beyond the galleries

Everything you have always wanted to know about how exhibitions get done, but you’ve never dared ask. The Exh Files bring you into the belly of the monster, not only to shed light on the curatorial process of Talk to Me, but also to cast the spotlight on the unsung heroes and heroines whose work is critical to the success of a show. For the duration of the exhibition, twice a week we will post three profiles of MoMA colleagues that were involved in the making of this show, and of many other MoMA exhibitions.

Erika Mosier

ERIKA MOSIER
Conservation

Title at MoMA: Conservator in Paper Conservation.
Been working at the museum for: Almost 20 years.
A brief bio: I am a mid-westerner who graduated from Queen’s University in Kingston,Ontario with a Master’s in Art Conservation.  After a Fellowship at the Smithsonian Institution in conservation research I accepted a Fellowship at MoMA and have been here ever since.
Passion outside of MoMA: Outside of MoMA I like to travel, look at architecture, collect stools, and hike.
What I did in Talk to Me: I monitored the light levels near the windows where a paper based object was hung to make sure the amount of light was appropriate. One of the objects in the show included a marker that needed to be rendered unable to mark for the safety of the object while still looking like a real marker tip.  It was a fun challenge to come up with the fake tip.
Curatorial team says: there were other last-minute scuff repairs and small retouches. You cannot imagine how obsessive about details all the people working on a show can be. Even the smallest dent or mark is reported and taken care of. Paper Conservation is a very important department in the museum because works on paper tend to be more delicate than oil or acrylic paintings, and need to be monitored constantly. Our who architectural drawings collection depends on experts like Erika.

Tunji Adeniji

TUNJI ADENIJI
Facilities and Safety
Title at MoMA: Director of Facilities and Safety.
Been working at the museum for: I have been at MoMA for 3 years and 6 months.
A brief bio: I was born in Lagos Nigeria and lived briefly in London. I joined MoMA in April 2008 and my journey through the years has been an exciting one. I feel at home at MoMA. I studied electrical engineering at both undergraduate and graduate levels. If anyone wants to advance in knowledge and education about art, there is no better place to be than MoMA.
Passion outside of MoMA: I love to play tennis, soccer, table tennis, basketball, travel, attend cultural events, and I enjoy cooking.
What I did in Talk to Me: I was involved in the planning of security camera installation, placement of metrocard vending machine placement and the housekeeping.
Curatorial team says: Tunji Adeniji, a.k.a. Grace Under Pressure. The discrete list of his interventions in Talk to Me does not convey the sense of groundedness and confidence that Tunji projects. Ever since he started at MoMA, moreover, his elegance and kindness have permeated the most pragmatic and urgent details of MoMA’s inner workings.

Ramona Bronkar Bannayan

RAMONA BRONKAR BANNAYAN
Exhibitions and Collections

Title at MoMA: Senior Deputy Director, Exhibitions and Collections.
Been working at the museum: since 1990.
A brief bio: I have been with the Museum since 1990 and was named Deputy Director in 2010.  Previously, I was the Director of Collection Management and Exhibition Registration here at MoMA.  I oversee the Departments of Exhibitions Administration, Exhibition Design & Production, Registrar, Art Handling and Preparation, Imaging Services and Collection and Exhibition Technologies.  I have an M.F.A. from Columbia University where I graduated with honors.
Passion outside of MoMA: painting in my studio and gardening.
What I did in Talk to Me: this is already a comment from the Curatorial Team: she ran the show.
Curatorial teams says: Ramona runs the collection and the exhibition program. That is no small feat in a museum with dozens of curators and a myriad programs happening at the same time. Ramona’s exhibition schedules are legendary for complexity and agility, ruled by her own instinctive algorithms that make sure that the staff and crews are distributed and allotted properly. Ramona works with the Director, the Deputies, the Chief Curators, and all us little people while trying to balance everybody’s interests and egos. She writes beautiful emails.

 

Everything you have always wanted to know about how exhibitions get done, but you’ve never dared ask. The Exh Files bring you into the belly of the monster, not only to shed light on the curatorial process of Talk to Me, but also to cast the spotlight on the unsung heroes and heroines whose work is critical to the success of a show. For the duration of the exhibition, twice a week we will post three profiles of MoMA colleagues that were involved in the making of this show, and of many other MoMA exhibitions.

Isabel Brito

ISABEL BRITO
Framing

Title at MoMA: Matter/Fitter.
Been working at the Museum for: 2 years approximately.
A brief bio: Isabel is from Barcelona but lived in England where she got her Master’s degree from Central Saint Martins  before moving to NYC. Prior to coming to work at MoMA, she worked in a frame shop in New Jersey. She is an artist focusing in the contemporary production of drawings and has a background in painting.
Passion outside of MoMA: Her art.
What I did in Talk to Me: She helped out in making labels, wedges, framing and mounting the artwork.

Curatorial Team says: The Framing Shop is also an essential part of MoMA’s operations, so much in every visitor’s face as to almost disappear (see boss Peter Perez’ profile). Curators might have ideas on what they want, but they will soon find out that their expert colleagues have much better ones.

