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THE semi official gallery info and how to thread!
So you've taken great thought provoking images and want to show them off! What do you do next? How do you find a venue? What's the best way to print & frame? What size should the finished art be? Should I consider gallery aesthetics or architecture when framing? It seems worthwhile to start a MM discussion on the in and outs of gallery shows. I'd be interested in hearing both from people looking for shows or who have shown... as well as people who have run shows or who curate these events. Anything related to gallery shows is open for discussion........ Framing, food, materials, hanging, lighting, music, publicity, experiences..... And I will try to create a few post at the beginning for resource links Ohhhhh........ FYI........... This was inspired by Misty's "Anyone ever did a photo exhibit at a gallery?" thread. https://www.modelmayhem.com/po.php?thread_id=385140 Dec 17 08 11:13 am Link Framing links..... Yep this box is simply links for places to buy frames (hopefully discounted) And if you are local to one of the big shops you can often pick up your order and save time and money on shipping. Frame Fit (Philadelphia PA) http://www.framefit.com/ Framatic http://www.framatic.com/ Frames by Mail (Missouri) http://Framesbymail.com MATcutters.com (Georgia) http://matcutter.com/ American Frame http://www.americanframe.com/ Dec 17 08 11:14 am Link Other resources.... still to be listed....... Dec 17 08 11:14 am Link "everyone should use black metal frames"...... and other common frame myths Contrary to popular opinions not all photo frames need to be black, and I personally hate metal frames, Metal frames are inexpensive...... and that fact is often kinda obvious. I'm not going to say that I will flat out reject an art submission that is framed in tubular metal frames....... But it's not going to help your case. Frames should be chosen based three main criteria, 1) they should complement the work 2) they should fit the show or space that they are intended for 3) they should be of reasonably good quality Black is often chosen for photography because it usually works, it's non obtrusive and it's considered "traditional". But there are many other options that may or may not work better. If you are submitting framed work to a large traditional juried show you probably want to go with black as many jurors like it and it's what most other people will submit in (so it's easier to fit your work in with others) But if you are showing a body of a dozen images in a series you should pick what best fits that work. I've framed images for shows in Black, Silver, Gold, Rosewood, Oak........ what ever fits the space and the images. Dec 17 08 11:15 am Link Excellent idea for a sticky thread, if it doesn't get crapped on and it fleshes out well. Dec 17 08 11:18 am Link This is a subject I'll be watching. So far whatever work I've been able to show has been because Ive gone out and done the foot work. It wasn't until I did some Giclee prints that I've been able to show some of my work in a gallery. But then things are a little different in the country. I'm having talks this week with another gallery hoping to show some work. Dec 17 08 11:21 am Link Dec 17 08 11:23 am Link (I'll try this again) Getting shows Step one: register on ArtDeadlines.com Step two: create search agents on ArtDeadlines.com Step three: check your email Works for me. Dec 17 08 11:26 am Link lots of people wrote: Well.... yes and no! Dec 17 08 11:47 am Link Bosaiya wrote: Interesting link..... I'll have to check this out. Dec 18 08 08:04 am Link Bosaiya wrote: Is there anything for non-US peeps on there? or is it mainly a US thing? Obviously I can't see without subscribing and I don't want to subscribe if there is nothing in the UK. Dec 18 08 08:09 am Link Since my gallery material is mostly black & white, the use of a black frame with white "ragmat" is best. It makes the image pop! Dec 18 08 08:13 am Link . Dec 18 08 08:48 am Link Julia Dando wrote: I'm only reading what it says on the site: Dec 18 08 09:09 am Link Do your Research --- AKA, Know your market Niall commented on this earlier.... and he was so on the mark. Submitting to the wrong gallery, or submitting the wrong work to the right gallery is a waste of everyones time. Every gallery has it's nitch...... just a little research will reveal usually what they show. Sometimes that research can be as easy as showing up at a couple of their openings and checking out the work. Reading through their website will also often tell you all you need to know. If a gallery only shows landscapes.... then submitting nudes tends to be pointless. If a gallery only shows painters..... then submitting photographs seems pointless. If a gallery specializes in bright modernist art... don't apply with lovely little landscapes I'm involved in new member selection at a cooperative gallery in Philadelphia. The gallery has a tradition of providing space for non commercial art. We are big into Audio art, Video art, Interactive art, Performance art....... Anyone who visited out space or website should be able to pick up on that. We do take photographers and painters.... but they need to be pushing the traditional boundaries of their craft. Where I'm going with this is....... We get a lot of submissions that just don't fit our space. And it's obvious that it does not fit. So someone has wasted a lot of time putting together materials to submit to us. And the shame is that in many of the cases the work is good and I can name another gallery within 5 miles where it would likely be accepted. Researching where you want to apply saves you time in the end by weeding out the places where you have no chance of being selected. Dec 18 08 01:39 pm Link Should I tailor the work to fit the space? If you have the opportunity to design a show to fit a particular space it can heighten the impact that the show has on the audience. The Philadelphia Based group Dissentia Curatorial Services designed most of their shows around an idea or location and received a fair amount of attention in part because of it. www.dissentia.com a perfect example was the Outhouse/Inhouse show, In this show the showing space was a run down attic above an existing gallery. The decision to build humble outhouses in the attic to house mini instillations was a perfect fit, and the decision to cover the floor in sawdust and play scratchy old blues tracks made for a show that you could see, touch, smell and hear.   This type of show may not always be the best selling set up, But none the less can make quite and impact on people. Dec 31 08 08:00 am Link |
