More than 40 Years of Experience
Museum of the Moving Image - Aug 2001 – June 2021
Deputy Director for Exhibitions and Design (Aug 2001 – May 2002): Responsible for all aspects of exhibition design and production including planning, contracting outside services, organizing installations, and exhibition maintenance.
Deputy Director (May 2002 – Aug 2002): Temporarily assumed full responsibilities as Deputy Director of the Museum as part of an administrative reorganization, along with new focus of responsibility for the museum’s collection of approximately 130,000 artifacts.
Deputy Director for Collections, Exhibitions, and Design (Aug ’02 – Sept ‘09): After the hires of new deputy directors, original position restored along with new responsibilities for all graphic design (including building graphics, printed materials, and the website), security, and building operations.
Deputy Director for Operations and Design (Sep 2009 – Apr 2011): Worked closely with the Director in overseeing the Museum’s $67.5M expansion and renovation, starting in 2004 with selecting the architect (Leeser Architecture), and followed by four years of design and fundraising. Led effort to hire the Project Manager (Levien & Company) and the construction management firm (FJ Sciame Construction) in 2008, and oversaw construction (2009-2011) including assuring the designs and their implementation met the Museum’s operational requirements, were consistent with AAM Accreditation standards, and kept the Museum’s offices and permanent exhibition galleries open and operational throughout the 3 years of construction, re-opening the new building to praise in January 2011.
Deputy Director for Operations, Exhibitions, and Design (May 2011 – Jun 2021): After re-opening the Museum, responsibility for an expanded program of changing exhibitions (planning, design, production, and daily maintenance) returned to the position, along with responsibility for developing a traveling exhibition program. This was immediately followed by the acquisition of a major holding of works by Jim Henson, and along with that the launch of a new construction project to create a permanent Jim Henson gallery. Responsibilities included developing the narrative used to successfully raise public funds for the new construction, and working closely with pertinent New York City agencies to manage those funds, the design process, and the actual construction of the gallery, all happening alongside the conservation and preparation of the artifacts, the development of interactive exhibits, and the overall exhibition design. The new gallery opened in July, 2017 with significant attention and praise in national and international press, but also from the family and former colleagues of Jim Henson—as well as the general public, with record-breaking visitation. Alongside these activities, organized a traveling version of the exhibition which opened at the Museum of POP Culture in Seattle alongside the opening in New York, and then traveled to Museums across the country receiving praise in press coverage and breaking attendance records at each location.
MoMA PS1 (Jan 2000 – Jun 2001)
Director for Operations and Exhibition Production: Responsible for all internal operations (including a 60-member security team) for a large, high-pace art exhibition center. Directed all aspects of exhibition design and production including planning, registration, art handling, installation, and maintenance, as well as event planning and management (including the 2000 and 2001 Warm Up series). Involved in the early phases of P.S. 1’s affiliation with the Museum of Modern Art, and organized the first curatorial collaboration, Greater New York, which involved all curators from both institutions and resulted in a landmark exhibition of works by more than 140 artists.
Sotheby's (Aug 1996 – Apr 1998, Consultant: Apr - Jul 1998, New York, NY)
Vice President, Director of Operations: Responsible for all staffing, financial management, and overall coordination of Sotheby’s largest department involving the receipt, storage, handling, exhibition, sale, and release of all property consigned. Directed a staff of up to 20 managers, registrars, and assistants, and a labor force of up to 64 unionized and 30 temporary workers at the company's New York headquarters and warehouses; Managed York Transport, Sotheby’s art and artifact transportation service, and the audio-visual department. Managed special projects such as The Duke and Duchess of Windsor sale (including coordination of packing the entire estate in France, overseeing preparation and restoration in New York, and managing a team from Ralph Appelbaum Associates on the exhibition design and installation), and the managed the preparation, and very special Applebaum-designed installation, of the T-Rex “Sue” that is now a major holding of the Chicago Field Museum.
Grey Art Gallery & Study Center, New York University (Jul 1986 - Aug 1996, New York, NY)
Gallery Manager: Managed day-to-day museum operations in addition to overseeing all exhibition planning, design, and installation, and worked with NYU security and operations teams to manage security and physical plant requirements of the galleries. Alongside these activities at the Grey, also managed the NYU Art Collection, and organized and curated special exhibitions and installations, mostly concerning the history of NYU and its buildings, throughout the University’s facilities in various parts of New York City. Awarded an IPAM grant for a collection management project undertaken in partnership with Museu de Arte de São Paulo (MASP) in Brazil. Served as part of a team planning and overseeing the complete interior transformation of the historic Main Building (now NYU Silver Center for Arts and Science) that houses the Grey, with specific responsibility for a complete re-design of the facilities resulting in state-of-the-art climate control, security and lighting systems while restoring elements of the facilitie’s history as the A.E. Gallatin’s Museum of Living Art (1927-43). Saluted in 1996 by the University Senate and President L. Jay Oliva for outstanding service to the university community.
