What Is the Plaque Next to an Art Piece Called
Pointers on Wall Labels for Your Art Exhibition
Approach the making of the wall labels you place next to your artwork with thoughtfulness and common sense.
The Basics for Exhibition Labels Next to Your Art
Many art exhibitions open with a statement by the curator or artist. Those longer labels give context to what the viewer is about to see and are placed at the entry to the show.
Then in that location are private labels next to each artwork.
Your art labels should include your name, object title, and media/support/technique—at a minimum.
A retrospective of your work should besides include the dates.
In a one-person exhibition, your proper name demand not exist as prominent on labels and you might, instead, make the title larger and put it before your name. When showing with other people, distinguishing betwixt artists is more important and names should be get-go.
If there are multiple rooms in the exhibition and your show'due south title text doesn't appear anywhere near your works, you might need your proper name on every label.
If your work is hanging at a restaurant where a customer could stare at it for longer periods of fourth dimension, your name should be on every label.
If the showroom is modest or in a unmarried room and there's a big sign with your proper name on it, you lot probably don't demand your proper noun on every characterization.
Size of Wall Labels for Your Art
The size of your labels depends on the size of the art, the size of the font you use, and the size of the crowd expected. Museums that expect huge crowds for blockbuster shows need larger labels and so they can be read from farther away and over other people's heads.
But large labels expect silly next to pocket-sized works, like Margaret Kasahara's in the image higher up.
Labels used to exist a lot smaller—think business-card-sized—until studies showed that they were hard to read. Make the font size at least xiv points. Larger is improve when you want the majority of your audience to be able to read the labels.
No need for big margins around the text on a characterization. Crop it closely.
You can include more than than one artwork on a label (as in the epitome to the right) every bit long as viewers can discern which information belongs with which piece.
i Art Label, 3 Ways
Traditionally, titles of artworks are italicized. Yous could, instead, make them assuming, all caps or larger than the other text. Distinguishing the titles is especially of import if they give clues nigh the content of your work, such as the location of a landscape.
"Mixed media" isn't a medium. Using it is similar saying something is a "painting" instead of "oil on linen" or "sculpture" instead of "bronze." Spell out the various media you use within each mixed-media artwork. A curator is going to ask you that later on anyway, so you might as well showtime treating your art like it's in a museum now.
If the work is for sale, show the auction toll on the label next to the art.
Labels can exist printed on cardstock and stuck on the wall with rolled masking tape or something like Elmer's Tack removable adhesive putty. I don't recommend using the latter on textured walls considering the adhesive gets caught in between the bumps.
For a more polished presentation print labels on regular paper, adhere the paper to mat board with spray gum, then cut out with a mat cutter.
Labels inside an exhibition should all be the aforementioned size unless at that place is demand for longer, explanatory text.
Place object labels to the right if at all possible. Large sculpture may require that you identify a label on the nearest wall or floor.
Hang all labels at the same superlative and use a level to make sure they are parallel to the flooring.
Art Label Crook Canvass
- Viewers must be able to come across your proper noun when looking at your work.
- People shouldn't have to guess what your piece of work is made of.
- The cost, if for auction, should be clear.
- Exhibition labels should be thoughtfully made. Any crooked sides or torn edges will detract from an appreciation of your work.
- Above all, the labels should be consequent throughout the exhibition.
Your Art Exhibition Installation
Compose your fine art show but as you would a composition. Each aspect tin can contribute to the success of the show or make it seem less than impressive.
It begins with curating the work, merely at that place is and so much more than that goes into a successful exhibition: preparation, installation, documentation, marketing, self-promotion, follow-up and more than.
Click the graphic beneath to download a complimentary comprehensive checklist for your show.
This post was originally published September iv, 2012. Information technology has been updated with comments left intact.
- past Alyson Stanfield
- August 8, 2019
This program emphasizes your limited chapters. It'due south not about balance.
It's about beingness fulfilled—about enjoying the life of an artist. To practise that, you seek to optimize how you spend your precious time.
Information technology's not a social media class and it's not about posting more!
Be intentional with your artist life.
In 2 hours a day I walk you through steps that will issue in a plan that only you could brand because information technology's based on your goals, your current commitments, and how you lot want to run your art business and live your life.
Get real with your fourth dimension.
49 thoughts on "Pointers on Wall Labels for Your Fine art Exhibition"
Source: https://artbizsuccess.com/wall-labels/
I've institute that clear labels work the best. They await professional, adhere well, and can easily exist moved and removed. They come in various sizes (I use the shipping label size (2″ x 4″ ).
