So you're going to be in a show! Now what??

[TheFlyingCamera]

So you're going to be in a show! What next???

This class is targeted toward emerging artists who have never exhibited before or who have limited exhibition experience and are looking to imrove their presentation. The goal of this class is to help students have as successful as possible showing, whether the venue is a cafe, bookstore, gallery or group show like Artomatic. Topics to cover will include:

Planning your show - understand the scope of what you want to show, what you have space to show, and how to select the work that will end up on the wall.

Presentation - how you show your work is often as important if not more important than the work itself in having a good exhibit. We will discuss matting and framing choices, and how to do this on a budget without looking low-rent. Creating labels and dealing with lighting issues (something that may often be beyond your control) will also be addressed.

Hanging the show - now that you're in the space you're going to have your show in, what do you do? We discuss and demonstrate techniques for spacing your work on the wall, arranging it for visual "flow", tips and tricks for aligning the work horizontally and vertically.

Promoting the show - unless you are going in to a high-end commercial gallery, you are going to have to do your own promotion of the show. We discuss tips and tricks for how to get noticed, and sources for printed materials.

Pricing the show - always the hardest question to answer about showing your work. We discuss general pricing strategies, determining your target audience and understanding your costs.

Have FUN! Of course all the above is a lot of work, but if you invest the time, it will pay off in personal pride of achievement, and quite possibly greater sales!

Tuition: $30

Session duration: 2 hours

Instructors: Art Reactor staff

Dates offered:

May 27, June 24, July 22, August 26, September 23.

To register: http://soartshow.eventbrite.com

 

[BradS]

This is an important area that is under treated. Thanks for alerting us to this opportunity.

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

Brad- thanks for the compliment. I've seen so many cases of emerging artists hanging work in un-curated, un-juried group shows shooting themselves in the foot by distracting from their best work with a lack of editing, poor presentation, and failing to market properly. I'm pitching this as ONE way to do this stuff- it's a fairly traditional approach, but it has worked well. The most important takeaway is to keep everything you do focused on the work itself, and not distracting from it.

 

[Valerie]

Scott, you are such a tease! I started to read this, thinking it was for the Articles section. (hint-hint--- how about something for the Articles section?)

 

[Chazzy]

Scott, you are such a tease! I started to read this, thinking it was for the Articles section. (hint-hint--- how about something for the Articles section?)

I second the motion. For those of us who just can't make it, an article after the workshop is over would be very helpful.

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

After I've run the program, gotten the hitches out, and have the various steps documented (like my tips-n-tricks for hanging a show without marking up the wall), I'll definitely put an article here on the site.

 

[KWhitmore]

I'd love to see an article on this as well. Just the idea of having an exhibition/show scares the bejesus out of me!

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

It's actually not nearly as intimidating as people think it is- like most things in life, a bit of forethought and planning makes the whole thing easier. I think the biggest problem folks face is editing their work before the show - that's never easy. Some folks err on the cautious side and only include crowd-pleasers. Others take the shotgun approach and put up EVERYTHING they've ever shot and printed. There's a happy medium in-between somewhere.

 

[bsdunek]

I think this is a great idea. I would partake if I was closer. Perhaps if you make an article from it I can gain knowledge. I have only been in group shows with others of a group. Latest is our Livingston Fine Art Association, which is all kinds of fine art. I probably could display better, but was satisfied with my booth. Any kind of improvement would be welcome.