How much to budget for a show?

On average how much do you budget for a show? Yes, I know it varies, so I will try to normalize it a bit with a few assumptions and also get your 'finger' an average. No need to be specific or to think too much about it.

Assume the following costs in the budget:

• Assume 10 images.
• Assume it's local and you don't have to drive more than 2 hours
• New frames, new glass, new hardware
• New images that need to be printed from scratch
• New materials for mats and stuff
• Marketing
• Fees - could be gallery fees, etc...
• Small item / miscellaneous - anything from lunch to gas

Another way to look at it is what are costs except for travel and getting your stuff there? Don't get caught up about whether it's wood vs metal frames, special UV or regular glass, etc... just gage it. I know some people like to get into the minusha.

I personally am thinking a decent budget is around $1000 to $1500. Don't know really. In the current festival that I am showing in, the average amongst some of the other photographers I have asked ranges from less than $500 (16 images) to more than $2000 (only 3 images). Oiy! Average is around $1000 for an average of 8-10 images.

Regards, Art.

Wow, that much? Crumbs, I'm never going to do a show.

My last show cost around £200/$400 that included 45 new prints, plus matting, but no framing (I already owned the frames), publicity etc was by the events organisers as part of a festival.

A large show 65 prints cost me £700/$1400 for frames, £80/$160 for mat-boards, less than £300/$600 for new prints (and I had plenty of spares after) and around £100/$200 for ancillary materials. So a maximum of £1180/$2,600 thats for a substantially larger exhibition. Most of that money was covered by a grant from the Arts Council, and gallery fees.

So $1000 for 8-10 images is rather excessive.

Ian

Art, for a 20 image show I spent $700 on parts for mounting, matting and framing. I used this company www.documounts.com They cut all my matts to a consistent size to my specifications (16 x 20 with 7.25 x 7.25 opening at specific offset) I ordered the frames and glued and clamped them together myself over the course of a Friday through Sunday. I used plexiglass from Home depot as it was cheaper, and also the hardboard backing I sourced from there myself. $700 is cheap by great margin considering most of the work was done by me. Ordering through Documounts gives you other options as well... Like next time, I will have them glue up the frames for an additional $8 per frame.... That said, if you have the time and skills, you can do a lot yourself if you are willing enough. No doubt other, more professional artists pay to have everything done and add that to the cost of the image as they sell a lot of work and need ot get more images ready to sell. While I am okay with that, if you are not a well known photographer some people might not want to pay the elevated cost as a result. Also doing the work your self if you are handy, gives you the satisfaction in knowking that you made the whole presented package. It all dpeends on your commitmentl, cash flow and time.

I have a show coming up in May and I'll have about 16 prints. I'm not a well known photographer and therefore I don't sell many prints at all. I save money on the matt boards by doing the cutting myself. I also order my frames disassembled and assemble them myself. So for me the $200-$500 is about right.

The last show I made in silver prints was: 12 prints 20X24", acid free board mated 26X31", single weight regular glass, wood compound laminated with aluminum frame, total cost to me $3,200 usd., all the marketing and gathering for the opening was on the gallery... The most I ever paid for this kind of show... I budget for a regular 12 to 16 16X20 prints, mated and framed, $1,000 usd... If the gallery or the institution don't pay for the marketing and gathering I don't exhibit... I've been doing a series of "hybrid" shows, analog photos printed inkjet or lightjet, for the past 4 years, the cost of them went from $4,000 to $7,000, the number of pieces and the sizes had varied each time, so I can't tell an average.

If you do much of this, you learn how to invest in reusable materials in order to save money in the long run. For most of my shows (both solo and group) I have standardized on two frame sizes, 16x20 and 20x24.
I buy Nielsen aluminum frames in those two sizes, and get a discount on quantities greater than 10 from Light Impressions. I buy 4x8 ft. sheets of plexiglass and cut it myself. If you divide it up right, the sheet cuts into 16x20 and 20x24 pieces with only a small piece of waste left over. Done that way, a 16x20 plexiglass costs me $5.14.
I buy mat board and foamcore cut to size. I cut the openings with a Logan 300 mat cutter, a relatively inexpensive investment.
I assemble all the frames myself. The great advantage comes after the show is over; then I disassemble the frames and store the unsold prints in their mats. I use the same frames for the next show, unless they have been damaged by handling. The plexi scratches easily, so it gets replaced frequently.
So for a show of 10 11x14's, framed 16x20, I would spend about $240 for framing the first time, and only about $45 for new mats & foamcore after that, until you need to replace frames or plexi.
I am obviously not including anything for your own time and labor. Only you know what that is worth.
The other expenses are for invitations and food and drink for the reception, if you do that. Those can vary with the venue; some will help with that, others will not.