Laurie: Only don't use them on textured walls. They await terrible! And they expect bad when they start coming off from the wall, so work best with shorter exhibitions. I've seen articulate labels that wait really bad. Gotta go on tending to them.
Exceptionally useful advice…wish I'd had information technology last week! LOL
Sorry I'm tardily, Victoria. You'll get 'em next fourth dimension!
Just what the physician ordered. Thank you Alyson!!
Yes, you have a bunch of exhibits coming up, don't you Susan? Glad you constitute this helpful.
Any thoughts about including the size of the painting on the label?
Jennifer: I don't think that'southward necessary since the artwork is right in front of the viewer.
Hi Jennifer and Alyson,
Groovy propose on the labels. I ever include the size of the painting. The reason existence that some people recall in numbers. They demand to know how big a painting is to be able to envision information technology on the wall of their living room. Some customers don't need that information at all.
Question:
When should y'all NOT put a price on the label?
Col: When it'southward not for sale, when it's shown in a museum, or when the guidelines of the venue dictate.
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Great tips for labels… I don't know if your suggestion to put labels to the correct covers this, just my preference is to put the labels at eye level abreast the painting. I have shown with a number of artists who like the label below the painting and the cost in a show guide. The argument is that it looks professional. My thought is "Why make people work then difficult to learn about your work?"
Sandy: In that location's all kinds of research on this. What is "eye level" for you might not be center level for someone else.
This certificate gives a wide range of 36-67″.
In the museum, we were very concerned with accessibility problems, so we placed them lower for people in wheelchairs. Information technology's an eye opener to go through your showroom in a wheelchair!
Thanks for providing this helpful info. I'll try the color-full labels at my next art festival.
Great info! This is on my "to-do" list. Thanks!
How almost including a small QR code with link back to your site/info?
John: Sure, that works, as well. Be very careful that they don't go to your home page or a sales page. They MUST go to juicy information that pulls people in.
I may be pessimistic, but I see QR codes as a waning fad. Whenever I use the QR codes at the museum, I notice I'm the only one doing so. Are you finding more positive results?
I'm most to use QRs at an exhibition. They each go to a blog mail that shows the whole get-go-to-finish process of the piece of work. Might be successful, might not, I'm new to the whole business!
Love it, Suzanne. I'd like to know more!
I've struggled for years for the best way to do price labels for outdoor or indoor festivals. Everything in the booth is my work and my name is in several places, plus on the artwork, so name doesn't seem necessary. Everything needs to go up fairly quickly and the artwork is slightly dissimilar each fourth dimension. I've settled on using tags which I fix in batches with a petty swish of watercolors. I put the title and the price. Since I practise Mixed Media, I very much like the idea of adding the "ingredients" of each artwork. Good topic!
Thanks for the tips, Alyson. Merely wondering. Many of the galleries use numbers next to the piece of work and then have a typed up list for the patrons to hold as they walk through the gallery, with the information regarding the painting adjacent to the corresponding number.
What are your thoughts regarding this type of identification?
Wonderful advice as e'er! I'thousand starting to offer prints of certain paintings and am considering putting that data on my labels for my upcoming open studio consequence. Something like "Original $1500; Prints available". Would yous suggest also putting the price of the print on the characterization (or not mentioning them there at all)?
Awesome communication! I've had a couple of shows at odd venues (ie: in the foyer of a local independent one-time movie theater) that didn't actually have proficient places for business cards and the similar. I decided to put QR codes on my tags that linked directly to the Etsy folio of the painting.
To attach labels, I employ Scotch Cream Mounting Squares, specifically the removable ones. They easy to use, strong, adhere to nearly whatever surface, and come up off chop-chop. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004QMQ12E/
I actually use the Avery clean edge business organisation cards for my labels: one side has all of the information near the artwork, the other is a business organization menu. This gives a consistent size and format for the labels (you tin set up templates just similar for address labels), is easy to print and a cakewalk to detach – no cutting involved! And so when the work sells, the collector takes home the detailed information about my piece AND has a business card with all of my contact information. Another choice is to use the self-print postcards if yous demand a larger size to fit more than information, similar a story about your artwork, or a mini-artist argument. The postcards don't have as nice of terminate/print quality equally the business concern cards though.
Great tip well-nigh the Elmer's poster tack – I will definitely exist using this instead of scotch tape. Thanks!
Thanks for the tips. Very useful blog!
