Hiya, I’m Summer, your Activities Officer at SUARTS, the UAL Students’ Union. Throughout my time studying Fine Art at Wimbledon, I found that I was expected to know how to put on exhibitions and shows from scratch. Then I ran for election, and loads of UAL students told me they wanted a go-to resource on doing just that. Even when exhibiting is not vital to each of UAL's diverse courses, there was agreement that it’s still an extremely valuable thing to know how to do. So here we have it, the SUARTS Exhibition Toolkit. Experts in marketing, PR, event promotion and curation helped make this little handbook. Every show will be different so you'll have to work some of it out on your own, but this guide gives you a starting point!
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I’ll also be producing video clips about the specifics of doing a show, like how to handle and physically hang work - join the SUARTS creative opportunities Facebook group [link: http:// bit.ly/1Oey9Zp ] to get updates as they happen :) Hope it helps, Summer
Contents. 4
About this toolkit
6 10 12 14
Get started 10 things to know about spaces The Joy of Admin Partnerships: Frequently Asked Questions
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Actually exhibit Collaborating? 9 ways to be a good team player The preliminaries Pack. Install. Curate.
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Spread the word 8 steps to getting seen How to document your exhibition
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Case studies Students' experiences
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Yay, you found this toolkit! It looks like you’re curious about how you can exhibit your work. Luckily, this practical guide will provide the info you need to get your show on the road. At SUARTS we help UAL students exhibit work ALL THE TIME we even have a whole staff team dedicated to facilitating creative opportunities. So we thought we’d collect the tips and observations we’ve gleaned over the years, and condense it into a few pages of pure wisdom. Once you’ve read this toolkit, you’ll be able to: 1. Know where to look for venue, contacts and information 2. Plan and deliver an independent exhibition 3. Absolutely boss it Ready to start? Let’s go!
‘Wait. Aren’t you a Students’ Union? How can you help me exhibit my work?’ Fair question. As a Students’ Union we exist to help improve the quality of student life for those studying at UAL - which includes improving your access to opportunities allowing you to develop academically and professionally. Even if you’re shy about your work at the moment, we know that the wider world will find it inspiring. So we’re here to help you transform from an inexperienced student into a practising artist or curator. Here’s how: We connect students to spaces We facilitate the SUARTS Galleries - free spaces located in UAL college buildings. Hundreds of students have used these to try out projects on a smaller scale before making it BIG or to stage their first solo exhibitions. Every spring, we curate Xhibit, a high-profile exhibition open to all current University of the Arts London students. The work that is exhibited is selected by an expert panel of creative
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industry professionals. A fixture of the UAL calendar since 1997, Xhibit submissions run from December until February. We connect students to customers Made in Arts London (MiAL) is our not-for-profit enterprise, promoting and selling art and design by UAL students and recent graduates. MiAL sell work online as well as exhibiting regularly at high-profile events and fairs including the Affordable Art Fair, and Multiplied at Christie’s. Made in Arts London accept submissions for their new collections twice a year - so there’s always a chance to start earning from your output. We connect students to leading organisations By partnering up with creative organisations including Royal Academy, British Museum, Sadler’s Wells and Red Bull Studios, SUARTS brings UAL students internationally respected opportunities. Those selected to participate work with the organisations to develop event workshops, create new work, or be exhibited.
We connect students to experienced creatives The SUARTS professional development programme ensures that driven students know about the resources currently available within UAL and London. Look out for industry talks and one-off opportunities via the SUARTS social media pages. SUARTS also provides free specialist Employment Rights advice. Follow SUARTS on social media for updates on spaces and calls for submissions, or head straight to www.suarts.org/ creative
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Get started.