Today I confirmed a date for a show in Mexico City next February. I'll use 80% of the show described earlier, the one of the laminated aluminum frames. So for this one my budget is like $ 400.00 usd. Of course, you add experience each time you "hang" a show.

Agreed, Jose, and I think once you've made the investment in a show it can be ready to "travel" with very little extra cost aside from, perhaps, shipping, and marketing. I've recently invested in a boatload of frames, and I intend to move prints in and out of each frame as needed, and have two more shows booked over the coming weeks and months.

Hey Guys,

Thanks for all the responses. The thread does enlighten me to the the fact there is an 'initial' investment - frames, materials, etc... and then there are 'per show' expenses. I can easily see the initial investment, depending on the quality of the materials, in the $1000 area and then subsequent per show expenses around $200 excluding travel. Again for budgeting purposes - YMMV.

Regards, Art.

One thing to think about is showing the work in frames, but selling it unframed. This reduces your cost as well as the selling price.

david b said:

One thing to think about is showing the work in frames, but selling it unframed. This reduces your cost as well as the selling price.

Click to expand...

I'm agree, but you have to frame to be "hanged" in a gallery, unless you are a very well known artist and the collectors buy from the gallery drawers. If the gallery don't pay for the framing or supply it, the investment is yours.

My prints are 20x20, 20x30 and 24x30. One print matted and framed will run ~100.00 if I'm doing everything. The last show I did was a relatively small thing in a bar. I spent over 3k and I did all my own printing and I made my own postcards (about 500 and mailed about 300 postcards). I can't imagine putting a show together for the prices that are being spoken of here. I was recently talking with some friends about putting a joint portfolio together and that was going to cost at least a 2k for about 20 large prints and 2 sets of small portfolio prints plus portfolio boxes, but no framing. Luckily for me I was going to get some of the work and or material on trade, but the cost is the same.

After having mounted a couple of shows here are a few observations that make sense if you expect to continue to do so:

Cut your own mats! There is nothing like the liberation of being able to size your prints based on the content of the print rather than the size of the paper and pre-cut window. So, invest in a good cutter. I have the Logan Simplex 750, and it's terrific, but there are lots of other good ones.

Get a dry-mount press. Yeah, I know the conservators will wag their hoary fingers at you decades after your demise because they may really have to work to separate your print from the time ravaged mount board....but will you really give a flying squirrel at that point?? Hey...you're famous...let'em eat cake!

STAY AWAY FROM LIGHT IMPRESSIONS!!....unless money is no object, they are waaaay too expensive. There are scores of much less costly alternatives out there. Redi-mat is my go-to site for excellent blank mat and mount board at a price way, way below LI, but there are lots of others as well.

Get yourself a Logan dual point driver if you use wooden frames. It's much less expensive (less than $50) than other ones, and you can use flexi-points or rigid ones.

I hesitate to recommend a frame source because there are so many and one's taste is a unique factor. I re-use frames for shows if I'm displaying new work, and hence only worry about an initial investment. If your work sells, then you've probably factored in the cost of the frame, so it's a zero sum to replace.

If you can show enough prints to offer a variety, some should be smaller and really affordable. In my first show, an 8x10 for $75 was the only other print to sell at the opening. A larger print sold as well, but that was it for a while. Had I hung more of the $75 prints, I might have recovered the cost of the show more quickly.

Invest in show-cards that are really well designed and printed, and send one to every address on the mailing list the gallery should provide. That way, not only will photography fans show up, but perhaps other gallerists will as well if there are some in the area.

DO NOT hang a show in January!! No one has a dime left to spend after Christmas, so you're wasting your time. An audience may show up, but their pockets are empty.

Do not hold your breath! In this economy, your breath may be worth more than your photographs!