How shows work
A show is a group of pieces from one or more artists, with a curator who runs it, prices per piece, and a commission for the curator on each sale. This page is the model. The curator's step-by-step is in Running a show.
Three kinds of group
| Kind | Who adds pieces | Prices | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Collection | Invited artists submit; the owner approves. | None. | No. |
| Show | A collection with This is a show / sale switched on. | A show price per piece, set by the artist on submission. | Yes, with a curator fee. |
| Curation | Anyone can feature a post in it, without an invitation. | Pieces keep their own direct sale price. | Through the piece's own price, not the curation. |
The kind is fixed when it is created. A collection or show can be given start and end dates, and can be exclusive, meaning its pieces cannot appear in another active show or be sold from the artist's profile while it runs.
The life of a piece in a show
- Invited. The curator invites an artist by username. The invitation states the commission rate and any roles.
- Accepted. The artist accepts. Fee and exclusivity lock once the first artist has accepted.
- Submitted. The artist submits a piece with a show price. It is pending.
- Reviewed. The curator, or a co-curator, approves or rejects it. Exclusivity is checked again at approval: a piece already locked to another running show cannot be approved.
- Available. The piece is on the show page at its show price and can be bought once the show has started.
- Sold, or marked Not for sale by the curator, or removed from the show.
- Archived. The curator ends the show. Nothing in it can be bought after that.
The show page shows the state of the show as Upcoming, Live (with the end date) or Archived. A show with a future start date can be opened early with Start show now.
Roles
The curator owns the show and can do everything. Each invited artist can also carry roles:
- Co-curator: reviews submissions and approves or rejects them. Sees the show console.
- Juror: scores submissions from 1 to 5 with a comment. Jurors advise; the curator decides. See The jury.
- Show staff: can take in-person card payments on their own device at the show.
Money
For a show with a commission, the buyer pays the curator's Square account. Curiate records the split on every sale:
- the curator's commission, at the show rate or the artist's own rate;
- a small platform fee for Curiate;
- the artist's net, which the curator owes the artist.
The curator settles with each artist outside Curiate and marks them paid in the ledger. See Sales and payouts.
A collection with the commission set to 0% routes payment to the artist's own account instead, which suits an artist-run show where the organiser takes nothing.
Exclusivity
Mark a show exclusive when the works must not sell elsewhere while it hangs, which is the norm for a gallery. The rule is enforced at the catalog level: the same artwork cannot be approved into two active exclusive shows, and its direct sale from the profile is blocked until the show ends. Artists see Exclusive while the show runs on the invitation before they accept.