The Phillips Museum of Art
Exhibition Proposal & Planning Guidelines
We look forward to working with you on your exhibition proposal.
Below are guidelines that will assist in the process of developing
an exhibition.
Developing an exhibition for installation in The Phillips Museum of
Art is a three-step process:
1. Developing a proposal that outlines the theme, scope, installation
plan and budgetary needs for your proposed exhibition.
2. Review of your proposal by the advisory exhibitions committee.
3. Developing a comprehensive exhibition plan with museum staff
that outlines deliverables and deadlines.
In general, only the curriculum gallery is available for exhibitions of
student art or course-related research. Demand is high and space
is limited, so please submit your proposals at least one year in
advance, and in some instances for exhibitions involving loans from
external institutions, plan on two years in advance, depending on
the lender.
Step 1. Your preliminary exhibition proposal must include
the following information:
EXHIBITION FRAMEWORK / CONCEPT
 Exhibition title, themes, description of the department/s
associated with the exhibition, name of class, and how the
exhibition relates to coursework, and any online components.
ACTUAL WORKS AND INSTALLATION NEEDS
 This may be provisional, but try to estimate number, media,
size, whether or not the objects are framed and an idea of
installation needs (i.e. extra walls, cases, stands, pedestals,
screens, etc.)
WORKS ON LOAN FROM OTHER INSTITUTIONS

Provide information in the proposal regarding potential
lenders, shipping costs and other special considerations
related to the loan of works. If you intend to borrow
works from other institutions or private individuals, plan
two years in advance as many museums require long lead
times.
PROGRAMMING & EDUCATION
 Describe the talks, tours, and invited speakers related to the
exhibition. Describe how they correlate with the curriculum.
 How will the exhibition be used in teaching or related to
coursework? Which other faculty members and community
partners would be interested in the exhibition?
SCHEDULE
 When will works and objects be available?
 How much time will be needed for installation?
 What is the planned duration of the exhibition?
 When would the opening reception and other programming
be held?
BUDGET

Please estimate your budget requirements and potential
sources of funds, pending approval of a finalized budget for
the comprehensive exhibition planning phase. A budget
worksheet has been attached for your convenience.
FUNDING:
 What sources of external funding have you identified?
(Academic innovation, department, provost’s office, grants,
etc.)
After this preliminary proposal has been reviewed, the museum
staff may contact you for further information or clarification. After
the exhibition has been reviewed by CEAC and approved by the
museum, comprehensive exhibition planning can proceed,
including a schedule for installation, text production, and publicity.
Step 2.The Exhibition Plan:
Once the proposal is approved, museum staff will collaborate
closely with guest curators to develop a comprehensive exhibition
plan including a budget, the list of deliverables, schedules and
installation plans. Failure to provide key deliveries within the
agreed upon schedule may result in cancellation of the exhibition
by the museum. The museum will
work with the curator throughout the process but the museum
reserves the final right to approve and edit all deliverables.
DETAILED EXHIBITION CHECKLIST
 Include title, artist, media, and a description of the objects
 Framing or other installation descriptions and dimensions
 Name of owner and credit line
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF DISPLAY NEEDS
 All objects must be exhibition ready (matted, framed, in
stable physical condition)
 Provide a detailed description of the number and types of
pedestals, cases, special wall mounting needs, special security
mounts required
 Digital media required such as video monitors, computer or
iPad installation, etc.
 This information should be provided 6 months in advance of
the opening date
INSTALLATION PLAN
 To be submitted and approved at least 12 weeks prior to
opening
 Complex installation may require more lead time
 Provide information regarding the layout of objects, location
of moveable walls, vinyl title, wall texts, wall color etc. (rough
drawings are fine)
 Installation schedule, to be approved by museum staff
o Painting schedule
o Delivery and unpacking
o Condition reporting of objects on loan by museum staff
o Laying out objects in galleries, installation and lighting
exhibition
o De-installation, condition reporting, packing and pickup
dates
o Note: Agreed schedules are rigid. Any deviation must
be approved by museum staff
 Museum installations are to be completed at least 24 hours
before the formal opening or preview time to allow a final
walk-through by the staff.
WALL TEXT AND LABELS
 All labels must conform to the museum’s Exhibition Label
Guidelines (attached)
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Must be submitted at least 6 weeks before start of the
exhibition
The museum will review all label text and reserves the last
right to edit labels
Museum staff will consult guest curators during the editing
process
Museum will print basic object labels & text panels up to 11 x
14” on plain paper
Specialty labels and text panels will be printed at a
professional copy/print shop and added to the exhibition
budget
LOAN DOCUMENTS
 The museum’s Collection Manager will negotiate external
loans and will oversee the necessary paperwork
 All loans from external collectors and institutions must be
approved by the Director
SHIPPING
 Crating and appraisal dates
 Parties responsible for appraisal fees, crating fees, shipping
fees and insurance both from and to lender
 Return dates for pickup and delivery
 The Exhibitions Coordinator/Designer will oversee all
shipping logistics
MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS
 Curators will be required to submit text for a press release 12
weeks in advance of exhibition opening to allow for review
and editing by the Office of College Communications
 Curators will be required to submit text and images for
posters and postcards, as well as the final programming
schedule 12 weeks in advance of exhibition opening
 The museum and Office of College Communications must be
alerted about all media visits

