How to Organize a Paste-up Show

Exhibition opportunities are often few and far between for artists.

Sure, galleries might do open calls; similarly, there might be open calls for festivals. Alternatively, you might approach a publisher or self-publish a photo book. The biggest hurdle with many of these is managing expectations between the various stakeholders.

What Is a Paste-up Show? And How Do You Put on Your Own Show?

One alternative avenue to exhibit work you may not have considered is a paste-up exhibition. To clarify, a paste-up is not graffiti. Graffiti is when someone’s property is marked or defaced without their permission.

So, what is a paste-up exactly, and how does it work with photography? Well, for starters, as with most things in life, this is best done in groups. Many hands make lighter work, or in this case, many hands make smaller portions of fees. The more people you have, the less each person has to pay.

Next, with a paste-up, you seek permission from stakeholders involved. For example, you might seek permission from the local government or from a store or business who may have a free wall available. Alternatively, you may consider renting a billboard, ideally one low to the ground.

You may be thinking that this sounds pricey! Well, the trick is to find a location that is low traffic or already allows for public artworks. Billboards or space rental with lower foot traffic, may be as little as $200-$300 a month. Bargain!

Once you have curated a selection of artists and a suitable location, you pretty much just organize for opening night. For example, a few of my friends who are part of an artists' collective contacted local business within the area to sponsor catering and even some drinks. What sponsors may get out of this is a small space on the advertising or perhaps a promise for promoters to use their venue as the designated place to go to after the show. In the latter case, they have a captured audience of patrons who will purchase food and drink there.

The final piece of this puzzle is, of course, opening night. Everyone involved should bring themselves, at least one plus one, and a good attitude. If you invite curators, arts workers, or individuals aligned with arts institutions to your show, it may be a good way to show your work to industry professionals. Seeing work printed within a public-facing context is a great feeling, and a paste-up show is just one way to do that.

Conclusion

This is, of course, a very shorthand account of what to do. Get a group, get a place, put on a show (with help from locals). As with managing any large project, giving yourself enough time and researching further what to do or how to do it is key. As you may infer, your local government laws of what is possible or what is available in your town or city may vary.

Images provided by Emerging Artists Collective. Used with permission.