs. Have you tried talking to local cafe’s and shops to see if they would be willing to display your work for a month or two?
[FONT="Comic Sans MS"]Cathy Sheeter
Check out the new International Society of Scratchboard Artists!
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