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Curating is an overworked word these days. Lifestyle magazines would have you believe that wardrobes and menus are “curated.” Curating by and for art professionals is something else entirely. It is realizing a thematic vision by means of the art of others, each work advancing the curatorial thesis with depth and breadth so that the installed exhibition immerses the viewer in a pool of ideas that are amplified by juxtapositions, sequential placements, and cross-gallery conversations. My article, Curatorial Thinking, from which this talk developed for the International Encaustic Conference (11th and 12th editions), is viewable here. Some highlights and additional links follow.
The theme here: color. The title: A Few Conversations About Color
I selected seven artists, working in a variety of mediums, to develop the concept of this exhibition, which took place at DM Contemporary in New York City, 2015
I selected seven artists, working in a variety of mediums, to develop the concept of this exhibition, which took place at DM Contemporary in New York City, 2015
If you are curating an exhibition
• A compelling theme or thesis is the foundation of a strong show
• Come up with an evocative title that conveys your intent
• It’s not enough to secure the venue;
consider the physical infrastructure. Is the space set up for an
exhibition? Is there access to deliver work? Is there parking?
• Consider the administrative
infrastructure. One of the great things about curating for a gallery or
museum is that administrative help is available. If you’re curating in a pop-up
space, you’re on your own administratively—and it’s a daunting job
• Is
the space worthy of your effort? Do you really want to put your curatorial
time and energy into a venue such as a café, bakery, or restaurant, where the art is not
on the menu?
• If you’re putting out a call to
artists, be clear about what you’re looking for thematically. And state all the information up front: who, what, where,
when. If artists will be asked to contribute financially to the exhibition, or
if they will be expected to cover the cost of shipping their work one or both
ways, note that
• Are you looking to broaden your visibility as an artist and curator? Then consider curating a show that's not just wax
• Don’t be afraid to say no. You are the curator. You don’t need to justify your selections
• Are you looking to broaden your visibility as an artist and curator? Then consider curating a show that's not just wax
• Don’t be afraid to say no. You are the curator. You don’t need to justify your selections
• It is, however, important to remember
that artists have opened their studios to you. If you do not plan to include
their work, let them know in a timely manner. They may have other
projects for the work under consideration
• Once you’ve made your selections, create
a reference document that each selected artist can refer to so that
you’re not inundated with calls asking about delivery, opening dates, and such
• Produce a press release that you distribute to the various media outlets. State the
name of the show, the name of the curator, dates, location, hours of the
exhibition. Include a short description of the show and a list of exhibiting
artists. Media are likely to include a photo or photos if you provide them.
. Be clear in your terminology for a show that focuses on encaustic. If you feel, as I do, that "encaustic art" has no place in art terminology (it's "art," no adjective required), state that idea clearly. For example:
All the artists in Organic to Geometric employ the medium of wax in their practice so their ideas, disparate as they may be, are united at least in part by materiality. Wax has substance, luminosity, even scent, and requires a specific set of processes to be workable. But for professional artists working in the medium, it is first and foremost paint. For that reason we avoid the terms "encaustic art" and "encaustic artist," preferring to identify ourselves and our work in terms of our discipline: painting, sculpture, or printmaking.
. Be clear in your terminology for a show that focuses on encaustic. If you feel, as I do, that "encaustic art" has no place in art terminology (it's "art," no adjective required), state that idea clearly. For example:
All the artists in Organic to Geometric employ the medium of wax in their practice so their ideas, disparate as they may be, are united at least in part by materiality. Wax has substance, luminosity, even scent, and requires a specific set of processes to be workable. But for professional artists working in the medium, it is first and foremost paint. For that reason we avoid the terms "encaustic art" and "encaustic artist," preferring to identify ourselves and our work in terms of our discipline: painting, sculpture, or printmaking.
• Provide a copy of the press release to
each of your artists, who will be creating their
own posts and newsletters to promote the event.
• Be clear to your artists that press
requests should go through you. This is your curatorial
project. You don’t want an artist creating her own press materials to make it
sound as if she’s in a solo show, nor do you want the press to focus on one
artist
• Additionally, you might create a list
of talking points to enable your artists to describe the show
cogently and accurately in their blog posts or Facebook mentions
• If you cave to pressure to
include your friends, even if their work is not right (or not good enough), you
are not a curator, you are a wimp
• Should you include your work? Some venues don’t allow it; others are more flexible. You just don’t want to be known as an artist who only gets to show when you create the exhibition
• Should you include your work? Some venues don’t allow it; others are more flexible. You just don’t want to be known as an artist who only gets to show when you create the exhibition
Sometimes you don't include your own work. For Textility, which I co-curated with Mary Birmingham at the Visual Art Center of New Jersey in 2013, museum rules prevented me from including my work in the show
A few
nuts and bolts
. Use hooks, such as Ook picture-hangers, which are available in different sizes to correspond with the weight of the artwork. If you hang with nails or sheet rock screws, use two--one in each corner to make a secure hang• Don’t overhang. This is a beginner’s mistake. Give the work breathing room on the wall, even if it means not hanging everything. (Include each of the artists you invited, but perhaps only one work per artist instead of several. Or select fewer artists in the first place.)
