Our exhibits are curator driven.
Exhibits at the Chris White Gallery usually have a curator. Here is a brief description of what we expect from curators, who are usually paid an honorarium.
The Chris White Gallery is part of a non-profit organization and exhibit proposals must be approved by our board.
Curators work with the gallery to manage exhibitions. This includes planning the display of work, setting calendar dates, arranging events, providing publicity materials, arranging delivery and pick-up of work, planning receptions, etc. In general, we pay curators for their work. In general, we pay a professional to install exhibits per curator’s instructions.
Curator Checklist
Negotiate a signed exhibition agreement.
This document details the proposed exhibit including the exhibit title, description of the work to be displayed, and a list of proposed exhibit events. Event dates for the exhibit should include Art Loop and Coffee Hour dates, the dates artwork will be delivered and picked up, and the dates of any special events. Click here to see our current calendar of events.
Budget
The gallery has a budget for each exhibit that includes curator and installation fees, signage, publicity materials, and take-away cards. Additional expenses can be negotiated.
Publicity Materials
Curator should provide a press release for the exhibit and at least one image of the artwork to be displayed. The theme, exhibit description, and graphics should make people want to attend the receptions, bring people in the doors. The gallery publicizes events with email blasts to a thousand people, plus posts on Facebook and Instagram. We work with the City of Wilmington’s first-Friday Art Loops and with the Delaware Division of the Arts.
Loan of Art Agreements from Artists
On delivery of artwork to the gallery, each artist must sign a Loan of Art Agreement. This document includes the artist’s name and contact information, and a list of the artwork delivered. Labels are made from this list. The agreement makes clear that artists exhibit at their own risk. Curators are responsible for collecting these Loan of Art Agreements and giving them to the gallery. Click here to see a typical Loan of Art Agreement.
Installation of Art
A professional preparator will install the art in consultation with the curator. The curator is responsible for providing label information to the gallery, which will provide the finished labels to the preparator.
