So you want to be in an art show…
West Main Artists Co-op and Converse College partner for workshop
West Main Artist Co-op and Converse College are partnering to provide a free workshop on what it takes to be in a juried art show Saturday, Feb. 16, 1-3 p.m. at the Co-op on West Main Street in Spartanburg.
The workshop – “Jury Ready: Preparing to Enter a Juried Show” – will be led by Converse students, most of whom are majoring in fine art or studio art. The lead student will be Jillian Stelow, an art history major minoring in arts management. This workshop is also 
part of the Co-op’s first four-state juried show – WMAC 2019 – scheduled for the fall.
Neither tickets nor registration are required to attend this workshop.
“As the Co-op began to organize for WMAC 2019, we quickly realized that many artists don’t understand the process of being in a juried art show,” chairperson Beth Regula said. “To help artists understand what needs to be done for this show and any other, we partnered with Converse College to create this workshop. It will be ideal for any artist who has ever considered applying to be in a juried show. The students will cover the entire process, all of the nuts and bolts, such as ‘What does juried mean?’ Not everyone understands that ‘juried’ means to be judged for inclusion into the show. Of course, there’s a lot more to being in a juried show, and this workshop should answer all the questions.”
Other topics to be discussed include meeting deadlines, how to photograph your work, how to register online, how to price your work, how to hang your work, how to transport and insure your work, promotions including social media, art talks, and collaboration with other artists. The workshop will also allow participants to ask questions.
Leading the students in this workshop will be Assistant Professor of Art Mary E. Carlisle, who holds a bachelor’s and two master’s degrees in studio art and arts administration. “Our goal in the Department of Art and Design is to provide exceptional visual arts programs and dynamic educational and artistic experiences to our students,” she said. “Collaborations such as this one allow them to go out into the field and share their knowledge with a community of artists, while gaining hands-on experience. Projects like this also serve as an excellent example of our School of the Arts initiative, ‘Creativity That Works,’ through which we prepare passionate young artists for productive careers in the arts.
“Students in our arts management minor program study the importance of a community to the mission of arts nonprofits and the potential impact such organizations can have in their community as a result,” she continued. “I am thrilled that this collaboration with West Main Artists Co-op provides an opportunity to support WMAC’s mission to create a community of artists and provide opportunities for artists at various stages in their careers. Age is not always indicator of experience, and I hope that this program encourages artists who have never applied to participate in a juried show, or responded to a call for entries, to use this as an opportunity to learn the essentials so that they feel confident in taking that next step to get their work out there.”
The world-famous Hub Calls for Art Megaphone.
This workshop is one of the first steps in the Co-op’s juried show that will run Saturday, Sept. 14, to Saturday, Oct. 19, 2019. The show is open to any visual artists over the age of 18 in South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Georgia. Online registration and application will begin on Sunday, July 7, and will end on Saturday, Aug. 3. After the entries have been juried/judged, applicants will be notified by Saturday, Aug. 17. Applicants will pay a $35 non-refundable entry fee to enter as many as three pieces of visual art, including both 2- and 3-dimensional. Cash prizes will include first-place, $2,500; second-place, $1,000; third-place, $500; and merit awards totaling $500. For complete details, please visit WestMainArtists.org. Brochures for WMAC 2019 are available at West Main Artists Co-op, 578 West Main Street, Spartanburg. The Co-op is open Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
West Main Artists Co-op is one of the leading arts agencies in Spartanburg, with a membership of more than 50 juried artists. It is housed in a converted church and includes studio space for about 30 artists. It also has three galleries, a printery, a pottery studio, two stages for performances, and the county’s largest rotating collection of for-sale artwork made by local artists. Each month, the nonprofit agency hosts three free art exhibitions of work by its members and guest artists.