Touring the Tang

When students and faculty go to the Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery, they see exhibits strategically assembled in a way that is visually appealing. But what really goes on behind the scenes at the Tang?

"I think that those experiences that students and other visitors have when they come to the museum hides all of the work that goes into making that experience possible," said Chief Curator and Associate Director of the Tang Ian Berry.

Numerous people contribute to the upkeep of the Tang. The curators of exhibits range from Berry himself, to Berry collaborating with faculty, to other members of the Tang staff, to individuals who curate at other museums. The registrars of the museum, Elizabeth Karp and Ryan Lynch, care for the objects in the college's collection as well as the pieces in the shows. Among many things, they handle insurance matters and the handling of pieces. If a piece is moved from one space to another, they are present and make sure that it is done carefully.

One of the tasks of graphic designer Patrick O'Rourke is to create the labels for the pieces on display. Vickie Riley, the digital resources content producer, manages all digital aspects of the Tang, including the Web site and video recordings.

The Tang also staffs two full time building managers, Chris Kobuski and Torrance Fish, who serve as the installation team. Five to six more people are hired during specific periods of installation or when an exhibit is ending. It is their job to assemble the exhibits. They have knowledge of lighting, carpentry, painting and art handling, among other things. There are also individuals who maintain the administrative duties involved in keeping the museum running. They compile the mailing list, run the Tang gift shop and manage the schedule for the gallery monitors. "In the end, it's a lot of people behind the scenes that make those projects look the way they look when you visit," Berry said.

The first step in creating an exhibit is research. Berry and members of the Tang staff acquire information by meeting with artists, reading art books and magazines and traveling to see exhibitions.

"Ian sees a lot of art. He goes to New York City, he has a lot of artist friends. He travels across the country all of the time and is seeing shows, meeting artists, meeting other people. He's pulling from all of the things he's seeing that he thinks are really great stuff that say something about how we live now and would bring that international pedigree of artist to upstate New York," said Curatorial Assistant Megan Hyde. Berry also stays attune to things taking place at the college when planning exhibits. He communicates with professors and finds out about what they are researching. He also goes to lectures and reads the books that faculty publish. Staying in touch with the college can generate exhibition ideas for Berry, including the Hudson River show that was inspired by Professor Tom Lewis' book "The Hudson: A History."

"There's always a group of students coming in and out of the Tang doing work study and things like that. I talk to them and find out what's happening and ask them what they're interested in. If there's one word that characterizes my job, it's listening," Berry said.

When planning exhibits, Berry also pays attention to the current political and social climate. "It's also listening outside Skidmore. It's listening to the community, listening to the art world and listening to the bigger world," Berry said.

After the vision for the exhibit is developed, the staff of the Tang does more research in order to locate the art they want to have in the show. This requires finding out who owns the works, whether the works have been sold and if they reside in a gallery. "It involves a lot of networking, visiting, calling, talking and writing letters," Berry said.

Finally, the holder of the piece is contacted and presented with a form, asking the holder if he or she would like to lend the piece to the show. Then the registrars coordinate to have the pieces shipped to and from the Tang.

With the vision of the exhibit and the pieces of art secured, the staff of the Tang begins designing the exhibit. The Tang has to-scale models of all of the galleries. Hyde also makes to-scale replicas of all of the works in the show. "I move things around and build little walls and change them and paint them. Then a lot of people at the Tang look at the model and we play around with it together and everybody has ideas and we come up with a plan," Berry said.

All of this work comes together to create the exhibits that the community sees. Each year the Tang has an average of 20,000 off-campus visitors. The Tang will celebrate its 10th anniversary in the fall of 2010. "It's really kind of funny because on Oct. 10, 2010 we turn 10," Berry said.

During the fall semester, the Tang will be holding special exhibitions. Artist Paula Hayes will be putting together an exhibit made up of a series of dinners. Suzanne Bocanegra, an artist who creates sound and performance pieces, will also have an exhibit in the museum. The main show, called "The Jewel Thief," will be about abstraction and include cultural collaboration between Berry and artist Jessica Stockholder. "There will be lots of events, talks, concerts and parties throughout the year. Next fall is going to be fantastic," Berry said.