Class of 2021 First Year Exhibition Installation Guidelines

February 16, 2021

The Wallach Art Gallery
The Lenfest Center for the Arts, Columbia University
615 West 129th Street NY, NY 10027

Dates:

MFA1 Exhibition: March 27 – April 11, 2021

Load In:

  • March 15, 16 (Mon, Tues)

Installation:

  • March 22-26 (Mon-Fri)

De-installation & gallery repair:

  • April 12, 13 (Mon, Tues)
     

The Wallach Art Gallery is very excited to host the School of the Arts First Year Show & MFA Thesis exhibitions as well as the Art History Department MODA exhibition. As we gear up for installation season, we are looking forward to working with you to assure that the installation and exhibition is a great experience. This document outlines the guidelines and policies that will guide that process including the Gallery’s rules of appropriate behaviors in our exhibition space and protocols for proper exhibition installation. We view our role as supporting you and your artwork as well as a professional development opportunity for working with institutional entities that present works of art.

Exhibition Process and Installation Guidelines during COVID-19

Summary

The Wallach Gallery has a maximum capacity of 10 people with masks to maintain a safe working environment during the COVID-19 pandemic. To ensure that we adhere to low-density in the space and install the show in the time available, most artists will not be able to install their work in-person.

Each artist is responsible for packing their own work and coordinating delivery to the gallery, either on the trucks provided by the department or by delivering the work individually. After the work is delivered, each artist will be invited into the gallery for a carefully scheduled meeting with the curator and gallery install staff to finalize installation plans. At that point, each artist will leave the installation process to the gallery staff, providing guidance remotely as needed.

Because the show needs to be installed by a limited crew of art handlers, we need each artist to think carefully about the scale and complexity of their project. Complex installations may not be possible. Given these restrictions, consider focusing on works that are simple to install and ready to hang or place on the floor. For elements of your work that need less conventional installation, you will need to provide detailed instructions. It may be possible for a very small number of artists to participate in the installation process, if a reasonable and realistic install schedule can be devised. We are imagining two or three artists working in this way for one to two hours each. You will each be given the opportunity to request this sort of access, but no access is guaranteed.

Curatorial Visit

  • The first step of your exhibition planning process will be meeting with the curator of the exhibition. You will introduce the curator to your practice and show them examples of recent work. You should have some ideas for what you might want to include in the First Year Show, and remain open to the curator’s feedback.
  • Remember that the First-Year Show is a group show and space is very limited. Each artist typically shows one work (unless they’re very small and exist in a series).

Installation Guidelines

As you begin to revise your idea and plan for the show, please keep in mind these important guidelines:

  • Artwork must arrive ready to hang or place, with D-rings already on paintings, or appropriate hanging/mounting hardware provided.
  • Artwork must be packaged and clearly labeled with name and the # of pieces per artist: Ex: “Name, #1 of 3” Please use a sharpie on white paper and tape well to package. This is important
  • Anything connecting to the ceiling should be discussed & approved in advance. Hanging from the ceiling is challenging and time-consuming, and involves installing steel unistrut beams with a genie lift, 18 feet in the air. Genie lifts are provided by the Wallach Gallery and can be used by Wallach and Visual Art staff members only.
  • Nothing can screw, glue or staple into the wood floor, windows, window frames, electrical boxes, soundproofing panels, walls, or any of the gallery doors.
  • Sound and light installation should be discussed in advance to ensure that they are feasible. We will only have access to one small dark space.
  • We cannot use headphones because of covid restrictions on shared devices. All sound must be low, and will blend with other sound in the exhibition. For this reason, we encourage you to use subtitles for any text or language in your video works.
  • The Gallery adheres to ADA guidelines and leaves passage (36” to 42” wide) for visitors with disabilities and in wheelchairs. Therefore, all technology, including where and how elements are mounted, where the wires will run, how they will be secured, must be reviewed & approved.
  • No liquids, open flames, untreated dirt, or live animals can be used in any project. No exceptions.
  • All materials used in your installation must be discussed and approved prior to the exhibition installation. Please address any non-conventional materials during the curator’s studio visits.
  • Any artwork with electricity needs to be designed to be turned on and off each day easily. The Wallach and the School of the Arts are not responsible for operating artworks with overly complicated or onerous operating instructions.
  • Any artist requesting technology for use in the exhibition should do so in their proposal (see below). All technology will be allocated fairly by the Technology Manager for Visual Art in consultation with the curator and the Visual Art Faculty and Staff. We will do our best to provide each student with the technology you need to realize your work, but no technology is guaranteed.
  • The Wallach Gallery does not provide exhibition furniture. Exhibition furniture such as shelves, pedestals, Plexiglas bonnets and platforms, are to be pre-fabricated, painted and delivered finished to the gallery on load-in day.
  • Keep in mind the Lenfest / Wallach Doorway Accessibility:

Lenfest lobby doorway

  • 95” high and 74” wide.

Lenfest elevators doors

  • 96” high x 72” wide.

Lenfest elevator cab interior:

  • 96” high x 84” wide” deep, with a diagonal capacity of 170”

Wallach Art Gallery doorways (6t h Floor)

  • 96” high x 70” wide.