The Studio Museum in Harlem (Jul 1984 - Jun 1986, New York, NY)
Exhibition Designer/Preparator: Designed, prepared and supervised the installation of all exhibitions, and served as chief preparator for SMH and New York State (at Harlem State Office Building) art collections. Served as an active leader in the team designated to prepare the museum for AAM accreditation, which was achieved in 1986. Oversaw and coordinated the museum’s participation in the 1986 centennial celebration of the Statue of Liberty, which involved the transport and installation of Richard Yarde’s “The Savoy Ballroom” into a leased gallery space in Paris, France.
The First Women’s Bank (1980 – Aug 1985, New York, NY)
Art Consultant: Created and managed a nonprofit art exhibition program for a 57th Street bank. Single-handedly produced bimonthly art exhibitions, for the Bank's gallery-like public areas, that often received notable attention in the press. Received several acknowledgements of outstanding service from the bank’s Board of Directors.
United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) (Mar 1982 - Jun 1983, United Nations, NY)
Project Consultant: Created and managed a children’s art competition that took place in 25 developing countries (as part of the U.N.’s Water Decade). Worked with the UNICEF team in each participating country to maintain consistent standards and manage the complicated production schedule. Organized and curated the resulting exhibition, Water for All, and produced a catalog in six languages that told the story behind the exhibition and children who took part. The exhibition opened at the United Nations in New York and then traveled to the OPEC Fund Headquarters in Vienna, Austria, and the 1984 New Orleans World's Fair.
SELECTED CONTRACTED EXHIBITION DESIGN
Museum of the Moving Image: Designed and implemented AV improvements and content updates to the Museum’s core exhibition, Behind the Screen (Jul ’00 – Aug ’01). Art directed the temporary installation of the Monk's Diner set from the television show Seinfeld into the museum's core exhibition (Aug '98). Designed and installed: Muky's New York, (Apr '94); The Living Room Candidate (Jun '92); Recent Celebrity Photography (May '92); and Shigeko Kubota: Video Sculpture (Apr '91, Astoria, NY). NOTE: These projects all happen prior to becoming a full-time staff member in 2001.
The Studio Museum in Harlem: Designed and managed the installation of: Passages: Contemporary Art in Transition (Fall ‘99), and To Conserve a Legacy: American Art from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (Mar ‘99); Selected Works from the Permanent Collection and Artists-In-Residence, 1997-1998 (Oct '98); Explorations in the City of Light: African-American Artists in Paris, 1945-1965 (Jan ‘96, New York, NY). NOTE: These projects all happen after holding the full-time staff position of Exhibition Designer/Preparator from 1984 to 1986.
The Asia Society: Developed travel guidelines and installation instructions for the exhibition Inside Out: New Chinese Art (Nov ’98 - May '99 -), after designing and managing the opening installations at The Asia Society and P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center (Oct, '98). Designed and supervised the installation of a three-museum-exhibition, Traditions/Tensions: Contemporary Art in Asia at The Asia Society, The Queens Museum, and Grey Art Gallery & Study Center/NYU (Oct '96, New York, NY).
The Parrish Art Museum: Designed and managed the installation of the exhibition Face Value: American Portraits (Jul '95). Assisted curator Donna DeSalvo with concept development and final selection of objects, then designed and managed the installation of the exhibition A Museum Looks at Itself: Mapping Past & Present at the Parrish, 1897-1992 (Aug '92, Southampton, NY).
20th São Paulo International Bienal (for U.S. Information Agency): Designed, coordinated and installed the 1st prize-winning official U.S. exhibition of sculpture by Martin Puryear; received praise in the Brazilian press for exhibition design, and also from U.S.I.A for project management and diplomacy ('89, New York, NY, Los Angeles, CA, São Paulo, Brazil).
NYC Department of Parks and Recreation, Prospect Park: Designed and installed all the exhibitions at Grand Army Plaza's Memorial Arch (including resolving the challenges involved in moving large scale works though a series of difficult spiral stairs, and managing inherently flawed environmental conditions), the Prospect Park Boathouse, and Lefferts Homestead ('85-89, Brooklyn, NY).
