Curating a Photography Exhibit
Mr. Smith was looking to supplement his magazine writing with photographs, having sold images in the past to accompany his articles. He already was personal friends with the president and vice president of the venerable 400-plus member New Orleans Photo Alliance organization of working professional photographers, and they’d mentioned that he should consider getting involved. So he joined the Alliance, and recommended that they hold a photo exhibit for members. He was told that one actually had been planned months earlier at a gallery in his Riverbend neighborhood but had been canceled when the gallery closed. He informed the officers of the Alliance that a new gallery, A Work of Art, recently had opened only several doors down from the defunct gallery. The officers said “Great, organize it.” Consequently, Mr. Smith contacted the gallery owner who was amenable to hosting a photo exhibit, and he had the Alliance post a call for entries on their website, listing him as the organizer and point of contact. Within days he had to create a database of those interested in exhibiting, organizing everyone by name, number of pieces being submitted, contact and pricing information, and a headshot and brief biography. He used the last two items to develop a handout for visitors. This was all accomplished in only 2 weeks, and with only five of the original 16 entrants dropping out. See the exhibit here.
