What I Do
Plan, shape, and organize accessible and diverse exhibitions. Research. Create narratives. Search for objects and artworks in collections, basements, or on eBay (a curator's secret Grail). Negotiate loans. Find that one artifact that is perfect for social media. Envision immersive experiences, interactives, and short documentaries that spark curiosity. Identify and gather impactful visual assets for graphics. Coordinate and enrich traveling shows, tailoring them for new spaces and audiences. Draft and edit interpretive text. Collaborate with every museum or library department, artist, lender, donor, and sponsor to make it all happen. Make friends. Tell stories in 100 words or less.
Clicking on the title of each show will direct you to the New-York Historical's exhibition page.
Gallery view. New-York Historical Society, 2022
Gallery view. New-York Historical Society, 2022. Photo by Glenn Castellano
Gallery view. New-York Historical Society, 2022. Photo by Glenn Castellano
Gallery view. New-York Historical Society, 2022
"I'll Have What She's Having": The Jewish Deli
An exhibition organized by the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles
November 11, 2022 - April 2, 2023
The New York Historical
Coordinating Curator
For the New York presentation:
Exhibit design: Sofia Lin
Graphic design: Marcela Gonzalez
The exhibition explored how Jewish delicatessens became a cornerstone of American food culture. The show was expanded for its New York presentation by adding objects from local delis, artworks, photography, menus, advertisements, costumes from Prime Video's The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, infographics, an audio tour, a touchscreen interactive, and a video documentary. Watch an excerpt from the documentary here.
Memorable moments:
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Meeting, interviewing, and telling the story of Holocaust survivor Paula Weissman.
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Working with Ted Merwin, a national expert on Jewish food and pop culture.
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Seeking vintage artifacts, signage, and memorabilia from the delis of yesteryear.
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Discovering and displaying the works of folk artist Harry Glaubach and miniature artist Alan Wolfson. Coordinating conservation efforts.
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Examining hundreds of WWII letters in New York Historical's library collection. Discovering one in which an officer, writing from Italy, tells his wife with great delight that he received a salami from his mother that "tastes just like home."
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Scripting and recording the audio for a scrumptious—make-your-own deli-inspired celebrity-named sandwich—interactive with third-generation deli man Lloyd Lederman.
Curator
Exhibit design: Gerhard Schlanzky
Graphic design: Kira Hwang, Ivan Skrtic
The exhibition brought together over a third of the paintings the artist created as covers for The New Yorker, childhood sketches, early works for National Lampoon and Esquire, and never-before-seen progress drawings, all tied together by interpretive text featuring quotes by the artist.
Memorable moments:
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Working with the artist and his family on selecting the most evocative New York artworks, and realizing we need a larger gallery.
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Making a selection of the artist's childhood drawings and pairing it with a handwritten note received by the artist from Norman Rockwell.
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Going through dozens of National Lampoon issues purchased at a garage sale.
Gallery view. New-York Historical Society, 2021. Photo by Glenn Castellano
Gallery view. New-York Historical Society, 2021. Photo by Glenn Castellano
Gallery view. New-York Historical Society, 2021
Gallery view. New-York Historical Society, 2021. Photo by Glenn Castellano
Gallery view. New-York Historical Society, 2021
New-York Historical Society, 2021
Gallery view. New-York Historical Society, 2021. Photo by Glenn Castellano
Gallery view. New-York Historical Society, 2021
Curator
Exhibit design: JinYi Yang
Graphic design: Marcela Gonzalez
The exhibition was conceptualized as a companion to So Ready for Laughter: Bob Hope and World War II, traveling from the National World War II Museum. Combining history and fiction, The Gift of Laughter brought together objects from the Bob and Dolores Hope Foundation archives and the collection of the World Golf Hall of Fame; archival video reels; costumes from the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures and Prime Video's The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
Memorable moments:
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Listening to veterans' memories of Bob Hope.
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Shaping the content, highlighting the work of mid-20th-century women stand-up comedians.
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Holding - with gloves - the Honorary Oscar Bob Hope received in 1953 during the first Academy Awards televised ceremony.