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Remember: you’re in control In order to exhibit your work there are lots of options open to you. You can apply for funding for an idea you already have, submit an idea in response to a brief or apply to take part in group exhibitions - it’s completely up to you. These are all good first steps towards your first exhibition and might be easier than starting to organise an exhibition on your own. Buddy up You don’t need to do this on your own. By taking part in group exhibitions, you build a network of peers who care about similar themes and styles to you. They’ll be ‘starting out’ just like you, and you’ll understand where each other is at. Stay up to date There are ongoing opportunities for all types of art disciplines, at any stage in your development, throughout the year. You just have to know where to look here are some places to start off with: www.suarts.org/creative www.artlicks.com/opportunities 8
www.artquest.org.uk/ opportunities www.artlyst.com/events/ opencalls www.blog.re-title.com/ opportunities/ www.a-n.co.uk/jobs Bookmark the best pages for your discipline and sign up for newsletters - it’ll make staying in the loop effortless. Engage with opportunities SUARTS Creative Opportunities website page is constantly updated. Give yourself the best chance at getting experience by making sure you answer all of the open call submissions that interest you. These are important for your CV and for getting exhibition opportunities – i.e. being invited to participate. Ensure you continue your own professional development beyond applying for showcasing opportunities by finding relevant resources and attending talks, workshops and networking events. These are great for considering different career avenues and creative angles, as well as helping to keep you inspired.
The SUARTS Soundcloud (soundcloud.com/suarts) is also a great source of inspiration and motivation - featuring talks from established artists discussing how to: ● Navigate the art world as an emerging artist ● Document your work ● Price and sell your work Make the most of university holidays. Residencies are a good way of finding time just to do your work and master it, plus they often include an exhibition of the work that you create. Look for short term residencies, or ones that fall on your summer break. Do your research What you really need is a network of industry contacts - bloggers, curators, buyers, photographers and publicists - who are interested in your work. Find people you’ll hit it off with by attending Private Views and events at your favourite galleries. Rope a mate into going with you but make sure you talk to new people when you’re there.
Get online Build a website! It’s super easy and doesn’t take long either. Your website should also follow and foretell your activity as an artist - it’s more than a static business card with images. Put your best finished works and exhibitions that you have taken part in on your website as future gallerists and collaborators want to see that you are current, pro-active and organised. Work for yourself You will always be working with other people in order to successfully showcase your work, get your name out there, and reach new heights. But remember - as a creative individual, you are doing the work for yourself. No one else will do it for you.
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10 things to know about spaces. 1. You can use what you have
3. Know the lingo
Famously, curator Hans Ulrich Obrist held his first show in his kitchen in 1991 at the age of 23, with both Christian Boltanski and Hans-Peter Feldmann contributing sitespecific installations. Jeremy Deller’s first exhibition came from the decision to stage an ‘open bedroom’ and turn the slightly embarrassing situation of still living with mum and dad in his mid-20s into a ‘feature’.
You can ‘dry hire’ a venue, which means you rent a space only - so you don’t pay for add-ons you don’t want. Write a list of what you want from the space, e.g. prominent location on a high street or close to known art galleries, street-facing window (helps with footfall), minimum size etc.
Artists and curators are creative - with their spaces as well as their work! 2. Your neighbourhood is a treasure trove (probably) Scope out what type of spaces are available locally. Gallery spaces are constantly emerging and changing - search those in your area using www.artrabbit.com/venues To stay ‘in the know’ you can visit galleries and cooperatives. Go to their events and learn from others you meet there. Events newsletters from ArtLicks and your local council art department will also help you stay up to date. 10
4. Your approach matters If the venue space has a website, they’ll list whether they want you to email, call or apply through an online form. Be precise and to the point in your approach and convince the venue contact that you are organised, responsible and a good person or group to be associated with. 5. Galleries are not the only option Look out for empty shops, venues and buildings instead. Landlords are likely to be open to a pop-up space pitch as it can help increase the value of their property in the long term. If you see somewhere promising, make enquiries via the letting
agent or any number you can find for the space. 6. The pros can help You can hire a purpose built gallery space with extras. Often dry hire galleries and venues will help as much as they can with equipment and recommended technicians. See what your venue contact advises. 7. Your work ethic matters When you secure your exhibition space, take care to be on good terms with your venue contact. Be polite, responsive and thank them for any help they offer. Your conduct will be a deciding factor for them should you wish to use the space again. 8. Repurpose wall space The venue for your exhibition is also a great place to begin advertising your exhibition. Ask if you can put a sign in the window of the space to advertise the upcoming exhibition dates. 9. Leave no trace It should almost go without saying that you will be expected to leave the space you have used for your exhibition in the condition