Copyrights permissions must be secured for all images,
music, film and other media to be used for print, web or
gallery use. The Collections Manager will assist in ensuring
the necessary copyright has been secured. There may be
copyright fees.
PROGRAMS
 Description, dates and times of programs
 What courses the programs will relate to
 Anticipated number of attendees
 Layout for event: theater style, panel setups, powerpoint
presentation, etc...
 Number of gallery attendants required during the event
 For guest speakers include the following:
o Biographical information for publicity
o Requirements for honorarium, reimbursement for
traveling, lodging and food
o Dates guest will be on campus
o Technology needs of speaker, including presentation
software
 Budget and sources of funding for reception-including linens,
bartender fees, and delivery charges
 List of VIP invitees
BUDGET
 The guest curator must provide a detailed budget including
sources of funding to be approved by the museum’s Director
 A budget worksheet is attached
 Museum staff can assist in compiling budget estimates based
on past experience
DE-INSTALLATION
It is the guest curator’s responsibility to work with museum staff
and to see the exhibition through to completion, which includes:
 De-installation and return of loaned works
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Picking up any objects or loaned materials provided by guest
curator in prompt manner
Ensuring gallery is returned to its pre-exhibition state
Label Guidelines:
The Phillips Museum of Art considers appropriate labeling of
collections on exhibit an essential component of its mission to
share information and to educate the visiting public.
Labels shall balance conflicting objectives of providing ample
information without intruding unnecessarily into the visitor’s
experience with the works on display. Text shall be written for
ready comprehension by an interested and educated reader with the
assumption the reader does not have a specialist background or
knowledge. The museum reserves the right to edit all exhibition
texts and will consult with the curator during the editing process.
The museum generally uses a conventional serif typeface such as
Times New Roman: 14-16 point font for tombstone and extended
object labels. 18-20 point font for text panels depending on text
and layout. A legible sans serif may be used when the exhibition
style requires it.
There are several types of labels in an exhibition:
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Vinyl exhibit and thematic titles
Wall texts (used to introduce the main exhibit idea, and
subthemes)
Object labels
Extended object labels
Wall texts:
 Introduces the main exhibition idea
 Defines exhibition sub-themes and introduce exhibition
sections
 300 words or less
 May include images, maps or other graphics if copyright
allows
Object labels:
 Should accompany each object
 Provides basic information such as what, who, where, when:
o Object title or name
o Artist or maker, and (artist’s or maker’s birth and death
date) Nationality
o Place of origin, year or date range of origin
o Materials
o Credit line
o Accession number (if part of the permanent collection)
 Notes to label format:
o The age of living artists shall be identified by “b.”
followed by the year of birth. Unknown dates and/or
nationality shall be recorded as “dates unknown” or
“nationality unknown”).
o An approximate date of origin may be expressed as “c.”
followed by a single year, if not expressed as a date
range.
o Credit line shall identify the source of the object as
“Loaned by”, “Bequest of”, “Gift of”, or “Purchase”,
the last including additional identification of funding
sources if necessary.
Extended object labels:
 For certain objects, the curator may want to provide extended
explanatory text with certain objects.
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We do not suggest providing extended labels for each object,
as visitors are likely to experience fatigue.
Explanatory text should range from 50 to no more than 100
words
Temporary and other special exhibits introduce circumstances that
may alter these guidelines. If a group of objects share the same
artist, credit line, or other information, there is no need to repeat
that information on numerous labels. However, that information
should be made available to the visitor in an obvious place and
format within the exhibit area. Similarly, an intention of a
temporary exhibit may be to present objects without any labeling.
If so, such an intention should be disclosed to the visitor in an
obvious place and format in order to enhance the visitor’s
experience.
Exhibition Budget Worksheet
The museum staff is able to assist in the development of the
budget.
Installation
$______Paint
$______Paint contractor. Estimate for Rothman Gallery (museum
will obtain)
$______Matting and framing works
$______Stands for 3-D objects. The museum has some pedestals,
cases, and object stands
$______
Programming
$______Opening Reception
$______Invited Speaker honorarium
$______Invited Speaker mileage or travel reimbursement
$______Invited Speaker food and lodging
Printing Costs
$0 Museum printed small wall text less than 11 x 14 “ and objects
labels printed on office grade white paper mounted on white mat
board.
$______Large text panels, graphic labels, laminated panels and
higher quality labels need to be printed at a sign/print shop
$______Posters
$______Postcards
Loans from Private Collector or other Institution
$______Loan fee. Some institutions will charge for a loan fee plus for
other incidental expenses, such as rewiring the work, inspecting it
for travel, and acquiring an updated appraisal for insurance
purposes. Be sure to ask for a list of fees associated with the loan.
$______Crating fee. Is the lender charging a packing/crating fee?
$______Shipping fee
$______Is the lender going to insure the loan? If so, what is the cost
for insurance?
$______Are there any copyright fees for use of copyrighted images
for print and web usage?