What I learned from putting together an art exhibition in Chelsea

Stephanie Eche looking at her artwork | Photography by Brian Schutza

This past month I had an art show up at High Line Nine in Chelsea, NYC. This was a huge opportunity for me to have my artwork viewed in a physical space and in a neighborhood known for art. The show was curated by High Line Nine and also featured fashion designer Teddy Von Ranson and interiors designers STIL NY. The result was a mix of fashion, interior design, and soft sculpture artwork. 

How did I get this opportunity? 

A lot of friends and colleagues have asked me how this art show came about. Here’s how: Earlier this year, I went to the Dona Nelson exhibition at Thomas Erben Gallery in Chelsea. I was both impressed and frustrated by the show. I loved the work, but I also felt like it manifested a lot of ideas I’ve had about mixed media. I felt a little deflated. Why make work if it’s already been done? How could I create new shapes and forms using similar materials? Will I ever create something worthwhile? I think these are all normal thoughts that artists (or anyone really) has when they see something they like. It’s motivation to keep trying with a sharp sting that so much as already been done. 

After the show I really had to go to the bathroom. I went to one of my favorite coffee shops, La Colombe, hoping that a cappuccino purchase would earn me entry to their restroom. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, this was not the case. Cappuccino in hand, I kept wandering around Chelsea in search of a bathroom. 

Eventually I wandered into High Line Nine, a tunnel-like collection of art galleries that literally sits underneath the High Line. I had never been to High Line Nine before and I was impressed by both the space and the artwork on view. Towards the end of the hall there was one room with a giant painting by Nicolas V Sanchez. Only after I wandered into the room did I realize there was someone sitting at a desk in the middle of the room. I asked her what that room was, if it was another gallery, and she said it was actually the office of High Line Nine. We chatted about the space and I asked for her card (she was the Executive Director of the space). She had run out of cards so she said she could just email me, which she did. Later that day I emailed her with a link to my artwork and a note that I was looking to do some large-scale fiber work.

I completely forgot about this interaction until a few months later when she reached out to see if I would be interested in collaborating with a fashion designer on a pop-up show. That’s how it happened.

View Available Artwork from Ocean Meets Sky

Detail shot of Handmade Landscape: Ocean Meets Sky by Stephanie Eche | Photography by Brian Schutza

What I learned from putting together an art exhibition in Chelsea

Through this project, I learned about my own art practice and what it takes to put together an art exhibition. Here are my top takeaway lessons:

1. It’s important to wander 

One of my favorite things to do is to wander, especially in NYC. However, living in a pandemic world where ‘always be hustling’ is still an acceptable slogan, I often feel like I’m wasting time if I am just wandering. I think this is actually not the case. When you wander you see new things, meet new people, and expand your sense of what is possible. I will make it a point to wander aimlessly more often. 

2. Always follow up

Now that we are going places in person again, albeit masked, it’s important to remember that following up is the most important thing we can do if we meet someone with whom we want to build a relationship. This is important even if we meet someone online. I often get excited from a new connection, online or in person, but then forget to do anything about it later. Following up does not mean something will happen, but it does become the start of a relationship that will form over time, which will increase the possibilities of something happening in the future.

Jubilee by Stephanie Eche | Photography by Brian Schutza

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3. Treat every opportunity like a real opportunity 

When I was asked to have my artwork accompany someone’s clothing in a pop-up shop I first thought it sounded a little bit lame. Why would I want to be on the wall like a sideshow act? How would a fitting room affect the experience of viewing my work? On second thought, I realized that having the opportunity to let people view my artwork in real life is a huge, real art opportunity, if I made it one. Instead of just putting up work I had already made, I decided to make a whole collection of new work, with new inspiration that worked with the overall theme of the pop-up shop. I spent time thinking about colors, reading related content, playing with materials. I spent hours and hours dyeing my fibers, playing with shapes, and creating the collection. I got feedback on pricing and on my curatorial statement. I researched how to display my work and how to make a price sheet. I treated the opportunity to have my artwork as part of a pop-up shop as a real art exhibition, and because of that I got to have a real art exhibition. I also create two collaborative pieces: one is a custom blazer with Teddy von Ranson, another is a weaving using leftover fabric from STIL NY blankets. 

