Hey everyone, this is Heather Bowling, the Director and Curator at the Brea Gallery. I thought I would contribute to our blog this week with some tips for exhibiting artists (or artists who want to start exhibiting).

Some of these things may seem like common sense, but at the Brea Gallery we work with a lot of ‘emerging artists’. And it’s honestly one of the highlights of my job to feature people who are super talented, but haven’t yet had a chance to be in shows. So, I thought I would share some things that I think all artists should take a closer look at. If you do all of these things already - Congratulations! You are now my favorite person.

(For a little context, generally when I am working on a show I deal with anywhere from 18 to 95 exhibiting artists - not counting all the ones who were considered originally but didn’t end up in the final lineup (so like, hundreds). So these are all things I encounter frequently that I thought I might share a little insight on.)

Singularity Point by Darel Carey, Immersion 2019 — *Singularity Point* by Darel Carey, *Immersion* 2019

1. Create an Instagram, specifically one just for your art.
Social media, Instagram in particular, is a huge part of how we connect and interact with artists in this day and age. So, be sure to utilize this free resource to help promote yourself. And definitely consider having an account just dedicated to your artistic practice, that way when I’m looking you up I can just scroll through your art rather than your personal life. Also, check your DMs, especially if you don’t have contact info listed.

2. Have a website.
You don’t need anything fancy, just a page that features your work that people can find when they google your name. There are tons of options for cheap or even free sites that can be designed to meet your needs and share your work with the world. Bonus points for having artwork info such as medium, year, dimensions on there too.

3. Keep things up to date.
Your website, your Instagram, your CV, your contact info, your name, everything. It doesn’t always look the best when your resume says your last show was in 2012, we will probably just assume you moved out to the dessert and dropped off the grid. Same if you haven’t posted on your Instagram since November 2018 - ‘oh well, guess they stopped making art.’

4. Spend some time learning how to photograph your work.
You present your work to the world though these photographs, so needless to say it’s a little important. But that doesn’t mean you have to hire a professional. You just have to spend a little time learning how to take/edit a good picture. Really the only things to know are that you should use a camera or phone that can take good quality photos (you’ll need a few megapixels), make sure your lighting is good and bright, and if the background isn’t something akin to a gallery wall, crop it out. Easy peasy.

5. Let me know how to reach you.
I can’t count the number of times I’ve stumbled upon the perfect artist in a gallery somewhere and thought of a show I’m doing that they would be great for. But then I look them up and can’t figure out how to reach them. Without an email address, Instagram with your real name, or website contact form I know that I have little-to-no hope of reaching you. So we’ll never get to work together. Sad.

6. Be intentional when you contact someone.
Please, please do not email galleries out of the blue with a blanket ‘Hello sir/madam’ email and your CV attached. At least put the name of the space, if not my name in the intro. If an email is addressed correctly, I’m 10x more likely to read it. Also, don’t send three paragraphs on your latest project with a small thumbnail of one piece, and then not include a website or Instagram where I can see your work. There’s a good chance I won’t google you, no matter how good that thumbnail is. Oh and just don’t send anything via snail mail, let’s save some trees.

PaperWorks ReFolded, 2019 — *PaperWorks ReFolded,* 2019

7. Framing/hardware is pretty important.
Framing can be really expensive, but how your work is displayed is important for a couple reasons. Not only do you want it to look good when it’s shown, but you want to be sure it’s safe and secure while it’s in transit and then on display in the gallery. Don’t get frames from the bargain bin at Ikea and then be surprised when I call you saying I can’t hang it or that it fell off the wall. For the record, I am completely fine showing unframed work, as long as you have a plan (that you’ve testing) for installing it. I highly recommend that pieces have picture hanging wire, d-rings, or a french cleat; sawtooth hangers are the devil, please don’t make me use them.

8. Paperwork and due dates are annoying, but also important.
Everyone hates paperwork, and who has time to keep track of everything happening in life? But both of these are kind of essential for me to put on an exhibit, so please just fill the forms out (in their entirety) and drop off/ship the artwork when it’s due. This will save me and my staff countless hours of following up. Trust me, if I have 67 artists in a show, chances are most of my time is spent following up about artists’ paperwork. Help a girl out.

9. Shipping is dangerous, let’s be careful.
If you have to ship your work to a show, definitely invest some time (and money if you have it) into your packing materials. Nothing is sadder than unpacking broken artwork. Of course it’s not always the artist’s fault, but if you don’t make sure your piece is secure among layers of packing material, it might be. The main things I recommend are many layers of new bubble wrap (I love recycling, but once they’ve deflated they’re not helping), secured with blue or masking tape (packing tape ruins bubble wrap), and taping the outside of the box securely on all sides. And if it’s a sculpture consider packing the piece in a box inside of a box for extra protection.

10. Remember - it isn’t personal. But it is subjective.
If you’re entering a juried show, or some other form of art competition, always remember that if you aren’t selected, it’s not personal. It’s not that the jurors don’t like you, or even that they don’t enjoy your work, they just have to make tough decisions. I can speak from experience from jurying our annual Made in California exhibit, that every year hundreds of great works of art don’t make it into the show simply because we don’t have enough room. Plus these are just the opinions of some people, don’t let it discourage you. Keep creating and keep putting yourself out there!

I think that’s about all friends. Hopefully you got something out of these tips I’ve shared. I can’t wait to see you all when the Gallery reopens and we are finally able to put on our 2020 Made in California exhibition!