Experienced Preparator Available!

[pbaxendale]

Headline: Experienced Preparator Available!
Name: Paul Baxendale
Email Address: hospitalmuseum@hotmail.com
Current Location: Providence, RI. Willing to relocate!

Preferred Job Category: Exhibits

Personal Statement:
I would love to help you care for your collections and present them to the public in the safest, most aesthetically pleasing manner possible!

Education:
BFA, School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Relevant coursework including: woodworking, welding/metal working, mold making and casting, museum history, exhibit design, chemistry for artists, art history, fiber arts, screenprinting, neon fabrication...

Professional Experience:
Brown University, David Winton Bell Gallery September 2008 -– Present
Preparator, On-call
• Assist with all aspects of gallery exhibition installation including: Construction of temporary walls, painting exhibition space, preparing gallery for arrival of incoming artworks, receiving and organizing incoming art shipments, coordinating and implementing procedures for organized unpacking and temporary storage of artworks, assisting artists and curator with layout of artworks, assessing and implementing best possible installation method for each individual artwork, assessing and implementing appropriate exhibition lighting with regard to light sensitivity of artworks and overall exhibit aesthetics. Process is carried out in reverse for de-installation of exhibitions, with extra emphasis placed on the safe and appropriate packaging of artworks in preparation for shipping back to lending individuals or institutions.

Rhode Island School of Design Museum August 2008 – Present
Preparator, On-call
• Attend to all aspects of handling, movement, and installation of permanent collection artworks within the museum in diverse media ranging from ancient Egyptian artifacts to large-scale installations by contemporary glass artist Dale Chihuly.
• Attend to all aspects of major traveling exhibition installation including: Working closely with staff registrars to facilitate safe and organized receiving of large shipments of crated artwork, working with staff registrars throughout the process of uncrating and unwrapping artwork to ensure that artwork has arrived intact and that any changes in condition are noted and addressed, working with artists and curators with layout of artworks, assessing and implementing best possible installation method for each individual artwork, assessing and implementing appropriate exhibition lighting with regard to light sensitivity of artworks and overall exhibit aesthetics. Process is carried out in reverse for de-installation of exhibitions, working closely with staff registrars to note any changes in artwork while focusing extra attention on organizing the safe and appropriate packaging of artworks in preparation for shipping back to lending individuals or institutions.

Los Angeles County Museum of Art August 2006 – June 2008
Senior Preparator
• Attended to all aspects of art installation within the museum, including: receiving and unpacking traveling works and exhibitions, safe transport of works within the museum, installing works in a wide variety of media, sizes, and configurations, packing works scheduled to leave the museum.
• Assumed the role of Supervisor in the absence of regular departmental Supervisor, directing and monitoring the activities of a team of preparators through a variety of handling and installation projects.
• Worked closely with the Paper Conservation Department cutting mats for and framing hundreds of works on paper for various exhibitions and light sensitive paper rotations.
• Participated in quarterly rotations of Japanese artworks ranging from netsuke to fragile scrolls and screens in the museum’s unique Japanese Pavilion.
• Constructed soldered (brazed) brass mounts for various art objects and artifacts in the absence of the regular departmental mount maker.
• Dry mounted, cut, and installed wall and case labels and text panels.


San Francisco Museum of Modern Art August 2005 – June 2006
Preparator, On-call
• Attended to all aspects of art installation within the museum, including: receiving and unpacking traveling works, safe transport of works within the museum, installing works in a wide variety of media and sizes, packing works scheduled to leave the building.
• Prepared galleries for installation of traveling exhibitions: patching damaged sheetrock, painting walls, installing and finishing pedestals and risers, assisting with the lighting process, checking light levels around UV-sensitive works, cleaning and maintaining galleries through the run of exhibitions.
• Provided support to other departments requiring assistance with installation projects, i.e.: cutting and assembling Unistrut supports for the safe overhead suspension of video projection units, hanging student artwork in annex galleries for the education department. Positioning and transferring vinyl wall and window text and graphics.
• Assisted the conservation and registration departments in the handling and inspection of especially sensitive works.

Coach, Inc. June 2004 – June 2005
New York, New York
Visual Display Coordinator
• Researched, resourced, and produced prototypes of all props and decorative elements for window and interior displays prior to full production. Projects ranged from sourcing and selecting fabrics for slipcovers, pillows, and mannequin outfits to designing and fabricating authentically detailed “Coach” luggage used as window props.
• Coordinated the timely shipping of window and store interior decorative elements for all retail, wholesale, and international stores.
• Supported visual team during window prototyping and installation.
• Hired, trained and managed freelance craftspeople to help construct props on a monthly basis.

Bergdorf Goodman September 2003 – June 2004
New York, New York
Freelance Window Dresser and Interior Decorator
• Executed, with a high degree of technical know-how and aesthetic refinement, window displays created by noted designers David Hoey and Linda Fargo.
• Responsible for a wide range of duties, including general carpentry and painting, and upkeep of tools and paints to facilitate organized and efficient installations.
• Worked with Visual Display staff creating luxurious monthly interior transformations of home goods floor.

International Museum of Surgical Science June – September 2002
Chicago, Illinois
Assistant Curator
• As the summer intern (a position created in response to my proposal), organized, researched, designed, and installed the high-profile permanent exhibit “Windows to the World: The Science of Sight and Ophthalmic Art.” http://www.imss.org/windowexhpop.htm
• Researched, labeled and catalogued the museum’s vast, newly acquired collection of optical artifacts in it’s entirety.
• Researched, contracted, and supervised lighting company, graphic designer, table and Plexiglas vitrine manufacturer, and architectural restoration service.
• Researched and wrote wall panel texts and informational brochure.

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston July 1999 – August 2000
Preparator
• Attended to every aspect of art handling: shipping and receiving of traveling exhibitions; installation of exhibits; installation of individual works of art in area galleries and trustees’ homes; transportation of artworks.
• One of two specialized preparators appointed to the weekly care of the MFA’s Bayou Bend Collection of American decorative arts and paintings, housed within a large historic estate.

Contemporary Arts Museum 1998 – 1999
Houston, Texas
Preparator and Gallery Attendant
• Responsible for all aspects of art handling, exhibition installation and aspects of pre-installation preparation, including basic carpentry, painting, and exhibition lighting.

Applicable Skills:
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Highly detail-oriented.
• Experience working independently.
• Good research skills.
• Knowledge of computer programs including Adobe Photoshop; Microsoft Word; various Internet and e-mail applications.
• Ability to safely operate all common woodshop machinery.
• Proficiency working with a wide range of paints, finishes, adhesives, etc.

Other:
Please visit my art, craft, and museum-oriented blogs:

FinderMaker (my craft-related blog of projects I am working on)

HospitalMuseum Online Archives (some highlights from my personal collection of artifacts and the displays I have created with them relating the history of the development of institutional medicine in America)