The Exh Files: Part 13

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.

Marc Sapir

MARC SAPIR
Publications

Title at MoMA: Production Director, Department of Publications.
Been working at the museum for: has been part of the team that publishes the Museum’s exhibition catalogues for 21 years, helping to coordinate curators, editors, graphic designers and printers to create amazing books such as Talk to Me [[[Ed’s note: aaaawww, thanks]]].
Passion outside of MoMA: When not printing books all over the world, he is a practicing visual artist who lives in Brooklyn with his wife, dog and 4 cats.
What I did in Talk to me: please see above.
Curatorial team says: This is a testimony from Paola Antonelli: my first book with Marc was also my first book with MoMA, the catalogue of the show Mutant Materials in Contemporary Design, in 1995. 8,000 copies of the catalogue sported unique resin covers handcrafted in Gaetano Pesce’s office. Marc did not blink. And he did not blink through my whole career at MoMA, working with such exacting designers as Irma Boom on the Design and the Elastic Mind catalogue (2008) or embossing coffee stains on the cover of Workspheres (2001). MoMA curators depend on him more than anyone can imagine.

Sheetal Prajapati

SHEETAL PRAJAPATI
Education

Title at MoMA: Associate Educator, Public Programs.
Been working at the museum for: Been working at MoMA since October 2010.
A brief bio:  Sheetal came to MoMA from Chicago in 2010.  There she served as the Director of Education at the Block Museum of Art at Northwestern University and prior to that she held many positions in education at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago. She received her MA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and her BA from Northwestern University.  
Passion outside of MoMA: Currently, my passion outside of MoMA includes discovering New York as my new home. This includes finding exceptional cuisine, looking for innovative theater experiences, and appreciating the notion of green space in urban environments all over again.
What I did in Talk to Me: Working with Paola and Kate to organize a two-day symposium in October 2011.
Curatorial team says: Wow, we want to see Sheetal wearing her blue sari on October 19th!

Ryan Correira

RYAN CORREIRA
IT

Title at MoMA: Information Technology.
Been working at the museum for: 4 months.
A brief bio: I studied film, audio engineering, and photography at Emerson College in Boston. Before coming to MoMA I worked as a fashion and product photographer in Los Angeles, and separately as an audio engineer. I still currently work weddings and special events as a photographer.
Passion Outside of MoMA: I play music, and work on my own photography. I brew my own beer.
What I did in Talk to me: Assisted in the set up of computers as interactive displays, and monitor them throughout the show.
Curatorial team says: Ryan is not only a vital part of the TTM team, he is also our beloved Mac guy! Explanation: he knows how to fix Apple computers, which curators in A&D have used for about 18 years (ever since Paola came on board), even at the time when Mac users were only 10 in the whole museum and had to call on TekServe to get their machines fixed. Times have changed.