Be flexible with booking if you need a show sooner than later. Most galleries book exhibits 6 to 24 months in advance.

If you desire a specific month call the gallery ASAP.

Decide what you want the exhibit to be about before you apply to the gallery.
–For example– pick a theme and develop a coherent statement that summarizes the essence of the exhibit. This will help you self-edit and solicit the neccessary services/people to help the exhibit succeed.

If this is a group exhibit, then create a prospectus that outlines what is expected of each participant and/or group member.

Create a rough budget. No matter where you are having an exhibit, some amount of money is going to leave your pocket. Figure out how much money you need to finish and hang your show. Then decide how much money is left for reception and marketing costs (if those are not provided by the gallery).

Framing costs can add up quickly. If you are a printmaker, photographer or painter do your homework before you settle on art-work sizes. Non standard frame sizes may look interesting but they can also break the bank. Check out the Framing Do’s and Don’ts list for more details.

Ask for the gallery commission rates, exhibition fees, terms and limitations. This way everyone is on the same page and there are no surprises.

Preparing for a Show:

Communicate with the curator often and well in advance. 

Curators want to help you (or at least they should). If you have special needs like projection screens, electricity in certain places, odd lighting etc. Let the curator know in the early planning stages.

If you need to get images printed, do so several weeks before the show and make sure you have what it takes to hang the images properly on the wall.

NEVER deliver wall-mounted art works which lack hanging mechanisms. This is a curatorial time-leech, which could easily cost you a opening as scheduled. (See Framing Do’s and Don’ts for more information)

Find out how the gallery mounts art work and what the wall surface is composed of.
Huge well funded galleries tend to mount art into fresh drywall with nails, drywall screws and elaborate custom built mounting mechanisms. The rest of us either use finishing nails or have a hanging rail system with reusable parts. Also some galleries have painted drywall, others have plaster, cement, brick, carpet on cork, painted fabric on cellulose fiber board etc. Each one of these surface types has unique hanging needs that the curator can help you with mounting.

Bulldog clips, T-Pins and straight pins are not suitable for plaster walls or any extremely hard surface.

If the curator tells you to avoid certain printing services and framing centers, heed their warnings. (see horror stories for examples of those who thought they knew better)

Do not show up at the gallery unannounced to deliver or hang your work. This may seem like a no-brainer but it happens more often than you think. If you show up at the wrong-time no will be around to help and you will quietly aggravate both staff and curator.

Do not deliver your work or try to pick it up at times when the gallery is not open or not-scheduled. This aggravates the staff, is dangerous for the safety of your work, could cost you money in the form various fees and is generally in poor taste.

Communicate directly with the curator via phone, email and in person. Do not use a liaison to relay messages and directives such as your partner, loved one, roommate, neighbor’s cousin etc. If you can not get a hold of the curator on the phone leave a voice mail, send a text message or send a detailed email.

Make sure the reception details are covered. Some galleries cover the reception; most require you to foot the bill. Ask the curator for tips and what they gallery is capable of providing. Let them know if you need a small table or two large tables and a bar.

If your reception includes a performance (music, dance, DJ, theatre group or stripper) make sure the performers talk to the curator well in advance and the gallery knows when and what to prepare for the performers. Also if you are paying the performers, pay half in advance and half at the end of the event to assure they show up and perform as desired. You can argue it out later if something terrible happens. Plus, if they go AWOL you are not out twice as much money.

Deliver a list of your works for exhibit to the curator no later than when you deliver the art work for hanging. MAC prefers the list be in digital form such as a DOC, DOCX, RTF or TXT file. Include artist name, work title, material, dimension, price, if applicable.

Here is a good article about exhibit lighting, published in Art Calendar magazine. http://www.artcalendar.com/article.asp?ID=46

Press releases can seem daunting, fear not. This is good article on the step by step process for a press release
(http://www.artcalendar.com/article.asp?ID=158).