Exhibition Development
Submitting Your Portfolio for Consideration
How an Idea Becomes an Exhibition
 Many people wonder how an exhibition is developed. The answer to that
question varies with the type of exhibition involved: whether it is curated
(organized) by the museum or not, whether it is made up of pieces the museum
owns or not, and whether it is a one-person show or a group
show.
All exhibitions start with an idea. Maybe the Curator has seen the work of a
particular artist that he or she likes, and decides to show that artist's work.
Maybe the Curator has seen a trend in art that they would like to see explored.
Or maybe, the Curator has an idea for a central theme for an exhibition (like
landscape paintings or abstract sculptures). After the Curator decides what the
show is about, he or she decides when the exhibition will be on display. Then,
he or she starts selecting the work to be included. In the case of an exhibition
organized by the museum, the Curator contacts art museums, galleries and artists
to determine what artworks are available. At that point, the museum and the
lender sign loan agreements to ensure that the piece the Curator asked for will
be committed to the exhibition. After the loan agreements are returned, the
Curator or the Registrar (the person in charge of keeping
track of all artwork coming into or leaving the museum, including pieces owned
by the museum) will begin to arrange the delivery of the artwork. In most cases,
the artwork is shipped to the museum using a fine art shipping service; however,
if the lender is located close to the museum, members of the curatorial
department will pack and ship the artworks personally. Once the work is in the
building, it must remain in its packing materials for 24 hours. This allows the
artwork to adjust to the climate of the museum so that it is not damaged by a
quick change in temperature or humidity. Once the artworks are opened, the
Curator and the Exhibits Specialist move the artwork into the gallery and begin
to arrange and install the exhibition.
In the case of an exhibition of artwork that the museum owns, after deciding
on a theme and time slot, the Curator explores all of the artworks in the
Permanent Collection that fits the theme, and chooses the number of pieces that
will fit in the gallery space. If any of the pieces need to be framed or require
special attention prior to being displayed, the Curator coordinates
those activities with the Exhibits Specialist. Then, when the time comes to
install the exhibition, all they have to do is arrange and install the artwork.
Sometimes a museum will organize an exhibition of sufficient cost and
complexity as to make it necessary to seek other museums to host the exhibition.
These are called touring exhibitions, and they are common in the museum world.
Touring exhibitions are so common, in fact, that a number of companies exist
that specialize in organizing these types of exhibits and then
"renting" them to museums, galleries, and other cultural institutions.
If a museum borrows a touring exhibition, it saves them the time and effort
needed to organize their own show. And when an exhibition tours, much of the
cost is shared by the hosting institutions, making them less expensive than they
would have been if only the originating museum had held the exhibition in its
galleries. This, in turn, often allows a museum to bring artwork to its visitors
that it might not otherwise be able to show.
Submitting Your Portfolio for Consideration
Sometimes artists send information about themselves to museums in
hope of being considered for an exhibition. Whether or not the museum chooses to
show work submitted without the request of the Curator depends on many factors,
the most important being whether or not the work fits the style and standards of
the museum. After that, time is considered. Most museums schedule their
exhibitions two to four years ahead of time, so the artist who submits his or
her portfolio will not usually get into a show until much
later.
If you are an artist, and you are interested in being considered for an
exhibition opportunity at Polk Museum of Art, here are a few things to keep in
mind:
| • |
Because we are a small institution, we do not regularly
review submissions. Our Curator will be happy to look at your slides, but
he may not be able to respond immediately. |
| • |
If you plan to submit your work for consideration, please include
in your packet a resume, artist statement, images of your work (preferably
slides, but photographs or digital images in .jpg, .bmp, or .tif format are
acceptable), and a self addressed, stamped envelope if you would like your
images returned. |
| • |
The quality of your images does count! If your slides are dark or
your CD is unreadable, the Curator will not be able to see your work. Make sure
your slides or photographs are clear, well lit, and free of distracting
backgrounds. If you submit a CD, make sure your images are properly saved, have
not been degraded by too much compression, and that when you burn your CD you do
so at a slow speed and you finalize the disk. We use PC's at Polk Museum of Art,
so if you are a Mac user, please save all of your files in PC format. |
| • |
DO NOT SEND ORIGINAL ARTWORK! We cannot be held responsible for
originals sent to us without the consent of the Curator and the Executive
Director. |
| • |
Submit your materials to: Polk Museum of Art, attn: Todd Behrens,
Curator of Art, 800 E. Palmetto St., Lakeland, FL 33801-5529. |
|
|
