How to organise an exhibition at Kuva/Tila and Tasku
Information on what you need to consider when you are planning to organise an exhibition in our exhibition facilities.
There will be a call for exhibitions at Kuva/Tila once a year in the spring, when it is possible to apply for exhibition slots for the next year. The exhibition slots that are available for application last 4-5.5 weeks at Kuva/Tila (which also has a black box) and 3-4 weeks at the Tasku gallery (Kuva/Tila). The time slot includes the installation and takedown of the exhibition.
Call for exhibitions
The calls for exhibitions at Kuva/Tila and Tasku are announced separately by email via the Academy of Fine Arts email lists and on Artsi. Decisions on exhibition slots are made by the division for artistic activities.
After you have been granted an exhibition slot
After being granted an exhibition time slot, the exhibitor must sign an exhibition agreement and then return the document to the production manager.
Meeting with the exhibition team
The exhibitor at Kuva/Tila has a meeting with the exhibition team about a month before the start of the exhibition. In the meeting, the exhibitor presents the exhibition team their more detailed exhibition plan about aspects such as exhibition architecture and structures, necessary AV equipment and possible side programme of events. The meeting participants also agree on the more detailed schedule for the installation and takedown of the exhibition.
Exhibition set-up and takedown
Structures of the exhibition space
If any changes need to be made in the exhibition facilities, the exhibitor should agree on this in their meeting with the exhibition team. If your original plans change, contact the technician in good time so that there is proper time for planning the changes and reserving enough resources for making them. It is not possible to make structural changes in the facilities without agreeing on it with the technician.
AV equipment
Organising exhibitions may require the use of AV equipment, which may be borrowed from the academy as long as the exhibition takes place at the Academy of Fine Arts. Contact the technician to access the Trail booking system and check what equipment is available for your use in the exhibition and what their technical features are. Make sure that the necessary AV equipment is available on time and book the equipment by contacting the technician. Contact the technician also if you have any other questions about technical equipment.
If necessary, you can also ask to borrow AV equipment from the equipment storage of the subject area of time and space.
Transport, installation and lighting
The exhibitor is personally responsible for transporting the works, and the Academy of Fine Arts does not have transport equipment. The production and technical team can help in budgeting transport expenses, if needed. The Academy of Fine Arts cannot offer temporary storage facilities. The transport of works and moving of the AV equipment to the exhibition facilities is agreed in advance.
Set-up and installation of works is done in cooperation with the technician and possible extra technical staff. The lighting for the exhibition is set up together with the technician at the same time as when the works are installed. If you have special wishes concerning lighting for your exhibition, contact the technician in good time to discuss the matter.
Exhibition takedown
Exhibitions close on Sundays at 18:00, which is when the exhibition takedown begins. The exhibition takedown is the exhibitor’s responsibility. Any work that requires technical help and the use of hoists will be done on Monday in the presence of the technician or extra technical staff. The exhibition must be taken down and the works that require transport must be packed and taken in the vicinity of the loading dock by Monday evening. The entire space is emptied, and any marks on the wall are fixed and painted over on Monday.
Communication about exhibitions
Exhibitions taking place in the Kuva/Tila gallery are announced on the gallery’s website and on the academy’s social media platforms, and there will be poster stands that show the way to the gallery space. The exhibitor is responsible for compiling a description of the exhibition and sending it to the communications team in good time before the exhibition.
During the exhibition
Exhibitions are open to the public from Tuesday to Sunday at 11–18. Opening events take place on Thursday evenings at 17–19.
The exhibitor is responsible for the gallery space during their own exhibition. During the exhibition, any side programme of activities and events taking place in the space is the responsibility of the exhibitor and agreed with the producers on a case-by-case basis. The facilities team must be informed of public events at least 4 weeks prior to the event, and the event must be approved by the production manager or the dean. It is best to discuss the possibility of events at the earliest stage possible so that the most important aspects are taken into consideration and so that no practical problems come up that could prevent the event. The exhibitor can ask for the communications team’s support in the marketing.
The exhibitor takes care of their own exhibition materials, such as lists of works, handouts and possible labels for works.
A cleaning company goes to the facilities twice a week to handle the general cleaning of the gallery space. At other times, it is the exhibitor’s responsibility to take care of daily tidying up and rearranging and taking out the trash.
Exhibition supervision
The exhibitor is responsible for overseeing the exhibition facilities in accordance with the opening hours (Tue-Sun from 11:00 to 18:00). The exhibitor is also responsible for overseeing and closing the space on the opening day of the exhibition. The producer is informed of the list of exhibition attendants for each day by the day of the opening. The attendants must take part in an attendant info meeting that is agreed with the producer to hear about the practices in place in the space. The exhibition attendant counts and writes down the daily numbers of visitors on a form in the attendant’s documents.
Insurance
The exhibition facilities are insured by Uniarts Helsinki. The amount insured is 60,000 euros, and the deductible is 200 euros. The exhibitor may choose to personally take out a separate insurance for their works.
Sales
The exhibitor is responsible for the selling, invoicing and delivering of the works to the buyer. The Academy of Fine Arts does not charge commission on possible sales, and it is not involved in the sales in other ways, either.
Documentation
If the exhibitor wants to document the exhibition so that they can use the material later or if they need it for their thesis project, they must take care of the documentation themselves. The Academy of Fine Arts may document the exhibition and use the related photos in the university’s core activities, i.e. teaching, research, communication, library and archive activities.