Resources

Texts That Have Been Used In Class

How Do I Contact Artists?

Each artist is contacted individually with an email invitation to participate in the exhibitions.

In the spirit of sharing, I’ve included a sample of an email I’ve used previously below.

Please use this as a model for creating your own Study Hall-like program!!

Dear ARTIST,

I’m writing to you on behalf of Study Hall and the photography program at Pratt Munson. My name is Sarah Smith and I am the head of photography at Pratt Institute’s upstate campus in Utica, NY. I’m reaching out to you with an invitation to participate in the upcoming exhibition, EXHIBITION TITLE. This will be our eighth exhibition and while Study Hall began as an experiment, through multiple years of programming it has proven an invaluable resource to the students who experience these in-house exhibitions which strive to accurately reflect the diverse student body at Pratt Munson.

The goal of all exhibitions at Study Hall is to bring a diverse range of contemporary photographic practices directly to the students workspace. Study Hall, which is housed inside the Pratt Munson photography studios, serves as a space for semester-long exhibitions of photographers whose work and practice has been embedded into the current semester's curriculum. The printed image functions as a step away from a screen-based education that has become the default for students learning in areas of the country with little to no access to contemporary art. The students have spoken and they have no interest in screen based learning and crave the in-person experiences.

What makes this exhibition structure feasible for both the photographer and Pratt Munson is that all work will be produced on site and then subsequently destroyed at the end of the exhibition. The unframed works are hung so they become an integral part of the studio space and a place for daily conversations. Digital files are also destroyed so no reproductions can be made. This system allows artists to contribute an image for exhibition inclusion at no cost to them and without the worry of prints floating around outside of known editions. At request, contracts can be provided to all artists guaranteeing the destruction of all prints and digital files. 

You and your work were selected because it has already been marked for inclusion in our course curriculum and I hope that you will consider participating in what has shown to be an effective method of connecting students directly to working artists. I encourage you to explore our previous exhibitions and the included artists on our website.

Study Hall has its doors open to all students as well as inviting members of the Pratt Munson and Utica community to view the exhibitions. All Pratt Munson students, faculty, and staff can view the exhibition during open gallery hours. The exhibition will also be made available to the public by appointment. As the Covid-19 pandemic continues and restrictions remain in flux, access by the public may shift. The exhibition is always available through our website.

About Pratt Munson

In Utica, Pratt Munson serves as an extension campus of Pratt Institute. Students are given the option of beginning their Pratt studies at our 230-student campus and then move to Brooklyn to complete their Junior and Senior year. Many students opt for the Utica experience because of the intimacy of our campus that allows for well supported growth as artists and people before taking the leap to NYC. We work very closely with the Photography Department at the main campus to ensure our students are ready to hit the ground running when they arrive in Brooklyn.

While the standards of the curriculum are the same as Brooklyn, the in-person exposure to contemporary photography cannot be matched. My dream is that Study Hall provides Pratt Munson students a version of the endless museums and galleries that the Brooklyn students have access to. Exhibitions are not always thematically organized but sometimes rather illustrate a diverse group of photographers who outline a wide range of approaches to photographic image making. 

Exhibition Details

EXHIBITION TITLE, DATES

Confirmation of participation needs to be received no later than DATE. A simple reply to this email stating a yay or nay is sufficient. If you do choose to accept our invitation, digital files need to be received by DATE. Each artist will be represented by one photograph and specifications for print-ready files will be emailed to you after your confirmation of participation. Work chosen for exhibition will be decided on by myself in collaboration with each artist. As part of the online presence of the exhibition, a brief bio and artist statement will also be needed.

As stated previously, all work will be produced on-site by myself with the help of current students. Once the work has been printed, digital files will be destroyed and at exhibition close the physical prints will be shredded. In addition to the physical exhibition, all images will be archived on our website along with a link to your work. You can find our website at studyhallgallery.com or follow us on instagram @studyhallgallery.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have. I am truly excited about the growing future of our photography program at Pratt Munson and hope that you will consider being a part of this project whose mission is to increase accessibility of working artists to developing undergraduate students. 

I look forward to hearing from you!

All the best,
Sarah