Factors To Consider While Planning An Art Exhibition

There are plenty of things that need to be kept in mind when you decided to put up an exhibition or enter into one, especially if it's your first time. It is almost impossible to cover each and every aspect but after my recent experience these are few of the most important ones that have helped me in understanding this process better.

Date & Venue: This means from identifying the perfect location and date that won't be a hindrance to your exhibition. You can choose a day when people are more likely to get out of their homes. My first time was a good learning experience as it coincided with the Cricket World Cup (which is almost like a festival in India) and fans will remove everything out of their schedules in order to watch it! Venue budgeting, climatic conditions, venue accessibility, etc are some other aspects that need ample attention.

Theme: I was super confused when I was first acquainted with the idea of displaying artworks because all of them were made at very different time frames and I had no clue how they would make any sense to the viewer, especially when a group exhibition was considered. I talked to a few people who had a lot of experience in this and it all came to down to generating a link. When we collected the final framed pieces, we could somehow see some story coming together in each of the display boards (which we had 3). If you have a few months in your hand, then it is a good idea to base your artworks on some theme because it helps the viewer to connect to the art as a whole.

Promotion: One of the most most powerful tools for a successful exhibition and exposure. It involves sharing all the details about the event on social media: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, your own website, etc and physical distribution. Put up posters in public spaces and spread the word via friends, family and colleagues. If you are a student, it is always a good idea to invite faculties/authorities from your universities to give yourself maximum exposure! Make sure you make ZERO mistakes while adding dates, venue, phone numbers or any type of charges. (especially numerics) As you approach the dates, be sure to give some extra boost to promotion of the event!

Execution and keeping some time for WCS: One of the worst mistakes that can be done is waiting till the last moment for set up, assuming everything will work just as you have planned it in your head. Always, always keep some time in your hands for worst case scenarios to avoid last minute panics. Do all the test and trials days before the actual date so the chances of things getting out of control is reduced by a great extent. One of my paintings fell and suffered damage on the frames which eventually had to be removed from my exhibition because of running an experiment just the day before. BIG mistake. That taught me good about not testing something at a stage when you cannot afford anymore "redos".

Documentation: Well of course! Wether it is successful or not, it will count as an important experience and you will step out learning and growing from it. Have it photographed or try and get some videos shot because after all a lot of work will have gone to it, from 1 single artwork at a time to an exhibition as a whole. Years later when you turn back and reflect you will know how far you have come along as it will serve as a visual journal! Rest, you will know as you go along your journey! :)

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Lots Of Love <3