I’ve mentioned a few times in my blog about the opportunity to create your own exhibitions. This is a great option if you’re not yet ready for gallery representation or you want to fill in your resume with more solo and smaller group exhibitions. I’m going to write this blog in three parts: Getting Started; The Perfect Proposal; and Letting People Know

I want to go further in depth because I have some clients who are finding success with this model, and because it’s the end of the year and a good time to set goals for 2020. If you set your mind to it, you can become your own curator/gallerist/publicist and exhibit your work on your own terms.

Two heroes who managed their own spaces Alfred Stieglitz and Georgia O'Keeffe.

Getting Started

First, obviously you need to have enough work to fill an exhibition (depending on the size of the space). But you shouldn’t just fill a room with your entire life’s work. Your exhibition should start with a specific theme or series that you’ve been steadily working on. Ideally, you’ll want to focus on more recent work, nothing more than 10 years old.

If you’re hesitating about the amount of cohesive work you have, partner with one or two other artists – ideally their work should have something in common with yours and be visually compatible. One advantage of pairing up is that you can hopefully share the work of organizing the show, and you’ll draw a more diverse audience.

Building the foundation

Any artist displaying work publicly, should have an online presence to back-up the exhibition (see my earlier blog about IG accounts). If you don’t have a dedicated website for your work, or at least a curated Instagram account, you’ll leave people hanging. Digital images of your work are essential in order to send to the media, create an invite, and advertise the work. It is worth the investment to have your work professionally photographed or scanned. Having a written statement about the work will enable you to write a press release, pitch your idea to venues, and market the exhibition. If you need help crafting your statement, hire a coach or independent curator to assist. In addition, you should include a brief bio that states a few facts about your life and artistic career. Model it after the author bios you see on book jackets – be concise. Ideally you will also have an email list of friends, contacts, collectors, and fans. You can use applications like Constant Contact or Mailchimp to invite them to the exhibition. This may seem like a lot if you are starting from scratch, but you will need all of these things eventually if you want to present yourself as a professional artist.

To recap, you will need:

A website or Instagram account that represents your work
Digital images of your work (10-20) that are high resolution (300 dpi) and labeled with your name and the title of the work.
An image list to with each work’s title, date, year, medium, value
An Artist Statement that pertains to the specific works you want to show
A brief bio (this is not your CV, but a more narrative paragraph about who you are and what you have achieved).
A CV listing other shows your work has been in, awards and publications
A list of contact emails or addresses of people you want to invite

Pop-up by Jen Tough at Connect Art, 2018

Crafting an exhibition title

Start informally, jotting down the main characteristics of your work, what the underlying theme is, why this theme is meaningful to you. Get your associates to do the same. Come up with a title for the show that relates to the theme and also describes what it contains. For example, my client Nancy Willis was painting scenes of Paris café culture after the terrorist attacks of 2015. She wanted her title to inspire mindfulness and appreciation of daily rituals, so she decided on Savor the Moment: Paintings and Prints of Paris. It is both evocative and descriptive. Sometimes it helps to let the title shape the proposal. Like the old trick of writing your last sentence of an essay first.

Hunting for spaces

Art spaces are getting harder to find in the Bay Area and competition is intense. So, think creatively about where to host your self-exhibition. Public spaces need art. It can enhance the environment, cultivate clientele, engage people in conversation, increase visibility of a business, contribute to the sense of community. Think of yourself as a resource for others, not in the position of asking, but offering.

Your art can look amazing in a restaurant!

Here are a few ideas:

Retail spaces. I once proposed a group iphone photography show to Marion & Rose Workshop in Old Oakland. This cleverly curated shop featured items hand-crafted by regional artists. There was ample wall space above the shelves and the works were square and printed on wood to make them more object-like. I paired the photographers with poets who wrote pieces in response to the images and published those on a Tumblr page. The poems were read at the reception.

Libraries. Many local libraries have open calls for exhibitions throughout the year. You can propose locally or reach further to a town or city that has more appropriate space. Here are a few I’ve noticed:
Benicia Library; San Francisco Public Library; Walnut Creek Library; Napa Library; San Diego Public Library

Pop-up Spaces. Have you noticed an empty storefront in your neighborhood? It might be worth contacting the landlord to see if they’ll allow a temporary use of the space for free or reduced rent. I had two pop-up galleries in Napa Valley where the property owner was glad to have the space activated rather than gathering dust. You can also look up Peerspace.com to find rentals by the hour in your area. This would be better for an Artist Lecture or one-day reception.

Cafes & Restaurants. Sometimes this can be risky…placing your art next to food. But if you carefully research locations, you can find some elegant places that will respectfully highlight your work. In SF, I recommend you look into Artspan’s Art in Neighborhoods program that places artists into local businesses.

Nonprofit Spaces. Usually art organizations have their own curators, or the board determines the exhibition schedule. But occasionally they invite proposals from outside curators or individual artists. Following your favorite spaces online, you will learn about these invitations. Here are some places I know that allow submissions:
Richmond Art Center; Works San Jose; MOAD SF; Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission

Some Surprising Places. Think outside the box and imagine other places that might need your art.
Art in Embassies create an account here
Artist Associations (you will have to become a member):
Asian American Women Artists Association; Surface Design Association; Bay Area Photographers Collective; Arts Guild of Sonoma; ACCI gallery; City Art Gallery

Once you have researched your desired venue, be sure to visit and get a good idea of the available space, atmosphere, security, accessibility and lighting. Talk to the staff and find out if they are currently accepting proposals. Don’t grill them with questions right away, but keep in mind the following things you will want to know about the venue:

How far out are exhibitions scheduled?
Do they offer an exhibition stipend?
Will they take a commission of sales?
Do they assist in exhibition installation? How many days will you have to install?
Do they assist with signage, postcards, marketing or PR?
Can you send announcements to their contact list?
Will they process artwork sales?
Do they pay for any shipping?
Will they insure the art while it’s on view?
What hours is the venue open?
Do you need to staff your own exhibition?
Is it possible to host an opening reception/artists talk?

Narrow it down to 2-3 places where you would like to pitch your exhibition. Make sure you have the direct contact name and email of the appropriate staff person. You are ready to write your proposal!
Stay tuned for my next entry in a few weeks on The Perfect Proposal.

Out On Your Own