Three students share tips for curating exhbitions

Written by Tilleen Meitzler, Photo by Robin Maaya

Many majors at the SCAD require students to curate their own exhibitions before they graduate. In springtime, with senior students approaching their commencement date, the city of Savannah teems with art shows. Students are constantly providing fine art for public viewing, and it is available to see nearly every night of the week.

This season hits the jackpot with student-run shows, and they’re not hard to seek out; postcards and fliers decorate campus buildings and local shops to spread the word on times and locations of events. They are ready to inspire, to be admired, and even make those who might not have before, feel compelled to curate a show of their own. But how do you do that?

“Start saving [money] six months in advance,” said Stephanie Forbes, an undergraduate painting major with her current exhibit, “(rest)oration”, in Moon River’s second floor gallery. Her show is a five-part series about the process of grief and healing trauma, with each chapter introducing entirely new bodies of work Fridays, 7-9 p.m., April 26 to May 31. Forbes holds a part-time job alongside her intense course load, and she claims this helps her feel more ready to take the plunge into financing her own exhibit. Venues like the second floor of fab’rik on Broughton St. and The Stables Savannah on Rathborne Dr. are viable options Forbes suggests to students looking to present their work.

Forbes first conceived her concept in the beginning of spring quarter, mid-April. She was, as some might call it, “visited by the muse,” and became inspired in a poetry class while reading “Diving into the Wreck” by Adrienne Rich. Though tight on time, Forbes worked with confidence to succeed with her show.

Louie Remy, a graduate student in the painting department, recently curated a show at Alexander Hall. The theme of her exhibit, “BROMANCE,” focused on positive behaviors between men and masculinity. Remy posted a call for entry, and through Submittable.com, people sent her artwork they felt connected with the exhibit’s purpose. She claims there is a huge difference between installing your own work for a show and curating an exhibit filled with other people’s pieces.

Remy suggests keeping mind of budgets is key for both types of exhibits. She mentions places to print, such as Creative Approach, 13 Bricks, and Fahm Hall. Though each with their own sets of pros and cons (prices, timeliness), these places can become assets for students’ advertising needs. Remy’s show closed May 1, but she still has much advice to offer. “There’s a lot of support out there, you just gotta go asking for it,” said Remy.

And yet, what if you don’t want your work shown in a traditional gallery? Ally Munro, an undergraduate motion media student, had a similar wonder.

“I highly considered renting a space but having this outdoor space right next to my home was much more convenient in so many ways,” said Munro. “The side area next to my home is incredibly unique, and I may never be able to work in a space like that again, so I am happy I chose to move forward with it.”

Munro’s senior thesis installation, “the lightness of being,” projected video media into a corner of her courtyard draped by triangles of canvas drop cloth and swooping bunches of string. An audio recording played voices of people in Munro’s life discussing universal dichotomies: heaviness and lightness, purpose and meaninglessness. She recorded nine hours of dialogue in total but refined the pool of existential discussion to about ten minutes. Motion media seniors are given six months to work on their theses, and although Munro’s show ended May 2, there just might be a revival of the installation in a new space near the end of the quarter.

“You can literally hold a show anywhere,” said Stephanie Forbes. “Build it, and they will come.”