The Saatchi Gallery is one of the largest museums dedicated to contemporary art in Europe, with over 1 million visitors per year. It features both organized exhibitions as well as artist talks and events.
The gallery opened its doors to the public in May 2001 under then-director Chris Searle. Since then it has grown into a major tourist destination and gathering place for discussions about modern art.
Many people are familiar with some of the artists featured at the Saatchi, such as Ai Weiwei or Yayoi Kusama. Others have become famous like Elon Musk, who shared his love of space technology through his talk titled “Breaking Down Barriers”.
But what most people don’t know is that there is an entire department within the museum run by professionals to help other artists get started in their artistic career! This article will discuss how you can be a part of this team and contribute to the world of art.
Prepare your exhibit
After you have gathered all of your materials and supplies, it is time to prepare for exhibition!
Your show will be run by an artist or curator who has determined how many people can come see your work. They may limit attendance, so please confirm this with them before gathering lots of items.
To make space for visitors to view your work, use some basic rules. Don’t put too much material up as this could prevent other artists from being able to visit your display or even access their own area.
Don’t hang anything directly onto the wall either, using easels instead is better for both you and the gallery. This way, guests can easily look under, beside or behind what you are showing.
If possible, try to only invite one person into your studio per week to check out your work. It takes away from the special feeling that is having a public event, and they might take off for another day. Also, having just one visitor every few days helps keep personal relationships strong – friends are very important to most creative types!
When the show is over, don’t forget to pack up and go. Leaving quickly also gives others opportunity to view the artwork and makes sure there is no lingering energy.
Plan your marketing campaign
Before you even approach exhibiting, you have to make sure that you have done all of your preparation work. This means making sure your business is well-maintained, that your online presence is up to date, and that you are prepared for the event!
Running low on resources can put stress on your budget and nerves, so be sure to check out our tips here for some helpful information. Also, don’t forget to keep yourself awake during the event as this will help promote engagement and interaction with other attendees.
Apply for exhibition space
Once you have received word that your work has been accepted into the show, the next step is to find an appropriate venue to display it. This is called exhibiting your piece or displaying your work. There are many ways to do this, but one of the most popular is by applying for a spot in the Saatchi Gallery’s Exhibition Programme.
The gallery holds an annual open call every spring when they invite people to apply to exhibit at their event. The number of applications usually exceeds the available spaces, so there will be some repeat visitors! And even if you aren’t selected, you’ll still get great exposure as everyone attending the show gets to see your work.
There is no fee to participate in the open call, however we recommend holding onto your application until you have secured your transport to London as the show is typically three days long.
Apply for sponsorship
After you have done your research, gathered your materials and booked your flights, it’s time to apply! Applications are not automatic so be sure to check out their website to find out how to get started.
They will ask you some questions about yourself, what kind of event you want to exhibit at and if you’re able to pay your application fee within a certain amount of time. Make sure to fill everything in fully and include any supporting documents such as proof of income or experience.
After this, the next stage is getting approved as an exhibitor! This can take anywhere from one week to several months depending on how many applications there are. Keep checking back with them, and don’t give up!
If you feel like you’ve been waiting forever for a response, do not stress out. Part of being an artist is having to deal with slow moving bureaucracies and red-tape.
Write your exhibition theme
Writing an exhibition topic is like telling someone you’re going to take them for lunch- you need a destination! Yours should be clear and aligned with what they want from the day.
It’s important to know how long an exhibition lasts, so make sure your message aligns with this. For example, if your show is focused on street art, then tell people that. If it’s about still life photography, tell them that!
Your message can also include some details of the artwork such as medium, size, and year produced. All of these things contribute heavily to the value and audience of the piece.
When writing your exhibition topic, think about why people would come to see yours. Is it because it’s interesting? Because it’s clever? Or maybe it’ll win some awards. A good way to ensure their attendance is by highlighting what makes your work special.
Choose your display space
When planning to exhibit at an event like the Saatchi Gallery, how you organize and present your work is very important. You want to make sure that people understand who you are as an artist and what you stand for.
You don’t want to just put up whatever you feel like because it looks good. Yours should be meaningful, artistic pieces that express yourself or your art style.
Something simple such as putting pictures of your favorite things next to each other can get boring quickly. If you notice that people are getting distracted by all the new colors, shapes and styles, then your exhibition may have hit its peak and needed something different to keep people engaged.
And while there is no wrong way to arrange your paintings, showing your creativity in organization is another way to draw attention to yourself.
Prepare your marketing materials
After you have received word that you’ve been accepted to exhibit, you will need to start preparing for the event!
First off, you should make sure that you are well-rested and prepared for the event before it happens. You don’t want to be tired or hungry when you show up because of lack of preparation. This is totally understandable as most people living outside of London may not know what goes into planning an exhibition trip like this one.
So how do you prepare? First, you must ensure that you are well rested and packed for the trip. Make sure that you have done all of your homework and left no stone unturned in your pursuit to win over the SAATCHI gallery committee.
Next, pack your bag with enough clothes and shoes for the length of time that you will be there.
Distribute your press release
Now that you have done all of the hard work in creating your exhibition, it is time to get it out there! Press releases are a great way to promote your show.
Distributing your exhibition announcement through online outlets is the best way to spread the word about your project. There are many sites where you can publish your release so that people may see it, with some giving you credit for doing so. Some ways to distribute this information include free blogs, social media pages, and even printed publications.
By distributing your exhibition announcement throughout different mediums, they will help create an audience for your project. Many artists gain followers or interest due to their publication and distribution strategies.
