How to Curate a Space
Art belongs everywhere. Placing art deliberately within a space can create meaning.
Gun Violence Altar, Grace Cathedral, San Francisco, California.
Placing art within a space can be intimidating, particularly if you’re a newbie. Where should it go? How do you create a meaningful visual experience in your home? Do you need all new furniture to match new work? And finally, how do you hang art, particularly if you’re allergic to power tools?
Let’s walk through some of these questions one by one.
an anchor point. (see below)
Gun Violence Altar, Grace Cathedral, San Francisco.
“We believe that art connects people to the depths of their souls and to the divine, so we foster the arts in many ways. We have an Artist in Residence program. Our cathedral is a work of art that is filled with works of art. And we host art exhibits and programs at various times throughout the year.” - Grace Cathedral website. Learn more here.
Where to Put Art?
Before you get started hanging work in your home or office, spend a bit of time figuring out which walls need art. (All walls, IMO.) Often, we have a large blank spot that’s itching for a splash of color, but sometimes – particularly if it’s a new house or office – we’re starting from scratch.
The good news: there are no hard and fast rules to curation. The most liberating and creative way I’ve found is to imagine you are visually leading people through a space, while telling a story with the artwork.
Before we go further, I’d like to introduce a couple of terms that describe two different approaches to hanging 2-D art.
This 2017 exhibition was hung in a conventional museum standard approach at the International Gallery of Contemporary Art in Anchorage, Alaska.
The Museum Standard Approach
Museum standard refers to exhibition practices commonly seen in museums and galleries. One dead giveaway is, if when looking around the space, you notice that the center of each artwork is approximately the same height from the floor. If you have a spacious home/room/office and fewer, large artworks, or if you love a minimalist, modern look – a museum standard approach may be a right fit for you.
The Salon Style Approach
The second approach is salon style. I see this every once in a while in museums, and most recently at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas. Salon style dates back to seventeenth and eighteenth century French “Salons,” royally sanctioned annual (then biennial) art exhibitions of the very best French artists. Paintings were hung floor to ceiling in order to showcase as many pieces as possible.
Aaron Squadroni, Hell Rust Mine series, Octagon Center for the Arts, Ames, Iowa. Photo credit: Kristen Greteman, Gallery Director and Curator. Learn more about the Octagon here.
I personally love salon style, probably because I feel most at home in a visually chaotic space. Plus, our house is tiny and I’ve got a lot of art. I should also say that this arrangement drives my engineer-brain husband batshit since I pay exactly zero attention to margins, horizontal or vertical alignment, or even consistent framing styles. (Please note, you can certainly create a cohesive look with a salon-style approach by being deliberate about it.)
Jordan Brooks. Degrees of Freedom exhibition, Ames Public Library, Ames, Iowa.
“Degrees of Freedom by Jordan "KNWSLF" Brooks was an inquiry-based art installation as part of Ames Public Library's Juneteenth celebration. All were encouraged to participate by identifying ways the United States has restricted freedom for Black Americans and familiarizing themselves with Black scholars, Black creators, and Black curators of culture reflections on freedom.” - Ames Public Library website
Learn more about Jordan and his work here, and read an interview with him here.
5 Questions to Get You Started Curating Your Space:
How do folks walk into, and around, your space?
Where y’all frequently congregate?
What do you first see or notice in a room, i.e. a large window, a staircase, an extra long wall?
Where are overhead light fixtures located?
**Strategic lighting will ensure that you can actually see the art you love so much.
What wall locations could be the site for anchor points in your room?
***What’s an anchor point?
An anchor point is the most impactful artwork in your space. It can be large, bright, colorful, high contrast, or quiet, and often holds special meaning to you. An anchor point draws considerable attention to a location of a room, either with its size, image, or vibrancy. In other words, it screams at you when you walk in the room, or at least seductively beckons you to investigate. This is the first piece you should place in any given room, and you should place it in a spot that gives it reverence or visibility. Make sure this area is well lit!
Salon style print installation in my studio with, HEY, magnets.
The large painting is the anchor point.
Creating a Meaningful Visual Experience
After considering your space, pull out all the artwork you’d like to showcase. If you have images of each piece, you can simply utilize design software, like Photoshop, to make things a bit easier.
Or you can go old school and just set individual pieces against the walls to get a sense of layout. I have found it easiest to start with placing anchor points*** first, and then build out from there. Place everything first, before you hang anything on the wall. And honestly, I’d encourage you to sleep on it before pulling out your drill and level.
Do I Need New Furniture?
NO. Not unless you actually need new furniture. Granted, I’m a Southerner and Southerners are known for throwing loads of contrasting colors, textures, and antiques together and calling it a medley. It’s visual gumbo. Really, we just like what we like and we figure out how to make it work.
Above all, do whatever feels most comfortable to you, and don’t be afraid to experiment. I’m a firm believer that your home should tell the story of you and your values, so go with your gut over listening to an expert. Just remember that you are creating an experience in the room, not just showcasing art objects.
I love playing around with the ArtRooms app to experiment with different interior and framing possibilities for my own artwork. It’s a little bit addictive.
In case you’ve missed out, be sure to read:
My detail-oriented brother (shout out, Woods!) spent an evening on Photoshop arranging and rearranging his family’s living room art wall until it was *just* right.