Showing SOLO - Planning a solo art show

Every artist dreams of their own show, the high of seeing your collection on the gallery walls, the lights, the glamour, and having art lovers admire your collection and (hopefully) lots and lots of sale. Visualizing this scenario is the first step to execution, just like every other dream in life!

I'm blessed and grateful to have had a solo show of my own. It was an experience, it was a life event that still gives me goosebumps. I had planned the whole thing from scratch, took advise from my Art curator friends and it was loads of fun! Since then I have curated a few group shows with multiple artists, and would love to keep planning.

So what's needed to organize a solo show!?

Well, it needs one to take a step back and visualize a big picture first. Get that planner out and take event planning at another level.... because that is what a solo show is - hours of creativity, hard work, dreams culminating into an event.

My learning - You can totally have your own successful solo show if you plan in advance, take help where you need, delegate, network, create your support group and put in that hard work - and all the effort is totally worth it in the end.

Here, I share a small checklist of things to remember when kicking off your solo show. I plan to do a longer video/write up with more details soon.

Solo Art Show Planning Checklist:

• Build a Show Concept - having a uniform art concept defines a show better.

• Book a Venue -

• Create Create Create

• Hire/Engage your support teams

• Keep your transport vendors ready

• Build your mailing list - guests are important

• Media plan, PR

• Event Planning - Launch plan, Opening Night, wine & cheese, timing, invitations, emails, chief guest, gifts, flyers, catalog, servers, photographer, media bytes (this is a whole chapter!)

• Social Media strategy - start creating awareness at least a month in advance.

• Art Display plans - go to the venue multiple times, make hanging/display plans based on the size of your work.

• Shipping process, vendors - who will pack and ship your sold works at a reasonable rates & safely.

• During Event - make sure someone is always available. Best is the artist is present at times when the footfall is higher.

• Post Event PR and communication - go through your feedback journal, contact all who visited, left comments, engage. Send out event images and stats to PR contacts and to put on your social media.

• Sales & Inventory tracking with P&L accounting - This is important. All of the above can run into huge costs, and it is important to know whether you made profits and analyze the performance of the show!

Solo shows are a great way to make your artistic resume stronger. Plan well, and it will be a profitable exercise as well. Be sure you are ready with the right content and collection. A bit of planning and brainstorming in the beginning will go a long, long way.

Happy Creating... and don't let go of your daydream. Work on it! :)