Create your own lightbox exhibition

Digital exhibitions allow us to visit museums and galleries across the world from the comfort of our own homes.

Some, like the Gallery’s virtual tours, attempt to replicate the experience of physically visiting the Gallery. We can navigate through the rooms, see where paintings are placed on walls, and experience the architecture of the building. Others, like Drawn from Nature, present a selection of digital images alongside text written by a curator.

Think about: How does a virtual tour compare to visiting an exhibition in real life?

Create your own digital exhibition

Follow this step-by-step guide to create a simple digital exhibition using the lightbox tool on the National Gallery of Ireland Images website. You'll learn about the various steps involved, from research to writing and editing. While your 'exhibition' won't look quite as sophisticated as the Gallery's virtual exhibitions, it is a great way to learn about the process and share your work!

Step 1: Browse

• Spend some time having a look through the Gallery’s online collections.
• You can browse most of the Gallery’s artworks using the online collection, or see a selection of high-quality images on the Gallery’s images website.

Step 2: Choose your theme

• You might want to create an exhibition about one particular artist (e.g. Jack B. Yeats), a group of artists (e.g. the Impressionists), a time period (e.g. the nineteenth century), or you might like your exhibition to have artworks with similar subject matter (e.g. portraits, food, animals, the colour blue). The possibilities are endless!
• Think about: Do you want to tell a story? Do you want to highlight certain similarities between artworks? Or their differences?

Step 3: Build your exhibition using the Gallery’s lightbox tool

• Watch the short video below to find out how to use the lightbox tool on the Gallery's images website to build your exhibition.
• You might want to keep adding and deleting images until you are happy; editing is all part of the curatorial process!

Step 4: Research

• Research the images you have selected using the Gallery's website, online collection and other good sources.
• Make a note of the information you find most interesting, and think about the story you want to tell.

Step 5: Write your labels

• Exhibition text is skilfully written to convey complex information in a clear and accessible way, within a strict word count.
• A curator carries out a great deal of contextual research about an artwork, or artist, which they then condense into a short text, usually around 80 words. When someone visits an exhibition, they don’t want to read a book on a wall!
• The curator decides what information they have to leave out, as much as what they will include. This editing process can be very difficult, but curators have lots of practice in writing in this particular style.
• The text will also be proofread by a number of different people who will check for accuracy, clarity and style. The final text that you see in the exhibition will have gone through lots of drafts and edits before it is printed. 

Think about:

• What is the most important piece of information you want to share with the visitor? Put this first.
• Use active rather than passive language.
• Don’t just describe what’s in the painting – include something that the viewer can’t see for themselves.
• Use language a 10 year old would understand – keep it clear, accessible and interesting.
• Prompt the visitor to look deeper at the painting – you might want to ask a question.
• Remember to stick to the word count – 80 words maximum for the description.

Example: Read the label for Mainie Jellett's painting Decoration in the Gallery's online collection

Step 6: Give your exhibition a title

• Something short and snappy that will tell your visitors what the exhibition is. Make it interesting and creative!
• You can browse some of the Gallery's past exhibitions for inspiration.

Step 7: Share your exhibition

• When you are happy with your exhibition, you can email it to your friends!

Notes for teachers

• This activity can be used to help students prepare for the exhibition question of the Leaving Certificate art history and appreciation exam. You might want to set students a theme to work from and ask them to give a presentation explaining their curatorial decisions.
• It can also be used to help students explore the Visual Studies curriculum, by allowing them to juxtapose artworks, create connections and examine similarities and differences.
• This process can be done in a low-tech way in the classroom. Give students a selection of postcards or printed images and have them create an exhibition in groups.
• For younger children, or for a homework activity, you can set students a challenge of selecting and displaying household objects and taking a photo of their finished exhibition.