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Installation of the costumes and the 'mandatory joojing' of dress forms.
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Searching for vintage stand-up comedy vinyl albums in the shops of East Village.
Bill Graham and the Rock & Roll Revolution
An exhibition organized by the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles
February 14, 2020 - January 3, 2021
The New York Historical
Coordinating Curator
For the New York presentation:
Exhibit design: JinYi Yang
Graphic design: Kristine Ross
The exhibition was dedicated to the life and work of the legendary music impresario, Bill Graham. For its New York presentation, I worked closely with the Bill Graham Memorial Foundation and augmented the show with objects and posters from private lenders, an interactive touchscreen, and a hands-free location-based audio experience that had 19 audio zones and over 100 music tracks.
Memorable moments:
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Finding creative solutions with the design team for fitting the traveling show in about half of the original exhibit space.
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Learning about 1960s psychedelic poster art and collaborating with Bahr Gallery on loans.
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Working with tonwelt guiding solutions on how to best organize the content around the location-based audio experience.
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Testing the Joshua Light Show projection with the artist.
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Chatting for a brief second about the Woodstock Festival with Michael Lang.
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Moderating a virtual exhibit tour with the Bill Graham Memorial Foundation and Max Weinberg.
Gallery view. New-York Historical Society, 2020. Photo by Glenn Castellano
Gallery view. New-York Historical Society, 2020
Gallery view. New-York Historical Society, 2020
Gallery view. New-York Historical Society, 2020. Photo by Glenn Castellano
Gallery view. New-York Historical Society, 2019. Photo by Glenn Castellano
Gallery view. New-York Historical Society, 2019. Photo by Glenn Castellano
Gallery view. New-York Historical Society, 2019. Photo by Glenn Castellano
Gallery view. New-York Historical Society, 2019. Photo by Glenn Castellano
Co-curator
with Michael Ryan, PhD
Exhibit design: James Hicks
Graphic design: Kristine Ross
The exhibition was shaped as a celebratory show marking 150 years since the first publication of The Innocents Abroad, the novel that turned Mark Twain into a national bestselling author. Alongside treasures from the collection of the Shapell Manuscript Foundation, the exhibit included loans from the Brooklyn Museum, Bancroft Library, Cornell Fashion & Textile Collection, the Dahesh Museum of Art, Vassar College Libraries, and private lenders.
Memorable moments:
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Closely working with the co-curator Michael Ryan, PhD and the team of the Shapell Manuscript Collection on the selection of manuscripts.
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Researching and curating the content for the large graphic elements and the touchscreen interactive that took visitors on Twain's journey.
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Seeking and securing the loan of the stereoscopic camera likely used by photographer William E. James on Twain's 1867 journey.
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The installation of textiles.
Harry Potter: A History of Magic
A British Library exhibition
October 5, 2018 – January 27, 2019
The New York Historical
Coordinating Curator
For the New York presentation:
Project Director: Margi Hofer
Exhibit design: Gerhard Schlanzky
Graphic design: Kira Hwang, Kristine Ross
The New York presentation was augmented with artifacts, artworks, books, and manuscripts from the New-York Historical's collections and additional lenders, including the American Museum of Natural History Library, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, the Explorers Club of New York, Mertz Library of the New York Botanical Garden, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Memorable moments:
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Coordinating the myriad production details with the British Library curators and the partners from Bloomsbury, Pottermore, Scholastic, the Wizarding World, and the Broadway production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.
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Preparing the Immunity from Seizure application for the arrival of international loans.
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The installation of two owl sculptures that once adorned the New York Herald Building.
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Discovering treasures in AMNH's Bliss Collection of Astronomical Instruments.
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Curating the display of artworks by Harry Potter illustrators.
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Drafting new label content and collaborating with the Scholastic editor on the exhibition catalog. Recording content at the Audible studios for the audio exhibition catalog.
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Searching for the perfect gnome prop.
