Showing Off

Finding the Best Places to Exhibit Your Photographs

Brattleboro Vermont Works Bakery Cafe

I never miss an opportunity for self-promotion so this week I would like to talk about what makes a great venue for an exhibition of your work. It is not by accident that I just hung twenty pictures for my March show at the Brattleboro Vermont Works Bakery Cafe, one of the nicest commercial locations in my corner of New England.

Keene New Hampshire Wor

The Works started in Keene New Hampshire and has expanded to six locations across New England. The store in Keene was one of the first places in which I ventured to show my work and over the last few of years I have shown there three times as well as at the Cafes in Portland Maine, Portsmouth New Hampshire and now in Brattleboro. In addition to great food the Works has always been committed to providing a quality venue for local artists. There are many restaurants in our region who allow artists to display there work, but too often it is an afterthought with little if any investment in providing a setting in which the art can be well presented. I have said this before but a romantic candle lite restaurant is about the worst place to show pictures on the walls. The Works Cafes are a happy exception to this rule. Richard French and his staff have invested in sturdy hanging systems and nice lighting to make the art a part of the experience and not just an avoidable distraction.

Morning Mist, Peacham Vermont

So what are the features of a good exhibition venue. Here I am speaking mostly of restaurants, but the criteria are essentially valid in any location. I have seldom found the ideal location but here are some factors to consider as you explore your neighborhood for places to "show the work".

Audience :

Moss Glen Falls, Granville Vermont

It is important to show to people who will appreciate and hopefully buy the work. I apologize for the snobbery, but a nice restaurant is likely to be more productive than the local pizza joint or sports bar and the pictures will be less likely to be sprayed with beer. Where possible it helps to think of your audience when you select pictures for the exhibition.  Glorious autumn foliage is obviously great for an October show, but moody cemetery images are probably not the best choice for a hospital waiting room. Traffic is also important. I once hung my pictures along an isolated back hall of a local church where it was greatly appreciated by several lovely members of the choir who walked by once every Sunday. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, when exhibiting at restaurants, one of my absolute rules is that I don't show where I wouldn't want to eat.

Hang in There:

Over the years I have seen every kind of hanging system,

Hanging Strip at Brattleboro Works

and non-system. In many places the hanging system involves a hammer, some nails and an instruction to "not damage the walls". I have never understood how an owner of an otherwise nicely decorated establishment could allow artists to pound fresh holes in their walls on a monthly basis. Permanent hanging systems are much cheaper than the cost of replastering the walls, they come in all forms and can make a great difference.
They improve the attractiveness of the show and make installation much easier and more secure.

Hanging at the Keene Works

The Works in Brattleboro uses inexpensive wood strips installed about 2/3 up the exhibition walls. The pictures are easily arranged and adjusted hanging from metal hooks. There are much more expensive solutions, but this allows a nice clean and consistent presentation. The Works Cafe in Keene uses a serpentine wood skeleton with hanging screws that, by itself, is a piece of modern art. There are many solutions, but the one important factor is to confirm the system can handle the weight of your pictures

Lighting:

For me lightening is the most important factor in a venue. The one or two people who regularly read my blog know that complaints about inadequate or non-existent lighting are a recurring issue.

Track lighting at the Brattleboro Works

Photography comes alive with good illumination and it dies in the dark. Restaurants often have soft lighting scattered about the tables which either causes hopeless glare or impenetrable gloom. Sadly good lightening is expensive, but when used properly it can make the art a key element of a regularly refreshed experience. At the Works, track lighting is designed to highlight the walls and can be adjusted to maximum effect. Heaven! 

Dump Rake in the Mist, Dummerston Vermont

Timing is Everything:

Lupines, Sugar Hill New Hampshire

As I plan my shows I always pay attention to the calendar. Nobody buys art in January, and it is helpful to select work that either celebrates the current season or anticipates the next.  I try to be in my favorite locations during autumn and the Christmas holiday season, but here is never a bad time to show the work.  The ideal exhibition slots always seem to go early, so it is crucial to plan ahead.  The best time to ask an owner about a future exhibition is when you are taking down the last one.

Security:

Velvet Surf, Pemiquid Light
Missing in Action,

I hate to have to bring this up but, since I did have a picture stolen from a show, I feel it is important to mention. My picture was snatched from an unattended wall in a local mall. After being angry and then a little flattered, I ended up with an appreciation of the importance of having people watching the work. And if you happen to see this picture hanging in someone's home and notice a small crack in the glass at the lower right corner give me or Law and Order a call.


I am writing this as I sip my coffee at a corner table at the Works. Nice place. Wonderful photographs. I never tire of watching people look at my work, so if you are in the area drop by. Unfortunately right now the place is mostly populated by pimply teenagers, awash with raging hormonal angst. Not the best audience. Add that to my list.

Invitation, Hinsdale New Hampshire

Winters Grip, Spofford, New Hampshire

If you can't make it to Brattleboro this month, check out the images on my Brattleboro Works Flickr Set: