If you are an artist on Oahu did you know that Ho`omaluhia has a rail hanging system that uses perlon/fish line to help hang heavy work over the acoustic tile walls? You may have noticed that if you use a single nail for a heavy piece, the piece falls off the wall, sometimes damaging the wall or the artwork in the process. I wanted to offer a printable reference for the artists who are planning to hang art shows at Ho`omaluhia because I have noticed and been told that a couple of art pieces have been falling from virtually every show lately because it’s humid and we forgot to use the rail system or didn’t know the walls were so brittle in certain places. I am hoping this can fill in some gaps and help bring artists who are new to the islands or new to the venue get the information they need to plan a show that will stay on the wall. It’s trickier than you might initially think!
Here’s the guide:
How to install an art show at Ho`omaluhia
Most artists forgot that there is a rail system and since it blends in, it stopped being useful. We need to revive its use and help each other avoid damage to our art.
To use the guide, I suggest printing a copy to use as a checklist for supplies and then as reference at the gallery. Before you go, use the first page to pack your supplies and you can even cross them out as you pack them. Skim the rest. At take-in, you can read it in detail if you need the info. It’s an instruction manual, so it’s hard to sit and read without doing the actual hanging steps.
Disclaimer: This is just a project to share information that I am doing independently of any guild or venue. No one hired me nor is it officially endorsed. This is not legally binding and won’t guarantee that your art is undamaged, it is simply meant to help increase your odds of a successful show. I have a lot of experience hanging art in the past decade, and better yet, have been learning how to do so from many knowledgeable artists and venue owners, so I am sharing what I have learned over the years with a lot of help and input from other artists, gallerists, and and business owners. Particularly I want to thank the following artists who helped write this document or taught me a lot about hanging a show most effectively: Cynthia Schubert, Marti Rounds, Dawn Yoshimura, Suzanne Barnes, Cindy Livermore, and Liz Corbin. Without their help this guide would not exist.