Exhibition Proposal
Unit 3 Outcome 3
Today you are a curator of a gallery.
I want you to focus on the overall theme, mood and what you want the audience to experience. These are called curatorial intentions.
Theme- Power
Theme- solitude
Theme- flight
Theme- Love
Area of Study 3 (SAC)
Key Skills:
VCAA Study design.
A curator decides the theme and chooses the artists involved.
A curator articulates the concept for an art presentation and conceptualize the manner in which this art can be presented to the public;
The curator’s role
Traditionally, curators have strong background training in art history, which informs the key exhibition focus and ideas.
Contemporary curators (particularly independent curators) come from a range of backgrounds – artists, theatre, design and a range of creative disciplines.
Curatorial Intentions
Curator’s role -
Considers their Audience
The art audience is one of the foremost concerns of the curator. Kwanyi Pan says, “A curator is not a creator but a facilitator for both the audience and the artists and a messenger who delivers ideas from contemporary society. A good curator needs to understand the audience and to fully communicate with the artists to let their work speak out to the public.”
We expect that curators have considered how the audience will experience an exhibition.
• What they will see and read, first and last?
• What and how artworks are juxtaposed, viewed and read in consideration of each other?
The curator’s role
A curator organizes and implements presentation, representing the artist(s) and their work.
They do not do this all on their own in big galleries and museums but liaise with a team.
Curatorial Intentions
2. To show off works to their best advantage.
This may mean space to stand back from big artworks, well lit and not competing or being overwhelmed by other artworks
Exhibition designers look at the relationship of the artwork to other artworks.
The curator’s role
Curators would consult with artists so as to understand their meanings and intentions.
A curator will function as a kind of go-between for the presenting institution and the artist, ensuring that all areas of responsibility for the project are being addressed. The curator should have the larger picture in mind and ensure careful attention to the artist’s interests while respecting the mandate, needs and priorities of the gallery;
Sometimes artists require artworks to be hung in a very specific way to enhance the meaning of the work.
Curatorial Intentions
3. Cause people to pause and to reflect or react to the artwork and information provided.
A curator provides professional and public access to the project’s ideas and art by organizing the exhibition or project itself, by writing various kinds of texts (curatorial, didactic and promotional) and by organizing public presentations associated with the project. Curators make it their task to be well informed about creative practice, by looking at what is being produced and exhibited by artists and curators, and by reading exhibition catalogues, books and local/national/international periodicals, thereby adding continuously to the mental archive and material accumulation of information on art and life.
The curator’s role
Curatorial Considerations
4. Consider physical aspects such as ease of viewings, safety and conservation
Area of Study 3 (SAC)
Key skills:
VCAA Study design.
The characteristics of an exhibition space can plainly be described as a space where art is displayed and viewed by an audience.
This incorporates:
In smaller galleries, particularly commercial /private galleries like Boom in Geelong, an exhibition is put together by a collaboration of a curator or gallery director with the artist.
White cube (n.) Refers to a certain gallery aesthetic characterised by its square or oblong shape, white walls and a light source usually from the ceiling. It’s a minimalist concept, that decontextualises the artwork from any distractions.
In a large public gallery or museum, like Geelong Gallery, Ballarat Gallery and NGV, an exhibition is put together by a group of people. This is a collaboration between a qualified exhibition designer, a curator, gallery assistants, technicians, conservators and possibly the artist.
Art museums that have collections, often present exhibitions that focus on highlighting key works in their collection.
• Art exhibitions, particularly within museums, have been grounded in highlighting themes within artistic practice, with a particular focus on the historical and cultural connections of each artwork.
In an Artist Run Initiative Gallery like The Hue and Cry Collective in Geelong, the artist usually has the opportunity to curate their own exhibition or artists will take turns or work together to curate group exhibitions. The experience of curating exhibitions is one of the draw cards of belonging to an Artist Run Initiative.
Practical and aesthetic considerations
Area of Study 3 (SAC)
Key skills:
Characteristics of an exhibition often differ in consideration of the institution or organising body’s purpose. Understanding the purpose of the institution, art museum or gallery can provide you with in insight into what characteristics to expect.
Geelong Gallery purpose
Geelong Gallery’s purpose is to provide an inclusive experience of art that will enrich people’s lives.
Varieties of Gallery Curations
The curatorial rationale: thematic ideas and stories presented in the exhibition
The type of exhibition: for example, solo, group, thematic, survey, retrospective, performance event, temporary or permanent
The exhibition design: practical, aesthetic, environmental and ethical considerations for the presentation of artworks.
Exhibition design is about enabling the viewer to see, understand and move around the exhibition.
A designer arranges the space so that people can flow and travel logically.
Movement of viewers
Good design keeps crowds flowing easily through the space with no traffic jams. If one particular artwork is famous then it needs more space around it.
Spatial Qualities
Spatial Qualities
Flow
Movement of viewers
3D objects need to be spaced so people can move around and between them.
Need a 360 degrees view of them.
Examples of audience movement and flow
Spatial Qualities
Exhibition designers look at the relationship of the artwork to the space itself.
Exhibition designers look at the relationship of the artwork to the body of the viewer.
