NEW PERSPECTIVES By Jan Beesley, Alison Buchanan and Susi Petherick
Three RPS Women in Photography members give advice and share insights gained from putting on their first group exhibition last autumn.
Gallery Install
Having met through photography some years ago, three of us — Jan Beesley, Alison Buchanan and Susi Petherick — exhibited together for the first time as a trio at Gallery Uno in Seaford, Sussex from September to October 2024. We felt we had enough in common as artists to create a coherent exhibition, especially as we all use creative techniques in the taking, editing, and printing of our work. We called our exhibition Looking Beyond to encapsulate the idea that we were going beyond the obvious in our work, looking differently at the world about us, exploring new possibilities and, to some degree, challenging traditional boundaries.
Header image: On Golden Pond © Jan Beesley ARPS
Kyoto Beauty Two © Susi Petherick ARPS
Putting on a group exhibition offered many advantages. It gave us the opportunity to collaborate and learn together, have fun, and share resources and responsibilities. The latter included sharing the cost of exhibiting as well as the practicalities relating to managing and staging the exhibition. Furthermore, by working together on promoting and publicising the event, we hoped to attract a broader audience through our shared and different networks. In terms of confidence building, it also felt easier to promote the work of the group rather than our individual work.
Vanishing Landscape 1 © Alison Buchanan ARPS
First, a brief introduction to the group.
Jan Beesley ARPS. I am a Sussex-based photographer inspired by the beautiful and diverse landscape of the area and our interaction with it. I enjoy the playfulness of using my camera as a creative tool to make intuitive abstract images.
Alison Buchanan ARPS. I embrace both traditional and more experimental techniques to create images which reflect my vision and imagination and love exploring the countryside and coast near my home in East Sussex.
Susi Petherick ARPS. I love learning new things, experimenting, creating images that express how I feel about the world about me, ones that often end up looking like something between photographs and paintings.
The following is a checklist of questions we compiled, which others might find useful.
Putting on an exhibition
What is the purpose of the exhibition? Is it
- to sell your work?
- to share with other artists?
- to raise your profile?
- to raise money for a charity?
Deciding on the reason for exhibiting will help determine how you then set about curating and publicising it.
Choosing a venue
- How much space do you need?
- How will your work be hung?
- What kind of footfall does the potential location have?
- Will the venue provide stewarding, sales support and publicity? If so, what is their commission on sales and what sort of work is the venue known for?
Designing the exhibition
- What is your story? If you are exhibiting with other artists do you have a common theme, whether it is subject matter or techniques?
- Do you need a name for the exhibition?
- How will you arrange your work on the wall? If you are sharing the space how will the work fit together?
- Will you be selling other items (e.g. prints, cards, books)? If selling, think about pricing, labelling work etc.
Publicity
- What is the best way to reach your target audience?
- Think about creating graphics you can use for social media, printed flyers, magazine features etc., and consider the timing of publicity.
- Show images from all artists in the publicity material.
- Remember the importance of the gallery window in drawing in people.
Opening and managing the exhibition
- If you are having a private view, send invites and arrange refreshments.
- Organise stewarding to ensure cover for busiest times.
- Think about using a clicker to count visitors. It can be very useful.
- Be brave and engage with visitors, they love to hear about the work from the artist but be mindful not to overwhelm them with information. Getting this balance right isn’t always easy, particularly with creative photography, where visitors will find their own way to connect with the images. It can be an education to hear what visitors see, or why a particular piece resonates with them.
Reviewing the exhibition
- Think about how it went and what you learnt and remember to celebrate your achievement!
Curve © Jan Beesley ARPS
The Taste of Valencia © Susi Petherick ARPS
Vanishing Landscape 3 © Alison Buchanan ARPS
Main takeaways from exhibiting together
- Collaborating and exhibiting is more fun, and often more cost-effective with others.
- Exhibiting with people who will give you honest, constructive feedback is valuable.
- Creating an exhibition can give you a great focus to make a coherent set of images of your work.
- Talking about your work to visitors can help you to understand and articulate your own motivation better.
- Listening to viewers’ ideas about your work is always interesting.
- Seeing your work on a gallery wall is a great feeling, and even better when people happily take it home!
Website: www.janbeesley.art
Instagram @jan.beesley
Website: www.alisonbuchanan.co.uk
Instagram: @alisonbuchananphotography
Website: www.susipetherickphotography.com
Instagram: @pethericksusi and @susipetherickabstract
"Collaborating and exhibiting is more fun, and often more cost-effective with others."