Slides for Juries

Hi All,

Once again, I have a question . . . it may seem silly, but I’ve
never been quite sure what is meant by “top of slide,” when
reading entry procedure rules to apply to a juried show.

Do they mean TOP of the slide before it goes into the slide
projector - - which requies slides to be inserted upside-down to
show properly???

Thanks for any help!

Dear Fishbre, I always assume that it means the top from the way
I’m looking at it. Maybe the jurors have been looking at my work
upside down for all these years. Could expain why I get turned
away sometimes.

Wendy Newman
ggraphix@msn.com

    Once again, I have a question . . . it may seem silly, but
I've never been quite sure what is meant by "top of slide,"  when
reading entry procedure rules to apply to a juried show.

Generally they mean top of the image as you are looking at it, not
when it is in the projecter. Often they will have you put a red
dot in the lower left corner (also as you are looking at the image)
and then when they put in the carousel it goes in the top right. Deb

Slide identification can vary from entry to entry. Usually you have
your name and address on the bottom and the title of your work,
dimensions and media on the top. An arrow should mark the direction
of the object viewed as you are looking at it straight on. The top
of the slide is how you view the slide normally. The jurors will or
should know how to insert the slide into the projector.

Hope this helps!

-k

Karen Christians
Fly Fish Design
282 Lexington St.
Woburn, MA 01801

@metalart

Sorry to sound superficial but top of slide means the top of your
picture. What they do to it is their business!

  Do they mean TOP of the slide before it goes into the slide
projector - - which requies slides to be inserted upside-down to
show properly??? 

The top of the slide is also the top of your object as you would
like it to be veiwed Michael

RE: top of slide

They mean the top as you look at it. Some work can be viewed from
almost any direction…it is difficult to tell which end is up.
Jurors are depending on you to let them know which way is up
according to the designer of the piece.

Hope this is helpful.

Janet in rain soaked Philly

when shows want to know the top of a slide they really do want to
know the top of the piece…they know they have to put it into
the project upside down. But which way is up is not always very
obvious!!! good luck, Cindy Edelstein (been on juries and
organize 3 juried shows) Jeweler’s Resource FranklyCin@aol

To anyone : what is the best way to present your work to a small
craft show, I dont think these people want slides, just pictures,
what type of notebook, etc, how many pictures per page…I see
the word “juried” on a craft show handout, and I avoid it, what
are they looking for, besides originality…Im a beginner trying
to get into the craft show circuit…Ive seen the cards that
people produce with their jewelry on it( where you can buy 500 at
a time) how do you send it to them, by Fed EX?..I just need to
know how the whole thing is done…in terms of pre-showcasing
your work to these professionals

Hey Cindy, so what shows do you work with?

Just Curious Karen of the midwest, and yes, I spent yesterday
shoveling away a foot of snow.

Hello All,

Does any one in the N.Y.C. area know a good photographer that has
experience taking photos of jewelry and is reasonably priced? I’m
looking to have some slides taken and could use some help. Thanks,
Kathy

Lynn, If you want to enter a craft show you need to get their
application. It should tell you exactly what they want to see, for
example, 4 photos of your work. You should send the photos in a
plastic sleeve, available where you get photo supplies. Don’t
spend a lot of money getting post cards made if you are a beginner.
Your work will change and you’ll end up with lot’s of pictures you
can’t use. Don’t be intimidated by the word “juried” because it
doesn’t always mean that much. Good luck. - Deb

Hi Lynn, A good idea is to get a publication that lists the various
craft shows in your area and gives their address Call
or write to the show promoters and request an entry form. Then
just follow the directions, they will specify whether they want
slides or photos and how many. They do not want your postcards,
just photos or slides of your jewelry. You can either take your
own pictures or have a professional do it. Professional pictures
will get you into more shows, but when you are just starting out
your own will do just fine. There has been a thread on how to take
pictures on orchid recently. Look in the archieves. Hope this
helps. Jan http://www.designjewel.com Unique Handcrafted Jewelry

