Exhibit of work by Jessica Loving at Artwork Network.

Written by Sara Chojnacki, Artwork Network’s Artist Coordinator.

Develop a theme

The first step to creating a cohesive body of work is to develop a theme.  What message are you trying to send?  What do you want your audience to take away from your show?  You should not exhibit your work simply for the sake of exhibiting.  Your artwork is your voice, let an exhibit say something about who you are.

Give Yourself Time

You may be excited to show off your new work as soon as possible, but keep in mind that galleries need time to plan and schedule shows.  Normally, artists will be scheduled anywhere from 6 months to a year ahead of time.  Make sure you get your proposal in with plenty of time for the gallery to prepare for your show.  Even if you are in the process of creating a new body of work, you can still propose the idea with pictures of works in progress.  As long as there is a clear understanding of where the show is headed, your proposal will be accepted.

Develop, Develop, Develop

You’ve chosen your pieces, now take a step back and look at what you’ve got.  Ask yourself critical questions about the body of work.  Do the pieces work well together?  Is there something missing?  Is there too much?  Asking these questions will help you figure out what needs to change before your work is ready to show.  Revisit pieces if necessary, rework details, ask for advice.  It is easy to pull ten pieces together and call it a day, but your artistic vision is always changing, so your exhibits should too.

It’s All in the Details

Once you’ve set up the time and place for your exhibit, it’s important to double check that all your pieces are ready to shine!  Make sure everything is framed properly, wired correctly, and that you have every piece labeled.  For Artwork Network, we need an inventory form filled out for our records, and it’s always easier if you fill that out before you drop off work.  Last, but not least, make sure all of your pieces are photographed.  This is necessary for marketing your show in the best way possible.

Signs your exhibit needs some work:

• There is no strong concept behind the work.
• There is no cohesiveness in your pieces.  Look at common areas such as style, theme, and color.
• You do not have a marketing strategy for your show.
• Pieces are not properly wired, framed, or photographed.