Before I hung my show, I asked a local museum curator how she decides on the height when hanging work. Her response was:
"We usually hang anywhere from 58-60 inches for the midpoint of each work. ... I measure the height of the piece. This number is divided in half and then I subtract the length of the top to where the hanging apparatus is from this number. Then, measuring from the bottom of the wall, I mark the remaining number and locate it in the midpoint of the piece. Then I can hammer in the nails according to this height and placement."
My husband and I calculated it a little differently, but we did used the 60" height, and then added half of the height of each piece. I brought a tall stick to the Gallery that had 60" marked on it but we ended up using a measuring tape instead.
The process of hanging my work didn't take as long as I thought it would. We arrived at the gallery with a map of what work was going to go where in the gallery. It made the whole process run smoother and it saved a lot of time thinking (and obsessing?). I did vary a little from the map, but very little. After one set of pieces was hung, we knew what to do next, and we both thought it went smoothly.
It took us less than four hours to hang 17 large pieces, 9 small pieces, take photos and video, and also clean up. I though that was pretty good.
One of the other things I needed for my show was the sign. This is the type for the sign my husband helped make. I love that we were able to use a construction fence pattern as a fill for the typeface.
