From Old Masters to stylus: Being a Gallery Assistant
August 18th, 2010
I knew being a gallery assistant here would be a great venture, and it hasn’t disappointed me yet. I’ve been through Old Masters, Gordon Matta-Clark and now Ann Hamilton. What fascinates me most about stylus is that all of the people that come get some kind of experience. Now you can say it’s the hands-on aspects that everyone enjoys, or you can say it’s the design of the building and the appearance of the projections on the walls. Or you can say that the jumping beans really get people excited–most visitors haven’t seen these in a long time, if ever. For me, it’s the Cube Gallery that makes me glad that I work here. That’s an important room. The piano starts playing when people sign-in at the front desk on the touch pad. Some people in the Cube while this happens get startled, while others just laugh.
As a gallery assistant in that room, I generally keep the laughter going by either singing or playing the piano–and no, I can’t play a lick–and show them the recorder that’s in the piano. It’s very different than our last exhibition, Urban Alchemy/Gordon Matta-Clark, which often had sad stories associated to the art. It was much more serious. I found myself engaged in the history behind the art in Urban Alchemy and the Old Masters exhibition, as well as how the works fit with the Pulitzer building. stylus is playful and makes you aware of your surroundings – from the sound that comes out of the ground to the light that rotates around the walls, you are sure to find pleasure in this space. That makes my job enjoyable, and I’m able to get into my work and really have a good time with everyone. What a job!
