A Day In The Life Of A Head Of Exhibitions At UC Santa Cruz Institute Of The Arts And Sciences
A Head of Exhibitions at UC Santa Cruz Institute of the Arts and Sciences' workday is a dynamic mix of collaborative problem-solving—"something will come up where it's like the artist needed this thing"—and meticulous project management, involving "finalizing fabrication things," coordinating with vendors, and ensuring a tight timeline for exhibition installations and openings. The role demands a proactive approach, juggling multiple projects simultaneously to ensure everything falls into place, from supply runs to meetings with artists and overseeing the technical aspects of exhibition preparation.
Project Management, Communication, Teamwork, Problem-Solving, Executive/Leadership
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Louise Leong
Head of Exhibitions
UC Santa Cruz Institute of the Arts and Sciences
University of California Santa Cruz, 2012
N/A
Fine Arts, Music
Arts, Entertainment & Media, Education
Operations and Project Management
LGBTQ, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. Collaboration is key: The Head of Exhibitions works in a collaborative environment, constantly interacting with colleagues, directors, and artists.
2. Diverse tasks and responsibilities: A typical day involves a variety of tasks, from supply runs and gallery walkthroughs to email correspondence, scheduling, and meetings with artists and vendors.
3. Project management is crucial: The role requires excellent organizational and project management skills to juggle multiple projects with tight deadlines and ensure everything runs smoothly, from initial planning to exhibition opening and closing
Transcript
What does a day in the life of the Head of Exhibitions look like?
When I come into work, I often discuss things before I even get to my office. This is just the culture of our workplace, which is great and very collaborative.
I might stop by Rachel, the director's office, to chat about a project. Something might come up, like an artist needing something that's already in the pipeline. Or I might have something to report back to her.
On the way to work, I might do a supply run, stopping by the hardware store for things we need, like paint or swatches. I usually meet with a colleague impromptu on my way to my office because I have the farthest one.
I pass by everyone and see what the day looks like. I check if the gallery is open or if we have any planned visits or walkthroughs. My colleague, the Preparator, and I might do a walkthrough of the exhibitions. We make sure everything is in order, nothing has shifted, and we inspect the tech and framed works.
Then, I'll be at my computer, checking and following up on emails about art shipping. I might be waiting for an estimate to pick up artwork from Brooklyn. Or I'll check the calendar to see if we're offsite the next day for a gallery visit or something similar. We also have Zoom calls with artists who will be showing with us in the fall.
I have many different projects going on at once. A typical day might involve moving things along one at a time. This could be finalizing fabrication, briefing someone on upcoming work, or meeting with an artist.
Unless I'm in installation, where I'd be actively in the gallery moving and placing artwork, I'm generally moving things along with vendors. This includes framers, carpenters, art shippers, and artists working on loan forms.
All these small steps drive forward the bigger events, like installation periods, exhibition openings, or closings. Lately, a lot of my day-to-day involves scheduling. When thinking about projects, it's important to have a tight timeline and schedule.
We need to identify our available dates, when people are available, and when things are being delivered. Then, we ensure everything aligns and allows sufficient time for the opening. For example, if we open on a certain date, we want to make sure key tasks are completed three weeks prior. That's what my day looks like.
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