ARTIST BLOCK 05: SETTING UP FOR A SHOW

by Bob Freyer

As I am preparing for a show at Ketchup City Creative this July, I was thinking it might be helpful to share the process. A little back story, back in October of 2014 I had my first opportunity for a solo show. It was at a small place. The work that I had was all over the place. Back then I was doing stencil art and it included painting of Hip Hop artists and some pop art. I hadn’t really planned for a show, and really didn’t know what to do for setting up or promotion. I had shirts made to sell at the show, the shirts said “Aerosol Junkie” on them. I gave a few out to friends to wear to help sell the shirts.

My paintings had handwritten gallery cards on them, and there was no real flow of the art. After I picked up the paintings I agreed to leave my shirts there on consignment, I found that the gallery cards were missing, and none of the paintings sold. My guess is that just having the gallery cards on paper was a mistake, they probably just fell off. I never got the shirts back since the business said they put them in “storage.” Now in 2024, I see where I went wrong on all of it.

My process for preparing for a show is way different than when I started. When approached for an opportunity to show my work I like to make sure that there is a theme, or pattern for the show. I want all the paintings to work with each other as if I’m not the one hanging them. If you’ve seen my work and follow me, I would bet that you can see how my work goes together for a series of paintings. Even now, I work with specific people that I trust, and places/galleries that have a no bullshit attitude when it comes to showing artists’ work. It sucks when a business steals from the showing artist, or anyone in general. I’m still pissed about getting those Aerosol Junkie shirts stolen. I also know artists that have had art stolen from a show. So, having said that. I recommend a contract for anything that is going to be left for consignment. Other than that just work with people you can trust.

Ok, once I have the theme for the show, I start the paintings. As I’m painting I usually have multiple paintings that won’t make the cut. I have learned that for a solo show my number of paintings that work are from 12 – 25. I have found that having too much may be overbearing for the audience, and having so much work is really adding pressure on myself. Once I feel the series is done, it’s done. After that I take a few days to check the work and make sure I am showing the paintings that I want to show, and they all work together. Here’s a look at the series and shows I have done.

After going through the elimination process I started to design my gallery card. My gallery cards consist of the following information of each piece: Title, Year, Mediums, Size, Price, Series, and my website .I get these printed at PGH Print Ship. Having these printed and placed with each painting just has that completion look and professional feel to it,

Now that the painting and cards are ready, it’s time for the promotion. I always share the show and tag the gallery in the in posts. This allows them to share it too, and lets everyone know where and when it is. When sharing on Instagram it is helpful to make sure the pic has the information on the actual picture. Facebook is a bit different, the actual information in the pic and post is helpful. Also, don’t be afraid to create a Facebook event for your show. There’s still many people that use those events as reminders for things they want to do. Social media also isn’t the only place to share and promote your show. I tend to post on different news sites and sites that have what’s going on in the city. The more you share the show, the more people see it.

Preparing and setting up for a show can take up a lot of time, but if you pace yourself and plan it out you can save yourself some stress and pressure. I’m learning it myself now. My BROKEN show opens July 12th, and now all I have to do is make the gallery cards and promote it.

Bob Freyer is an award-winning artist from Pittsburgh, PA who paints images from an alternate world. Since 2013, Freyer has been showcasing his work in Pittsburgh and has participated in numerous shows throughout the U.S.