Standards

For questions and detail information regarding The Guild’s Standards contact Nicole McKay, Artist Relations Director, nicole@theguild.org or 734.662.3382, ext. 301.

Standards Review Information

The Standards Review is an extremely important component of Guild membership. Artist Members must pass the Standards Review before moving on to the jury, then are invited by score. Exhibiting Members are reviewed every three years. Artist Members must jury every year. Not only is it a competitive jury, artists’ work must meet a certain level of quality in order to pass. At all Guild art fairs, representatives of the Standards Committee check artists’ work against their review images and note any breach of Guild Standards. The Standards Review is the most important aspect of the Guild’s evaluation system; serious violations may result in the loss of exhibition privileges.

Exhibition Standards

Through the enforcement of its Exhibition Standards, The Guild seeks to maintain and increase fair attendees’ and exhibiting artists’ confidence in the credibility and authenticity of Guild events and to protect participating artists from unfair competition. An impartial and equal enforcement of the Exhibition Standards ensures these goals will be met and an appropriate atmosphere will be created for the sale of artwork. The participating artist is responsible for being in compliance with The Guild’s Exhibition Standards. What constitutes being in or out of compliance with the Exhibition Standards, in all cases, will be determined by The Guild. The decision of The Guild is final.

Please click here for the full list of Exhibition Standards.

Standards FAQ

If I pass Standards am I automatically in the Ann Arbor Summer Art Fair?
To be eligible for participation in the Ann Arbor Summer Art Fair, a Guild Member must pass and continue to pass the Standards Slide Review. However, a limited number of booths are available for the Summer Art Fair and are assigned first to Exhibiting Members who have passed the Review.

Why did I fail the Review?

There are many possible reasons for failing the Review. For example, the slides may be poorly shot or produced in a manner that does not effectively show the work, the booth display may be weak or poorly lit, or the work may not display the level of artistic or technical expertise that is required to be in the Summer Art Fair. It is important to remember that the only representation of the artwork the reviewers see is the review slides. In order to have the best possible slides, it is imperative that the artwork be professionally photographed. It is also recommended that backgrounds be neutral, that the work be appropriately lit, and that the booth be fully visible and neatly arranged.

Why are Standard Committee members walking around the Guild’s fairs and taking pictures?
The Standards Committee compares the artwork images that are uploaded for the Standards Review with the work that appears on the street. This on-site review, which has been performed for many years, is an important element of the review process. If the Standards Committee find any artists that are not in compliance with the Exhibition Rules or displaying work that varies significantly from their review slides, the on-site reviewers will take a photograph for the record. These photos are employed by the Standards Committee to determine if there are possible violations.

Please contact The Guild with any Standards questions or concerns. Nicole McKay, Artist Relations Director, is the staff liaison with the Standards Committee. She can be reached by calling 734-662-3382, ext. 301 or emailing nicole@theguild.org.