Some things that made me feel like this was a real art show:

  • Writing a curatorial statement

  • Prepping a price sheet

  • Making a post card for the show

  • Getting the show photographed

  • Reaching out to art writers and art friends to write about the show

  • Inviting my supporters to the opening (and having an opening)

4.Having an art show is an investment in my art career

Even though it was free to show my work (the gallery took 40% of sales), there were actually many costs involved to get my work created and exhibited. These costs will vary from show to show, and most galleries will cover at least some of these costs. In this case, I had to cover all of the costs myself, which was painful, but something that I am viewing as an investment instead of a waste of money. I also made a budget ahead of fully committing to the opportunity so that I was aware of what I would likely spend. 

Here are the things I spent money on to put up the show:

While I made some sales, I did not come even close to covering the cost of putting up the show. Why is this ok with me? Well, my main goals were to: have my art viewed in person, have amazing photographs of my work, and create new work. I accomplished all of these goals and I have artwork that can still be purchased. You can view all of my available artwork on Artfare or in my art shop. 

Knowing what it cost to put on a show makes me less scared to put on a show by myself in the future. It also helped me quickly put together a budget for an art grant that I recently got for a group art show I’m doing with some friends at my house in October. 

Estuary, Skipping Rocks, and Arroyo by Stephanie Eche | Photography by Brian Schutza

5. Parameters, and a deadline, make everything easier

I like to use a variety of materials and colors in my artwork, especially when I am just starting with new work and experimenting. Because the timeline to create work for this show was so short, I had to quickly decide on what materials I needed to create my work, so I created a set of parameters for my materials and colors. These parameters were informed by my research and inspiration for the show, which included water access and the effects of dyeing, the garment industry, and capitalism on water. Narrowing my materials down to mainly cotton and my colors down to white and indigo helped me focus on the forms and content of the work and not get lost in all the possibilities of materials and techniques. 

After viewing the space and talking to the designers in the show about inspiration and layout, I sketched out my ideas for the types of work and number of pieces I would make. While somethings changed in the making, this plan for where the work would live in the space really helped me to focus on the work at hand instead of trying to make too many things that wouldn’t even fit into the show. I thought about size and price points so that I wouldn’t get bored and so that the viewer would have a variety of things to look at and potentially purchase.

My artwork sketches overlaid on STILNY’s shop rendering.

I also made a plan for making the work that included time to research, play, dye, make, reflect, title, price, and install. Breaking down the big project into steps made it much more realistic and forced me to move through the steps even if I was feeling stuck or insecure. Having a deadline of when I needed to install the work forced me to stay on track, even if I wavered from the timeline (which I did). I somehow whipped up a last minute weaving and solved problems in my work that normally would take me weeks because I was determined to have the work in the show. 

I created 13 soft sculptures that ranged from small to large, flat to spherical, and minimalist to maximalist. I love every piece in this collection and I am excited for them to all find homes! 

If you don’t have a show coming up, you can still create your own parameters and deadlines to push yourself to create a new collection of artwork. I have two art shows coming up and I hope to replicate this process to create new collections of work. The first is an art residency and show at eeeee in Mexico City and the second is the group art show in my house in October that I’m planning with a few friends.

Overall, I learned that when I focus on something, I can make it happen. This seems like a very silly takeaway, but this knowledge makes more more confident in my work as an artist.

What have you learned from putting together an art exhibition?

Read a review of Handmade Landscapes: Ocean Meets Sky by Katherine Earle on Art Spiel “Overflowing Skies: Stephanie Eche at High Line Nine”. 

Detail of Agua/Cielo by Stephanie Eche | Photography by Brian Schutza

STUDIO NOTESStephanie Echeart, art exhibition, chelsea, ocean meets sky