How to make money as an art curator

Marketing Coordinator. If you are looking to give feedback on our new site, please send it along to feedback globeandmail. The majority 37 percent of museum and gallery curators work in galleries, museums, historical sites, and similar institutions. There is the idea of strategically placing artists in a show because they are going to bring press, or they have connections to other artists and you can only get access through them.

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So, it helps to be extremely organized and that you can work well with others as it takes many skilled people to put on cuartor exhibition. There is not a one-size-fits-all approach but various methods. Here is one simplified process to put on an exhibition from start to finish. If feasible, give yourself at least six months to arrange all the necessary details. For many curators, this is the fun and creative part curaror the job.

How Do You Make a Living, Mid-Career Artist?

Kristin Sancken fell into the curatorial world after her first-ever show—the same one she had to Google «curatorial proposal» before putting on—became a massive success. Sancken spoke with Pacific Standard about the difficulties of being friends with artists, making money at the curation game, and why shameless is the new humble. I went to school for art business. Sotheby’s had a program in art business. My initial interest was in outsiders folk art, but I met Annika Connors, who is an artist.

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So, it helps to be extremely organized and that you can work well with others as it takes many skilled people to put on an exhibition. There is not a one-size-fits-all approach but various methods. Here is one simplified process to put on an exhibition from start to finish. If feasible, give yourself at least six months to arrange all the necessary details. For many curators, this is the fun and creative part of the job.

Think of the idea and the overall theme for your exhibition. Write a mission statement. What is the purpose of your exhibition: a survey show, a showcase of new talent, a cross-cultural exchange, an illustration of a theme or topical issue?

Before you begin, you need to think through every exacting detail and leave nothing to chance. For Beijing-based independent curator Kwanyi Pan, who has curated exhibitions around the world, recommends researching the country’s artists and audience. It will help you understand the environment you are working in and what subsequent issues may arise. Select the artists for your exhibition. Are you working entirely with local artists?

If not, will you need to arrange travel, accommodation, and visas for your visiting artists? Where is the exhibition site? If it is in a museum or gallery, how much will they sponsor? Is it in a traditional gallery space, or is it in alternative venues such as public parks and shopping arcades? Will it travel around by taxi? Consider intriguing juxtapositions between artworks. Create an interesting dialogue amongst the works and the audience. Imagine the space in your mind.

Is there a logical flow between the works? Will the audience understand what you are trying to convey? Get floor plans and start mapping out the layout of the exhibition. You need to get to the nuts and bolts of your exhibition when curating an art.

What goes where? Some curators build 3D models of the gallery space and artworks, while curwtor use software like SketchUp. Work with the gallery or museum staff to create a positive and productive environment for all involved. Along with short deadlines monye short tempers. Try and make the experience as stress-free as possible by having everything planned out. Set the maake and closing dates of the art exhibition. Mark momey calendar with deadlines for each facet of the project. It can be helpful to work backward from the opening date and schedule the necessary steps needed to put on the exhibition.

The art audience is one of the foremost concerns of the curator. A good curator needs aj understand the audience and to fully communicate with the artists to let their work speak out to the public. When she curated a show at Mission Gallerya government-owned space in Wales, her focus was on the audience and what they could receive from the exhibition.

Her overriding concern was to allow for audience interaction with the artwork. Procuring funds how to make money as an art curator curating an art exhibition is one of the most daunting tasks of a curator. Apply for art grants through government and non-profit agencies.

Be thorough in your research and follow any possibilities in receiving support. Get local support from schools and neighborhood organizations. Getting the community involved in your exhibition can help give you extra support. Putting on an exhibition can quickly add up. Kwanyi Pan said when she aart as a curatorial assistant at the non-profit art space PS1, the key to procuring funding was to demonstrate co-operation with the funding body to let them clearly know what they will receive in return.

Make sure you’re absolutely clear about who’s responsible for delivering and paying for. Some of the many items to consider include the inward freight, return freight, installation, dismantling, curator’s expenses, translation costs, catalog, opening reception, design, press, and marketing costs.

It is those extra costs that a curator needs to keep an eye on. Writing well is a necessary skill for an art curator. Publishing a catalog of the exhibition is one of the tasks involved when curating an art show, plus a catalog is a great documentation and promotional tool that can lead to future projects.

However, in some situations, you may have to be careful about what you write. And try to discourage your curator from doing anything which is likely to get them arrested.

You have spent a long nake researching and organizing your exhibition in the process of curating a show; now you want to maximize the attendance for your exhibition and make it a memorable event.

Advertise in newspapers, art magazinesand on the Internet, broadcast announcements on the radio and TV, display street flags and pay for public transport ads. Curaotr radio and television interviews. You need to get the word. Snail mail the printed art invitation and e-mail all the people you know.

Hand out invitations. Also, telephone the key people such as journalists and hkw whom you want to attend your opening. Site installation is a key task when curating an art. Typically one week before the opening, you and your team will need to do the on-site installation which includes the construction and painting of walls. The artists and assistants will install the artwork, and the technicians will set up the lighting ,oney technical equipment.

If the artwork was shipped, carefully unwrap the crates, bubble wrap, and other packaging materials as you do not want to damage any of the work with a box cutter. A museum will have its staff to set up the installation. Artists are pros at setting up their work, and there are also art installation companies for-hire. Have the curator and artists say a few words. If you want good press coverage, it is best to provide journalists with detailed text makf images and good sound bites.

Organize a panel discussion of the artists and other experts during the opening week when interest in the exhibition is high. Have local professors and students get involved in the talks. Engage the local community with walking tours and hands-on workshops and activities for families.

When curating an art exhibition, make your art opening fun, exciting, and memorable. You want to create an exciting buzz so that people will keep coming back for the exhibition.

Schedule your opening for the evening when most people are free to attend. Begin the opening with a live art or music performance or light show, and then introduce the curator, artists and other how to make money as an art curator figures to the audience. Serve refreshments and let the visitors see the artwork. Have volunteers, who wear identifiable clothing like matching shirts, stand in the various rooms of the exhibition to help explain the work and make sure it does not get damaged.

By Susan Kendzulak. Conceptualize the Exhibition. Reserve Exhibition Space and Dates. Consider Your Audience. Procure Funding and Allocate Budget. Assume Nothing. Write Essays and Publish a Catalog. Advertise and Mail Invitations. Site Installation. Press Conference, Panel Wn and Workshops. Grand Opening.

How Do You Make a Living, Mid-Career Artist?

By Company. What does an art gallery curator do? Gain Experience and Build Your Resume Focus on Developing an Area of Expertise While Building a Professional Network Don’t wait until your degree is complete mojey gain the experience that can set you apart from other curator job candidates. I was with them for a year and a half. Report an error Editorial code of conduct.