Call for Entries: ING Discerning Eye 2019

This is about the Call for Entries for the ING Discerning Eye Exhibition 2019 at the Mall Galleries between Thursday 14 November – Sunday 24 November 2019

There have been some changes this year and you are recommended to read the Call for Entries carefully.

Very oddly the exhibition page on the ING Discerning Eye website lacks a link to the Call for Entries website run by artopps - although it is there on the Home Page.

artwork in last year's exhibition

Below you can find:

• information about the exhibition
• a summary of information about prizes
• a note about the judges - with links to their websites (or other information about them)
• Call for Entries - How to Enter:
• a summary of the information for artists e.g. who can enter what etc.
• information about the deadlines and dates and where to find information about regional collection points
• links to websites and my blog posts showing images of the art selected and hung in past exhibitions for those unfamiliar with this art competition.

NOTE: The Deadline:

• to pre-register: 27 August 2019, 5pm
• Submission of artworks Deadline: 7th September 2019, 4pm

It also ("sort of") explains why one of the Selectors won the main cash prize in 2018! 

• see One of selectors wins £5,000 ING Discerning Eye Prize!

THe ING Discerning Eye Exhibition

The 2019 exhibition is open to the public from Thursday 14 November – Sunday 24 November 2019 between 10am and 5pm daily, at the Mall Galleries. Admission is free - and it's certainly an exhibition that I recommend people going to see.

The ING Discerning Eye Exhibition is a show of small works, independently selected by six prominent figures from the art world. It has established an outstanding reputation among artists, collectors and enthusiasts for its unique curatorial approach, providing a rare opportunity for lesser-known artists to exhibit their works alongside internationally recognised names. (Mall Galleries)

This art competition and open exhibition is promoted by the Discerning Eye which is a charity promoting visual art and sponsored by ING.

(Images are from the 2018 exhibition).

What's the same as other open exhibitions

• Drawings, paintings, fine art prints and sculpture are exhibited
• It's an opportunity for works by lesser-known artists to be hung alongside contributions from better known artists.
• All works are for sale.

What makes this open exhibition different?

The exhibition is unusual for a number of reasons

• The exhibition is large but smaller than it was (c.500 artworks rather than the c.600 in the past) but the artworks are all SMALL
• It includes divergent styles and media -  it also includes mixed media works, ceramics, photography and film

• There is no selection committee; in order to get selected you only have to please one selector. Each of the six invited 'exhibition curators' - two artists, two art collectors and two art critics - operates independently of the other curators and compete with them for artwork submitted via the open entry
• The exhibition comprises SIX small and diverse exhibitions - one for each selector/curator. Each small exhibition (of c.70-100+ works) represents the individual interests, taste and style of that individual curator
• Some of the artwork exhibited will be by INVITED artists the curator likes and wants to include in their mini-exhibition - hence the open entry is smaller than 600 pieces. (see very welcome statistics re 2018 below) If a selector leans very heavily towards artists they know/favour and have invited to exhibit (as has happened on occasion in the past eg one educator selected all her students!) then this disadvantages the open entry.
• works by artists from the open have tended to sell better than work by invited artists 
• Last year, works by Selectors were exhibited (for, I think, the first time) - and one of them won the main cash prize - to the surprise (and embarrassment?) I guess of most concerned.

This was my review of last year's exhibition - see Review: ING Discerning Eye Exhibition 2018 - which was written more with a view to informing those artists contemplating an entry in 2019.

The ING Purchase Prize 2018 (£5,000) went to one of the selectors!  I'd say that caused some "unnecessary disappointment"  (see Non-Broadcast CAP Code below)

Prizes

Interestingly the information about prizes has been expanded to state who chooses the prize after the total embarrassment surrounding last year's top prize. 

It does NOT excuse what happened.

The 2019 exhibition prizes total over £10,000 and are:

• ING Purchase Prize* – £5000
• The Discerning Eye Founder’s Purchase Prize** – In honour of Michael Reynolds - £2500
• The Discerning Eye Chairman’s Purchase Prize** – £1000
• Meynell Fenton Prize* – £1000
• Wright Purchase Prize* – £500
• Humphreys Purchase Prize* – £750
• Discerning Eye Sculpture and 3D Work Prize** – £250
• Discerning Eye Original Print Prize** – £250
• Regional Prizes** – There will be up to 8 prizes of £250 each awarded to an outstanding entry from the national regions
• St Cuthberts Mill Award* – £200 worth of paper
• Parker Harris Mentoring Prize*: Parker Harris will give a one-to-one mentoring session covering all aspects of professional development to a selected artist.

Importantly an EXPLANATION has been provided as to the meaning of the asterisks re. who selects the prizewinners.

*  These prizes are selected by the individual prize givers, not the selectors. 

**  These prizes are selected by members of the Discerning Eye Educational Board, not the selectors.

Now all we need is an assurance that Selectors' work will NOT be exhibited in the exhibition and/or will NOT be eligible for prizes!! To do otherwise would be to downgrade this "open" exhibition in the eyes of very many artists and, in my view, would be non-compliant with the CAP Code - see below.

 I'd just like to remind the organisers and the sponsors that there are RULES which apply to advertising open art competitions/exhibitions - which can be found in the UK Code of Non-broadcast Advertising and Direct & Promotional Marketing (CAP Code)

UK Code of Non-broadcast Advertising and Direct & Promotional Marketing (CAP Code) is the rule book for non-broadcast advertisements, sales promotions and direct marketing communications (marketing communications). 

08 Promotional marketing  An important section about promotions (e.g. competitions, prize draws, instant wins, front page flashes, charity promotions etc) and incentive schemes. The rules cover the administration of the promotion, as well as the publicity.

and specifically

Promoters must conduct their promotions equitably, promptly and efficiently and be seen to deal fairly and honourably with participants and potential participants. Promoters must avoid causing unnecessary disappointment.

I know a lot of artists who were very disappointed by the behaviour of those who selected the main cash prize last year.

In addition, why should anybody need to explain that it is extraordinarily disappointing - and brings a competition into disrepute - if one of the selectors wins a prize?  ING and the organisers should have known better than to let this happen. However, having said that, I feel pretty confident in saying it won't happen AGAIN!

If a bank wants to enhance its reputation by supporting an art competitions then it would do well to remember ethics and integrity count for a LOT i.e. if you want to buy work by an artist for the bank then just do it - but don't do it via the Purchase Prize in this competition! Actions speak louder than words when it comes to reputation.

The 2019 ING Discerning Prize Selectors

The Discerning Eye and ING have announced the 2019 selectors:
READ MORE......>>