More than 50 Years of Experience
Wendell Walker Design, LLC - (Jul 2021 – present)
Provide a broad range of services to individuals and organizations ranging from the installation of an individual object to the design and management of a full exhibition. This includes object care, custom millwork design and production, and a full range of installation services including wall construction and finishes, graphic design and production, and lighting.
Currently providing lighting infrastructure design services to The Florida Holocaust Museum including managing a process of analyzing and evaluating various lighting system options resulting in committing to a system that will eventually be applied to all the of the Museum's galleries. The current project focuses on installing and fine tuning the new lighting system for the Museum's core exhibition, History, Heritage and Hope. The project is scheduled for completion in late 2024 in concert with the grand opening of a new main entrance and lobby for the museum.
Provide part time management and exhibition installation services to the Barrymore Film Center (BFC) in Fort Lee, New Jersey, which opened to the public in October 2022. The relationship with BFC started years earlier through consultations with the architect for the new museum's gallery's infrastructure, with specific concerns on the track lighting systems, conservation quality climate control standards, gallery security, and back-of-house needs. In preparation for the grand opening in 2022, provided a full range of exhibition production and administrative services for the inaugural exhibition, The Barrymores: The Royal Family of Fort Lee, which included facilitating object loans, all gallery prep and installation services, and initial setup and inauguration of the new track lighting system. Since the BFC's opening in 2022, provide ongoing, on-call support for exhibition needs and infrastructure updates, including installation of BFC's second exhibition, "Power Couple"– Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford in Hollywood, that opened to the public in June 2023. In early 2024, provided lighting design services for Coming Attractions — Classic Film Posters from The Konstantino Spanoudis Ikon Collection.
Completed management of the national tour of The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited on behalf of Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI) in August 2023. Management of the tour started while serving as a deputy director at the Museum (see below), and started with design of the exhibition components and launch of the national tour at the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle in 2017. Ongoing management of the tour was one of the first contracts for Wendell Walker Design, and started with a very successful installation at the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco, CA (Sep 2021 – Feb 2022), followed by the Grand Rapids Art Museum in Grand Rapids, MI (Apr – Sep 2022). The final museum to host the exhibition was Maryland Center for History and Culture (MCHC) in Baltimore, Maryland (Nov 2022 – June, 2023), and the scope of work included a separate agreement with MCHC to advise on some updates to their galleries along with designing their installation of the exhibition. The gallery renovation and preparation was followed by resuming duties on behalf of MoMI, overseeing what was the final planed installation of the exhibition's national tour. The exhibition at MCHC closed to the public on December 30, 2023 .
Museum of the Moving Image - (Aug 2001 – Jul 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 managed installations installations of the exhibition at Skirball Cultural Center, Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Experience, COSI Columbus, Albuquerque Museum, and The Henry Ford Museum. NOTE: Wendell Walker Design, LLC, see above, continued management of the exhibition with installations at the Contemporary Jewish Museum, Grand Rapids Art Museum, and Maryland Center for History and Culture Museums.
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.
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 working with 30 curators from both institutions and resulted in a landmark exhibition of works by 147 artists. Worked with each curator on the placement and details of their contribution to the overall installation, which filled all three floors, the roof, basement, and courtyard of the PS1 facilities.
Also managed the second annual Warm Up courtyard installation with architectural firm SHoP's Dunescape installation. Responsibilities beyond the installation of the Dunescape structure included management of the weekly Saturday event featuring DJ sets, food vendors, special installations and many, many visitors—and a security team of up to 50 personnel.
Responsibilities at PS1 also included management of the Clocktower gallery space at 346 Broadway in Manhattan, which mostly involved the installation of works by the artists in the national and international studio program. Of special note was the exhibition Strangers/Étrangers, which happened in 2000 and was the final exhibition in that space before it was transformed into a studio for WPS1, PS1's pioneering internet radio station.
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 the team required to pack the estate in France while overseeing preparation for storage and restoration in New York, and managing a team from Ralph Appelbaum Associates, led by Jean-Ulrick Désert, on the exhibition design and installation. Also managed the preparation and worked with Désert on the very special 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. This was structured as an exchange, and involved working with the MASP collections team to design a new storage facilities for the MASP collection without disturbing the architectural elements of the landmark building designed by architect Lina Bo Bardi. In exchange, a member of the MASP curatorial team came to New York to assist with cataloging the NYU art collection.
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 gallery'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. Also served as chief art handler and as preparator, and unofficially as collection manager 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. As part of the preparations for this, worked closely with the Museum's registrar to re-organize and upgrade the Museum's collection storage facility, and totally re-house parts of the collection.
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 on a part-time basis a nonprofit art exhibition program for an historic bank located on 57th Street at Park Avenue. Submitted a proposal to fulfill the bank's original vision for an exhibition program featuring women artist which was accepted, and resulted in 5 years of single-handedly produced bimonthly art exhibitions for the Bank's gallery-like public areas. The exhibitions often received notable attention in the press, and special guests such as then Mayor Edward Koch and Gloria Steinem. Exhibitions were mostly thematic group exhibitions, and included up to 50 artists each year. Also managed the bank's long-term loans of works by notable women artists which were installed in the banks' non-public areas, and occasionally served as host for after-hour meetings and receptions in the banks' facilities. 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). The project was sponsored by the OPEC Fund for International Development, and involved meetings at OPEC Fund Headquarters in Vienna, Austria, to gain final approval for the project guidelines and funding, followed by working with the UNICEF team in each of the 25 counties to maintain consistent standards and manage the complicated production schedule—all from an office at Unicef's UN headquarters.
The management of the project's implementation was followed by organizing and curating the resulting exhibition, Water for All, and producing a catalog in six languages that told the story behind the clean water project that resulted in the exhibition, and children in each country who took part. The exhibition opened at the United Nations Headquarters in New York and then traveled to the OPEC Fund Headquarters in Vienna, Austria, and finally to 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, curated by Kellie Jones; 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).
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).
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).
COMMERCIAL GALLERY EXPERIENCE:
Worked in several commercial galleries in New York City, including Ludlow-Hyland Gallery / Alain Bilhaud Gallery ('81-82), Gallery Yssa ('78-81), Galerie Africaine ('77-78), and David Findlay Gallery ('77), with duties including exhibition installation, art handling, packing and storage, and gallery reception, maintenance and repairs, and sales.
VOLUNTEER PROJECTS INCLUDE:
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).
*
. Served as a volunteer assistant to the woodworking shop manager as well as to the gallery manager in the Depauw University Art Department in Greencastle, Indiana; served as an assistant to artist (and professor/advisor) Bing Davis, including packing, transport, and installation of his art in various exhibitions and installations (1974-75 / 1976-77).
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 academic year at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, College of Art, Kumasi, Ghana (‘75-76), 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 semester at Kalamazoo (summer ‘75) that included preparation for the year in Ghana. French language studies at Experiment in International Living (summer ‘77, Brattleboro, Vermont) provided the final credits toward the B.A. Degree at Depauw (‘73-77, Greencastle, IN)
Alliance Francaise: French language study (summer '78, New York, NY).
New York University: Brazilian Portuguese language study (Fall, '95, New York, NY).
Languages: Studied Spanish, German, French, Portuguese, Swahili, Twi, and Classical Chinese characters.
American Alliance of Museums: Attended AAM's annual meetings in Baltimore ('24), 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.).