AUSTRALIAN ART CURATOR BLOG: THE POWER OF AN ART PRIZE
Originally published on Art Pharmacy / More by the Australian Art Curator here
2018 is officially here and in the tradition of the good old New Year’s resolution, I am suggesting you make a commitment: to participate in an art prize!
Involvement is not limited to artists, as any art enthusiast can enjoy the opinions of others on cutting edge and thought-provoking contemporary art.
For artists, whether you are well-established or rising through the circles, merely entering a competition can be hugely rewarding. There is also the potential for gaining the prize to look forward to.
Global art prizes are big business. In Australia specifically the industry is worth around AUD$4 million. As some in the field would be aware, there can often be some questionable bureaucracy within the funding and judging processes.
However, the rewards can definitely outweigh the risks for an up and coming artist.
Mitch Cairns, ‘Agatha Gothe-Snape’, 2017 (Archibald prize winner 2017)
2018 is here and in the tradition of the good old New Year’s resolution, I am suggesting you make a commitment: to participate in an art prize!
Involvement is not limited to artists, as any art enthusiast can enjoy the opinions of others on cutting edge and thought-provoking contemporary art.
For artists, whether you are well-established or rising through the circles, merely entering a competition can be hugely rewarding. There is also the potential for gaining the prize to look forward to.
Global art prizes are big business. In Australia specifically the industry is worth around AUD$4 million. As some in the field would be aware, there can often be some questionable bureaucracy within the funding and judging processes.
However, the rewards can definitely outweigh the risks for an up and coming artist.
Art shows for prizes can be a great way of bringing creative people together
The more high-profile winners are often well recognised and garner great exposure (the Archibald Prize immediately comes to mind).
The subject matter in the Archibald Prize is very high profile. It's full of famous faces, from portrait subjects to artists (and even the judging panel). Although the quick judgment calls at the beginning of the process have come into question, the Art Gallery of New South Wales stands by the ninety-six year old competition.
If the big league isn't your style, then there are plenty of small prizes to fill the gaps for a wide range of practices.
The Stencil Art Prize is an example of a small-scale award that seeks to recognise the exceptional works of artists working with stencils in their practice. It includes a major prize of $5000, which was presented this year to winners Jana & JS.
Jana & JS, ‘I wish everybody knew’, 2017
Artists should not be scared off by the sheer size of the art prize industry. So here are a few tips and benefits to help convince you of the merits of this New Year’s resolution.
1. CONFIDENCE INJECTION
Get involved in some healthy competition and back your skills and message. It may be daunting placing your work in an arena to be judged, but this is the same as any time a piece enters the public arena through an exhibition with anyone open to make similar judgements.
2. EXPOSURE IS EVERYTHING
In order to make a living off your work, building a profile is essential. Art prizes are a way of self-curating your brand through entering yourself into particular circles that suit your message and practice. Just think of it as another exhibition!
3. FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES
Art prizes often involve a number of events full of academic experts, fellow artists and interested buyers. If your work is memorable you can grow a very influential network. Even if you don’t win the award this time, your new-found network is sure to play a role for you in the future.
4. DID I MENTION THE CASH?
The romanticised idea of the struggling artist isn’t quite such a romantic reality, so the money from an art prize can not only help your practice but could be the first step towards your full time career as a full-time career.
5. DON’T CHANGE, DON’T GIVE UP
The golden rule for these competitions is not to back down from what you know and what you want your work to represent. Many artists say there is pressure to change your work to suit the prize or its judges, so don’t compromise!
There are so many prizes out there so it is possible to find one that subscribes to what you represent.
If all this has convinced you of the merits of art prizes, then the next step is finding one to get involved in. There are heaps of websites and apps such as Art Prizes that keep a very detailed system of both national and international prizes for you to engage with.
For emerging artists, the John Fries award is the perfect platform, with applications closing mid-January. A bigger option for 2018 is the National Works on Paper Prize, which closes in April and has a prize pool of $50,000 (an amount that’s hard to pass up).
So, make your new year’s resolution to enter the next step in your career through one of the hundreds of art prizes in our country.
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