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When looking to promote your call for artists, it should include all relevant information needed for an artist to decide whether to apply for your opportunity as well as for you to make an informed selection. The call for artists application is how artists send their information to you, whether it is for an exhibition, vendor event, competition, request for proposal, or grant.

Applications should use webforms with the ability to upload images. Applications by email, mail, or in-person are difficult to track and often have inconsistent entries. Many types of webforms are free. There are several reasonably priced online juried application management services available.

We recommend webform providers such as Jotform and Gravity Forms due to their simplicity and affordability. Depending on your needs, you may also consider using Wufoo or WESTAF’s CaFE or Zapplication.

Basic Application Questions

• Name
• Email
• Address
• Phone number
• Website
• Artwork medium(s)
• Artwork description
• Artwork size
• Price per piece (generally)
• Image uploads (minimum of three)

Specific Call For Artists Questions

In order to better qualify your applicants, we recommend adding additional quantitative and qualitative fields (not all of which are relevant to every opportunity)

• Keywords that describe your artwork (up to five)
• Demographics (if they relate to the opportunity)
• Facebook page
• Facebook number of fans
• Instagram account
• Instagram number of followers
• Total number of people in the artists’ email list
• eCommerce websites (i.e. etsy, zazzle, and so on)
• Business name (if applicable and incorporated)
• Press coverage (two or three links)
• Resume (showing work within the last three to ten years)
• Are you exclusively represented by a gallery/agent (No/Yes, if so who)
• Any needs to accommodate for special circumstances
• How did you find out about the opportunity?
• In what public art opportunities have you participated?
• Include mock-ups, if applicable

Keep your application questions short and concise. Start with the easy name, address, and demographics questions, then move on to the questions which are specific to the opportunity. Remember to add a note that describes what happens after the application has been submitted so applicants understand the process.

Looking for more writing tips? Check out our official guide, How To Write A Call For Artists.