that you were given it. This will mean including time in your schedule after the exhibition to ‘make good’ i.e. tidy up, fill in holes where screws were used, and paint the walls. 10. These are good starting points: ● SUARTS galleries: periodically available to all current UAL students to use for free, with exhibition staff support: www.suarts.org/ creative/exhibition-spaces ● Hoxton Arches, Hoxton: www. hoxtonarches.com ● Crypt Gallery, Euston, Central London: www. cryptgallery.org/hire-thecrypt ● Rag Factory, Brick Lane, East London: www.ragfactory. org.uk/about ● Studio 74, Queen’s Park, North West London: www. studio74london.co.uk ● Embassy Tea Gallery, Union Street, South London: www. embassyteagallery.co.uk ● Oxo Gallery, Barge House, G11 (G11 is a small gallery space): www.oxotower.co.uk/ venue ● Norman Plastow Gallery, Village Hall Wimbledon: www. wimbledonvht.org.uk/thevillage-hall-gallery Above venues active at time of publication (May 2016) 11
The joy of admin. Insurance. Risk Assessments. Agh! These words sound so intimidating and vaguely legal - what do they even mean?! And all this paperwork - really? 1. Nobody panic! Most people see a Risk Assessment form and switch off, but you should probs get over that if you want to exhibit professionally. It’s unlikely to take long anyway. 2. All about safety The point of the Risk Assessment is to ensure the activity/exhibition is done safely - not to stop you exhibiting your work, but to keep you and your visitors in one piece! 3. BONUS! A risk assessment can double as a work plan as you have to set out what you will do and when you will do it - so what actually seems like more work is actually less.
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4. Quicker you learn the better The SUARTS, UAL and external spaces will require a Risk Assessment for an exhibition or activity so, y’know, lean in. You can download template risk assessments for free online. 5. It doesn’t hurt to ask Before you take out any insurance of your own, check if the venue you are using already has insurance and if your exhibition/activity will be covered by it. Ditto for any couriers you may be using to transport work! 6. Insurance - Covering your ass in the long-run
So there you have it. Just like with most things, they become ten times simpler and less intimidating once you know the details. Most procedural annoyances are there to protect you - not to leave you out of pocket. To get even more clued up, the folks at Artquest have tons of really useful information on insurance: www.artquest.org. uk/how-to-articles/insurance P.S. Members of a-n get insurance cover as part of their membership! Find out more on their website about student membership for £15: www.a-n.co.uk/about/type/ membership - it’s also a great way to access their other resources and support.
It’s not just an annoyingly necessary formality, insurance is there in case your work or equipment gets damaged or stolen. Public liability insurance is also usually included. Public Liability is in case of any claims made by third parties(visitors to your exhibit).
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Partnerships: Frequently Asked Questions. What’s a partner? A person or organisation you are collaborating with to achieve your goal of planning and delivering a successful exhibition. But for the purposes of this section, we are referring to a sponsor/ funder, or venue partner. A venue partner is whoever is allowing you to use the space for free. A sponsor or funder is any individual or company or organisation that gives you money or equipment to use for free. Alternatively, a partner may offer freebies in return for association with the exhibition in some way – such as alcohol or snacks for your Private View. Why would partners want to work with little old me? Congratulations, you’re an influencer! Many companies and organisations are very keen to reach a creative audience. Whether you like it or not, artists and designers are often the first to lead big consumer trends. Therefore, 14
your network is of serious value to potential partners. The first thing to do is to research the brands you feel an affinity with. Make a list and note down your observations around who they partner with already. How do I hold up my end of the partnership? You can promote them by hyping them up on social media and using their logo in your invitations, emails, posters and press releases. Most commonly you can offer product placement in the exhibition space - this means the company will get exposure of their food or drink products during the Private View. How do I approach my dream partners? Go to your research notes and start tracking down the appropriate contact - you’ll need their email address and phone number. Open with an initial email explaining who you are and a sentence or two on the exhibition. Reference your
association with University of the Arts London and the UAL student body to get their attention. Follow this email up with a phone call. Be upfront yet friendly - let them know that in exchange for their support, you will give them benefits in return. Don’t lose heart if you get a few ‘no’ responses - you’ll make it to a ‘yes’ if you persevere! What can I do to be a good partner? Roughly what you’d expect we notice that students who do well tend to practice the following good habits: ● They put down in writing what they can do, and what they can’t ● They respond to calls and emails promptly ● They over-deliver (just a little) on the partnership expectations - this works a charm if you want to partner up again! www.suarts.org/creative/ partners Also see section: Collaborating, p18
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Actually exhibiting. For real
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Collaborating? 9 ways to be a good team player. “I’ve always believed in collaboration and in making use of the things that others can do better than me because for me, it’s not about claiming you can do something: it’s about getting the thing done and helping it into existence.” Claes Oldenburg, celebrated artist
1. Know that everyone is a potential collaborator And at some point you may need their help - as a curator, technician, venue owner, volunteer, external partner or exhibitor. 2. Be polite No matter how busy you are or urgent the situation is there is no excuse for being rude! We all have bad days and the long term goal is to stay on friendly terms with everyone you meet.
