Having your work exhibited at MoMA . . .

[DannL-USA]

Step one, if wishing to play that game, is having your work pierce through into their world. Here's a road map of sorts:

Enjoyed that! Thank you.

One thing leads to another . . .

Just off topic by a smidgen.

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

I would never, not a single time, read MoMA as anything but the one in NYC. This goes into every pub there is as well. If anyone can show where a MoMA acronym is used and NOT relating to New York, I'll be intrigued to see it.

There's SF MoMA in San Francisco. But TBF, it is very much a follow-on act to the original MoMA in NY - SF MoMA opened in the very late 1990s.

 

[logan2z]

There's SF MoMA in San Francisco. But TBF, it is very much a follow-on act to the original MoMA in NY - SF MoMA opened in the very late 1990s.

SF MoMA opened in 1935, six years after the MoMA in NYC. They moved to their 3rd St. location in 1995, so maybe that's what you're referring to.

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

Not sure it's necessary. Are there members here who have exhibited at any museum of modern art?

Not a solo show, but I have had work exhibited at the Museo Archivo Fotografico in Mexico City (and they now have some of my work in their permanent collection). And I will have work in a second show there in July of this year. It's not MoMA, but it's still a serious photography museum in a major city. And it is every bit as satisfying as you might imagine to know that your work now belongs to posterity. The "how do you get there?": it is very much a case of meeting and knowing the right people and being in the right place at the right time. And being READY when you're in the right place at the right time with the right people. That's how every big show I've gotten has happened - for this upcoming show in July, when I was in Mexico City in October getting ready to hang the show at the Museo in conjunction with the Foto Inter/Cambio conference, I had my portfolio with me (how I transported the work for the show). The museum staff were looking through my portfolio, and really liked some of the work I had brought with me (I was just planning on showing it to friends, time permitting). That evening, the museum's chief curator pulled me aside during the opening reception and asked for a personal portfolio review. Of course I said yes immediately! That turned into an invitation to participate in the July show.

In another example, I was at an opening reception at a gallery here in DC that was part of Photo Week DC. I had hemmed and hawed about even going out that evening, but I made myself go. At the opening reception, I was walking around and headed down the back staircase of the gallery getting ready to leave and go home. I saw this glamorous, elegant older woman holding court on the staircase, so I stopped to listen. She was the gallery owner, and was explaining her vision for the gallery. When she said she was looking to feature work by people who had a voice but were not yet "discovered", I had my 30 second elevator pitch for the big project I'd been working on - Sinister Idyll, or Historical Slavery in the Modern Landscape. Her eyes lit up, and she gave me her card and said make an appointment to show me the work. I did, brought in the portfolio, and explained the project. She stood in silence for a while looking at the work, and I thought she was going to say no, but she looked up and said "I HAVE to find a way to show this project". It ended up being the centerpiece of a three month long show.

Had I not had the elevator pitch for the project ready, and had I not been willing to turn on my inner closet extrovert and fight through my discomfort at approaching strangers, I would never have gotten that show opportunity. So that's how it is done. Don't be pushy and aggressive, but be ready, willing and able to talk coherently and persuasively about your work. That's how you get invitations to private portfolio reviews by gallery owners and curators.

As to timeline, well... not at MoMA, but at "lesser" institutions, it is sometimes a year in advance. Many galleries, even or especially commercial ones, have their exhibition schedules planned a year at a time, perhaps longer. So don't feel anxious if you get an invite to show work somewhere and they tell you you'll get your show in 2025 or 2026. The DC show I had was discussed with the gallery owner in either August or September, and the show went up the following February. For the Mexico City shows, they both had lead times of 6-8 months.

