Submitting Your Portfolio

Exhibition Development

Many people wonder how an exhibition is developed. The answer to that question varies with the type of exhibition involved: whether it is curated (organized) by the museum or not, whether it is made up of pieces the museum owns or not, and whether it is a one-person show or a group show.

All exhibitions start with an idea; either based on the work of a particular artist, a trend in art that merits exploration, or simply a central theme (like landscape paintings or abstract sculptures). Once the theme of the show is determined, the dates when the exhibition will be on display must be established and the selection of work to be included must commence. In the case of an exhibition organized by the museum, art museums, galleries and artists are contacted to determine what artworks are available. At that point, the museum and the lender sign loan agreements to ensure that the piece requested will be committed to the exhibition. After the loan agreements are returned, the Collections & Exhibitions Manager (the person in charge of keeping track of all artwork coming into or leaving the museum, including pieces owned by the museum) will begin to arrange the delivery of the artwork. Once the work is in the building, it must remain in its packing materials for 24 hours. This allows the artwork to adjust to the climate of the museum so that it is not damaged by a quick change in temperature or humidity. Once the artworks are opened, they are moved into the gallery and arranged according to how they will be installed for the exhibition.

In the case of an exhibition of artwork that the museum owns, after deciding on a theme and time slot, all of the artwork in the Permanent Collection that fit the theme and the number of pieces that will fit in the designated gallery space are determined. An additional consideration is whether any of the pieces need to be framed or require special attention prior to being displayed. Then, when the time comes to install the exhibition, the artwork is arranged and install in the gallery. 

Sometimes a museum will organize an exhibition of sufficient cost and complexity as to make it necessary to seek other museums to host the exhibition. These are called touring exhibitions, and they are common in the museum world. Touring exhibitions are so common, in fact, that a number of companies exist that specialize in organizing these types of exhibits and then "renting" them to museums, galleries, and other cultural institutions. If a museum borrows a touring exhibition, it saves them the time and effort needed to organize their own show. And when an exhibition tours, much of the cost is shared by the hosting institutions, making them less expensive than they would have been if only the originating museum had held the exhibition in its galleries. This, in turn, often allows a museum to bring artwork to its visitors that it might not otherwise be able to show.

Submitting Your Portfolio for Consideration

Sometimes artists send information about themselves to museums in hope of being considered for an exhibition. Whether or not the museum chooses to show work submitted without the request of the Museum depends on many factors, the most important being whether or not the work fits the style and standards of the museum. After that, time is considered. Most museums schedule their exhibitions two to four years ahead of time, so the artist who submits his or her portfolio will not usually get into a show until much later.

If you are an artist and interested in being considered for an exhibition opportunity at the Dubuque Museum of Art, here are a few things to keep in mind: