Running a show

Everything a curator does from the phone or the browser. For the bigger tables, bulk actions and spreadsheets, use the show console on a laptop.

Before you start

• Connect your Square account under Settings → Payouts. Buyers pay the curator's account in a show with a commission, so without it nobody can buy. See Sales and payouts.
• Ask your artists to create accounts and, ideally, to catalog the pieces they will submit. Labels and exports pull title, medium and dimensions from the catalog.

Create the show

1. Tap Create and choose New collection or show.
2. Enter a name and an optional description.
3. Set the type to Collection. (A Curation is display-only and has none of the options below.) The type cannot be changed later.
4. Switch on This is a show / sale. This reveals:
   • Curator fee (%): the commission you keep on each sale, from 0 to 100. Use 0 for an artist-run show where the money should go straight to each artist.
   • Exclusive: works in this show cannot appear in other active shows or sell from the artist's profile while it runs.
   • Blind review: hides artist names from jurors while they score.
   • Dates: an optional start and end. Sales are blocked before the start date.
5. Save.

Fee and exclusivity lock as soon as the first artist accepts an invitation, so settle them before inviting.

Invite artists

On the show page tap Invite contributor. Enter the artist's @username and switch on any roles:

• Show staff: runs in-person card sales on their own device.
• Juror: scores and comments on submissions.
• Co-curator: reviews and approves or rejects pieces, and can use the show console.

The artist receives the invitation in their inbox with the rate, roles and exclusivity spelled out, and you are notified when they accept or decline.

Not on Curiate yet? Type their email address in the same box instead of a username. They get an email with a signup link, and the invitation is waiting in their inbox the moment they sign up with that address. Roles can be set after they accept. For a whole list at once, use Import CSV in the show console.

To change someone's terms later, open them on the show page and choose Roles & commission. You can set a commission % for that artist alone (leave it empty to use the show rate), a note such as "volunteer rate", and the role switches. Remove takes them out of the show.

Review submissions

Submitted pieces show on the show page as Tap to review. Tap one, or use Review submissions in the top bar to work through the queue. Each piece gets Approve or Reject, and the artist is notified.

An approval can fail with an exclusivity conflict if the same artwork is already locked to another running show. The artist has to withdraw it there first.

If you use jurors, see The jury for scores and pre-selection.

Manage pieces

Open any piece from the show page:

• Show price edits the price in this show.
• Mark not for sale takes it off sale without removing it; Mark available puts it back.
• Remove from show takes it out. The artist's post is untouched.

Run the sale

Once the show is live, each piece has Buy for $X for buyers, and Sell for $X — in person for you and your show staff. See Buying art for what the buyer goes through and Sales and payouts for the ledger.

Print wall labels in the top bar produces a PDF of QR-coded cards for every piece. See Printing labels.

Close the show

Open Edit collection and choose End & archive show. Archiving stops sales, releases exclusivity on every piece, and keeps the show page and ledger readable. Settle with your artists from the sales ledger and mark each one paid.

Delete collection removes the show entirely. Use archive unless the show was created by mistake.

What you see in the top bar