 

[DannL-USA]

Not a solo show, but I have had work exhibited at the Museo Archivo Fotografico in Mexico City (and they now have some of my work in their permanent collection). And I will have work in a second show there in July of this year. It's not MoMA, but it's still a serious photography museum in a major city. And it is every bit as satisfying as you might imagine to know that your work now belongs to posterity. The "how do you get there?": it is very much a case of meeting and knowing the right people and being in the right place at the right time. And being READY when you're in the right place at the right time with the right people. That's how every big show I've gotten has happened - for this upcoming show in July, when I was in Mexico City in October getting ready to hang the show at the Museo in conjunction with the Foto Inter/Cambio conference, I had my portfolio with me (how I transported the work for the show). The museum staff were looking through my portfolio, and really liked some of the work I had brought with me (I was just planning on showing it to friends, time permitting). That evening, the museum's chief curator pulled me aside during the opening reception and asked for a personal portfolio review. Of course I said yes immediately! That turned into an invitation to participate in the July show.

In another example, I was at an opening reception at a gallery here in DC that was part of Photo Week DC. I had hemmed and hawed about even going out that evening, but I made myself go. At the opening reception, I was walking around and headed down the back staircase of the gallery getting ready to leave and go home. I saw this glamorous, elegant older woman holding court on the staircase, so I stopped to listen. She was the gallery owner, and was explaining her vision for the gallery. When she said she was looking to feature work by people who had a voice but were not yet "discovered", I had my 30 second elevator pitch for the big project I'd been working on - Sinister Idyll, or Historical Slavery in the Modern Landscape. Her eyes lit up, and she gave me her card and said make an appointment to show me the work. I did, brought in the portfolio, and explained the project. She stood in silence for a while looking at the work, and I thought she was going to say no, but she looked up and said "I HAVE to find a way to show this project". It ended up being the centerpiece of a three month long show.

Had I not had the elevator pitch for the project ready, and had I not been willing to turn on my inner closet extrovert and fight through my discomfort at approaching strangers, I would never have gotten that show opportunity. So that's how it is done. Don't be pushy and aggressive, but be ready, willing and able to talk coherently and persuasively about your work. That's how you get invitations to private portfolio reviews by gallery owners and curators.

As to timeline, well... not at MoMA, but at "lesser" institutions, it is sometimes a year in advance. Many galleries, even or especially commercial ones, have their exhibition schedules planned a year at a time, perhaps longer. So don't feel anxious if you get an invite to show work somewhere and they tell you you'll get your show in 2025 or 2026. The DC show I had was discussed with the gallery owner in either August or September, and the show went up the following February. For the Mexico City shows, they both had lead times of 6-8 months.

Thank you so much for taking the time on this post. This is very enlightening. Dann

 

[Pieter12]

There's SF MoMA in San Francisco. But TBF, it is very much a follow-on act to the original MoMA in NY - SF MoMA opened in the very late 1990s.

And it is always referred to as SFMoMA, never just MoMA.

 

[DannL-USA]

And it is always referred to as SFMoMA, never just MoMA.

A little off-topic, but I think we got the message. ;-/ With best regards, of course.

 

[VinceInMT]

Not sure it's necessary. Are there members here who have exhibited at any museum of modern art?

While not one of my photographs, one of my drawings, based on several of my photos, is currently on display at the Yellowstone Art Museum as it was accepted as part of their spring art auction. They bill themself as “Montana’s Contemporary Art Museum.” I suppose we could argue whether “contemporary” qualifies as “modern.”

 

[DannL-USA]

Vince, thank you.

I don't want to pigeon-hole the intent of my original post. I guess I did just that by specifying MoMA. Next time I'll be more general. This is a really tough crowd. ;-). I welcome any insight into the museum experience. It would be welcomed.

I do think of MoMA as The Emerald City from The Wizard of Oz. A city filled with people much wiser than I.

 

[Mike Lopez]

Vince, thank you.

I don't want to pigeon-hole the intent of my original post. I guess I did just that by specifying MoMA. Next time I'll be more general. This is a really tough crowd. ;-). I welcome any insight into the museum experience. It would be welcomed.

I do think of MoMA as The Emerald City from The Wizard of Oz. A city filled with people much wiser than I.

Everyone knows that the "Emerald City" is Seattle, you moron. (I kid! )

 

[DannL-USA]

"Geez Louise"

 

[MurrayMinchin]

"Geez Louise"

Harumph!

