Guest Curators
RYE ART GALLERY - NOTES FOR EXHIBITION GUEST CURATORS.
Guest curators will be invited periodically to curate exhibitions. The Trustees have set out some responsibilities for these curators of exhibitions of artworks drawn from the Rye Art Gallery (RAG), Permanent Collection or loan exhibits. This guidance covers all aspects of the exhibition, covering selection, hanging, and returning the work to the stores.
In addition, guest curators are responsible for advertising, posters and organising private views (as required). The Trustees are available for advice and coordination as required.
Selection and Planning: The Catalogue
Please consult Chair trustees at an early stage of planning about your requirements, the budget, particularly if you wish to borrow external works for your exhibition (these will need to be insured) and for arrangements concerning keys and access. Please note that to aid selections, there is a catalogue of all the artworks in the Permanent Collection, which is available through a PC in the gallery or on CD Rom on request to the Trustees.
Locating and Returning Artwork
The SPECTRUM archive system is complete, but please consult Isabelle Sambrook for help with locating pictures and advice about other curator issues. It is essential that all images are returned to the correct locations.
Handling Artwork
Do handle all artwork with care. Please do not touch unglazed canvas or lean other pictures against glass or canvas. In the storage racks, the pictures should rest against the frame of the next picture, not the glass or canvas. Some paintings are separated by boards – these are to take the pressure and weight of groups of pictures. When replacing work in the racks, do not pack them in too tightly – this leads to cracking of the glass. Whenever possible, please store artwork the correct way up.
Hanging and Labels
Keep the blinds down in the galleries – the volunteers will raise them during open hours. Artworks should be placed in a viewing line between 1700 and 1000 above floor level, which is set by the DD Act (RAG Website Access Policy on ryeartgallery.co.uk). This policy also covers the Gallery standard, which is black print on white card in Aerial FONT sized 22 to 14 minimum. Labels should be backed and fixed bottom left of each artwork with bluetak.
Recovery of Artwork
When taking down the exhibition, please remove the hooks and make good the walls with pollyfilla and white emulsion paint. Any problems with this should be advised to Chair Trustees, who will provide advice and assistance. Hooks and pollyfilla can be returned to the container in the water colour store. Paint is stored in cellar area. Chair Trust will indicate during the planning.
June 2011