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Get Your Art Portfolio Ready for a Gallery or
Museum
Artists prepare your portfolios to submit to galleries and museums.
This should include a summary of the interests pursued in your work and a clear
statement of your intention as an artist as well as reflect your background.
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Basic Biographical Information - name, address, phone number, DOB (keep your
address updated at the institution and inform them of any changes).
List the most recent exhibition first. Include the exhibit title, where and
when the exhibition took place, what type of exhibit it was (group, solo, juried),
and the curator's name. Or you can simply put them in categories (one person
shows, group shows, juried shows) A brief synopsis of subjects or themes addressed
in the exhibition is of interest to curators. You can include student shows
if you are just starting out - these can be edited out as your exhibition history
grows.
A list of reviews, press, articles, etc. Indicating the date, author and name
of publication. You can also include copies (do not send your only copy). You
should also list any television or radio coverage.
Enclosed in a slide sheet. Label the sheet with your name and address. As your
slides may not be projected, it a good idea to use an opaque backed slide sheet,
in case they are held up to a light in an office - this may be a first impression
of your work. Use archive quality sheets for long-term storage at home. Maximum
20.
Label every slide with your name, and a red dot in bottom left hand corner
or mark the top with an arrow. Title, date, size, media of each work must also
be identified. This information can be included on the slide, or the slide must
be numbered and accompanied by an annotated slide list sheet. This is particularly
useful for listing additional information (for example, how a kinetic work functions,
special techniques or media used, or to articulate concerns pursued in the piece).
Slides of details, installations or demonstrating scale of work are a good idea.
Galleries, museums and registries can hold onto slides for years and there
might be a chance they will get lost. Don't lend out your originals. Always
shoot more than one slide of an artwork - it's less expensive than making duplicates.
It's a fact, in the art world that most times your photography or website
will be seen before your physical art. Make sure your slides and images are
the best they can be: properly exposed, in focus and masked if necessary (masking
is the use of special tape on the slide to block out everything but the artwork).
Slides are standard for most galleries though some are migrating to digital
images. It is not a bad idea to also include some 'laser photocopies' of one
or two slides, or a photograph or two, these can add to your presentation.
This is subjective, and can be presented in any manner. One page (two to three
paragraphs, about 150-500 words maximum) addressing the concerns pursued within
the work or your philosophy. Examples might be, your process, media, techniques,
ideas, and/or subject matter. What is your work concerned with, mixed media,
impressionism, abstraction, POP art, etc? Basic questions to address include:
What is the work about? What is the story behind it? Write up a draft and try
it out on 'readers.' This is a good process to go through because at some point
you will have to articulate your work, either directly to a curator, or in a
public lecture, or to a reporter. Sometimes it's better to write in the third
person.
Where, when, with whom. Information about awards and/or scholarships received
is also of interest.
Other materials, such as videotapes, discs, audiotapes, must be clearly identified.
Cue up video tapes to the starting point for the segment you want considered.
Keep the it short – no more than three minutes in length. If they want
to see more they will.
Provide the name, full address and contact telephone numbers of your referees.
These should be people for whom you have worked on a similar project, or people
who can support your abilities to complete the project.(You might want to ask
your patrons/collectors first if they would like to be a reference)
This is standard to ensure that your materials included in the submission are
returned to you. Put the same amount of postage on the return envelope.
Prepare a detailed budget that includes the costs of your materials and expenses.
Remember to include those costs for non-art materials that you will need to
use in producing and installing the work
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