Art exhibitions are pivotal moments in any artist’s career. Whether it’s your first solo show or your fifth group one, exhibiting your work can be a valuable opportunity for you to understand the progression of your creative practice and connect you to the wider community.

Most exhibition opportunities in large institutions are invite-only. But, many smaller, local venues accept proposals from artists all-year round. The Islamic Museum of Australia is one of them.

Drafting an exhibition proposal is a great way to build your writing skills. It also encourages critical thinking of your own art, and the space itself.

So, how do you craft one?

Hello, is it me you’re looking for?

Having a strong visual or conceptual connection with an exhibition space is paramount. But, just like in life, finding the one takes time.

Before applying to exhibit at a space, it’s important to do your homework. Jump online and comb through the venue’s mission statement. Explore the history of the gallery or museum. Check out their catalogue of previous shows and their roster of artists. And, if you can, try to visit the space in person, particularly on an opening night. This will tell you if it’s an ideal size, if it attracts your target audience, and if your medium and concept are the right fit.

Tell me more

You don’t need to be a professional writer, but you do need to articulate the concept of your proposed show using simple language. This is known as a rationale.

A great way to elevate your rationale is by showing research. Let’s look at an example.

Say your exhibition is called Screen Memories. It’s about televisions. A sample rationale could look like:

Televisions are a prominent mode of visual communication. Their global presence in both private and public spheres creates a camaraderie that transcends cultural and geographical boundaries, bringing people all over the world toward the same piece of technology to view the same broadcast. As a case in point, the London 2012 Summer Olympics is the most-watched television broadcast of all time, with an estimated audience of 3.6 billion people.[1] Screen Memories will explore how televisions have become an archival tool of significant world events. Specifically, it will look at how the different modes of delivery within the television—live footage, re-runs and different channels—have created varied memories of the same world events for many people. The exhibition’s title is derived from psychologist Sigmund Freud’s revolutionary insight on remembering. Freud argued that screen memories are a type of distorted visual memory that form when someone recalls an event, and, moreover, historical accuracy is not their prime concern.[2] (154 words).

[1] International Olympic Committee, London 2012 Olympic Games: Global Broadcast Report, December 2012, p. 3

[2] G.S. Reed, On Freud's 'Screen Memories', 2014, p. 5

Time to shine

Now, you get to show off your work!

What type of art do you want to exhibit? What will the show layout look like? How do you plan to display everything?

A good tip is to request the venue’s floor plan so that you can create mock-ups of your ideas to accompany your proposal.

Prepare some professional images of your work to include with your application, too. Remember to type your name and artwork title in the image file name.

Listen

While our tips and tricks cover the basics of all exhibition proposals, each venue has their own unique guidelines. Be sure to follow their own instructions first and foremost. Often, applications get denied because instructions are ignored.

Don’t do that.

Follow all instructions.

Learn

Treat your exhibition proposal like a job application, because that’s essentially what it is.

It can be really disappointing to hear that your idea was unsuccessful, but therein lies a valuable networking and learning experience. Ask the venue for feedback and suggestions on how to improve, and apply this advice to your next application.