Planning an exhibition

An exhibition is a project with a fixed opening date, many participants, a budget and real risks: prints that arrive late, frames that do not fit the walls, lights that fail, a press release that misses its deadline. PHOT-401 introduced where fine art photography is shown, exhibition agreements, editions and moral rights. This lesson turns to project planning: assembling a proposal package, reading a venue, defining roles, scheduling backward from the opening, budgeting with contingency, understanding artist fees, insurance and loan agreements, building an exhibition checklist, planning communications and public programs, and managing risk. The same tools apply whether you are organizing a pop-up in a vacant shop or preparing for an artist-run center or public gallery that has selected your proposal.

Where exhibitions come from

Exhibitions start in several ways. A gallery or curator may invite you after seeing your work in a book, portfolio review or another show. Artist-run centers and many public galleries issue open calls for proposals, often once or twice a year, with selection by a committee of artists and staff. Festivals select exhibitions for their programs. Commercial galleries usually show artists they represent. And many photographers organize their own exhibitions, renting or borrowing space and taking on the curatorial and organizational work themselves. Each route has different expectations about who pays for what, so clarify roles and money at the first serious conversation.

The exhibition proposal package

A proposal for an exhibition differs from a general project proposal. Venues want to know not only what the work is about but what it will look like in their space and what it will require from them. A typical package includes:

• A short statement of the exhibition concept, distinct from the project statement, explaining what visitors will experience.
• A preliminary checklist of works with titles, dates, media, dimensions framed and unframed, and edition information.
• Images of the works and, if available, documentation of previous installations.
• A proposed layout or sketch on the venue's floor plan if you have it.
• Technical requirements: wall length, hanging system, lighting, any screens, projectors, sound or vitrines.
• A budget showing what you will provide and what you ask of the venue.
• A schedule and any constraints, such as dates when prints will be ready.
• Your CV and a short biography.

Tailor each proposal to the venue's program, space and audience. Read its mandate and past exhibitions. A proposal for a community gallery in a small city might emphasize engagement with local audiences; a proposal for an artist-run center might emphasize critical questions and experimentation. Follow application instructions exactly, including file sizes and word limits; committees review many applications and may discard incomplete ones.

Reading a venue

Before planning a layout or budget, gather the facts about the venue. Ask for a floor plan with wall lengths and ceiling heights, and visit if at all possible.

Measure walls yourself if the plan is old. Note obstacles such as doors, outlets, thermostats, fire extinguishers, sprinkler heads and windows; they reduce usable wall and affect layouts. Photograph each wall straight on. These photographs and measurements are the basis for the wall layouts developed in lesson 10.

Roles and responsibilities

Even a small exhibition involves several roles, which may be held by one person or many.

In a self-organized exhibition, you hold most of these roles and should budget time accordingly. In an institutional exhibition, the venue holds many of them, and you need to know whom to contact for each issue. Record responsibilities in a short table in the exhibition agreement or in an email confirmed by both sides. Misunderstandings about who prints, frames, ships, hangs, insures and promotes are the most common source of conflict.

Scheduling backward from the opening

The opening date is usually fixed. Plan by working backward from it, estimating durations and dependencies. Some tasks cannot start until others finish: framing cannot begin until prints are made; prints cannot be made until the final selection and sizes are agreed; the press release cannot be written until the title and key images are chosen.

The critical path is the longest chain of dependent tasks, which determines the minimum time needed. Any delay on the critical path delays the opening unless another task is shortened. Tasks not on the critical path have float, or slack, which can absorb delays. Identify the critical path early and monitor it closely.

Budgeting an exhibition

An exhibition budget lists every expected cost and every source of income. Use separate lines so you can see where money goes and compare quotes. Include a contingency of about 10 to 15 percent for unexpected costs; something always goes wrong.

