Embedded Files
Considerations for Staging an Art Exhibition
Considerations for Staging an Art Exhibition
One of the hardest but also the most rewarding parts about our project Art Matters is the opportunity to display our artworks in a real gallery, in fact the best gallery of the city. This means almost all the students that have taken part will have their artworks displayed in a gallery and also included in the catalogue.
Setting up an exhibition may cause some hassle, but students can gain really valuable work experience and besides this will be something that they will be able to use for their future career in art.
These are some aspects that those who want to set up an exhibition need to consider.
1. Discussing the recurring theme. A good art exhibition should be characterized by a theme that ties the different pieces together and makes them feel like part of a larger whole. In our case we all agree that the message we want our exhibition to convey is the protection of our cultural heritage.
2. Selecting the artworks you want to exhibit. The selection will be hard to carry out unless you decide the criteria carefully beforehand. Pick out a maximum of your most representative pieces to put on display in line with the gallery manager. As we are holding a group exhibition we decide to take at least one art piece of each student and to try to represent as many students as possible, so that everybody feels included in the group and represented in the exhibition.
3. Coming up with a title and subtitle. A good title, that represents all its content in a single, catchy name of two or three words for the title, is fundamental. And a subtitle to explain the main ideas of the exhibition. Ours is Art Matters. Views about the Care of our Heritage.
4. Designing a catalogue. Once the art pieces have been selected you need to design a catalogue to give the artists proper credit for the works they have contributed. Consider the information you want to include. One important aspect is the image for the catalogue. Contact the printing shop so that they can give you the features of the images for best printing quality. In our case it was 300 ppi. When this is discussed, contact a photographer for taking pictures of the larger pieces. Another option is to scan the smaller pieces.
Name all the images in a consistent way to forward this information to the printing shop.
5. Preparing the artworks for the exhibition. We decided to frame all the paintings, as they would look prettier. But the frame should be basic so that it does not take too much space or attention. Besides,we also opted to use a passe-partout as this fits the work into the frame and focuses the view of the observer, and it also enhances its quality. Students collaborate in the process of preparing the frame and passe-partout. Be patient as this may take quite a while.
6. Arranging the artworks in the gallery and deciding how to hang the works. Have a layout in mind of how and where you want the pieces to be situated properly. Envision how you want the visitor to view and walk around the room. Do not pile too many art works in the same space but give each one a certain space. Create a cosy atmosphere, and good light for each art piece. As we have a lot of paintings and of different sizes and techniques, it is not a good idea to put all of them in line. Instead, we have created groups and arranged them in a nice composition of several paintings that fit together.
7. Prepare labels with the details of the artworks. Consider where to place them. We decided to put them in a group on the left in the same layout as the composition
8. Promoting and advertising the exhibition. Let the people know about your exhibition. This could be done posting the event info on social media accounts. You can also prepare promotional material for the event: check our bookmarks.
9. Arranging a ceremony and the protocol for the opening. If you are inviting the mayor or local rulers, prepare a protocol, and be brief in the presentations and speeches. It is also interesting to have a live piece of music in the event.
10. Attending the view with artists. Let the artists engage with the public. As visitors begin arriving, make the artists available to answer questions and describe the artwork, their style and their creative process.
Display of Collective Artworks
Display of Collective Artworks
Apart from the drawings and paintings we also need to think about how to show the collective artworks which the participants have created. We considered these artworks extremely important because it was a way to show the results of the artistic workshops in which the participants have worked. These artistic techniques are also another form to express our creativity.
Besides these collective artworks are able to show the collaboration of all the students and above all are a means to prove that all of the participants are represented and included in the exhibition.
What are the most appropriate ways to present these artworks?
We all agree that stained-glass windows should be displayed on the gallery windows. Fortunately, Sala Vaquero Poblador Gallery has big windows and the Polish partners as experts in this technique prepare an attachment to the stained-glass windows so that the can he hung form an almost invisible nylon thread facing the windows.
The glass platters are a more delicate element, so we decided to show them a glass case which the gallery has for the fragile artifacts.
The ceramic tiles are another interesting element. As there are 40 of them and they are heavier items we need to design another form to show them. We designed a wood panel which could be hung from the wall. The panel will have a foam board frame for each of the tiles, so that they are built in the hollow space and attached to the wood panel by something robust such as Velcro tape, something easy and effective.
The foam board and the wood panel are wrapped with a lovely but simple fabric so that you can only notice the tiles.
Finally, as for the glass fusion trays, we wanted to display them in a way that light pass thorough them. In the end we decide to frame a glass panel and stick the trays on the glass. The frames and the trays will be placed right on the window hanging from a bar. It was the most difficult thing to do as the glass trays are a delicate object and we needed patience and a good adhesive to glue them. Remember that we will have to detach the trays at the end of the exhibition without damaging them.
Page updated
Report abuse