Polly Lai

POLLY LAI
Framing

Title at MoMA: Matter/Fitter.
Been working at the Museum for: 16 years.
A brief bio: I was born in Hong Kong but raised and educated in New York City’s public school system. I am a professional photographer who received an MFA in Combined Media and Photography from Hunter College.
Passion outside of MoMA: I love to cook. My favorite book is ‘My name is Red’ by Orhan Pamuk, which I highly reccomends, and my favorite film is ‘Untitled’.
What I did in Talk to Me: I helped out in making labels, wedges, framing and mounting the artwork.
Curatorial Team says: Let’s for a moment skip the fact that Polly is an outstanding framer and artist and let’s instead concentrate on food: she is very serious when she says she can cook. And she can recommend restaurants, an art all onto itself. Maybe a reflection of the fact that she is such a good “matter/fitter,” she applies meticulous research to anything she tackles, whether it is folding bikes or soup dumplings.

Karlos Carmano

KARLOS CARMANO
Framing

Title at MoMA: Matter/Fitter.
Been working at the Museum for:  4 years.
A brief bio: I was born in El Salvador and raised in New York. I received my MFA in Painting from Hunter College. I love to work at MoMA and being surrounded by a community of artists.
Passion outside of MoMA: Art! And being in my studio.
What I did in Talk to Me: I helped out in making labels, wedges, framing and mounting the artworks.
Curatorial Team says: In this post all devoted to the Framing Shop, what becomes clear is the sense of community (a community of artists) that supports the mission of the Museum. A love and respect for art clearly runs very deep in MoMA and pervades every aspect of the preparation of exhibitions and maintenance of the collection.

Everything you have always wanted to know about how exhibitions get done, but you’ve never dared ask. The Exh Files bring you into the belly of the monster, not only to shed light on the curatorial process of Talk to Me, but also to cast the spotlight on the unsung heroes and heroines whose work is critical to the success of a show. For the duration of the exhibition, twice a week we will post three profiles of MoMA colleagues that were involved in the making of this show, and of many other MoMA exhibitions.

Margaret Doyle

MARGARET DOYLE
Communications

Title at MoMA: Director of Communications.
Been working at the museum for: Seven years.
A brief bio: Growing up in Virginia, I was an artist, a ballerina, and a writer. Not surprisingly, I chose a career as an arts publicist. I love working with all of my brilliant colleagues at MoMA, which is such an integral part of the fabric of New York City.
Passion outside of MoMA: New York City Ballet.
What I did in Talk to Me: I worked with our Communications team on press strategy for the exhibition, to make sure that we were getting the word out through the press and social media.
Curatorial team says: The Communications Department juggles an incredible number of different topics at any time, including each single exhibition, new acquisitions into the collection, comings and goings in staff, expansions, contractions, new buildings, new departments, and all sorts of requests from the press. Margaret also is often on the road to organize promotional events for MoMA in other countries. Altogether, a tough and fundamental job that makes the Museum come alive in the world.

Dan Phiffer

DAN PHIFFER
Digital Media

Title at MoMA: Media Technology Developer, Digital Media Department.
Been working at the museum for: 1 year full-time, 2 years before that as a freelancer.
A brief bio: Originally from Los Angeles, I moved to New York to go to ITP [[[NYU’s Interactive Telecommunications Program, ed’s note]]]. At MoMA I build websites, mostly the front-end HTML/CSS/JavaScript parts. I also teach media courses as an adjunct lecturer at CCNY and ITP.
Passion outside of MoMA: I have an art practice that relies on networks and computers. Recently I’ve been collaborating with a few friends under the name Future Archaeology. My wife Ellie Irons and I also have been working on projects together, most recently Neversink Transmissions.
What I did in Talk to Me: Two things: I helped set up this blog, and I hacked the Solari flight board in the permanent collection to periodically replace its flight schedule with messages promoting Talk to Me.
Curatorial team says: The great advantage that comes from having artists on your team is that often the curator just has to sit back, relax, and let them run away with their ideas! Dan is never short of tricks when it comes to extending an exhibition’s tentacles into the rest of the Museum and into the world.

LJ Hartman

LJ HARTMAN
Security

Title at MoMa: Director of Security.
Been working at the museum for: 12 months.
A brief bio: I am currently the Director of Security for the Museum of Modern Art in New York City; after spending 3 years as the Director of Security at the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco and 11 years as the Manager of Security Operations for the J. Paul Getty Trust in Los Angeles.  In each of these roles I have been responsible for the oversight of security operations, planning and management of security technical systems, and the development and training of emergency preparedness and response programs.   
Passion outside of MoMA: Traveling.
What I did in Talk to Me: Coordinated the enhancement of security systems/devices in the exhibition space and the MTA access needs through the installation and duration of the show.
Curatorial team says: One thing to remember is that LJ has responsibility for the entire Museum, of which the Talk to Me galleries are (sigh) only a small part. Her job is never dull, you can be sure, and more often than not it is incredibly complex and unpredictable. The MTA MetroCard Vending Machine she is referring to is just a small example of this complexity: the machine needs to be maintained by MTA-affiliated officers that can come in only in the hours when the Museum is closed.