The Exh Files: Part 17

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.

Pablo Helguera

PABLO HELGUERA
Public Programs

Title at MoMA: Head of Public Programs.
Been working at the museum for: since 2007.
A brief bio: He has worked in museums since 1991, including MCA Chicago, the Guggenheim, and now MoMA. Her is an artist, author of more than 10 books and has won the Guggenheim, Creative Capital, and Franklin Furnace Grants, as well as the First International Award of Participatory Art of the Regione Emilia Romagna, Italy.
Passion outside of MoMA: He is currently translating Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier into a series of texts.
What I did in Talk to Me: I worked on the show’s symposium.
Curatorial Team Says: Pablo has not one, but rather several secret lives, and never ceases to amaze us with the breadth and depth of his interests. His work can be very deep and moving, but also light and hilarious. Check out  his book Artoons.

Bjorn Quenemoen

BJORN QUENEMOEN
A/V

Title at MoMA: Audio Visual Technician.
Been working at the museum for: 4 years.
A brief bio: He is a Minnesota grain farm ex-pat living in the city.
Passion outside of MoMA: He is a singer songwriter. Search and check out his tunes.  He is starting a solar popcorn business called BjornQorn.
What I did in Talk to Me: I worked with the iPad app developers to  make sure their apps could handle the abuse a gallery can deliver. Most apps required modifications to do this, Talking Carl above all. We had to develop it to make it bigger and still have it work properly.
Curatorial Team Says: The collaboration between our technicians like Bjorn and the designers/developers of apps and websites was very tight and prolonged. We like to think they’ve all made new friends.

Matias Pacheco

MATIAS PACHECO
IT

Title at MoMA: Manager of Client Services.
Been working at the museum for: Since 2001. He started as the very first Mac support geek in the museum- an idea he will always treasure. “I remember meeting Paola for the first time with her Pizmo Mac laptop. Now I manage the Technical Support department of the museum.”
A brief bio: He was born in Ecuador but has spent the entirety of his adult life in the United States. He studied Art History at the University of Utah.
Passion outside of MoMA: My daughter. I love spending time with her and discovering life through her eyes. She’s the most amazing gift ever!  I also love traveling, football, playing with technology, and listening to music.
What I did in Talk to Me: I helped to set up, test, and troubleshoot the interaction machine for TTM with the rest of my team, which meant I had the amazing opportunity to meet some of the geniuses behind the exhibit.
Curatorial Team Says: If Matias remembers meeting Paola back in 2001, Paola certainly remembers meeting Matias! Up until then, since the mid-1990s a small, yet irreducible group of about 15-20 Mac users in Graphics, Publications, and in Paola’s office held on to their faith despite all odds. The world was PC-based. An error message sent them scrambling on Mac Forums and calling each other, with Tekserve being the final resort. Matias’ arrival meant they could at last come out of the tunnels. Ever since, things have changes but they still remain the same. No matter their title, their attire, and their posture, Matias and Paola remain geeks and kindred spirits at heart.