Main Responsibilities of a Head of Exhibitions at UC Santa Cruz Arts and Sciences
Louise's role as Head of Exhibitions at UC Santa Cruz involves "project management" encompassing all exhibition logistics, from collaborating with curators and artists on installation ("sculptural works or immersive installations") to coordinating shipping and handling of art pieces, managing a team, and ensuring smooth transitions between back-to-back exhibitions. This builds upon prior experience as a preparator, showcasing a career progression from hands-on installation to overseeing the entire exhibition process.
Project Management, Logistics Management, Art Handling, Curatorial Collaboration, Teamwork
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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 with Curators and Artists: Louise works closely with curators and artists to design exhibitions, selecting art pieces, determining placement and installation methods, and considering the use of audio-visual equipment.
2. Logistics and Project Management: A significant part of her role involves managing the logistics of exhibitions, including coordinating with other institutions, art shippers, and contractors. This includes scheduling, problem-solving, and ensuring the smooth flow of projects from start to finish.
3. Hands-on Experience and Team Management: While now overseeing the logistics, Louise retains hands-on experience and works with colleagues and student interns to manage the installation and de-installation of exhibitions. This provides valuable insight into the practical aspects of the work.
Transcript
What are your main responsibilities within your current role?
In my job as head of exhibitions, I work closely with curators and artists to design exhibitions and manage all the logistics for putting together a show. This involves working with them to figure out which artworks are coming to the gallery, where they will be displayed, and how they will be installed.
It's not just about flat works; we also handle sculptural pieces or immersive installations. Sometimes these require equipment like audio-video setups, projectors, monitors, or surround sound. If we don't have the necessary equipment in our inventory, we might need to order or source it.
We also work with contractors to fabricate items like display fixtures. For example, in one exhibition, we had flat prints meant to be handled by the public. We hired a carpenter to build custom tables for them.
Throughout this process, I consider where the objects will be placed and how the public will interact with them. I also focus on maintaining the artist's intent, both aesthetically and in terms of how people move through the space. It's a lot of logistics.
I see my job as project management. Before this role, as a preparator, I was the one framing and installing artwork. I can still do these tasks, and often do, with the assistance of colleagues and student interns.
In my current position, I'm in charge of all the logistics. This includes making sure production schedules are tight. The artworks don't always come from the artist's studio; they might be loaned from another museum or gallery.
I coordinate with registrars at other institutions to understand their exhibition closing dates and packing needs. Then, I arrange for art shippers to transport the pieces. Upon arrival, I need to ensure we have space to store the crates and a team available to unpack the works.
We often have back-to-back exhibitions. This means figuring out when the current exhibition closes and when painters can start on the next, which can only happen after all artwork is removed. I assemble teams to take down displays and manage the process.
It involves a lot of management and problem-solving for many small tasks that contribute to the bigger picture. Anything related to exhibitions essentially passes through me.
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