The internet has leveled some playing fields, and one leveled field is that some exclusive art exhibitions that used to be really hard to get into can be slightly more accessible now. There are so many opportunities everywhere that sometimes a good show can have more room than you'd think. Keep your eyes open. If you see that a deadline for a juried show has been extended, enter it. Chances are that the deadline has been extended because not enough people entered to run the show properly, so you have a statistically better chance of getting in. Ditto when you get emails from shows offering you extra time to enter because you've already begun an application. If they were full, they wouldn't be sending emails encouraging entries. Enter. Ditto when the entrance fee has been lowered or waived.
Unless, of course, you're trying to weed out shows to lighten your exhibition schedule. Let's face it - you can't do everything. Personally, I don't show my work in fairs, festivals, or any show that includes crafts. I have nothing against crafts - some of my favorite people are potters - but the craft shows are not for me. Eliminating those three types of shows cuts down on the huge number of opportunities for exhibiting. I also don't usually enter purely local shows anymore unless there's a nonprofit organization I want to support.
Speaking of the internet, don't disregard online shows just because Monet didn't exhibit his paintings online. Online shows can be great. They can be refreshingly original and interesting, as well as prestigious. For a sculptor, they are a gift from the gods: no packing, no crating, no shipping. It's still important to exhibit your work in "real" shows in actual bricks and mortar galleries, but you can sprinkle a few online shows into the mix. See what happens.
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