Behind the Scenes....Setting up for a Small Exhibition

So, a few weeks ago, I got a last-minute opportunity to display my work in a new venue. I had originally planned to exhibit there in a few months, but the chance arose to hang earlier and I had work in my studio that had just come back from another venue so I said "Why not?" (I am trying my best to be flexible these days!)

I hadn't seen the actual space yet and just had rough dimensions to work with. To improvise a layout, I took some painters tape and a tape measure and marked the approximate size of each wall on my studio floor. Then I moved some paintings around, trying to figure out what worked best together and fit within the spaces.

I was definitely nervous about how it was all going to work out since I really had no idea what the actual location looked like. I packed up my chosen paintings, crossed my fingers and went to set things up.

I arrived with my work and my hanging caddy (a bag with some basic tools, extra hanging wire and "just in case" items like duct tape and paper clips) to find a lovely little niche with a new hanging system all ready to go. I've hung my work in a lot of different places - you never know what you are going to find - so this definitely was a pleasure. The Haverhill Arts Association president Ann Jones was there to help me and together we got everything hung rather efficiently.

In the end, I think it fit the small space rather nicely:

There was even a nice bit of publicity in the local media - thanks WHAV!

If you are local to Massachusetts and are interested in checking it out, my little exhibition is at the UMass Lowell Innovation Hub at Harbor Place in downtown Haverhill until the end of February.