Planning Your First Exhibition: Where Do You Even Start?
So, you want to have an exhibition.
Exciting.
Also potentially overwhelming when you suddenly realise that making the artwork is only one part of actually putting on a show.
Whether you're exhibiting in an artist-run space, gallery, studio or unconventional venue, breaking the process into stages makes everything much more manageable.
Start with the idea
You don't necessarily need an incredibly complicated curatorial concept.
But your exhibition should have some kind of thread connecting the work.
Ask yourself:
What am I exploring?
Why am I making this body of work?
What connects these pieces?
What do I want someone to experience when they walk into the space?
Your concept will help guide everything from the artwork you create to your exhibition title, artist statement and marketing.
Work backwards from opening night
Once you have your exhibition dates, create a timeline.
And give yourself more time than you think you need.
Work backwards through:
Opening night
Installation
Artwork photography
Framing and finishing
Labels and signage
Printing
Marketing
Invitations
Final artwork completion
Making the actual work
Try not to plan to finish your final painting at 2am on installation day.
We know it's tempting.
Think about the exhibition as a whole
An exhibition isn't simply a collection of artworks hung in the same room.
Think about how people will move through the space.
Which work do you want them to see first?
Do certain pieces need breathing room?
Are there relationships between particular works?
Would smaller pieces work together as a grouping?
You can even sketch the gallery and start planning where pieces might sit before installation day.
You probably need less work than you think
Don't create twenty extra pieces simply because you're scared the room will look empty.
Give the work space.
A considered exhibition of ten strong pieces will generally feel more resolved than thirty pieces squeezed onto every available wall.
Quality over quantity.
Always.
Write your artist statement early
Please don't leave this until the night before your exhibition.
Your artist statement should help someone understand the thinking behind the body of work without requiring an arts degree to decipher it.
Talk about:
What the work explores
Why you were drawn to the subject
Your materials or process where relevant
The ideas connecting the work
Write like a human.
Think about the boring-but-important stuff
Before opening night, make sure you've considered:
Pricing.
Artwork labels.
A sales list.
Payment methods.
Packaging.
Collection arrangements.
Insurance.
Installation equipment.
Signage.
Photography.
Who's responsible for sales during the exhibition?
What happens if someone buys something?
The admin isn't particularly glamorous, but getting it organised beforehand means you can actually enjoy your opening.
Tell people about it
Don't assume that putting up one Instagram post means people will magically arrive.
Start talking about your exhibition while you're making it.
Share the process.
Introduce individual artworks.
Talk about the idea behind the show.
Send invitations.
Create an event.
Email your mailing list.
Invite previous customers, other artists, galleries, friends, family and people you've met through the creative community.
Give people a reason to become invested before the doors even open.
Document everything
Get good photographs.
Not just individual artworks — photograph the exhibition installed, people interacting with the work and opening night.
These images become incredibly useful for future grant applications, exhibition proposals, your website, media pitches and your portfolio.
And finally: enjoy it
Opening an exhibition is a huge achievement.
You've taken an idea, created an entire body of work and put it into the world for strangers to experience.
Don't spend your whole opening night worrying about whether you've sold anything.
Talk to people.
Meet other creatives.
Celebrate the work.
And take a moment to actually stand in the room and look at what you made.
The Creative Toolkit is a growing collection of practical resources from The Rundle Collective, created to help emerging creatives navigate the business, opportunities and realities of building a creative practice.
