Project Management

At the start of the exhibition process, it is important to define clearly the aims and objectives of the exhibition, using three key documents:

• Brief
• Schedule
• Budget

The progress from initial concept to realisation is a process of constant questioning, where answers will help to identify an exhibition’s intention and scope. The exhibition brief is a document that sets out the main concept behind the exhibition, possible content and methods of delivery and intended audience. Clarity of purpose is crucial to a project’s success and the exhibition brief will help to inform press releases, gallery guides and related publicity. The brief should be developed with your target audience in mind; see the Concept and Development, Audience Development and Interpretation Chapters for further information.

The exhibition brief will also help to interest potential partners in collaborating, or potential venues in a hiring the exhibition. A target list of potential venues should be drawn up, and each sent a tour pack of key information; concept, content, images, scale and costs. The choice of title is an important consideration and needs to be decided as early as possible in the process. See the Touring an Exhibition Chapter for further information.

The schedule is perhaps the organiser’s most important project management tool, which should begin to come together as soon as opening and closing dates are fixed. It will be a continual point of reference throughout the exhibition process, clarifying all the various tasks that need to be completed. It will act as a guide to keep all the activities related to the project on track and a vision of the desired end result following these actions. The schedule moves through each step of the project in a clear, logical way and will provide a good indicator of current progress and where vulnerable points may lie. It will also clearly identify inter-dependent activities and where intensely busy periods are likely to occur. There will be a number of activities or tasks that will need to be carried out in order to complete the project. The best-known model for identifying these activities is a Work Breakdown Structure, which entails dividing the project into key tasks to be carried out, and then breaking down each of these key tasks into activities that must be done to achieve them. This document becomes the exhibition schedule and can be represented in a number of ways – as an Excel spreadsheet, as a Critical Path diagram or as a Gantt chart.

The budget should be developed at the same time as the schedule. It will need to be closely monitored at all stages of the process to avoid overspending. It is good practice to record all areas of expenditure on a spreadsheet. When the exhibition opens, the budget will need to be revisited, assessed and any areas of overspending identified.

Research is always necessary to develop the concept and locate exhibits. It is important to assess whether the organiser has sufficient time to research the idea and organise visits to see potential lenders and exhibits, or whether there are experts with specialist knowledge who would be better placed to carry out the initial research. It may be sensible to involve others who may be more knowledgeable about the subject and can be brought in on a freelance basis to shape the concept and contents or to compile the catalogue. Whether carried out in-house or by an external curator, the first objective of any research is to draw up a ‘wish list’ of key exhibits and their location. On the basis of this list, the organiser will be able to investigate the likelihood of loans. This, in turn, will help to define the resources necessary such as the cost of research and travel, packing, transport and any technical equipment required. See the Concept and Development Chapter for further information.

Once an exhibition?s objectives have been set, these aims will need to be communicated to a number of different parties. A successful exhibition will be the result of a successful collaboration between the organiser and one or more colleagues who make up a project team. It is important to involve colleagues within the organisation as soon as is practicable and to circulate the brief, exhibits list and images to inform other department?s activities – a communications strategy for the exhibition, education activities planned around the exhibition and approaches to potential sponsors. It is also important to keep tour venues updated on developments.

The basis of good project management is the maintenance of accurate records and the ability to be able to access information quickly and easily. At the outset, it is essential to organise all exhibition documentation within an appropriate filing system from which information is easily retrievable. ?In many cases, a designer will be appointed to translate the concept and aims of the exhibition into a visually exciting and engaging design. Adequate time should be given to selecting a designer. In the same way, a graphic designer will be appointed and issued with a brief, ideally at the same time as the exhibition designer. They will then present a graphic concept for the exhibition working closely in tandem with the exhibition designer. All exhibition text must be legible, and consideration must be given to viewing heights and distances, to typeface and point size and to colour scheme. ?Interpretation can take many forms but the interpretive scheme chosen for an exhibition should be discussed by everyone involved in the planning process – curators, education team and designers. It is usual for text panels to carry the main storyline of the exhibition, introducing each area of the exhibition and relating the story or concept, whilst captions will relate specific exhibits to the main storyline. See the Interpretation, Design and Display and Learning and Participation Chapters for more information.

Once a venue has confirmed its interest in taking the exhibition, a draft hire agreement should be sent to the venue making clear the obligations of each party and specifying the various costs for which the venue will be liable. At this stage discussions about layout and technical requirements for the exhibition should take place. It is advisable at this stage to book a transport company to manage the transport of the exhibition to the organising institution and onward to venues. A manual should be compiled that will travel with the exhibition detailing all the information that the venue will need to know to assist them during the installation process.

Once loans and their locations have been identified, an initial letter of request should be sent to the lender providing information about the exhibition and the conditions/locations in which the loan will be displayed. Once a loan has been approved, the organiser should send a formal loan agreement for signature which will ask the lender to provide essential information about the exhibit and to specify any display conditions or conservation requirements that must be adhered to. These conditions should also be recorded on the Exhibits List.

Some exhibitions will include the work of living artists. Artists will be concerned to see that their work is shown in the best possible way, including the context in which it is shown. The task of the organiser is to strike a balance between the needs of the artist and the requirements of the exhibition.

A lenders’ file should be set up, arranged by individual or institution, which will include all contact information, copies of all formal loan requests, signed loan agreements and all general correspondence with the lender. A separate touring file should also be compiled containing all tour information and essential correspondence with venues, both confirmed and provisional. See Objects Chapter for further information.

