Rough Guide to Curating an Excellent Gallery

Fragile Landscape is up and running and doing rather well.  We've had good sales and good visitors - almost always a pleasure to talk to.  They're starting to come from far afield to visit - Reigate, Midlands, Windsor and even Kensington! It's wonderful.  

The exhibition is rather short - I guess its Rule no. 6 (or 7? or is 8?) - 6 weeks is too short; no sooner have you finished hanging the show and got the hang of speaking fluently about each artist and artwork than you have to change again.  As it stands I'm now running a little late in issuing the invitations - partly because of late input, partly because of "too much to do".  This brings me onto the issue of inforamtion about how to run a gallery - not a "shope" type but a gallery that means to be a patron in the very best sense.  To serve art, artists and the community around it.  When I knew I was going to do this I looked for easily accessible inforamtion but there is a dearth of relevant literature about the art of curating. Of course, there are degree courses - none that can be done in a fortnight.  So this blog is becoming something of a Rough Guide to Curating an Excellent Gallery.   

It is worth noting that I haven't stuck hard and fast to all my rules so far and some are becoming more rubberised than others.  But I do think that Rule no. 7 (8 or 9?) is that you must spend time doing the jobs you intend to employ others to do later on.   It is the only way in a new venture to know exactly what to look for in CV terms.  At the moment these are the staff I need (and that's just for the gallery - don't mention the other business);

1. Saturday and weekday sales assistant.  Someone knowledgeable about art, not patronising, charming with people, easy to talk to (people seem afraid of being condescended to in a galelry) and who is good with technology - credit card payments, computer invoices etc.  They also need to be fit enough to prepare artworks for collection or delivery and getting up ladders to get them.  During the week this person may end up twiddling their thumbs a little so other duties should be added to the job description.
2. Graphic designer - for posters, invitations, adverts and the website as well as the labels for each change of exhibition.   
3. Curator - someone who spends the time looking for artists (its tricky this one as I always want to have last say on this even if someone else is doing it), contacting them, sending through agreements, arranging to see the artwork, agreeing which pieces, discussing wall prices and programming the path of the next exhibition.  This will include co-ordinating with the graphic designer to provide timely images for the literature and website.
4. As we're launching the arts programme there needs to be a co-ordinator and publicit.  This is pretty full on and whist it may be possible for one candidate to fit all of the above requirements, it may be that this is a second person's job.
5. Not mentioning cleaner - preferably daily.
6. Not mentioning janitor for preparing for each class and locking up afterwards (so local) and then clearing up the next day.

A few interesting people have been in the gallery offering their services but each lacks something which is a shame as I like several of them and each could do part of the job. 

I'm also trying to get together the brief for the sculpture competition - more anon.  This requires more admin time and I will need to prepare a draft brief for discussion with Carol Cordrey of The Richmond Magazine.

All very exciting.  Just requires time.