Getting an exhibition

It is not always a good time for an artist to exhibit their work. The best time is when you have a lot of work to choose from and a good network of curators.

Most artists do not choose when to have an exhibition. Curators and galleries can only offer an exhibition to an artist they have heard of. Building your network and telling people when you are interested in exhibiting is more likely to lead to a show. Some galleries are open to approaches from artists. Having an exhibtion is generally decided by a gallery, not an artist.

A solo exhibition shows only art work made by you. A solo exhibition is a lot of work for an artist. Some artists take many months or even years to make enough work. No exhibition will simply show all the work you have made. It takes time to make enough work in order to make a choice of what to show.

A group exhibition is when a lot of artists’ work is shown at the same time. Depending on the piece, showing one art work in a group show will take less time to arrange. But the exhibition can still take a long time to organise and pay for.

Some exhibitions go to more than one venue. This is a touring exhibition. Art work that is in a touring exhibition will be seen by more people. But it will not be available for other exhibitions while it is on tour.

Many artists will have a period of time between exhibitions to rest and make new work.

Given that it takes a lot of time and effort to have an exhibition, think about what you want to get out of it. You might want to:

• Sell your work. Make sure you have thought about prices for your work. Talk with the curator and gallery about selling your work during the exhibition.
• Make new work. Do you want to show an art work you’ve already exhibited, or make something new? Working towards an exhibition can motivate your practice. Getting feedback from your network helps come up with new ideas and direction for your art.
• Tell people about the exhibition yourself to raise the profile. There might be events or talks about the exhibition that you can take part in. You can also use your social networks to promote the show.
• Building your network. Everyone you work with on an exhibition is part of your network. You will meet people at the exhibition opening too. Ask everyone to join your email mailing list or connect on social networks.
• Get feedback on your work. Organise an event or a talk about your work to get feedback from people. Or bring other curators to the show to talk about your work.
• Get articles about your work. Press coverage can bring new people to see your show. Local, national, or arts news are all useful. Write a press release and send to newspapers and magazines that might be interested in your work.

Having an exhibition shows people in the art world that your practice is of wider interest. Being in a group exhibition with respected artists also help with this. Exhibitions are one of the things that validate an artists career in the arts. Include exhibitions in your artists CV.

Exhibitions are often organised by curators. It also takes time for a curator to find artists with art work they want to show. Curators, like artists, have particular interests. They will only show work that it in their area of research.

Although some curators work for galleries, many do not. They will come up with ideas for an exhibition and try to get a gallery interested in it. Curators are always looking for artists with work that interests them. Sometimes a curator might invite an artist to exhibit many years after they have first met. Make sure you meet curators and that they know about your work.

Because of the time it takes to raise money and find artists, it takes time to get an exhibition. Some exhibitions take many months to organise. The largest exhibitions might take even longer.

It’s important to know that many curators are also artists. Curators might also be writers or academics. They are often self employed and face the same problems artists face. Not all curators have regular jobs or incomes.

As well as meeting curators, your network can help you get exhibitions by:

• Suggesting open call exhibition opportunities you can apply for
• Giving you feedback on your work
• Introducing you to curators and galleries
• Working with you on group exhibitions organised by artists

You can organise your own exhibition. This is a popular choice for artists who are early in their career. But artists at all stages in their career might organise their own exhibition too.