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3. Be on time If you can’t be on time then let whoever you are meeting know when you will arrive. 4. Establish one central point of contact If you're working with an organisation as a group identify one of you as the main contact and channel all contact via them. It will be easier to keep track of correspondence, you’ll look more organised and the organisation will appreciate not having multiple emails from different people. The
same works in reverse, when working with an organisation identify a central contact there so you know who you need to contact if something should go wrong.
partnership. This can be done by making sure the partner’s name and/or logo is included in all marketing and promotional materials for the exhibition.
5. Be clear on who is doing what and when
8. Be grateful
Take notes and follow this up in an email so everyone is aware. 6. Keep people in the loop Ideas change and develop but don’t rush off in a new direction without conferring with all parties involved. 7. Crediting is important Potential future partners will be impressed to see you are already working in
Always thank people for participating/working with you and send any relevant links to images, press coverage etc. Especially when working with external partners ensure to follow up with a formal thank you after the event - via email or a thank you card. 9. Add people to your mailing list It’s a good way to build relevant contacts and to keep in touch with them after a project. 19
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The preliminaries. Draw up a to-do list
Prioritise the private view
If you’re working in a group, assign who will do what. Include everything from installing the work and creating signage to sweeping the floor before you open so nothing is missed. Your Risk Assessment work plan can form the basis of this - we told you it would come in handy!
Check with the exhibition venue when you can have a late opening and at what time. It is normal to have the private view (PV) the evening before the main exhibition run opens but you can be flexible. Ask if the venue can provide staff for the event - you will need to organise this yourself if not. Most venues are unlicensed so you can’t charge for drinks - consider this when planning and budgeting.
Decide when each task needs to be done Consider everything on it, including both the putting up and taking down of the exhibition. If you are hiring a space for a week then your set up and take down time will normally be a part of that week - make sure you check this out with the venue. Strip it down to the essentials What can you do without? Can you include the list of works on the back of the press release in order to save on signage? Do you need thick-ply flyers? It’s great to aim for a museum-standard exhibition but remember the point of this is to get your work seen anything else is an extra!
Make time for crises Couriers will be late. You’ll get stuck in traffic. Lastminute enquiries will flood in. Life happens! If you don’t need this extra time then great, you’ll have longer to prepare your look for the private view. If you do need it, it means people won’t be waiting outside whilst you are still hanging work. Whatever you do, don’t let this happen! www.suarts.org/creative/ exhibition-spaces
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Pack. Install. Curate.
Pack. Wrap each item individually - in outward-facing bubble wrap (this stops the bubbles pressing on your work). Be thrifty and save wrapping and packing materials for the take-down. Don’t bundle things up in tape - put it at the edges at intervals, so you can slice it open easily and reuse whole sheets.
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Label your wrapping and store it somewhere safe, to re-use after the exhibition. Print out a sheet of paper that has your name, contact number and title of work on and attach this to the wrapped work. Wrap each piece individually.
Install. Place each piece carefully in the area you plan to hang it. Wear white cotton gloves if possible so the work doesn’t get dirt or fingerprints on. Lay the wrapping from the work on the floor in front of where you want to hang it. Lean the work against the wall and rest it on the wrapping so it doesn’t get damaged or pick up any dirt from the floor. You can then safely move the work around until you are happy with the placement. Once you are happy you can begin to hang it. Eye level is between 150160 cm from the floor and the centre of work is hung in line with this imaginary line. There are a number of ways to hang work. Google ‘how to hang a picture’ for a plethora of informational videos and find a method that suits you and the venue.