Spatial Qualities
Sight lines
Sound bleeding
Seating may be needed so people can sit and watch.
Space in front so people can comfortably view.
Needs to be audible but not disruptive of the rest of the exhibition.
Sightlines
Spatial Qualities
Good Design ensures all artworks are viewed easily. This is also relevant for children and wheelchair users.
The height will affect how people read the artwork- higher makes it seem more removed and foreboding, lower and it makes it seem more casual and unimportant.
Surface Treatments
Wall Colour
White feels contemporary and neutral.
Burgundy and olive feel luxurious and traditional.
Having different colours in different areas can indicate a change in theme, mood or topic.
The Designer suggest colours and arrangement to enhance the theme.
Surface Treatments
Wall Papers
Flooring
Surface Treatments
The Designer chooses the layout of text
Surface Treatments
Signage
Text Panels
Banners
Wall Text
Didactic Panels
We also expect there to be some exhibition supports provided to assist in understanding the exhibition.
A room sheet – provides viewers with access to artwork details, highlighting where they can find them in the exhibition.
Interpretative material: – extended wall labels – catalogues – essays – education kits – artist statements – public programs – interactive apps
Placement of Artworks
A designer arranges the artworks so they flow visually and thematically.
Flow
The size of the work plays an important (perhaps the largest) role in a curator’s choice of placement. If a painting is huge, it will usually get its own wall. If works are smaller, they can be grouped with works of similar size. Orientation of the work (landscape or portrait) is also considered as works of the same orientation often find themselves grouped together. If you make work of non-traditional dimensions – i.e. long and skinny or unusually tall and thin – you present the curator with a special challenge in terms of space. This is not always a bad thing, but having unusual dimensions is a bit of a gamble as to whether it will get a better or worse placement within the gallery space. A curator’s dream exhibit to hang is one that features all works of the same size and orientation. Group shows, on the other hand, can be tricky because one artist’s work may be only an inch or two larger than another, making a grouping of those works look slightly unbalanced.
Placement of Artworks
Placement of the Artworks
Narrative
Themes
Ideas
A sense of journey or flow helps the viewer to engage with the artwork and make sense of the whole exhibition.
A chronological narrative
An emotional narrative
A series of themes
Large works need more space and small works are best in small areas or grouped. Attention getting pieces (large and striking) are often put first or at the end of the room to draw you in.
Scale
Placement of Artworks
Spatial Qualities
Balance and focus
Artwork needs to have equal importance even through some are bigger and brighter than others. They also need to complement each other rather than being jarring and clash.
“The color and style of your work plays a role in exhibit placement. When hanging in the two prime spots – the first spots you see when you walk in the gallery – I try to find two large works of similar size that complement each other both in terms of style and color. I’ll usually search for “siblings” in a group show, works of art that have the same feel or colors that just work well together in pairings. If an exhibit seems to have an underlying common color I try to spread those colors evenly throughout the show. For example, this year’s New Year New Art show featured a lot of orange and purple, so I tried to spread the works that featured the two colors around to create a bit of rhythm and harmony throughout the exhibition.
On occasion, there will be a work of art that just doesn’t play well with others – maybe it’s too bold, too powerful, too dark, or too red, or too lemony yellow compared to the other works. These works usually end up by themselves on a wall (again, not a bad thing) spaced a bit apart from the rest of the show. This allows the viewer to take in the work, absorb the energy being put forth, without it carrying over into the rest of the exhibit.”
Placement of Artworks according to a curator
When walking through permanent exhibitions of art collections, displayed in art museums, you will notice artworks are often displayed in a taxonomy. For example, of time and ‘movement’ (Post Impressionism, 1886-1905), as well as artform (painting, printmaking, drawing)
Taxonomy (n.) A scheme of classification.
As a curator, you will plan an exhibition of artworks from the artists you have researched in Area of Study 1, using the three artists studied and selecting two artworks by each artist. You will select these artworks by identifying connections between them and you will present the artworks in an exhibition proposal. This will be both visual and written. Please follow the prompts in the shared slide show. |
Lighting
Choices:
Fluorescent
LED
Track
Spotlight
What effect does lighting have on the appearance of artworks?
Must make artwork visible
Must show work off without glare or shadows.
Can be used to add drama
3D artworks may need lighting from underneath.
Large public galleries employ specialist lighting technicians.
Believe it or not, one of the biggest factors of “what goes where” comes down to the type of frame you use. I know it seems a bit petty, but I often will group art based on frame colors. If you have a group of wood-stained frames and you hang a work with a white frame in the middle, it might come across as a bit out of place. A trend among landscape painters in our region is to use gold frames. Putting a black-framed work among gold-trimmed paintings seems to weight the attention and gravity toward the black frame. If you choose wild vibrant colors for your framing, it will usually present a problem when it comes to placement in a group show. Your work is creative; your frame doesn’t need to be.
Visual Cohesiveness - Frames
Exhibition Furniture
Plinths
Vitrines
Cases
Chairs/Seating
How does the exhibition furniture such as plinths and vitrines help to protect artworks while they are on display?
Below is a checklist of what must be explained- this means write a paragraph on each of these aspects.