Hold a neighbourhood photo exhibition
Invite neighbours to choose their favourite photos (on a certain theme) that can be displayed in their windows or in a local space.
What you will need
- A theme or idea for the exhibition, e.g. favourite pictures, holidays, haircuts, or old family photos
- Photos from people in your neighbourhood
- Dates and space for the exhibition
- Some advertising so everyone knows how to take part
- If the photos are small or people’s windows are inaccessible then you might also want to enlarge the images (using a scanner or a photocopier) and laminate them so they can be posted somewhere else (on the door, or a garden wall)
Instructions
Share your idea
Get people interested and sign them up to be on board. Explain and publicise the concept to get people interested in the idea. Ask around, use posters and flyers, create an event on Facebook or try a neighbourhood social network like Nextdoor.
Decide how long it’ll last
Decide how long the exhibition will last and include this in your promotions.
Hold an open day
Hold an open day for preparing the photos. You might like to get crafty with photo boards and frames. If you need to copy and laminate the photos then you could get together at a community centre or library with the right equipment.
Publicise your exhibition
Publicise the dates to attract visitors to the exhibition. Start spreading the word about the exhibition and when it begins to people in the surrounding area. You might want to organise a ‘launch event’ to celebrate the opening of the exhibition with a few drinks and nibbles, inviting neighbouring residents to come for stroll down your street.
Optional – create social media
You could also scan or take photos of the photos and create a dedicated Instagram account or Facebook event (with the owner’s permission).
Ready for next year?
After the exhibition, you might want to ask people to suggest a different theme for the following year.
If you’re hosting the exhibition in your neighbourhood, think about other things your community might like to do with the area: street gardens, lanterns or fairylights, bee hotels or yarn bombing for example!