Masking tape is your best friend! Use it to mark your hanging points on the wall without leaving any pencil marks on the wall. It’s also easy to move and start again. Ask someone to help you if you can. An extra pair of hands and eyes is always helpful! Curate. Consider how people will naturally walk around, and how you want the overall exhibition to feel. There should be a consistent atmosphere and natural path throughout. Lighting can make or break an exhibition - so include it in your budget, your equipment list, and your risk assessment. Leave space for signage and labels. Make sure these are printed and look as professional as the work around them. www.suarts.org/creative/ exhibition-spaces
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Spread the word.
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8 steps to getting seen. Step 1: Design your promo materials Create striking Facebook and Twitter banners and social media images as well as posters and flyers. Online promotional artwork will get seen as much - if not more than physical versions. Make sure the aesthetic fits with your theme, and is memorable. Step 2: Hit social media Your posts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter will reflect your creative attitude, as well as your work. It’s free publicity and entirely within your control - so be strategic. Plan out what you post, who you follow and what hashtags you use to get your feeds seen. Step 3: Set up an event online Eventbrite is free and has a professional feel; lots of big companies use it. It also allows you to collect email addresses - your email list is a crucial building block in your career. Next, set up a Facebook event. It’s less smart-looking and you can’t track emails, but it helps keep your event visible and accessible - plus, you might 26
reach a different audience. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket! Step 4: Write a press release and crib sheet A press release is essentially a positive news article about your exhibition - the only difference between it and a normal news article is that you are both author and subject! The purpose of a press release is to give journalists important information in an easy format. You should include: ● Your name, website and contact information ● The venue name, address and exhibition dates and opening times ● A description of what attendees can expect from the exhibition - no more than 250 words about the artists and themes. The crib sheet is secondary info sent along with the press release; a good one will contain relevant images, your event hashtag, your social media handles, and pre-written tweets and Facebook posts. This makes it much easier for friendly people to promote your event!
Step 7. Give your friends a role on the big day
Step 5. Email everyone! Once your press release is ready, send your press release and crib sheet to your fave bloggers and journalists, inviting them to RSVP. Also contact organisations that may be particularly interested in the theme of your exhibition and ask them to include you in their newsletter/ online promotion. Grab their attention at first click don’t attach pictures or docs, paste everything directly into the email body. Step 6. Don’t forget physical promo Design your event flyers and distribute them savvily, in relevant locations - also don’t forget to get business cards, which you can give out at the Private View.
You’ll be busy doing your thang so enlist those who can help you sort out logistical things like refreshments, registration and lighting it’s all good experience and will help you focus on what you need to. Don’t forget to sign someone up to take pictures or video - the images will be invaluable for your portfolio and in helping you promote your next event! Step 8. Invite feedback. Ask people what they think on the night, get them to fill in little feedback cards as they’re leaving, or send round a thank you email with a SurveyMonkey form to your list after the event. Or do all three! The comments you receive will give you confidence and advice that will make planning your next event easier. If people are feeling positive about your event, they may well share that elsewhere - and thus word of your awesomeness continues to spread. Let us know about your exhibition so we can help you promote it: bit.ly/CommsSupport 27
How to document your exhibition. “Documentation of your work and your projects are vital.
Often the first time
people will encounter your work will be through the documentation they see of it, be it what appears on your website, images on printed invitations for your exhibition or with applications that you send out.� Artquest
By documenting your exhibition for future reference for yourself, your audience and future collaborators, you are making the statement that your exhibition is worth remembering. This is an extremely important message. 1. Encourage visitors to take pictures and share them. Publicising a hashtag - in advance and on the night - will pay off. This documentation will help you market the exhibition and your 28
profile. You should be aware of the difference between these images and the images you want to be used for the long term legacy of the exhibition. 2. Make sure your pictures are high-quality! You should have pics of: the exhibition space showing all of the works together, photographs of the individual artworks and photographs of the private view.
3. Increasingly people are creating short videos of their exhibitions as they are easily shared and quickly show the look and buzz of the exhibition. But remember, if you don’t know anyone who can make a video for you or can’t afford to pay someone, it’s not essential.
7. Record any press coverage that you receive - even event listings, as this demonstrates that you marketed your exhibition to new audiences. Increasingly artists are including a press/writings section on their website to provide more context to their coverage.
4. As soon as possible, take time to select the best quality photographs of the exhibition and publish these on your website or blog.
8. After the dust settles, write a one page report for yourself, looking at activity from networking and planning through to promotion, delivery and feedback. Consider your points of learning as well as the personal highlights.
5. Label properly! Consider the following when labelling your documentation: Artist Name, title of work – year of production, medium, dimensions / duration, photographer credit - is the image a detail, a film still, an installation view?
www.suarts.org/creative/ professional-development
6. Connect across media and platforms. If you have a blog dedicated to your exhibition, make sure that you have a link to this blog from your main website. If you use Facebook or Flickr to store and showcase the photos of your exhibition, again, make sure these are linked to your website.
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Case studies.
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Dorota Beau-Ingle & Dark Matter - London College of Communication Student, Year 1.
New Genes #1 Show: DARK MATTER November 2015 Studio74, 74 Salisbury Road, NW6 6NU London After we were awarded the ÂŁ500 funding from SUARTS, we wrote an exhibition timeline, from the dates of confirming the venue, confirming the artists, installing, exhibition dates and de-install. We also wrote a budget. Before planning the event, we approached several venues in West London. We wrote emails, and got some answers from a few potential spaces. We went on to meet the venue manager of Studio 74, a photography 32
studio and cafe in Queens Park, North West London. We discussed our project, our expectations and the rules for both sides. The venue manager agreed to 30% print sales commission and to zero cost for renting the venue. This was good as it meant no risk of investing money in space rental hire, when we did not know if we would make any sales. The venue manager also assured us that he was covered by Public Liability Insurance. (This is a must for exhibitions open to the public). Once the venue was confirmed, we posted a Call
for Submissions to every photography student at the UAL (both BA and MA courses). We received about 30 submissions, from which 13 artists were selected for the exhibition. We made a Facebook event page and used the following hashtags to continue to market the event while it was running: #UAL #SUARTS #Newgenescollective #LCF #CSM #NW6 #death #grim #moody We made a press release for SUARTS to send to their contacts and a blog post on the SUARTS Tumblr, and printed exhibition posters and invitations for the private view. We only had one answer from the potential sponsors for drinks and snacks: Propercorn sent us 6 boxes of snacks. We then allocated some money from our £500 funding for the drinks. Though, if we did not have this funding we could have asked people to bring their own alcohol. As a collective, we took on certain roles, such as liaising with the exhibitors, mostly via email. We wrote rules and regulations for taking part in the event. We created a risk assessment chart for the whole thing, and employed a bartender, hostess and videographer for the private view.
We had a very good turnout, with around 75-100 people visiting during the launch, and we got excellent feedback from guests, including a tutor. We sold our work during the private view and during our two artist-run Print Sales days. The venue manager decided to extend our show, so it lasted for two weeks. During this period we supervised the exhibition as a collective. After the take-down, we wrote a report in return for our funding and made sure to balance our budget. We made a video documenting the installation, exhibition and Private View, and are now designing and printing our Dark Matter zine, with all the work and concepts for the show, by all participants. If we didn’t get the SUARTS and UAL Commonplace showcase fund, we wouldn’t even dream of creating such a complex project. We would not have been confident enough to invite thousands of photography students from across UAL to contribute work, and we wouldn’t have thought so big. We would not have even tried, as we had no money ourselves.
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Sean Wyatt-Livesley & Rachel Littlewood - London College of Communication Students, Year 3.
