I’m happy to share that my photograph has been rejected by the Minnesota State Fair Fine Arts Show! In turn it has been accepted into REJECTED! at Burl Gallery in St. Paul, a show specifically created for artists whose work was rejected from the Minnesota State Fair Fine Arts Exhibition. So, officially: rejected and accepted into Rejected! Burl Gallery’s acceptance email arrived today, and I happily said yes.
One thing I’ve learned from entering juried exhibitions is that every rejection isn’t really a rejection of the work. Sometimes other pieces are simply better aligned with a particular juror’s aesthetics. Sometimes it tells you there’s room to refine how you present the work, reconsider which piece you submit, or think differently about where you submit it. But it is by no means an indication that the work isn’t good or that you shouldn’t try again next year. Sometimes you have to get rejected from one show so you can get accepted into another.
The photo is from Gardening with My Grandmother, entitled: The Light Between Us
The series After my grandmother passed away, her North Dakota garden disappeared beneath years of weeds. After my grandfather passed and I had a garden of my own, my mother and I returned to dig up what remained. We dug unknown roots and bulbs from the overgrown earth that remembered my grandmother’s garden. We drove them eight hours to Minnesota over several trips, planted them, and waited. During that time, I discovered an album my grandmother had made documenting the garden she loved in sometimes blurry and out of focus images, lovingly archived in a photo album kept in her nightstand. Pairing her photographs with her flowers that continue to bloom today, this series explores legacy, memory and our connection through time and place.
If you are in the Twin Cities during the show, please view this image and all of the other wonderful rejects at:
REJECTED! at Burl Gallery
308 Prince Street East, Suite 130, St. Paul, MN 55101
Exhibit Dates: August 22, 2026 thru September 26, 2026
Artist Reception: Saturday, September 12, 2–4 p.m.
Gallery Hours: Saturday & Sunday, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
And next year? I’ll enter the State Fair Fine Arts Show again. Worst-case scenario, maybe I’ll just have to get rejected again so I can be in REJECTED! again.