Tuesday 10 August 2010

'B' is for Barred

The past three years I have entered my paintings into the Best of Hampshire Artists exhibition held at Hillier Gardens in Romsey and had my work accepted. This year I am not allowed to even submit work....because my name begins with 'B'. Apparently, because so many new artists want to have a chance at entering, the committee have decided to omit anyone whose surnames begin with either 'A' or 'B' from even submitting a painting before the selection committee. Forgive me for thinking that the whole idea of a selection committee is to sort out the pictures they deem suitable for exhibition thus giving everyone a fair crack at it.

Also, how can the exhibition now be called 'Best of Hampshire Artists' - should there not be an additional line to the title '...excepting anyone whose name begins with A or B'? Hard luck Mr. Botticelli, Mr. Bacon and Mr. Burne-Jones, better luck next year maybe. Lucky you, Mr. Whistler and Mr. Watteau, you won't be excluded until the year 2022.

So I'm off to enter some of my work at the Mall Galleries in London where I can be accepted or rejected based on the quality of my work rather than where in the alphabet my name falls. That is the kind of rejection I can accept with grace and understanding, unlike this which leaves a nasty taste in the mouth.

7 comments:

Laura Sparling said...

What kind of ridiculous behaviour is that??!

What silly people.

Laura x

WoolenSails said...

That is the silliest thing, I have ever heard of and totally unfair. We have a big art festival here and it used to allow crafters, but now only art, which I can understand, but not taking out people by the letter of their name, total hogwash;)

Debbie

Jo Sacker said...

That is just awful, whoever came up with that idea must have been seriously low on brain cells that day! I didn't think that things like that happened and that they were always urban myth, like the 'unlucky' half pile of job applications that goes straight to the bin! At worst do a draw of applicants if you have to, but an alphabet lottery, I am totally disgusted on your behalf!

Heather said...

How arbitrary!
What... because it was *just* too hard for them to look at an entire alphabet worth of entries?

That's just totally nuts... and really, really dumb.

I wish you luck at the other galleries though!!!

Nunt said...

Um, what? Erhm, why? What does someone's last name have *anything* to do with their art? Idiots... Good luck with the Mall Galleries...

Magpie Magic said...

It's totally inconceivable that they would make their selections this way and even more inconceivable that they'd tell the artists. Seems the selection committee either can't be bothered or has no faith in their skill to select 'the best' so this was the easier option. I think this should be made public and that the selection committee should be replaced. xoxo

natural attrill said...

As I said before, this is totally RIDICULOUS :(
Penny.
x