Like the schedule, the exhibits list is a vital document to be continually updated. It records essential information on each object – basic description of the object, date, material, dimensions, weight, location, insurance valuation, display requirements – and records the status of each loan. This information will form the basis of captions later in the process. It may also include notes by the organiser of the exhibit?s historical or academic importance to the exhibition, which may be used later in a catalogue entry. It will later become a complete inventory of the exhibition issued to a number of different contacts including designers, contractors and the media and will be essential to any plans to tour the exhibition.

Parallel to the exhibits list, there should be a separate list of all other components which make up the exhibition – exhibition structure, computer and AV equipment, photographic panels and film material. It is essential that files carry up to date plans of the exhibition design; these will need to be passed to contractors and technical crew as well as to touring venues.

At least one month before the installation of an exhibition, transport arrangements should be made. It is good practice, and may be a procurement requirement within your organisation, to obtain three estimates from specialist shipping companies, assessing the best method of transit for loans, and if an international tour, whether by sea or by air freight? together with any packing requirements. At this stage, an accurate exhibit lists detailing lenders requirements and location addresses will be vital and will also be adapted to form a transport list. It is important that the transport company is fully briefed as to the content of the exhibition, any specific handling instructions and a detailed schedule is drawn up, agreed by lenders, for the collection and return of exhibits. See Transport and Agents for Technical Services Chapters for more information.

It is standard practice for the organiser to insure loans on a ‘nail to nail’ basis – from the moment an object departs the lender to the moment of its return to the lender – so covering transit, display and return transit. Insurance arrangements can be made either through a commercial insurer or through the Government Indemnity Scheme. A venue is usually asked to cover insurance during one leg of transit as well as the period the exhibition is actually on its premises.

If a designer is appointed for the exhibition layout and structure, this person will require a comprehensive design brief, to consist of the following:

• A statement of the aims and objectives of the exhibition
• A concept and story line for the exhibition
• A provisional list of exhibits with images
• Information on the exhibition space and tour venues, where known
• Access and health and safety issues to consider
• The environment/requirements of objects
• A schedule and budget

With the above areas established and agreed in writing, the designer will produce a concept design which will be a practical solution to the brief, together with a breakdown of costs. This is the earliest creative stage in the design process and the concept design will undergo a number of revisions and alterations before moving on to detailed design which will cover both written specifications and detailed drawings. The designer will then liaise with a specialist contractor over the construction of the exhibition structure.

The production process generally involves ensuring that contractors are commissioned, the in-house technical manager or equivalent is briefed and issued with up-to-date information and plans and all those involved with installing the exhibition are aware of their schedules and responsibilities. The final stage in the design process is when plans are confirmed and passed to a contractor. A contract should then be drawn up clearly stating the obligations of each party, a timescale and budget for the work to be undertaken. Similarly, if required, a lighting designer should be appointed and fully briefed on the exhibition and required lighting levels for exhibits.

The final intensive period for the project manager is the installation and the subsequent removal of an exhibition in each place of showing. This will be the result of numerous discussions between the organiser, the designer and the technical manager of each venue, taking into account gallery restraints and health and safety considerations.

To ensure a smooth installation process, an installation schedule should be compiled detailing the activities on each day of the installation leading up to the opening day of the exhibition. This will inform the organiser as to the number of technical crew that will be required to install the exhibition and any technical equipment to be hired in. Another important consideration is to identify storage areas for empty crates and packing materials. The installation schedule can then be passed on to tour venues to help to inform the installation process at each venue.
It is essential that the technical crew at each venue has up-to-date information and plans, and is fully briefed on the first day of installation. Contractors will now be on site for a specified period to build the exhibition structure, paint walls, build plinths, and install graphics and lighting. They will need to be fully briefed on their tasks and the organisation?s health and safety policy and supervised throughout the process. Curators and couriers from lending institutions may also be on site to supervise unpacking/installation of loans so their flights, accommodation and subsistence will need to have been pre-arranged and their visit supervised.

As exhibits are unpacked from their crates, their condition must be thoroughly checked and noted on a Condition Report form. Any damage suffered by objects in transit should be immediately reported. Condition reports will be checked again before objects are packed. Condition Reports will travel with the exhibition to each tour venue and checked again at each arrival and departure. Installation of graphic material should always precede installation of objects, to avoid damage to the latter.

On the day of the press and private view, the marketing or communications team will need to be fully briefed as to when the exhibition will be complete and ready to receive journalists and film crews.

A risk assessment will be carried out, either by the organiser or the venue’s operations team, to check the safety and security of exhibits once installed and also the potential for visitor injury. Any problem areas highlighted will need to be addressed by the organiser.

There will always be areas of snagging after the exhibition has opened and it is good to compile a list of outstanding problems and deal with them on the first day of the exhibition if at all possible. The exhibition will need to be maintained during the exhibition period and the organiser will have put in place maintenance instructions and a cleaning specification for technical staff to follow. This information should be included in the manual that will travel with the exhibition to tour venues.

Before the exhibition ends, a removal schedule should be compiled by the organiser and circulated to relevant gallery staff. Objects are removed from display, condition reported, packed and either sent on to another venue or returned to lenders. The exhibition structure is then dismantled and the gallery space cleared of debris.

Author: Donna Loveday (2005), updated by Charlotte Dew (2015)