Thanks for this info Alyson. I just saw a fabled showroom at The Portland Art Museum (Portland , OR) and the wall titles were semigloss messages adhered direct to the wall. It was beautiful and elegantly understated only very legible.
Does anyone know what material that is? How it was washed? Thanks!
Hi, David. Aye, those are probably vinyl. Any sign shop tin can impress them for you.
Hullo Alyson,
Thanks for your advice.
I volunteer as part of the hanging team for a gallery that has very limited funds. Today they had the data on concern cards and affixed a slice of Scoth Make clear record folded over on itself in each corner of the carte du jour. I am convinced there has to be an every bit cheap manner to braze the cards to a wall.
I would virtually grateful for any suggestions you may have.
Warm regards,
Astrid Adler
Astrid: I can't tell if you lot mean that they taped the artists' business cards or they printed on something the size of a concern card.
Either way, masking tape (rolled) on the back would look much better. We used masking tape to hang most of our signs in the museum!
For vinyl letters you could use a cricut machine.
And, I utilise gorilla make sticky putty. It tin can be institute at your local craft store in the craft/glue section. I and then use a disbelieve coupon that takes the cost downward to less than scotch tape.
I am thankful I found this site. Information technology is reassuring to know I'm on the right track.
I am in a show this weekend where each creative person hangs their ain art. I am curious how the labels are going to wait considering five different artists are each bringing their own.
That certainly is an issue, Mechel. Sounds similar yours will stand out above the residue.
I am director of a small-scale community arts center with a beautiful trivial gallery space. Nosotros accept a variety of artists showing in our infinite – some bring very nice looking labels and others make it with sticky address labels that skin off very easily or just don't piece of work well in our space for whatsoever reason. Growing tired of this, I recently purchased plastic acrylic holders in standard business concern card size. Some are apartment and we added velcro dots to concur them on our carpeted walls. Others are "Fifty" shaped for utilize with 3D pieces on pedestals and in our display case. Artists can easily send me a spreadsheet with details in columns. Then I can do a mail merge to an avery template and print on avery business cards. It is perhaps a small improvement, merely so wonderful to nowadays a more polished expect in our gallery.
Sounds perfect, D! Y'all are in a position to instill professional practices in the artists you work with. I encourage you to use each opportunity to educate them.
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Exactly was I was searching for. 🙂 I'1000 working on branding for an creative person and this was really helpful for the vignette. The only affair that I'g not sure virtually, I don't recall I saw the size on which they should exist printed on…
Hi, Isabelle. I'm happy this is helpful for you. The size kind of depends on the size of the audience and the size of the font. Let me update this correct at present.
Added, Isabelle! Unfortunately I can't exist exact, but I promise those actress guidelines are helpful. Thanks for asking.
I concord near the "Mixed Media" description needing to be specific most materials used. My question is, how specific do you demand to exist? For case, I often use both watercolor pencils and watercolor from a palette. Exercise I have to spell that out or can I merely say "watercolor"?
The labels you link to aren't foam. And then practise you use cream ones or the ones in the link?
This is so helpful, give thanks yous. Your site has go my "go to" for this kind of question.
I am starting to show some limited edition linocut prints.
My question is – would I put the specific number on the label (East.g. 9/13) or but say how large the edition is (E.g. Edition of 13)
Many thanks!
Hullo Alyson —
I too really similar the no-nonsense arroyo you offering in your guidelines. I wonder if y'all tin can recommend a label protector product – acrylic perchance. Nosotros are leasing artwork from a museum for long-term brandish in the public areas of a Hilton Hotel that volition open up before long. I demand something durable that protects the bill of fare stock label that doesn't expect tacky.
Thanks !
Stephen: Aye! You can put acrylic over the labels. Only make sure it doesn't have as well much of a glare on information technology. You tin as well have fancier labels printed at print shops–on material that is more than durable. Many museums use the newspaper on acme of mat board approach, simply they have guards in all of the rooms to make sure people aren't mucking around with the labels. Good luck! And thanks for dropping in.
Hi there, please could you let me know what font you accept used for these labels?
Best wishes
I'yard not sure which labels y'all're referring to, Rebecca, but the but ones I "made" were the digital examples of Arthur Jackson. And I did that so long ago (almost 20 years) that I tin can't recall.
what do you suggest for labelling artwork in a hospital setting? Exercise transparent labels work in a long term situation?
Sande: I would do the same label. You tin can use plexiglas or something else more durable for longer term—as long as the full credit is visible. Thanks for asking.