Preparing for an Exhibition: Framing and Packing Art

There are many steps that go into preparing to exhibit work. This includes matting and framing as well as packing up and delivering or shipping the art.

Though I go back and forth on whether or not to outsource framing, I still do my own because there are a few steps in the process for which need to have access to the work. For instance, I frame the art without glazing first so I can get photos of the art in frames without needing to worry about glare. Once the photos are taken, I reframe the art with the glazing.

The level of packing required varies depending on whether or not the work will be shipped or hand-delivered. If I’m delivering work close to home, I’ll simply wrap it in blankets.

The art in the photo above will be soon be driven to a show and needs to fit in my car in such a way that more thorough packing is required.

For this show, I’m using a combination of bubble wrap and boxes and will probably interlace some hard foam between the work when it’s in my car. I reuse packing materials like bubble wrap as many times as I can and also save packing materials from art supply shipments I receive.

As a curator, I’ve learned we all think about packing in different ways and what makes sense to one mind might not to another. Written instructions on the package exterior are always helpful and appreciated.

I’ve seen packing that has such an exquisite level of craft it’s an art in and of itself. I’ve also seen terrible packing jobs and heard tell of museum staff being injured by the sharp edges of a work of art while handling its poorly packed box.

While the packaging doesn’t need to be fancy, it needs to keep the art, and those handling it, safe.

The work in the photos above is ready to go UW Oshkosh for my show Intermediaries, which opens at 6 p.m. on February 2 and runs through Feb. 23.