Some costs, such as framing, can be treated as an investment if the frames will be reused or if framed works will be sold. Others, such as wall vinyl and opening refreshments, are spent once. Ask the venue which costs it covers. Public galleries may pay for shipping, insurance, installation and promotion; artist-run centers often pay a fee and cover installation and promotion but expect the artist to deliver finished work; commercial galleries vary.

Artist fees

In Canada, CARFAC and its Quebec counterpart RAAV negotiate and publish a minimum recommended fee schedule for artists' professional fees, including exhibition fees paid when work is shown in public venues that receive public funding. The schedule distinguishes types of exhibition and sizes of institution, is updated annually to reflect the cost of living, and is widely referenced by public galleries and artist-run centers; many funders expect grant recipients to pay according to it. The exhibition fee recognizes the public presentation of work and is separate from any sale. The Copyright Act gives artists in Canada an exhibition right for work created after 7 June 1988, which is the legal basis for exhibition fees.

In the United States, there is no statutory exhibition right and no single national fee schedule. The organization Working Artists and the Greater Economy (W.A.G.E.) runs a voluntary certification program for nonprofit institutions that pay artist fees according to its standards, which scale with the institution's operating expenses; at the time of writing its floor fee for a solo exhibition is $1,250. Many institutions pay modest honoraria, and some pay nothing, expecting artists to benefit from exposure. Ask about fees directly and in writing; established institutions expect the question.

Loan agreements, insurance and valuation

When work leaves your studio, it is at risk of damage, loss and theft in transit and on display. Whoever borrows or hosts the work should agree in writing who is responsible. Public institutions usually issue a loan agreement listing each work, its insurance value, the period of the loan, transit arrangements, display conditions, credit lines and condition reporting. Many institutional policies cover works "nail to nail" or "wall to wall", from the moment they are taken down in your studio until they are rehung there, including transit; others cover only the time on site.

Insurance value should reflect what it would cost to replace the work or the loss you would suffer. For editioned prints, the value is often the current retail price, or the net amount the artist would receive after a dealer's commission, depending on policy and agreement. Unique or irreplaceable works, such as vintage prints, may need appraisal. Keep records of sales prices to support values. PHOT-301 covered condition reports and care instructions; prepare a condition report for each work before it leaves and check it on return.

The exhibition checklist

The exhibition checklist is the master list of works in the show. It is used for the layout, labels, insurance, shipping, condition reports, sales and documentation. Keep it in a spreadsheet with one row per work and columns for the following:

• Checklist number and image code from your master edit.
• Title, date of the image and date of the print.
• Medium and process, for example pigment print on cotton rag paper.
• Image size, paper size and framed size, in both metric and imperial units if the venue or shipper needs them.
• Edition number and edition size, including artist's proofs.
• Insurance value and sale price, if for sale.
• Owner and credit line, if lent by a collector.
• Location in the layout, crate number and condition notes.

Share the checklist with the venue and update it whenever details change. Errors on labels, such as wrong dates or misspelled titles, often trace back to an outdated checklist.

Communications and programming

An exhibition needs visitors. Plan communications on the same backward schedule as production. Many arts publications and listings need information six to eight weeks before opening, and some monthly or quarterly publications need it months earlier. A press release should give the essentials (who, what, where, when), a short description of the work, a quotation from the artist or curator, high-resolution images with captions and credits, and contact details. Invitations, social media posts, newsletters and listings follow.

Public programs extend the life of an exhibition: an opening, an artist talk, a curator's tour, a panel discussion, a book launch, workshops for students or community groups. Plan accessible programming as part of the core schedule rather than an afterthought: offer relaxed or quiet hours, sign language interpretation (ASL in English-speaking communities, LSQ in Quebec), audio description and step-free routes. Record each program and the visitor numbers, which funders often require in final reports.

Managing risk

A risk register lists what could go wrong, how likely it is, how serious the effect would be and what you will do about it. Rate each risk simply, for example likelihood and impact from 1 to 3, and focus attention on those with the highest product.

Revisit the register monthly and at key milestones. Many risks shrink as the opening approaches, while others, such as weather affecting shipping, appear late.