Exhibitions at a gallery are a lot of work, however it is a great process and experience. The main parts of an exhibition that I am involved with are the installation, the opening, and the dismantling. Unfortunately this past week was the dismantling part. An exhibition ends with watching all these great works leave the gallery to go to new owners’ homes or back with their creator. This process makes the gallery empty, with walls bare and holes from where the artworks hung. The gallery becomes empty and waiting for new works to arrive.

But before new artworks can arrive, the gallery workers have to patch the holes made from hanging art, repaint the walls, store away all of the vitrines and pedestals, remove all lettering, move walls around, and so much more. The gallery has to become white and bare with no content and ready for the next exhibition to come in. To me, this is the worst part because it doesn’t have any creative aspect to it; it is simply mechanical. I am just going through the process painting and fixing.

In other parts of an exhibition, such as the installation, we have to decide where to place the pieces, what will look best where, and so forth. Most importantly, which is my favorite part, curators have to interact with the artists to discuss how they want display and represent their art. There is many ways to display the show, and every slight alteration gives a different experience to the viewer. This part is creative and interesting and leaves one feeling anxious while waiting for the final outcome.

Even though this particular exhibit is over, I look forward to what will be coming next.