PREPARING FOR A GALLERY EXHIBIT          

Preparing for a gallery exhibit can be an exciting time for artist and gallery director alike. The artist is generally selected for exhibition by a committee based on a presentation of slides of their work. It is then the gallery director's job to select specific works for the show.

Cindy Tiedemann gallery director at Sinclair Community College, is in charge of several spaces on campus where art is exhibited. She selects works that are appropriate for each area, using the LRC gallery for mainstream art while the shows in the Triangle gallery are more cutting edge. The Hypotenuse gallery is a unique challenge for Cindy, where size and medium of the work must be taken into main consideration; it must be big enough to see through the glass while small enough to fit into the space. Cindy sifts through all the artist's slides again and bases her decisions mostly on visuals, as well as what work fits best with the artist's statement. She says these statements are all different, but the best ones include equal parts of process and inspiration - how the artist did the work and why they got started doing it.

Once the works are selected, the paperwork begins. Contracts as well as shipping information are sent to the artist, and he must in turn send a list of titles of the work at least one week in advance so that labels can be printed. Postcards giving the dates and times of the exhibit are done, and the artist has the option of putting fifty names on a mailing list. The artist receives approximately one half of his expenses in shipping the work, and Sinclair provides an honorarium for artists delivering the work themselves sufficient to cover return travel expenses.

The day the show is actually set up is Cindy's favorite time. She looks at all the work together and goes through what she calls a "visual dance" as she decides on placement. She bases her decisions on size, color, and shape much in the way a sculpture is created. An imaginary three-dimensional grid is her basis for setting the show because it allows a rhythm to exist with equal spacing horizontally as well as vertically. She must arrange special needs such as pedestals and extra hanging fixtures like shelves, as well as making sure there is a large supply of extra light bulbs that invariably burn out at the most inopportune moments. Great care is taken in handling the art, and although Sinclair has no specific insurance on the artwork, they will pay for any damage done to the work while at Sinclair through the business office.

Cindy sees more opportunities in arts administration to make a living than in making art itself. Most of her contemporaries are MFA's who opt to bring home a paycheck. Cindy is currently pursuing a degree in arts administration, and says all of her life experiences up to now have prepared her well for her job. From frequenting hardware stores as a kid with her dad she learned how to use tools, as well as carpentry and construction techniques. Her fifteen years in advertising taught her a sense of display, organization, and promotion. Being married to a musician taught her how to pack a truck. She brings all of these lessons with her into every show she sets up.

Sinclair takes only a 15% commission on any artwork sold during the exhibition, but as is typical of most galleries termed not for profit, doesn't hype the work. Other opportunities exist in the area for artists to exhibit and sell their work. One way is to become a member of a co-operative gallery where artists get together in a collective effort to open a space and then take turns running it. The CAGE gallery in Cincinnati is the largest and best known co-op in the area, but there has been a surge lately in places such as Yellow Springs and the Santa Clara district in Dayton. Not for profit galleries deal mostly with emerging artists. Community spaces (as an example see the DVAC home page) are good areas for artists who desire an outlet for self expression but whose work is not necessarily commercially viable. Galleries considered for profit will only show work they think they can sell. They operate as representatives and agents for the artist but take as much as 60% commission on work sold. Galleries that do not fit into either category would be institutional spaces such as the Wexner Center in Columbus, considered to be between gallery and museum, which operate on governmental grants.

There is a pamphlet available from the Valley Arts Coalition in this area detailing many local galleries of all types with addresses and phone numbers, as well as their hours of operation and the type of art in which they specialize.

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