Everyone has a Goat Story September 2015 SUARTS Gallery, UAL High Holborn, WC1V 7EY London We found the opportunity on the SUARTS blog. We were about to graduate and are both interested in working on exhibitions, so it sounded ideal as something to do whilst we were both looking for jobs and internships. It was an easy decision to make— it was a project we could 34
do within UAL but without the pressure of being graded (finally!). In the year before our exhibition we had worked on four exhibitions together, so we knew that advertising was important. We set up our own Instagram account and blog for the project, and also made a Facebook event as well as putting up posters. We also used our contacts to spread the word a little — ex-tutors
of ours invited other students and also other members of staff to come along. We were already used to sharing a studio space five days a week, so we continued with this routine (although it was the summer so we did take a few days off!). We also worked on a few other projects together whilst in the space so it was useful to make sure we came in everyday to make sure the work wasn’t left to the last minute. Essentially the venue turned into our studio, where we were able to meet people, work on stuff together and separately, and to have a place to work away from home. We were also still within UAL which made researching the project a lot easier. During the exhibition, it was all photographed, and we uploaded posts during the exhibition and private view as well. We did get good feedback from our visitors, although when reflecting on the show afterwards we felt that the students that study at High Holborn probably weren’t our target audience so we could have done a better job at advertising the show across the colleges to reach the right audience. We also kept the exhibition
open every day, with at least one of us invigilating; in theory this was a good idea but it may have caused some people to think it was still being used as a studio, rather than an exhibition space. After the exhibition, we visited ‘Showing Off: The Future of the Art and Design Graduate Show’ conference at the Design Museum where we handed out copies of our exhibition publication. Aside from that, we wrote up a shorter, reflective piece which was featured in Spark Journal (UAL’s Teaching & Learning Exchange’s new online journal). And we have had a few conversations with UAL staff about developing what we learnt into other iterations, encouraging UAL to reflect on its degree shows a bit more. www.everyonehasagoatstory.com
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Students' experiences. "I consider exhibiting to be a vital part of an artist’s career. Exhibiting helps you showcase your work to people in a different environment and context and possibly form collaborations and reach potential clients as well." "I am an aspiring curator and I wish to embark on similar projects to this in the near future, when I graduate in June. This [opportunity] will help further my skills at project management, budgeting, and liaising with artists, performers and institutions. Choosing artists to be in a show required questioning whose work I liked among my friends, and being alert to who was organised enough to be relied upon. I also had one artist drop out at the last minute, which I will be careful to avoid in the future." "[The exhibition] enabled me to branch away from making 2D work and experiment with something completely different. I would never have made the work if there had not been an opportunity to show it."
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"The exhibition gave me a great opportunity to meet people from other universities and courses, exchange thoughts and ideas and maybe collaborate in the future." "Through my exchanges with SUARTS, I had a chance to critically analyse how my work might be seen in the public eye and this has helped me hone my communication skills. Consequently, I feel more confident about promoting my work for sales and exhibitions in public venues in London and beyond." "I am currently working on creating a portfolio for my sculpture based art. This opportunity is ideal to show clients what I can take on - and to what degree - in the future." "Making the work has changed the direction of my practice. In the past I have been more concerned with the aesthetic of my work whereas now I am trying to find ways to combine this with social/political commentary."
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Sell your work with Made in Arts London Made in Arts London (MiAL) is a not-for-profit enterprise based in the Students' Union for UAL that sells art and design by students and recent graduates. Current students and those who have graduated within the last 2 years are welcome to submit work to be considered for one of our collections. If selected, you’ll become an MiAL artist and we’ll showcase your work to a wide audience beyond the university. Throughout the year we attend and host a variety of exhibitions, events and art fairs to promote and sell your work. Previous events include: • • • •
Affordable Art Fair The London Illustration Fair Multiplied Art Fair at Christie’s MiAL at The Lethaby Gallery
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'Capsule' at Embassy Tea Gallery Pop-Up Shop at We Built This City 'Intersection' at Hoxton Arches
We also provide professional development opportunities such as: • • • •
Workshops Talks Personal advice sessions Networking opportunities.
We regularly promote our artists across our online channels, and all work is available to buy on our website, helping you build a network of customers whilst you’re a artist. Find out more and submit your work: madeinartslondon.com/pages/ sell-your-work
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Useful resources SUARTS Employment Rights: www.suarts.org/advice/employment-rights SUARTS Professional Development Programme: www.suarts.org/creative/professionaldevelopment SUARTS Professional Development Useful Links: www.suarts.org/creative/professionaldevelopment/useful-links Artquest How To Guides for artists: www.artquest.org.uk/how-to UAL Student Careers & Employability: www.arts.ac.uk/student-jobs-and-careers/ exhibit-and-sell-your-work a-n offer discounted membership and insurance at ÂŁ15 to undergraduate students: www.a-n.co.uk/register-student [ s p a c e ] Artist Development resources: www.spacestudios.org.uk/artist-developmentindex
Special thanks to Artquest, a UAL programme built to provide artist with the information they need, who have contributed valuable input to this publication. Illustrations by Summer Oxley Photos Š SUARTS 2016 Follow SUARTS