Whether you sell your work, exhibit in galleries, or get accepted into competitions, remember that your brand goes beyond your piece of artwork. The presentation of your art reflects your brand as much as your artwork does.

When shipping work to a competition or gallery, be very mindful of their presentation direction if they have any. If they don’t, follow professional practices when preparing your work for display.

1. If matting your work, it is recommended you use neutrals. If a single mat, use a white or off white. If double matting, the inner mat could be a darker neutral than the top mat and the top mat should still be a white or off white. Also, when matting your work, if you can afford it, use matboard with acid-free front and backing and an acid-free core. If this is beyond your means, at least use matboard with acid free backing. Use a good mat cutter to ensure your corners are straight and not over-cut. When mounting the work, use archival tapes or materials. Curators I have spoken with discourage the paper tapes as they have seen many artworks dislodge during shipping. I personally use clear mounting corners (https://www.dickblick.com/products/lineco-archival-mounting-corners). I place them on all four corners of the work on my backing board but leave enough space to allow the work to expand and contract as needed without buckling. Speaking of buckling, if taping your work onto the backing board or cut mat, tape only the top of the work securely. Taping more than one side can cause buckling should the work expand or contract.
2. When glazing your artwork, there are several options: Plexiglas, regular glass, non-glare glass, UV protection glass, museum glass, etc. When shipping artwork, I have found most, if not all, competitions and many galleries accept Plexiglas only. It is lightweight and unbreakable, but it can scratch easily. If the desire is to use glass, museum glass is preferred as it is clear, non-glare, and UV resistant. It is, however, expensive. Regular non-glare glass could be an option but, keep in mind that, if your artwork is matted or double-matted, the image may appear slightly frosted or out of focus.
3. This comes from a curator I know and chat with often. When using framing points to secure your work into your frame, don’t use the flexible points if you intend to ship your work. In the handling and transportation of the artwork, the jostling can cause the points to bend and the artwork and glazing to fall out of the frame or come loose. Use the rigid points instead.
4. If your artwork is a work on paper or a matted work, I recommend sealing the entire back of the work once framed to prevent dust, hair, or insects from getting into the artwork. I use two-sided tape along the entire edge of the frame and then I use white paper to close the entire back of the work. To cut the paper, I hold a razor blade at a 45-degree angle and cut along the entire edge of the frame. This cuts the backing paper at about 1/16” inside from the edge of the frame, making the paper invisible from the front. Ensure the paper is flat and taut. If needed, a light spray of water after sealing can tighten the paper.

In my next post, I’ll discuss framing…