On the evening of Friday, October 7th, I was one of dozens of volunteers who helped turn the Central Bank of Boone County into an art gallery for a weekend. Before I get too far into it, I should probably introduce myself. My name is Riley, I’m studying art history at Mizzou and interning at Columbia Art League (CAL) this semester.
For those who don’t know, every year CAL partners with the Central Bank of Boone County to put on an art show that exhibits local artists, professional and non-professional. This year, I got the opportunity to work behind the scenes, helping to arrange and hang almost 200 works of art. This was my first time helping to set up a large exhibit, so I was incredibly excited and equally nervous. However, those nerves were quickly calmed after I got the rundown of how show setup goes. I was warned by some veteran volunteers that the first half hour was the most chaotic, and they weren’t wrong. Once the doors opened for artists to drop off their artwork we were working non-stop. As a volunteer, I had the job of transporting the art from check-in to its designated section in the show. (I definitely reached my step goal that day). I learned that in the beginning, the most important thing is keeping up with the intake of art. My favorite part, hanging and curation, came later.
After we received a majority of the art, we could start to arrange and hang it. The first step was creating an order and flow to the show as a whole. Since I was a newbie, for the most part, I watched the pros brainstorm and plan. It was so interesting to see how their brains worked and what decisions they made. I realized how much of a collaborative project curating is. After a plan was established I put myself to work. Knowing what I did about hanging a show, I knew that the location of pieces were subject to change. When putting together a show, you can’t get attached to where you put a piece because it might fit somewhere else better. What I didn’t know is what this actually looked like in the moment. People were constantly moving back and forth, trading artwork, changing concepts, and even reverting back to the first idea. There was an electricity in the room. I loved the lively energy and amount of off-the-cuff thinking that setting up requires. I discovered how much I thrive off of that type of environment.
With two hours, many bodies, and twice as many hands, the bank was a gallery, ready to be filled with art lovers. The most satisfying part of this experience was getting to see the show as a whole. I had a sense of pride and accomplishment when I could look at all of our work and say to myself, “we did it.”
As an art history student who is interested in pursuing museum curation, this show gave me great hands-on experience. Since working at CAL I have learned that I not only love putting a show together but also physically handling and hanging the artwork. In addition to being an art history major, I am also minoring in studio art, so my appreciation for an artists work stems from understanding how tasking creating art can be. When dealing with art work I like the idea that someone spent time, money, and love to make what I am holding. Helping to set up this show reaffirmed my interest in working in this field, and made me eager for the next show I get to work on.
Here are a few of my favorite pieces from the show (left to right):
Ashlee Selburg, The Beekeeper
Rheanna Flynn, The Ghost of My Flora
Jen Gigler, Nourish 2 Flourish
Cristina Nuñez, Nuances, Santa Monica II
