Marketing Mondays: A Curator is Missing

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No, this is not a police emergency.  But a

curator  may be   missing   from your

announcements and  resumes.  This post,

like many, was  inspired   by what came

across my desk recently.

In an email announcement, Artist A listed all her upcoming shows, three of which were curated. I love the way we now have the tools to promote ourselves to a receptive cohort. But something was missing from her exhibition listings: the names of the curators.  

Artist B sent out a postcard with an image of his painting, which is included in a curated group show. I appreciate that he took the initiative to spotlight his work within the context of the  larger exhibition. He smartly included the names of all the other artists, but in what I think was a mistake--or at least a breach of art world etiquette--he left off the name of the curator, something the official exhibition postcard did not.

Artist C--that would be me--was compiling the gallery notebook of artists' statements and resumes for a show I'd curated. I was surprised to see a name missing from the exhibition on several artists' resumes: my own. Uh, your work didn't get into that show by magic.
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Consider the role of the curator

Whether artist, independent, or institution-affiliated, a curator has viewed the work of dozens of artists to arrive at the selection of artists whose works then become an exhibition. Curating a show is as difficult and as time consuming as creating a solo show. If you don’t leave off your own name from an announcement—and I know you don’t—it is inexcusable to leave off the name of the curator. 

Curators remember this oversight. “I have a shit list with the names of artists who did not have the courtesy to credit me,” says an independent curator who, for obvious reasons asked to remain nameless. “I work every bit as hard conceiving and creating my shows as artists do with theirs. If an artist doesn’t respect my effort, I am not likely to include their work in another project.”  Moreover, says the curator, “we talk among ourselves, just like artists do. No one wants to have their efforts disrespected by omission.” 

Artists and independents, particularly, work for little or no pay and most handle everything involved with the show, including the onerous administrative tasks. Some assume the added responsiblity of a catalog. 

A few tips

Informal conversation with curator and dealer friends has allowed me to glean these nuggets:

. Include the name of the curator on your resume and all printed material about the exhibition. Yes, I have heard the occasional dealer tell artists that it's not "academic form" to include curatorial credit. Well, this is not academia. The more popular opinion is voiced by the academic curator who encourages her students to give "credit where it's due."

. It’s understood that dealers curate the exhibitions in their galleries, so it’s not necessary to acknowledge that, but if they curate a show in another venue and you’re in it, include their name as curator

. Relatedly, sometimes you’ll see a gallery crediting its director or principal as having “organized” a show in the gallery. It’s likely that an organized exhibition falls outside the parameters of the usual gallery-artist show, which means that more curation is involved. It’s also a way to acknowledge the work of a gallery employee who has assumed the organizational role in the show. If a gallery credits the organizer, you should do the same

. If you have curated a show, put that listing under “Curatorial Projects” or similar category on your resume, rather than under “Selected Exhibitions.”

. If you have curated a show you’re also  in, it’s OK to include your name in both places. But if you're in the habit of putting yourself into every show you curate, you will diminish your credibility as an artist and curator. (Every art professonal I talked with mentioned this as an issue.)

As always, your comments are essential to this conversation.

Addendum
In a related Facebook discussion, the issue of acknowledging jurors came up. Juried shows and curated shows are very different.

. A juried show is selected by a hired juror who make selections from a pool of submissions. Usually the artist has paid to submit their work. The juror may be a curator, but she may also be a dealer, artist, academic or other art professional. She must make the best possible show out of what she is given. Given the size of the submission pool and the conscientiousness of the juror, the job may take from a couple of hours to a day or two. Based on the size of the show and the prominence of the juror, and whether or not there's a catalog or essay, it's your call whether or not you put the juror's name on your resume. My opinion: curators and dealers, you put on; the local artist jurying the local show, not necessary.

. A curated show, on the other hand, begins in the mind's eye of the curator. The curator conceives the entire show and then makes it happen, a process that may include online research, studio visits, copious emails with each prospective artist, a vetting process and decision making, more communication, gathering of support materials, shipping, installing and more. The curator should certainly be listed, even if she's Josephine Schmo from East Podunk. She made the effort and took the time to include your work. If you can list the exhibition title, you can include her name. This or that art professional may tell you otherwise, but when you consider the vision and effort involved in the curation of a show, it's foolish and boorish not to. 
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