OTHER CONTRACTED PROJECTS INCLUDE:
The Studio Museum in Harlem: Provided collection care and management services, and re-housed the museum’s collection of traditional African art (Summer-Fall ’99); Design and produce graphic and printed materials for Curatorial, Education, Development, and Public Relations departments; Consultant for museum's expansion project, including periodic review of architectural plans to confirm design developments met appropriate museum standards while providing required flexibility, review and advise on lighting and AV equipment specified, and advised on installation options for the new galleries and auditorium (Nov '98 - , New York, NY).
Caribbean Cultural Center: Provided exhibition organization consultation and installation services for several exhibitions, including a major exhibition on the dancer Katherine Dunham (Apr '94 - Jul '95, New York, NY).
Bronx Community College, CUNY: Advised the college on developing, and transforming a former classroom into, a student art gallery; Curated two exhibitions, judged student competitions, and installed various exhibitions ('88-95, Bronx, NY).
Schomberg Center for Research in Black Culture, NYPL: Developed and maintained the library's art and artifacts collection storage facility, and installed works from the collection in public areas when required ('86-91, New York, NY).
Museo del Arte Contemporareo: Advised architect on converting a former government office building into a contemporary art museum meeting international museum facilities standards ('89, Santiago, Dominican Republic).
Harlem School of the Arts: Created an exhibition display system for the school’s lobby; provided art installation services ('86, New York, NY).
The Brasilian Cultural Foundation: Coordinated various projects, including exhibitions and graphic design services. As part of a major fundraising effort, transformed a donated, partially demolished gallery space at 5th Avenue and 57th Street into a dramatic exhibition of the work of painter Joao Augusto ('83-85, New York, NY).
Ms. Magazine: Provided art installation services for special events and benefits ('83-85, New York, NY).
VOLUNTEER PROJECTS INCLUDE:
CFPC (Community Family Planning Council): Curated, designed, and installed an exhibit about CFPC for a large benefit dinner in the Delegates Dining Room of the United Nations ('95, United Nations Headquarters).
Visual AIDS: Assisted with various projects, including organizing the first Day Without Art ('89-92, New York, NY).
Cinque Gallery: Installed exhibitions and assisted with general gallery maintenance ('85-86, New York, NY).
Whitney Counterweight: Assisted with installation of multi-gallery/alternative space project ('81, New York, NY).
Lauren Rogers Museum of Art: Curated and wrote catalog copy for Akan Fetish Gold ('80, Laurel, MS).
African Museum, Society of African Missions: Assisted curator installing permanent exhibition ('79, Tenafly, NJ).
Carnegie Institute: Installed Makonde Sculpture for a sale to benefit Flying Doctors in Kenya ('78, New York, NY).
COMMERCIAL GALLERY EXPERIENCE:
Worked in several commercial galleries in New York City, including Alain Bilhaud Gallery ('81-82), Ludlow-Hyland Gallery ('78-81), Galerie Africaine ('77-78), and David Findlay Gallery ('77), with duties including exhibition installation, art handling, packing and storage, and gallery reception and sales.
EDUCATION/TRAINING/RELATED EXPERIENCE
Depauw University: B.A. Degree, with a major in studio art (sculpture), and a focus on traditional African art. The degree includes one year at the College of Art, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana, with a focus on painting and sculpture, and an apprenticeship with master traditional woodcarver Nana Osei Bonsu. The year abroad was sponsored by Kalamazoo College, Kalamazoo, Michigan, and included a summer semester at Kalamazoo that was partly preparation for the year in Ghana ('77, Greencastle, Indiana).
Experiment in International Living: French language study (summer '77, Brattleboro, VT)
Alliance Francaise: French language study (summer '78, New York, NY).
New York University: Brazilaian Poutuguese language study (Fall, '95, New York, NY).
American Alliance of Museums: Attended AAM's annual meetings in Boston ('22), New Orleans ('19, St. Louis ('17), Washington (’16), Atlanta (’15), Seattle (’14), Baltimore (’13), Minneapolis St. Paul (’12), Denver (’08), Chicago (’07), Indianapolis (’05), New Orleans (’04), Los Angeles ('98), Atlanta ('97), Minneapolis ('96), Seattle ('94), Baltimore ('92), New Orleans ('89), and New York, ('86).
New York State Conservation Consultancy: Attended workshops on Safe Materials for Exhibition & Storage and Safe Installation Techniques (Jun '88, Hudson River Museum, Yonkers, NY).
Smithsonian Institution: Attended Office of Museum Programs Workshop on Best Practices for Storage Handling and Pest Management in Museum Environments ('86, Washington, D.C.).