Exhibiting, rights and capstone: a fine art project

This final lesson brings the course together. It looks at where and how fine art photographers show work, the fees and agreements involved, how to plan editions and prices, and the moral rights that protect the integrity of your work once it leaves the studio. It then sets out the capstone: a resolved body of work, edited, sequenced, printed, written about and planned for exhibition, presented for critique. VIS-410 covers careers, portfolios and grant writing in depth; this lesson focuses on exhibiting a specific body of work and on the rights that attach to it.

Where fine art photography is shown

Photographers show work in many kinds of spaces, each with its own expectations.

• Public galleries and museums: funded by governments, donors and memberships, they organize curated exhibitions and build collections.
• Artist-run centers and non-profit spaces: smaller organizations, often run by artists, that show experimental and emerging work and are often an artist's first significant exhibition venue.
• Commercial galleries: private businesses that represent artists, show their work and sell it, usually taking a commission on sales.
• Festivals: photography festivals present many exhibitions across a city for a period of weeks, often with open calls, portfolio reviews and talks.
• University and college galleries: spaces attached to schools that show students, faculty and visiting artists.
• Alternative and temporary venues: storefronts, outdoor sites, libraries, community centers, billboards and online platforms.

Exhibiting in Canada and the United States

In the United States, there is no general statutory exhibition right, and the range of venues relies more on private philanthropy and earned income than on public funding. Non-profit alternative spaces, many of them registered charitable organizations, play a role similar to Canadian artist-run centers, alongside university galleries and museums. Artist fees for exhibitions are not set by law and historically have often been small or unpaid. The New York-based organization W.A.G.E. (Working Artists and the Greater Economy) has promoted paying artist fees and runs a certification program for non-profits that commit to paying fees at or above its published minimums. Public funding comes from sources such as the National Endowment for the Arts and state and local arts agencies. Artists should ask about fees, production support and shipping costs before agreeing to an exhibition.

Exhibition agreements

Whatever the venue, put the arrangement in writing. A clear exhibition agreement protects both artist and venue and prevents misunderstandings. It usually covers the following.

• Dates of the exhibition, installation and removal.
• The works to be shown and who selects them.
• Fees payable to the artist and when they are paid.
• Who pays for production, framing, shipping, installation and insurance.
• Insurance coverage while works are in transit and on display, and the values used.
• Sales, if any: who handles them, prices and commission.
• Rights to reproduce images of the work for publicity and documentation, with credit.
• Responsibilities for damage, loss and condition reports.

CARFAC and other artists' organizations publish sample agreements and guidance. Read every agreement carefully and ask questions about anything unclear.

Editions

Fine art photographs are usually sold in limited editions so that buyers know how many prints of an image at a given size will exist. An edition might be, for example, five prints plus two artist's proofs (APs), which the artist keeps or sells later. Each print is usually signed and numbered, such as 2/5, and accompanied by a certificate of authenticity giving title, date, size, paper, edition number and the artist's signature.

Edition decisions should be made before selling and recorded carefully. Common approaches include different edition sizes at different print sizes, with smaller editions at larger sizes, and stepped pricing, in which the price rises as the edition sells out. Once an edition is declared, do not print more at that size; breaking an edition damages trust with collectors and galleries.

The prices above are illustrative only. Real prices depend on the artist's career stage, exhibition and sales history, the market in which they show, production costs and gallery advice. Emerging artists are often advised to price modestly and consistently, and to raise prices gradually as demand and recognition grow.

Moral rights

Copyright gives economic rights, such as the right to reproduce a work. Moral rights protect the personal connection between artists and their works: the right to be associated with the work and the right to have its integrity respected. Canada and the United States treat moral rights quite differently, especially for photographs.

In the United States, moral rights for visual art are provided by the Visual Artists Rights Act of 1990 (VARA), codified at 17 U.S.C. section 106A, alongside some state laws. VARA applies only to a "work of visual art" as defined in the Copyright Act. For photographs, that means a still photographic image produced for exhibition purposes only, existing in a single copy signed by the author or in a limited edition of 200 copies or fewer, signed and consecutively numbered. Works made for hire, and photographs made for other purposes such as advertising or publication, are excluded. VARA gives rights of attribution and integrity, including the right to prevent intentional distortion, mutilation or modification that would be prejudicial to the artist's honor or reputation. For works created on or after its effective date in 1991, the rights last for the artist's life. They cannot be transferred but can be waived in a signed written instrument that specifies the work and uses. Many photographs, including most editorial and commercial images, fall outside VARA's protection.

Planning an exhibition of a body of work

Planning starts long before installation. Typical milestones include confirming the venue and agreement, finalizing the edit and sequence, test printing and ordering final prints, framing, preparing labels and wall text, arranging shipping and insurance, coordinating publicity, installing and lighting, holding an opening or talk, documenting the installation, and deinstalling. Many photographers work backwards from the opening date, allowing several weeks for printing and framing and extra time for problems.

An illustrative production budget for a body of work

Funding for a body of work may come from your own resources, sales, arts council grants, residencies, commissions or crowdfunding. VIS-410 covers grant writing; here, the point is that a clear budget makes any funding request realistic.

The capstone project

The capstone asks you to complete a resolved body of fine art photographic work that demonstrates everything in this course. It should be a personal project developed over the term, built on the concept, research and development work from lessons 1 to 3, using a deliberate visual strategy from lesson 4 and an ethical approach from lesson 5.

The capstone package includes the following.

• A final series of 12 to 24 images, edited and sequenced, presented as prints, a book dummy or an exhibition installation.
• A project statement of about 150 to 250 words and a short biography.
• A sequencing rationale with a rhythm chart.
• An exhibition plan with a wall layout, hanging heights, spacing, print sizes and presentation choices, plus a budget.
• A critique log recording feedback from at least two Critical Response Process sessions and how you responded.
• An ethics file documenting consent, permissions and any community protocols followed.
• A short reflective essay on what you learned and what comes next.

After the course

A finished body of work is a beginning. Document the installation, update your website and portfolio, send the work to festivals, publishers and open calls, keep a critique group going, and start research for the next project. PHOT-430 develops the photobook; VIS-410 covers careers, grants and portfolios. Many photographers find that their next project grows from questions the last one raised.