Exhibition Proposal

https://forms.gle/pUvHFamcbJfcawir7

After your meeting with the curator and your careful planning process, you will submit a

proposal with detailed logistical descriptions of your work. Your proposal should include:

  • Narrative description of your project, giving us as much detail as possible. List of each element to be included in the project, specifying media, dimensions (approximate or exact), weight (approximate or exact), and any technical specifications.
  • A sketch, diagram, or annotated images that indicate the ideal dimensions and layout of the project, including spaces in between elements, the placing of all technical equipment, where the wires should run, where you would like to plug, etc.
  • The dimensions of your work
  • A list of any technology you are requesting. Please be as specific as possible. Think about sound, playback devices, speakers vs headphones, extension chords, wires, etc. Please contact Peter with any questions you have about tech. Think about how a gallery worker will turn your piece on and off each day as well.
  • Installation instructions. How will the work be installed/attached/secured/mounted?
  • Think about labor, hardware, tools, shelves, pedestals, install and de-install. Is there any planned onsite painting, gluing, or anything else that produces vapors? Do you need ladders or a genie lift? Talk to the curator if you have questions.
  • Your plans for transporting your work to the gallery. Trucks will be available to move elements from the studios to the Gallery, but we must make a schedule and we need to know if there is anything especially complicated about moving your piece: its fragility, size, weight, etc. Your work must be packed in a re-usable way: the packing must be labelled, it will be kept, and we will re-use it to re-pack your work at the end of the exhibition.
  • Anything else you want to communicate to us about your work!

Planning for the Exhibition

  • After you submit your proposal, it will be reviewed by the curator, the exhibition team, and some members of the Visual Art Faculty and Staff as needed. We will work with you individually to finalize the plan and resolve any issues.
  • The curator may not be able to tell you exactly where you will be located until installation day. Because this is a group show, the curator will work to create the best exhibition overall, and we ask each artist to remain flexible about placement and other installation considerations.
  • The curator will make all final decisions and approvals, in consultation with gallery Exhibitions Manager, and must approve each and every aspect of all exhibition installations.
  • If your work involves electricity in any way, a detailed document with instructions for AV equipment daily operation must be provided to the Wallach Gallery. The Wallach’s gallery attendants need the document for daily gallery AV equipment operation & troubleshooting.

Packing & Storing

  • You must pack your work in a safe and reusable way for transportation to and from the gallery.
  • Some packing materials will be provided by the Visual Art Department, but you are responsible for providing any additional materials you may need to ensure the safety of your work.
  • Each artists’ packing must be clearly labelled with name and the # of pieces per artist: Ex: “Name, #1 of 3” Please use a sharpie on white paper and tape well to package. This is important
  • All empty packing material will be kept in the gallery Dry Storage Room (607).
  • We will re-use it to re-pack your work at the end of the exhibition.

Load In

  • We will provide trucks to transport work from Prentis and Watson studios.
  • You will be provided with a truck schedule as well as load-in dates and times.
  • At your assigned time, you must meet the truck with your packed artwork and assist in loading the truck.
  • You must adhere to your assigned time. If you miss your time slot, you may not be able to use the trucks to move your work.
  • If your work is extremely heavy (over 50lbs) please flag this on your proposal so we can make a plan to move it safely in a socially-distanced manner.
  • If you would prefer to deliver the work to the gallery yourself, you must indicate that on your proposal. You will be assigned a time at which you can arrive at the gallery with the work. If you arrive at any other time, you may not be granted access.

Install

  • During the load in, the curator will oversee the layout of the works. They will want to see all elements in the space, to ensure everything works out well, before any work can be installed.
  • The curator is in charge of the installation layout. This is a large group show, and all artists have to collaborate and share space. Most aspects are organized and planned well in advance and cannot change, while select elements are always adjusted when all works are present in the space. The curator has the overall vision of works, to ensure the best outcome for everyone.
  • During the installation period, each artist will be given an individual curatorial meeting with the curator in the gallery, to confirm all logistics of installation in consultation with the Exhibitions Manager, Wallach staff and School of the Arts Staff.
  • Each artist must be on time for their curatorial meeting. Meetings are tightly scheduled to ensure low density limits are respected.
  • During the meeting, the art handler team members are assigned & briefed.
  • After the meeting is over, most artists will need to leave the gallery.
  • The art handlers and exhibition team will install the works in consultation with the curator. Artists should remain available by cell phone throughout the installation period. If questions arise or decisions need to be made with the artist’s input, we may ask you to get on zoom or FaceTime to participate in the installation process remotely.

De-install & Load Out

  • Professional art handlers along with staff from the Wallach Gallery and Visual Art Department will deinstall the show and re-pack the work, according to each artist’s instructions and provided materials.
  • A small number of artists may be required to come to the gallery to deinstall their own work as needed, depending on complexity and fragility. We will schedule this individually.
  • Artists can pick up their work from the gallery and transport it themselves, or use trucks to Prentis and Watson provided by the Visual Art Department.
  • Artists using the trucks must meet the trucks at Prentis and Watson to collect their work, according to a provided schedule. If artists are not present, work may be left in the loading dock or classroom spaces.
  • Artists opting to transport their works from the gallery themselves must arrive within a carefully planned window of time. A schedule will be provided.