as i mentioned before, i'm going to be having a solo exhibition at the carrack modern at the beginning of october. this gallery is an experimental space, and the shows are completely produced by the artists. since this is the first time i've ever put together my own show from the ground up, i really want to put together a great show and actually have people show up. nothing is more depressing than an exhibition with no attendees, whether they like the art or not. and since i'm in completely unfamiliar territory, i'm going to once again fall back on something i do know which is project management; it helps me to organize my thoughts, i can track my progress, establish deadlines of when certain tasks need to be completed and when all is said and done, i can see where i made mistakes and refine the process. so, the first task is to put together a list of what needs to get done aside from the artwork. for example, i'll need postcards, press releases, etc. part of the organization is to break these down by general area, i.e. publicity/marketing, transportation and installation, reception. honestly, i don't know everything which needs to be done yet (remember, first time) so it's starting out as a draft and i'm sure i'll be adding on as time goes by. i'm also planning the actual work i'm going to hang as well, so i have a clear picture of what the exhibition is going to look like when the doors open.
again, the benefits of a timeline are innumerable. i can predict what my workload is going to be at certain points, and adjust if need be. i can also tell if i'm behind schedule and need to speed things up or get something done pronto. i also pad the timing to account for unexpected delays or things which may come up, so if something looks a little weird, that's why.
off the top of my head, here are a couple things i know i'm going to need done so i'll start by listing them out along with theoretical timeframes. you may notice, typically i work in reverse chronological order. when i'm still planning how to do things, i'll think about it in terms of how it's going to go step by step and then convert.
publicity -
message, visuals and title
postcards (if you want a postcard, make sure you're signed up for my mailing list and i have your mailing address!) should be sent out minimum 2 weeks prior one week to label and mail one week to print
press releases
list of list of media outlets, arts news and reviews to send pr to should be completed 5 weeks prior to opening - mailing lists, newspapers, magazines artsee (deadline?) NC art blog - Dave Delacambre independent other art/news sources? should be out 1 month (?) ahead of time one week to pull together
total 5 weeks
flyer
should be out 2 weeks ahead of time 1 week to print and mail 1 week to develop
transportation and installation -
make floor mounts - 1 week pull together installation kit - 2 days (hardware needed? laser level, screws, nails, hammer, torch and extra butane, work kit, mounts, extra wall rubbers, leveling goop) build rack for transporting pieces - 1 week install rack in truck - 1 day install large paintings in rack - 1 day (park in garage overnight?) how to transport smaller pieces? drive to durham, install - 1 day (helpers?) (confirm dates and day for install) lighting installation shots before and during reception truck and rack - 1 day take down, clean up and return to charlotte- 1 day helpers? (confirm dates for removal) remove paintings, disassemble rack and return truck - 1 day
reception -
food/wine? music?