We can work quickly if you want an exhibit for an upcoming event. We have multiple copies of each exhibit, so usually there is a copy available. If so, we can ship it in anywhere from 2-5 business days to arrive at your site. We prefer to send it as early as possible so that it will be there several days before your exhibit opening so you have plenty of time to get familiar with the exhibit and to hang it.  We are always flexible with dates to maximize the impact the exhibit will have on your community.

If you are interested in hosting a traveling exhibit:

• Read the descriptions below to familiarize yourself with the basics

• Contact us to discuss your venue and audience, and what additional materials or events we might facilitate

• When you’re ready to move ahead, you’ll need to download and complete the Exhibitor Contract

Physical description

Each exhibit comes with approximately 20 photographs. They are all museum quality framed with plexiglas covering, wires on back to hang. Size of each photograph framed is 16 inches by 20 inches and they weigh approximately 2 pounds. They can be hung on walls or portable room dividers, or placed on tables with bookstands (or table easels) or on floor easels. You can use all of them in one place, divide them into separate showings, or whatever works for your space needs. We can talk to you specifically about your individual situation. 

Each exhibit has different configurations of text, but generally each photograph has one or two pieces of long interview text 11 inches by 17 inches (vertical). They are thickly laminated and have string on the back to hang them on walls under or alongside their matching photograph. They can also be placed flat on a table if you use tabletop easels for the photographs, or hung off of floor easels. Many exhibits have additional “quotes” that are 11 inches (wide) by 8 inches (hung horizontally) and are written in larger fonts. These can be used in addition to the longer text, for people who might not read the full text, or in place of the longer text depending on the venue and situation (i.e. a conference). For schools, you might not need to use the quotes. It is up to each venue to decide how to use the text. In Our Family exhibit also has a K-2 text, which is also 11 x 8 inches and has a simple description of the family structure in age-appropriate language. Nothing To Hide just has 2-3 quotes per family, rather than a long text. For complete texts, the accompanying books have the longer interviews available.

How to display the exhibits

It’s actually quite simple and doesn’t take long to do. With all our photo-text rental exhibits, the photos and text are ready to hang with wires on the back. If you have wallspace, you just hang the photos and text as you would any art show, using nails or pushpins. Ideally, if you have a gallery space, you would have at least 60 linear feet, but this isn’t a requirement at all. You could double hang the photographs. Some groups divide up the 20 photographs and put them in different areas of a building as well. If you use tables, you will need small table easels to hold the photographs and you can put the text right on the tables. Floor easels can also work, and we’ve even seen music stands used. Some folks rent or borrow room dividers/portable bulletin boards and hang the exhibit on both the back and front of them. (They must have wood backs, not corkboard, as the photos weigh about 2 pounds and you need the nail to go in solidly). We are happy to talk to you about your individual situation and make suggestions, as we’ve seen it all!

Exhibit Arrives in Hard Sided Case

All FDP exhibits arrive via UPS or Fedex in an indestructible hard-sided plastic trunk (23 x 25 x 25 inches) weighing approximately 115 pounds, which will fit into the back of any station wagon. (The photos, which come in their own bubble wrap envelopes with the text can be moved without the box to make it simpler and weigh much less.)

Inside the trunk, you will find an inventory sheet that will list all the families in your exhibit copy, the number of text panels for each family, and other additional materials (image). When you open your exhibit, we will ask you to check the inventory to make sure everything has arrived safe and sound. Inside the box, you will find each photo packaged in an individual bubble wrap envelope with its accompanying text (image). Some types of the text panels are packaged separately (i.e. the K-3 text for In Our Family). All of this information will be on your inventory form. You will also receive in advance of the exhibit, a shipping/handling/hanging info sheet which will go over the other details of receiving an exhibit and hanging it, and shipping it out again. It is a very simple process.

Examples of set up options

Hanging the exhibit is easy and won’t take long at all. Two people can easily do it in under an hour (you only need one person, but it helps to have another eye to make sure things are straight.). It is also a fun project for students to help with, so you can certainly have more people involved in setting it up.

Exhibits can be displayed in a variety of ways. Two of the most popular display methods are hanging the photos and accompanying text on a wall (image)-each photo and text panel has a wire on its back in order to hang from nails, picture hangers, or even pushpins-or displaying photos on a table easel with the text lying flat on the table alongside the photo (image). There are other methods as well, and we will help you figure out the best way to display your exhibit at your venue.

Shipping the exhibit back home

At the conclusion of your exhibition period, which we know will be a great success, we will instruct you how to ship it via UPS to the next site. It’s easy, don’t worry. You will simply repackage the exhibit in its trunk in the materials it came in, check off the inventory to make sure everything that arrived is being sent out. That’s it–you’re done!