by Zen Parry
ave you ever wondered how your proposal is talked about during the jury process? An invitation to sit on the ‘other’ side of the table can put this question into perspective. Your first reaction might be, “Great, I will learn how to write the perfect proposal.” While this thought has some (minor) merit to it, the real learning comes in working with the other members of your panel and participating in the organization and issues at hand.
Differing art activities require just as many different types of panels and roles for the members of that panel with the ultimate goal being to match the expertise of the panel members to each project. Opportunities at a local level include assessing applications for residencies, scholarships, juried workshops and courses; acceptance into art fairs; proposals for exhibitions; donations to a major fund raising event and competitions. At the state and national levels, there are formal application processes to join commissions, such as a state commission for the arts. The usual method for joining the board of an organization is through invitation and/or nomination from current members.
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| Illustration by Dave Fontaine |
Panel members are invited to join by a committee composed of the staff from the awarding agency or a designated group. You can assess your own qualifications by understanding what you bring to the panel in terms of the following general categories:
The process of qualifying yourself for this role can commence at the local level. For example, being a recipient of a local grant award might generate an invitation to sit on the panel for the next cycle of applications.
Volunteering at your local community level will also lead to others making recommendations on your behalf, as well as providing valuable experience and building your reputation. Attending the opening of a project, such as the installation of a public art commission, and seeking out certain panel members can also initiate the appropriate relationships for future consideration.
Other key attributes include the relevance of your background and experience, such as if you have non-profit or administrative experience, and have been involved with any of the art-related groups or their genres, such as literary, multi-media, visual, educational, community based and performing arts. Geography, ethnicity, minority, disability and gender representation are also important specific considerations.
By nature, jurying processes are subjective, and panel members are valued for their individual professional viewpoints. The point of the panel is that the voice of each member is to be heard.
If you are performing an advisory role, then the criteria will be explicit — such as providing a qualitative evaluation of the applications, commenting on the funding request, ranking the applications based on merit and providing specific knowledge and guidance to the administering staff. In an advisory role, you are not expected to make final judgments or make endorsements on an application.
At the board level, your role is directly related to your experience, either as an artist, business delegate, arts professional or trustee/collector. The issues at this level warrant participation closely tied to your ability to contribute such as providing strategic input or professional recommendations.
Before accepting the invitation to join the panel, inquire about the expectations around your role.
As an individual artist, being a panel member provides you with a specific professional opportunity to develop your reputation and career. You will also witness a range of project management processes and styles, including successfully balancing particular vested interests such a budgets, political, commercial and community needs. It is also a speaking and presentation forum quite different from the usual opportunities available to you as an artist. Adding this type of experience to your skill set also opens up new opportunities as your professional goals evolve as well.
Overall, you have an opportunity to be an advocate on behalf of other artists and will benefit from the collective wisdom of the group. You will see how applications are appraised and will quickly gain a sense of what makes the cut and what doesn’t: the presentation of images, the dissection of a proposed budget or the relevance of certain qualifications. With larger projects, there often are high-visibility publicity opportunities that can expand your identity and reputation as well. Finally, honoring this role adds undeniable weight to your resume.
At the advisory and board levels, your reputation and professional expertise precede you.
You do not have to wait until you are a veteran of either the business world or art world to take this step of becoming a board member. Newly formed small arts agencies and non-profit organizations are always seeking qualified board or committee members and can provide valuable learning opportunities for your efforts.
As a member of the board, you will be sitting next to the trustees who directly contribute to the institution that you might have been applying too, for example a non-profit school, organization, museum or gallery. The codes of conduct and accountability for members are clearly defined, and the expectations around your role will usually involve a financial contribution, or at a minimum, the inclusion of professional networks and resources. The mission of the board of directors involves setting policy and strategy for the institution, overseeing budgets and ensuring that the entity remains viable financially and philosophically. As a member of a board, your history and reputation will be the focus, and the invitation is a reflection of your substantive contribution to that sector of the art world.
Fulfilling a role as a panel member will add valuable dimensions to your studio practice and identity in terms of experience (and how you edit your next application). More importantly, your administrative, political and organizational skills will be enhanced as you contribute directly to your community. Even if you chose to participate in a panel only once, the experience will stand you in good stead. Working with applications on ‘the other side of the table’ comes highly recommended and is an experience not to be missed.
Zen Parry is a practicing artist frequently changing sides at the table and learning something valuable with each new experience. She is happy in the knowledge that the ‘perfect’ application really doesn’t exist — really! (but she keeps practicing just in case …)