It's Lake Louise

 

[Pieter12]

Not a solo show, but I have had work exhibited at the Museo Archivo Fotografico in Mexico City (and they now have some of my work in their permanent collection). And I will have work in a second show there in July of this year. It's not MoMA, but it's still a serious photography museum in a major city. And it is every bit as satisfying as you might imagine to know that your work now belongs to posterity. The "how do you get there?": it is very much a case of meeting and knowing the right people and being in the right place at the right time. And being READY when you're in the right place at the right time with the right people. That's how every big show I've gotten has happened - for this upcoming show in July, when I was in Mexico City in October getting ready to hang the show at the Museo in conjunction with the Foto Inter/Cambio conference, I had my portfolio with me (how I transported the work for the show). The museum staff were looking through my portfolio, and really liked some of the work I had brought with me (I was just planning on showing it to friends, time permitting). That evening, the museum's chief curator pulled me aside during the opening reception and asked for a personal portfolio review. Of course I said yes immediately! That turned into an invitation to participate in the July show.

In another example, I was at an opening reception at a gallery here in DC that was part of Photo Week DC. I had hemmed and hawed about even going out that evening, but I made myself go. At the opening reception, I was walking around and headed down the back staircase of the gallery getting ready to leave and go home. I saw this glamorous, elegant older woman holding court on the staircase, so I stopped to listen. She was the gallery owner, and was explaining her vision for the gallery. When she said she was looking to feature work by people who had a voice but were not yet "discovered", I had my 30 second elevator pitch for the big project I'd been working on - Sinister Idyll, or Historical Slavery in the Modern Landscape. Her eyes lit up, and she gave me her card and said make an appointment to show me the work. I did, brought in the portfolio, and explained the project. She stood in silence for a while looking at the work, and I thought she was going to say no, but she looked up and said "I HAVE to find a way to show this project". It ended up being the centerpiece of a three month long show.

Had I not had the elevator pitch for the project ready, and had I not been willing to turn on my inner closet extrovert and fight through my discomfort at approaching strangers, I would never have gotten that show opportunity. So that's how it is done. Don't be pushy and aggressive, but be ready, willing and able to talk coherently and persuasively about your work. That's how you get invitations to private portfolio reviews by gallery owners and curators.

As to timeline, well... not at MoMA, but at "lesser" institutions, it is sometimes a year in advance. Many galleries, even or especially commercial ones, have their exhibition schedules planned a year at a time, perhaps longer. So don't feel anxious if you get an invite to show work somewhere and they tell you you'll get your show in 2025 or 2026. The DC show I had was discussed with the gallery owner in either August or September, and the show went up the following February. For the Mexico City shows, they both had lead times of 6-8 months.

Congratulations!

 

[DannL-USA]

Thank you to everyone for your contribution to this thread thus far. All comments are still welome. I'll be going through each reply, one by one. Please don't hesitate to add your thoughts about the process of working with museums, and getting your work shown. Every post is welcome. Dann in OKC.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

Enjoyed that! Thank you.

One thing leads to another . . .

Just off topic by a smidgen.

Thanks for the link. He was very informative. He confirmed for me that it helps a lot to be able to sell yourself. As in any business, connections, and socially mixing, are very important. he even suggests that for those who don't have that part and are mainly interested or capable of doing only the art, that they take on a partner to handle the selling and business aspect.

 

[DannL-USA]

Thanks for the link. He was very informative. He confirmed for me that it helps a lot to be able to sell yourself. As in any business, connections, and socially mixing, are very important. he even suggests that for those who don't have that part and are mainly interested or capable of doing only the art, that they take on a partner to handle the selling and business aspect.

Interestingly, that was not even his class, but an introduction to the class. I would have loved to attend. I think he passed on in 2020. Sad.

 

[Pieter12]

Step one, if wishing to play that game, is having your work pierce through into their world. Here's a road map of sorts:

Thanks for the video. Informative, for sure.

 

[Pieter12]

Interestingly, that was not even his class, but an introduction to the class. I would have loved to attend. I think he passed on in 2020. Sad.

His videos are still up on his website. https://kleinartistworks.com/the-course/

 

[DannL-USA]

His videos are still up on his website. https://kleinartistworks.com/the-course/

Thank you so much for that info. I had no idea. I'm jumping on that as soon as I get off work.