Q. I am writing a review of an exhibition I went to see. I am briefly quoting the titles of sections from the exhibition that were written on the walls and I am not sure how to cite them. I also don’t know if they are only needed in footnotes or in a bibliography as well. I have five and they are all from the same exhibition.
A. In Chicago style, you don’t need to formally cite words written on walls or on labels or cards or elsewhere at an art exhibition. Assuming you’ve supplied full details for the exhibition itself (as in the text or in a note; a bibliography entry is usually unnecessary for live events, though you may list an exhibition catalog there), and assuming also that your text makes it clear that the words are part of that exhibition, you are free to quote section titles and the like without additional citations.
You can also usually discuss specific works of art that are featured in the exhibition without additional citations, as long as you’ve identified these works sufficiently in your text (usually by the name of the creator and a title or description, at the very least). But if you’re a student, check with your instructor, who may expect you to cite individual artworks in your notes or to list them in a bibliography, or both. For examples, see CMOS 14.133. For citing exhibition catalogs, see 14.134. For titles of artworks and exhibitions, see 8.200 and 8.204.