• Hang
to an imaginary horizontal that runs through the center of each artwork. Typically
the horizontal is 57 to 60 inches from the floor to the center of the artwork.
Pick one height and be consistent
• A
grouping doesn’t adhere exactly to this rule, but think about that
horizontal and arrange the works above,
below, and through it for visual cohesiveness
• If you go with a salon-style installation, you may take up an entire wall, high and low.
Use Kraft paper to plan your arrangement, then hang
• Institutions hate pencil marks on the wall. Use a light gray chalk instead. You’ll see the mark, but it can be brushed off later
• Institutions hate pencil marks on the wall. Use a light gray chalk instead. You’ll see the mark, but it can be brushed off later
Organic to Geometric: Investigations in Structure and Surface, curated by Carol Pelletier for the Heftler Gallery at Endicott College in Beverly, Mass., 2015. The gallery director hung to an imaginary horizontal, here about 58 inches from the floor to the center of each painting. In this way a variety of sizes can have unity. Pedestaled sculpture doesn't hew to the same rule
If you are invited to be in a curated show
• Do you know the curator? If not, do your due diligence.
Do a Google search, ask your artist friends if they are familiar with the
curator or the institution. You want to be part of a project that advances your
career and brings something to the community, not unhappily surprised by a "curator" who doesn't have a clue
• Is the show one of those hybrids, which seem to be popular in some parts of the encaustic
community, that includes invited artists as well as a juried show? Vet it
carefully. As an invited artist you are there to make sure the quality of the
show is high. But if the juried entries aren’t good, you could be embarrassed
by your inclusion. If you’re submitting to the juried segment, know that other
artists have been brought in as invited guests, paying no fee. You’re the
worker bee
• What’s the title of the show? If it’s yet another “Encaustic Art” or “Waxing Poetic” show, you will
not be served well. ("Waxing Poetic was a beautiful title in 1998; now it's a cliché.) Look for themes that go beyond medium, a great way to
broaden your professional visibility
• Ask
“Who else have you invited?" and "Who else will be in the show?” The two questions are not the same. You want to know who has
turned down the invitation as well as who has accepted. If the artists you
respect have turned down the invitation, you might contact them to inquire why.
Most artists are willing to share this kind of information if you promise
confidentiality—and keep that promise
• You want to be in a show that lifts you up with good work by good artists, not drag you down with the inclusion of hobbyists eager for an opportunity to show
• You want to be in a show that lifts you up with good work by good artists, not drag you down with the inclusion of hobbyists eager for an opportunity to show
• You owe it to yourself to place your work in the best possible light, both metaphorically and physically. The last thing you want is to be in a poorly lit, overhung show. Ask: “How do you envision the installation? How big is the venue?”
• Priorities change. The exhibition you might have said yes to when you were just starting out may not be the one you want to be in now
• Priorities change. The exhibition you might have said yes to when you were just starting out may not be the one you want to be in now
• Respect the curator. Include her/his name in the exhibitions listing on your resume
• If you are contacted by the press,
refer requests to the curator
• Remember: You are the lucky
recipient of an invitation to show in an exhibition for which you will
do none of the heavy lifting. That’s a gift!
© Joanne Mattera, 2017
Related reading
JM posts
. Marketing Mondays: How Do I Get a Curator to Look at My Work? A conversation with Mary
Birmingham:
. Marketing Mondays: A Curator Connects the Dots for an Exhibition. Mary Birmingham talks about how she found artists for her Material Color exhibition.
. Walk-through of the exhibition, Material Color
. Walk-through
of A Few Conversations About Color
. Conversations, an Eight-Artist
exhibition at the R&F Gallery:
The topic more broadly
. GYST
(Getting your Shit Together): Curating for Artists
. The
Guardian: Secrets of the Museum Curators
. The Precarious, Glamorous Lives of Independent Curators
“I’ve always thought that if you want to be a curator—especially an independent one, without the job security of a museum structure—you’re fulfilled by your research, discoveries, engagement with artists, the magic of seeing a project come together, and the impact on others. It’s meant to fulfill your curiosity.”
“I’ve always thought that if you want to be a curator—especially an independent one, without the job security of a museum structure—you’re fulfilled by your research, discoveries, engagement with artists, the magic of seeing a project come together, and the impact on others. It’s meant to fulfill your curiosity.”
Online links to catalogs referenced in the talk
. Depth Perception
. Organic to Geometric: Investigations in Structure and Surface
. A Few Conversations About Color
. Sandi Miot: The Medium is the Muse
. Organic to Geometric: Investigations in Structure and Surface
. A Few Conversations About Color
. Sandi Miot: The Medium is the Muse
. Formal Aspects, an online “catalog”
