About Open Calls
I recently came across an article in the New York Foundation for the Arts website on Open Calls. If you are not familiar with open calls and what to expect if you submit your work to an open call.
Open calls have several functions for a gallery. They serve as advertising for a gallery. They generate income from submission fees. They add to the gallery’s stable of artists with the potential to bring in sales.
An artist should understand what a gallery with an open call is looking for. They should have a BFA and an MFA degree and a good exhibition history. They also must have a well written artistic statement that explains their artistic process. These two documents serve as an artist’s introduction to the public.
In a large art market like New York, an open call can generate several hundred responses. Now that entries for open calls can be scanned with AI, I am afraid that an artist’s work will not be enough to be selected for a gallery exhibition.