Communication guidelines for gallery exhibitors
Communication guidelines for students who are organising an exhibition in the Academy of Fine Arts' own gallery spaces as well as in the spaces of partners.
The exhibition communication services at the Academy of Fine Arts are primarily aimed at exhibitions that have been granted exhibition time at Kuva/Tila and Tasku by the Artistic Activities Working Group
The basis for communication planning is the information provided by the exhibitor in the exhibition application, on the basis of which the exhibition time has been granted.
When it comes to communications, the academy’s exhibition year is divided into three seasons: autumn season (September-December), spring season (January-May) and summer exhibitions (June-August). During the summer season, communication services are limited due to the summer holidays.
Kuva/Tila
The academy’s communications coordinator contacts the exhibitor about 1–1,5 months before the opening of the exhibition.
The exhibitor should prepare to provide the following information for the communications:
- the title of the exhibition
- artists’ names
- presentation of the exhibition’s content for the website
- If there are events associated with your exhibition, send detailed information about them, as well: date and venue, participants, presentation of the event, duration, language. (Note that the events must be agreed with the producer first.)
- Image, preferably an art work image. Include work credits/photographer. The visual communication of the exhibitions in Kuva/Tila follow the visual guidelines of the Uniarts Helsinki’s event marketing, and it is carried out by KuvA’s graphic designer. The image therefore cannot be the finished look of the exhibition and it cannot contain text.
Tasku
The basis for communication planning is the information provided by the exhibitor in the exhibition application, on the basis of which the exhibition time has been granted.
The exhibitor will submit the following information to the academy’s communications team no later than a week before the opening:
- Title of the exhibition
- Name of the artist/members of the working group
- Presentation of the content of the exhibition
- Brief artist biography
- Contact information: link to artist website and/or social media accounts
- If there are events associated with your exhibition, send detailed information about them, as well: date, time and venue, participants, presentation of the event, duration, language. (NB. The event details need to be discussed with the academy’s producer first).
- 1–2 images + work credits (title, year, technique, size/duration) and the photographer’s name. Select the image you want us to use in all communications
- Also inform us of possible exceptional opening conditions (discuss this with the producer first)
- If you create a Facebook event send the link to KuvA’s communications person so we can add it to academy’s Fb page
If possible, submit the material in both Finnish and English. Unfortunately, the academy’s communications team does not offer translation services.
The exhibitor takes care of compiling the list of works. The exhibitor is responsible for possible exhibition text and translation. Please use design templates for poster and exhibition text/work list.
Tasku’s exhibitions and openings are included in the Kuva/Tila opening invitation if the opening event is on the same date.
The academy’s communications team takes care of the external and internal communication of the exhibition in Uniarts Helsinki’s own communication channels. If you want, you can send the opening invitation to internal email lists yourself.
Kaiku
The exhibitor is responsible for the communication of Kaiku gallery’s exhibitions. Note that Kaiku is aimed at internal audiences, i.e. it is not generally open to people outside of Uniarts Helsinki.
Exhibition collaborations
Communication for exhibitions outside the Academy of Fine Arts is usually the responsibility of the partner, unless otherwise agreed. The communication staff of the Academy of Fine Arts can add the event to its own communication channels at its discretion.
Kuvan Kevät
The communication and marketing campaign of the Kuvan Kevät master’s degree exhibition is implemented according to a separate plan. The exhibition has its own marketing budget. In recent years, the campaign has included marketing e.g. on social media, outdoors and on public transport and on the hs.fi platform.
Frequently asked questions
Website
The main platform for exhibition-related communications is the website of Kuva/Tila Gallery. The communications team updates the Kuva/Tila website and the event calendar on the uniarts.fi website with the latest information on exhibitions taking place at Kuva/Tila for each exhibition season.
Invitations to openings
We use digital invitations in connection with exhibitions taking place in the main hall of Kuva/Tila. The communications team sends an invitation about 1.5 weeks before the opening to the exhibition guest list. The invitation must include the opening hours and a brief description of the exhibition. Invitations are written in Finnish and English. Each invitation has a banner image, which can depict the artwork or be an edited version of the poster for the exhibition.
