Sarah Thornton’s Seven Days in the Art World.
Chapter 5, the Prize.
What are the pros and cons of entering prizes?
There is a certain legitimacy to winning a prize. Being acknowledged for your work is always a good thing and the publicity from the competition can lead to further exhibition opportunities. There is also, usually, prize money which can help out the artist quite a lot.
Competition between artists can also be a bad thing. It can lead to artists always looking over their shoulder and judging their work instead of freely expressing themselves. The media can also critique and scrutinise the work so intensely that the publicity can be harmful to the artist.
"There is nothing sacrosanct about the status of any prize. It will only carry authority while it continues to be awarded to artists who are held in high regard or who are seen, in a relatively short time, to have merits that perhaps people didn't recognise at the moment. It's only as good as its last outing." (Pg. 118)
What were some of the criteria used by the judges in arriving at the prize-winner?
The judging of a competition can be bias to the judges personal tastes in art. The criteria for the four short-listed contestants is: they must be based in Britain, be younger than fifty and have attracted the jury's attention with an outstanding exhibition in the last year. Apart from that it seems like there is no definitive criteria for selecting a winner. It's up to personal choice and the judges agreeing on the 'right' artist. It may not be the best artwork of the four, but it is the right choice for that time.
What are the pros and cons of entering prizes?
There is a certain legitimacy to winning a prize. Being acknowledged for your work is always a good thing and the publicity from the competition can lead to further exhibition opportunities. There is also, usually, prize money which can help out the artist quite a lot.
Competition between artists can also be a bad thing. It can lead to artists always looking over their shoulder and judging their work instead of freely expressing themselves. The media can also critique and scrutinise the work so intensely that the publicity can be harmful to the artist.
"There is nothing sacrosanct about the status of any prize. It will only carry authority while it continues to be awarded to artists who are held in high regard or who are seen, in a relatively short time, to have merits that perhaps people didn't recognise at the moment. It's only as good as its last outing." (Pg. 118)
What were some of the criteria used by the judges in arriving at the prize-winner?
The judging of a competition can be bias to the judges personal tastes in art. The criteria for the four short-listed contestants is: they must be based in Britain, be younger than fifty and have attracted the jury's attention with an outstanding exhibition in the last year. Apart from that it seems like there is no definitive criteria for selecting a winner. It's up to personal choice and the judges agreeing on the 'right' artist. It may not be the best artwork of the four, but it is the right choice for that time.
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