How to organize your first exhibition: tips from a professional artist

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Everything you need to know and take into account - from preparing the paintings themselves to issuing invitations.

As a child, I loved to draw, but I never thought that it would become my job. By my first higher education, I am a mining engineer. But the circumstances and fate so developed that by the age of 30 I began to get involved in painting and later this passed into my professional life. Now this is my second career, which I love very much, and I plan to develop in it further. The accumulated experience helps me to independently organize and conduct professional exhibitions. I want to share this experience with you.

Top tip for aspiring artists: don't be afraid to exhibit your work. I am sure, following the further plan, you will make your dream come true and will hold the first exhibition.

How to tell about yourself

Make a resume

Include in it information about the place of study, about exhibitions, indicating the time, place, name. You've probably participated in group activities. Keep your resume updated, add new art events and remove less important ones. Also write about internships, workshops, awards, awards, if any. Add your photo.

Write a biography

Tell us briefly about yourself. Literally half a page: write about who you are, where you were born, where you studied. Probably, some of your works are in private collections (even if you donated them) and, possibly, in different cities of Russia or abroad. Add this information as well.

Prepare a booklet

An optional item, but allows you to brightly and colorfully present information about you. Submit your photo, a photo of one or more paintings. Add brief information about yourself, what you write, contacts, mention your site or pages in social networks. A good option is a double-sided A5 leaflet. More informative than a business card, and also inexpensive.

Create social media pages

If they are, post pictures of paintings more often. Very interesting shots in the process of writing, in the open air, pictures of paintings in the interior. Ask to be photographed at work. Shoot short videos.

Register on portals for artists

Perhaps some of the other visitors would like to purchase your work. The main advantage of such sites is that when your name is entered in search engines, your paintings will be among the first links in the search results. To post works, you can use these sites:

• Artchive.ru;
• Artnow.ru.

How to prepare works for the exhibition

Decorate the paintings

Pictures need to be decorated in baguettes, for watercolors it is better to add a mat. Don't forget the mounts. Recently, I switched to gallery stretch canvases, 4 cm thick.

I kill several birds with one stone: I save on decoration (baguettes are not cheap) and facilitate the transportation of paintings. The frames are heavy and fragile, they are easy to damage, it is necessary to protect the corners with special corners, and if we transport it by plane, then we count every kilogram. Gallery stretch canvases are lighter and more convenient to transport and pack. In addition, such works look stylish in modern interiors.

Sign up

Be sure to sign on the front of the work. On the back, indicate the last name, first name, title of the work, size of the painting (first written height, then width), material (for example, "canvas / oil" or "watercolor / paper"), year. You can sign with charcoal, then be sure to fix it with a special spray or hairspray so that it does not crumble.

Take pictures of the paintings

The best thing to do is to shoot professionally. You can use a good quality photo for a catalog, album, booklets, prints (making copies) or when printing on clothes and accessories.

But this kind of photography is expensive, so at first you can take pictures yourself. For shooting, it is better to take the work outside and shoot in the shade. Then cut off the excess and process it in a photo editor. Make sure that the colors in the photo correspond to the actual colors in the painting.

To store photos of paintings, create a separate folder on your desktop. Pictures can be pre-sorted into collections - so you can always quickly find the ones you need. For photographs of paintings in interiors, also create a separate folder, as well as for pictures from the open air and your photos at the easel.

Make a list of jobs

List all of your paintings in a table. Can be sorted by collection or year. So you yourself will understand how many paintings you have, and put things in order. In the table, indicate the number, name of the painting, year, size, material, if necessary - the cost, attach a photo. I add notes to paintings when they are sold or placed in a collection. Be sure to mark the paintings that you give to the exhibition or somewhere else.

What else needs to be considered when preparing for the exhibition

Name

Come up with a name for the exhibition in accordance with the style and theme of the paintings. Select works according to the concept so that together they look good and logical. Make a separate list according to the principle described above, just include in it those paintings that you want to show at this exhibition. Write about how the idea of painting the paintings came about, a story about the collection.

Site selection

There are many opportunities to exhibit for free: exhibition halls, galleries, business centers, libraries. Ask questions by mail or phone, go in and meet in person, ask if employees can post your work or recommend who is better to contact. Show your paintings.

If you are in Moscow, you can contact the head of the Art in Nature project Valery Senkevich or at the Izo Art Gallery in the Romanov Dvor business center - for a little money you can participate in a group or personal exhibition.

Packing and delivery of paintings

Take care of the packaging in advance. Of course, it all depends on where and how you are going to transport the paintings.

• If the work is framed in a baguette, protect the corners - a small chip on the frame can ruin the whole view.
• If you are delivering by car and not very far, a layer of plastic wrap and bubble wrap will suffice.
• For long distance transport, shipping companies suggest adding cardboard packaging or rigid crate.
• When transporting paintings abroad, do not forget to issue an export permit. In Moscow, this is done by the Collegium of Experts on Cultural Values. The cost for artists is 500 rubles per painting, but sometimes there is an opportunity to cheat. Works from one series can be arranged as a diptych or triptych and paid for as one painting.

Arrangement of paintings

Think in advance how your work will hang. It should be 140–150 cm from the floor to the center of the painting. Check the lighting. It is best to use directional spotlights. If you exhibit in a gallery, they will definitely help you with hanging.

Press release

The specialists helped me to make the first press release. The text should contain the name of the exhibition, brief information about you, what will be presented, the address, duration, opening date, telephone number for communication should be indicated. Further press releases can be done independently using the example of the first one.

Follow the links - press releases for the exhibitions "The Nature of Harmony" and "Designing Emotions".

Invitations

Issue invitations to the opening of the exhibition. Indicate the name, address, time, phone number, what other events are planned (I often invite singing friends to perform). And send it out! It is very nice. I prepare in advance a list of those whom I want to invite, and note who agreed to come and who did not. So you can roughly count the number of guests in order to determine the number of drinks and snacks for the buffet table.

Photographer

Be sure to invite a professional photographer. Pictures from the exhibition can be posted on pages in social networks and sent to guests and friends. These photos will remind you and your event.

Shooting video

Nice addition to your portfolio, although optional. If you do decide to make a film about the opening of the exhibition, discuss in advance with the operator what you want to see in it, what close-ups are important to you, interviews with what people. In general, write the script for your evening and movie. When you apply for the next exhibition, do not forget to attach a link to it.

Your image

Think over your appearance in accordance with the concept of the exhibition and the place of its holding. If necessary, contact a stylist who will take care of your hair and makeup. Such details will help you create a coherent image that guests will definitely remember and will delight you in photos for a long time.

Opening speech and communication with guests

Greet the guests, tell us briefly about the pictures. Do not forget to thank the people who came to you. Pay attention to each guest, walk around the hall, get acquainted, communicate, find out how the person learned about your event. And be sure to enjoy your evening!

Buffet

Of course, you can do without it, but usually guests come to the event after work, and a glass of water or a glass of champagne will not hurt. It all depends on your budget, you can add baked goods and snacks. Guests will appreciate these courtesies.

Closing

It is carried out at will. You can invite those who did not make it to the opening.

Of course, the organization of the first exhibition is an exciting and difficult event, but at the same time it is a way to a new level of professional development. Think about where you would like to see your paintings, tell your friends about your plans, ask for advice from people associated with art, send your resume. In general, knock on all doors and show your creativity. And then the first exhibition will be the beginning of a series of exciting events that will open up new facets of your talent and give you a lot of amazing acquaintances and discoveries. Good luck to you!