Lynn, I am a designer / goldsmith who has been doing about 12 - 16
juried shows a year for a number of years. My first piece of
advice is to attend some of the better shows in your area, look for
artists who are displaying work that is similar to yours or are
“where you want to be”, and talk to them. I know I really enjoy
talking to people who are new to the jewelry fields at shows and to
share my experience (unless I’m busy with a customer) When you feel
confident enough about your work to apply for a juried show, you
will need a professional booth set-up (I have a fun outdoor one and
a professional indoor one), and good, professional slides of your
work. Do not skimp on cost for these slides. Call the American
Crafts Council or look in the back of Crafts Report Magazine for a
list of good JEWELRY photographers. Choose work that is consistent
in style and color for these slides. Most shows require 4 - 5
slides of your work (individual pieces work best) and one of your
booth stocked with your product. If you’ve never done a show, set
the booth up in your driveway to take the slide. You probably want
to know why it is important to get into juried shows. I’ve found
that for my price range, the type of customers who tend to spend
money on Fine Art Jewelry, rarely attend the small “crafty” shows
and will pay 6-10$ and stand in line to get into good juried shows
to get the best quality possible. It all depends on the kind of
work you want to do.

I hope this helped, e-mail me if you have any more questions

Wendy Newman
ggraphix@msn.com

I WILL NOT do “craft shows” (Not that I haven’t tried. . . .) I
had “pictures” several years ago, ended up in some craft shows, and
felt like I entered the world of FLEA MARKETS! The most expensive
item I had was $45.00 and the bargaining began there . . . they
wanted to pay $5-10. for original, hand made pieces with
semi-precious stones. Ok, so I was using copper, brass and
nickel-silver at the time, but my time should still have counted!

If you are serious about entering the world of SHOW JEWELRY, I
would recommend that you have some slides done. . . Get the best
you can afford! Those who are new, don’t know the in’s and out’s
. . . the best thing to do is apply to ALL the shows that you read
about. You may not succeed the first time around, but if you get
into ONE show, you’ll see yourself in a few more.

BLACK or GREY background (keep the slides consistant in
background.) Don’t just include slides of earrings (there are
thousands of earring-makers around.) If you have a style and show
good workmanship- that’s what you’ll be judged by.

I’ve learned to make computer labels for my slides (stating name,
dementions, description of piece) and now I know WHAT “TOP” means!
So far, I’m hitting 100% with the shows to which I’ve applied. I
can only hope that I can produce enough to have a good inventory at
each show . . . I make everything by hand so that takes a while
and each piece is different.

The trick seems to be “meet the promoter!” If they like your
work, they will put you on a list (at least, in the area where I’m
located . . .)

Good luck!!!

Karen, I with the JCK Shows in Las Vegas and Orlando and I produce
the byDESIGN designer jewelry gallery at the AGTA Tucson
GemFair…

sorry to hear about teh snow…

cindy edelstein
jeweler’s resource
franklycin@aol.com

Absolutely! A terrific jury slide photographer lives/works in
Yonkers, just outside the city. His name is Ralph Gabriner and his
phone is 914-376-0175. He’s very reasonable and very very very
experienced at getting it right. Tell him i sent you! good luck.

cindy edelstein
jeweler’s resource
franklycin@aol

Dear Lynn,

I am not sure what kind of work you do. I do not recomend doing
shows that do not at least require slides for entry. If they don’t
do even a cursory jury of the show I have found them to be bad
news. You will see decently done pretty low level crafts at many
juried shows. If they are not doing some kind of jury, they are out
to grab your cash with little care for the quality of work. You
will probably end up surrounded by various buy/sell and import
jewelry.

This may not be what you wanted to hear but I thought you might
appreciate the warning.

Karen
letting my back recover after digging out the snow in the midwest

Does any one in the N.Y.C. area know a good photographer that has
experience taking photos of jewelry and is reasonably priced? I’m
looking to have some slides taken and could use some help.

Kathy… A few weeks ago Cindy Edelstein of Jewelers Resource
suggested a photographer in Yonkers who she says does spectacular
work. His price (again per Cindy ) is approximately $40 per shot
with a 4 shot minimum. I haven’t worked with him yet. His name is
Ralph Gabiner and his phone number is (914) 376- 0175. Let me know
how he works out if you get to him before I do.

Sol K.
Solk1@juno.com

Wendy and other with professional slides:

I am a sometime jeweler (learning), stonecutter, and photographer.
With all this talk about getting a professional to do your slides
I’m wondering whether this would be a decent sideline. What is the
going rate for professional slides of your work, and what kind of
background and lighting do your professionals use?

TIA,
Roy (Jess)