The exhibition at Tasku Gallery is also mentioned in the opening invitation if its opening falls on the same day.
Visual look of the exhibition
The visual look designed for Uniarts Helsinki’s event marketing is used in the communications and marketing for all exhibitions at Kuva/Tila. The visual look for an exhibition in the main hall is designed by the Academy of Fine Arts graphic designer after consulting the guidelines for event marketing. There are templates available for a poster, for example, for the use of the small space.
Poster
The graphic designer of the Academy of Fine Arts designs a poster for the A-stand (70x100cm) at Kuva/Tila. The posters (2 in total) are printed at the Academy of Fine Arts PrintLab.
The artist/working group is responsible for posters for Tasku Gallery. Use the design templates. Printed products must have the Academy of Fine Arts logo. The templates have the logos in their correct positions. If you want a larger print run of posters, you need to pay for the expenses yourself. You can use your thesis project grant for the expenses if the prints are for your master’s thesis project exhibition.
Material in the gallery
The possible exhibition info text and artist presentations are the responsibility of the exhibitor. The exhibitor is responsible for preparing a list of featured works. If you wish to have signs next to the artwork instead of a listing of featured works, contact the producer of the exhibition well in advance. The academy’s graphic designer designs the signs.
Wall and window tapings
If you need wall or window tapings, agree on the matter with the producer in good time. Plan the place for the wall text in good time. Suitable places include the inside of the Kuva/Tila door and the wall between the windows. If you need the communications team’s help with preparing or proofreading the wall text, contact them well in advance. The academy’s graphic designer designs the layout of the tapings.
Social media
Information on exhibitions is posted on the social media platforms of Uniarts Helsinki and Uniarts Helsinki’s Academy of Fine Arts. If you are an active IG user, tag @uniartshelsinki in your post so that the communications team can share your post in Uniarts Helsinki’s IG stories. The Instagram account of Kuva/Tila (@kuvatila.uniarts) is managed by the producers of the Academy of Fine Arts.
The exhibitor can have an Instagram takeover of Uniarts Helsinki’s account at a time that suits them best before the exhibition or during it. If you are interested in taking over and updating the university’s account as a guest, contact the communications team in good time so that you get the dates that you hope for. Takeover guests will be paid a remuneration for their updates.
Press release and media
We mainly work with the Finnish media, for example via printed releases, internet, radio and television. The communications team prepares a press release if the topic meets the news criteria and has the potential of attracting interest in the media.
The communications team sends a media release on all the exhibitions scheduled for the season in the beginning of the exhibition season. If a press release is made of an individual exhibition, the Academy of Fine Arts communications team will prepare it based on the material provided by the exhibitor.
Event calendars
The Academy of Fine Arts communications team sends out the info on exhibitions for the event pages in the Helsingin Sanomat newspaper and to other event calendars, as well, if those are considered necessary.
Translations
We recommend that you submit the material to the communications team in English, too, in addition to Finnish. Unfortunately, the Academy of Fine Arts communications team does not provide translation services.
Photography
The exhibitor is asked to send a few press photos, along with details of the work and the photographer, to the communications team in advance. If your exhibition has installations or if your works are not finished until right before the exhibition, the academy’s photographer will take the press photos as soon as the set-up is ready. The communications team arranges the photo sessions with the photographer. Exhibitors themselves are in charge of possible documentation of their exhibition.
Design templates
- Download a Word template for the exhibition info text (coming up later)
- Download a list of works (coming up later)
- Download a poster template for Tasku
- Download a gallery map (coming up later)
- Download a CV template (coming up later)
More information
Stella Sironen, Communications planning officer, stella.sironen@uniarts.fi, 050 3251358
Petri Summanen, Photographer, Graphic designer, petri.summanen@uniarts.fi, 050 3871320