If portfolios give insight into your practice, exhibitions translate your thought process and intentions into more easily digestible forms for a wide audience.
While proposals are not necessary if you’re appealing to a gallery as an artist, they may be if you have a supporting exhibition in mind, or if you’re a curator. An easy way to get started with one, is to treat it as the first of many iterations. The goal is to provide an overall concept and framework that depicts the concept of the show and include supporting research., This may develop or change over time.
The structure of proposals mimic that of portfolios, with a heavy emphasis on the exhibition’s curatorial text. An exhibition brief should also include artist or work statements that relate to the curator’s intentions. Galleries tend to put forth exhibitions by independent curators, which presents opportunities to work with someone who is able to contextualise your work within a more extensive, more academic scope. So, keep in mind that collaborating with one might be the most effective option.
Portfolio and proposal preparations take time, so develop them with thought, but also, have fun with it!