A gallery show is an interesting way to display your work. You can do it as a monthly event, every month has its own exhibition or you can have a one time only show. Either way, it’s fun to host!
A gallery show gives people more exposure for your art. They can interact with you, admire your work, and even buy some pieces if they like what they see.
It’s not too hard to get into, nor expensive, either. In this article, we will talk about how to hold a successful gallery show.
If you would like to participate in a gallery show, start planning now! This article will help you prepare.
Write down your theme
Having a gallery show is an interesting way to showcase your artistic talent. You can create, edit, or use existing artwork as pictures or decorations for your display.
Many people begin creating their own artwork by exploring styles of painting, drawing, sculpture, or other forms of art. Starting with something simple like colors and shapes can help you move onto more complex designs!
Some artists even start with basic sketches before moving onto more elaborate drawings and paintings.
By using others’ work as inspiration, you will definitely learn new things about color theory, composition, and design.
Decide the location of the show
Having a gallery event does not mean you have to hold it at a restaurant or art studio- venue, setting, theme and logistics are all important parts of how to organize a gallery event!
You can choose to do this online by creating an Instagram account for your event and putting up pictures and announcements, or you can actually host the event somewhere else and invite people to join you remotely.
This is called remote participation and gives people access to the same content as those who attend, without them having to come to the event. Some ways to do this are using Google hangouts, YouTube live events, or hosting it on Facebook.
Making sure everyone has technology to connect with you is very important to have successful online participatory events!
By planning ahead and doing these things, you will know what works for your group and you will get help if someone cannot make it. Plus, you will save money by organizing the event yourself instead of paying for a space or expensive memberships.
Another way to facilitate attendance is through digital invitations or reminders. You could use email, texts, apps, and/or websites to notify people about the event and ask if they would like to participate.
How to Ask For Help
If there are no rules set in place for how to organize a gallery event, then there should be! Most likely, there are already many organized events done before so there may be some tips that work for you to look into.
Plan the time and date of the show
Now that you have picked your location, determined how many people will be attending, and organized all of your materials, it is time to plan what type of exhibition you want to have!
You can choose from three different types of gallery shows: solo exhibitions, group exhibitions, or a combination of both.
For a solo exhibition, there will only be one artist in the room at a time. For example, if you are showing pictures of landscapes, then someone else cannot come in while you are setting up for your exhibit.
If you decide to do a group exhibition, there will be more than one person involved in the space at a time. This could be several artists working together, or a talk with other speakers after your art display.
A combination exhibition has both individual and group components to them. There may be an artist talking before their work, but they also invite members of their team to join them for their exhibition as well.
Buy some decorations
Now, you have to decide what kind of show you want to put together! You can do it as a beach party or pool party, spring or fall event, anniversary celebration, and so on.
For this article, we will be doing both a summer and winter theme for our gallery show! The winter one is already done, check out my article: How To Refresh Your Room Makeover with Stylish Dining Tables.
The other option is to do an autumn collection where you use pumpkins, leaves, and acorns as decorations. Or how about using white and brown furniture and materials?
Whatever style you choose, make sure they are related! For example, your bed could be in white with green accents, or red and black stripes.
Tell your friends
After you finalize all of your supplies, tell your friends! Spread the word by posting pictures of the exhibition on social media sites like Instagram and Twitter. If you’d like, you can include a few words along with the photos – that way people can read them later if they want to get more information.
People will likely find your gallery show through their own personal galleries or via search engines. When this happens, they may make comments or even contact you for an interview or about your artist career.
Register your show with the local government
After you decide what kind of gallery you want to create, you will need to register your event with the local city or state government. This allows them to keep track of all the regulations for events in your area, as well as provide you with formal permission to hold the event!
Most cities have at least one department that handles events, so look up your town’s events coordinator or visit your local library to learn who those people are.
Apply for a permit
Before you start planning your exhibition, you will first need to apply for a permit! This is very important as it gives you legal permission to hold an event at this venue. You can do this through the city or state where the gallery is located.
In some cases, the organizers of the show may already have a license, so make sure to check there before registering with the community board/city council.
Most communities offer free entry events during non-event times like during the day or after work hours. Some require you to pay a small fee per person, which is totally acceptable because most people are supporting your business by attending!
After being approved, the next step is to pick a date and time frame for your event. Make sure to give enough notice so that everyone has a chance to attend!
Some cities require a minimum amount of attendees, so be aware of that ahead of time! If possible, try holding the event in the middle of the week or late in the evening when less people are around.
Post your announcement online
After you decide what kind of gallery show you want to have, you can announce it to the world! You can do this by posting about it on social media or putting an announcement in the paper or magazine.
Announce your event via social media sites such as Facebook and Instagram so that people can spread the word. Or create a dedicated page for the event on these sites to help with promotion.
You may also choose to publish a article about the event on a website or print publication like a magazine. When publishing the article, include information such as the dates, location, and some details about the artists and/or exhibitors.
By including all this detail, your audience will be able to find out more about the event! And if they are interested, they can visit the site or publication to see the listings or events at their local venue or art shop.
