There are a variety of elements in an exhibition, so not every entity will have precisely the same definition.
For UVA, a good exhibition is, first of all, meaningful yet still provides a strong learning environment. It can promote passion, purpose, issues, ideas and solutions, social change and justice, and memories. It should showcase art and artifacts, selected by a curator, in an organized and cohesive manner that helps invoke an important message (s). The design of the exhibition should draw the audience into that learning environment by being stunning, spectacular and/or unexpected in its own way. A number of different types of presentations, displays and stations may need to be employed, since audiences learn and enjoy in many different ways. Most importantly, an exhibition is a piece of art in itself, created by one or more persons to convey feelings and emotions. To assist the audience, every good exhibition needs the following prepared and/or managed by a curator: an overall statement, a program guide or catalog, an online presence, and individual art and artifact labels that are descriptive, insightful, accessible and easy to use.
An UVA exhibition includes these main components:
- Fine art by local, living artists
- Independent curator and exhibition designer
- Cultural and/or contemporary social theme
- Learning experience and interpretation
A full list of exhibition components includes:
- UVA independent Guest Curator (tasks and past curators)
- Good educational themes that spark interest among UVA artists, the public, and the exhibition venue
- Dedicated exhibition space in which the art is safe and properly presented
- Fine art insurance against art damage and theft (provided by UVA)
- Exhibit postcards designed and printed (provided by UVA)
- On-line exhibits with an on-line art shop to purchase the art (provided by UVA)
- Printed exhibition programs or catalogue with curatorial statement, artist statements and artist biographies, and artwork prices (provided by UVA)
- UVA exhibit designers to plan the exhibit and manage the full installation (provided by UVA)
- Lead publicity person to manage all printed and on-line publicity and marketing (provided by UVA)
- An entertaining opening reception organized by UVA with:
- Live music (usually jazz, acoustical or classical)
- Plenty of good food
- Wine
- Short artist talks
- A raffle for great door prizes
- Organizing post-reception educational programming, such as artist talks and demonstrations, curator talks and panel discussions (managed by UVA)
Find other exhibitions like UVA’s
UVA curators, usually guest curators, along with the exhibit designers are the main organizers of UVA exhibitions. The curator, if they are also an artist, does not include their art in the exhibit. Their tasks include:
- Recommend an exhibition theme and educational storylines.
- Recommend the exhibition title that captures the essence of the exhibition.
- Prepare a curator’s statement of approximately 150 words. This is not an artist’s statement, but can include artist’s quotes and ideas.
- Prepare a shorter version of the curator’s statement for the press release (approximately 50-75 words)
- Organize the narrative biography of the artist(s) for the press release
- Prepare a narrative biography of the curator for the press release
- Write a 1-2 sentence summary of the exhibition for postcard
- Write the artwork labels that identifies the individual artwork (artist, title, media, dimensions, price) and a short interpretative statement about the artwork, if applicable
- Make suggestions for art installation and design
- Assist with the installation
- Assist in putting the entire exhibition with images on-line
- Prepare a printed exhibition program or catalogue that includes the curator’s statement, all artist statements and a price list.