Being responsible for a group art exhibition can be scary. There are artists to organize, the venue to book, promotional material to distribute -- the list is endless. One of the most stressful times is hanging day. This can be both chaotic and exhausting with artists dropping off artworks, paintings waiting to be hung, and price lists to organize. With some pre-planning you can make your hanging day less stressful and more fun.
Reduce stress on hanging day by getting some help, ensuring you have the right equipment, pre-marking the walls, adopting an efficient hanging method, and using artwork swing tags and price cards.
1. Get help
Well before hanging day enlist the help of several people. Give each person a different task so they can get on with the job independently. Enthusiastic helpers will allow you to coordinate the day, not left to do it all alone like a super hero.
When the day is over remember to thank your helpers by mentioning them at the opening function, sending them a thank you card, or presenting them with a Certificate of Participation. Appreciation for a job well done is important.
2. Bring the right equipment
There is nothing worse than discovering you have forgotten to bring the step ladder or hammer to hanging day. Returning home to collect the forgotten item is time consuming and stressful. Be organized by writing an equipment checklist and checking the items off before you leave. If you hang exhibitions regularly consider purchasing a tool box on wheels to help cart your equipment around.
Items to take along with you on hanging day are a step ladder, hammer, tape measure, spirit level, picture hooks and nails, pencil, box cutter, bluetac, map pins and twine. Other useful items are a screw driver, assorted screws, nails and hooks, gun stapler and staples, scissors, packing tape and a permanent marker.
3. Pre-marking the walls
Hanging artworks at the same height makes your exhibition look professional. Some people prefer the tops of the paintings to be level and some prefer all the centres to be at eye height. Whichever height you prefer you can reduce the time hanging the artworks by pre-marking the walls.
Using a tape measure and map pins, measure the required height at several different places across the wall. Connect the pins with long twine to give you a horizontal line. This line can then be used to accurately and quickly find the common hanging point.
4. Efficient Hanging Method
Climbing up and down a ladder can be frustrating and exhausting. Make life easier for yourself by getting someone to help you. One of you can be up the ladder, while the other can be passing the hooks, hammer and artworks. Not only does it take less time to hang the exhibition, but it will be more fun too.
If you're using the pre-marking technique above, use a ruler to measure the distance between the hanging cord and the top of the painting. Transfer this measurement onto the wall, using the horizontal string line as your guide.
5. Swing Tags and Price Cards
Creating an accurate price list can be a nightmare, particularly at group exhibitions. Many artists change the title, price and even the artworks before the big day, and this can be frustrating to keep track of. Use swing tags and price cards instead of exhibition numbers and a price list to help reduce the stress.
Before the exhibition give every artist a swing tag. It should be hung on a cord long enough so the swing tag can hang over the top of the artwork. One side of the swing tag will have the artist details, the other will have the artwork details. Transferring the artwork details onto a price card will be easy to do now, and the completed card can be quickly adhered to the wall with bluetac.
The hanging day for a group art exhibition can be stressful and hard work. With a little bit of pre-planning, help and some basic equipment you can turn a frustrating day into a fun day!