Gallery view. New-York Historical Society, 2018. Photo by Glenn Castellano
New-York Historical Society, 2018. Photo by Glenn Castellano
Gallery view. New-York Historical Society, 2018
Gallery view. New-York Historical Society, 2018. Photo by Glenn Castellano
New-York Historical Society, 2018. Photo by Glenn Castellano
New-York Historical Society, 2018
New-York Historical Society, 2018
New-York Historical Society, 2018. Photo by Glenn Castellano
Summer of Magic: Treasures from the David Copperfield Collection
June 15, 2018 - September 16, 2018 The New York Historical
Curator
Exhibit design: Brianne Muscente-Solga
Graphic design: Maura Spellman
The exhibition was conceptualized around a new programming plan for the museum's summer season. Drawing from the International Museum and Library of Conjuring Arts, it showcased roughly 100 items, including artifacts, posters, costumes, and props, to illuminate the histories of Harry Houdini, the Golden Age of Magic forerunners of David Copperfield, and the iconic magic shops of New York. Archival video screenings, slideshows of digitized posters, and a short documentary by magician Joshua Jay infused the material culture on display.
Memorable moments:
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Researching the collection of the International Museum and Library of Conjuring Arts.
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Coordinating the installation of large-scale artifacts and the conservation of textiles.
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Shaping the exhibit narrative and the highly interactive interpretive writing.
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Annoying colleagues with magic tricks I learned from an Amazing Magic Tricks Kit.
Rebel Spirits: Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr.
February 16, 2018 - May 20, 2018 The New York Historical
Co-curator
with Lawrence Schiller and Marilyn Kushner, PhD
This commemorative exhibition brought together over 100 photographs, correspondence, manuscripts, publications, broadsides, ephemera, and AV that told the intertwined stories of the two visionary leaders.
Memorable moments:
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Working with co-curators Marilyn Kushner, PhD and Larry Schiller [Wiener Schiller Productions] on the photo reportage display.
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Highlighting the life and work of Civil Rights leader Bayard Rustin.
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Research at the New York Municipal Archives.
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Securing the loan of the Martin Luther King Jr. bronze statue by Charles Alston from the Community Church of New York.
Read more here.
Gallery view. New-York Historical Society, 2018. Photo by Glenn Castellano
New-York Historical Society, 2017. Photo by Glenn Castellano
New-York Historical Society, 2018
Gallery view. New-York Historical Society, 2018. Photo by Glenn Castellano
Gallery view. New-York Historical Society, 2017
New-York Historical Society, 2017. Photo by Glenn Castellano
Gallery view. New-York Historical Society, 2017. Photo by Glenn Castellano
Gallery view. New-York Historical Society, 2017
Curator
Exhibit design: Brianne Muscente-Solga
Graphic design: Marcela Gonzalez
This retrospective exhibition covered over 300 years of tattoo history. The complex scope of curatorial work began with visiting tattoo studios in the five boroughs and concluded with getting inked in the museum gallery during a live stream event. The show included hundreds of elements such as 18th-century depictions and records of Indigenous North American tattooing practices; early flash sheets, tattoo machines, and other material culture from the first tattoo shops of New York; sideshow banners; cabinet cards; sculptures, photography; shop signs; as well as fashion and artworks by contemporary tattoo artists. The show was further enriched by infographics, artist profiles, a touchscreen interactive, a video production, and an audio tour. Watch the documentary here.
Memorable moments:
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Working with the scholarly advisory committee - Mike McCabe, Margot Mifflin, Lars Krutak - on the narrative breakdown of the show. Getting my first tattoo from Fineline's Mehai Bakaty and touring the Bowery with Daredevil Studio's Michelle Myles.
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Collaborating and coordinating with dozens of contributors to the exhibition (tattoo artists and clients, photographers, media producers, private lenders, and so on).
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Working on interpretive planning and exhibit text with Paul Rosenthal.
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The arrival and installation of a sideshow banner from the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.
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Conceptualizing, researching, and creating a detailed "family tree" display featuring the work of early 20th century New York tattoo artists around Norman Rockwell's painting The Tattooist.
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Meeting many of the tattoo artists who worked during New York's tattoo ban.
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Organizing the live tattoo demonstrations in the gallery and listening to visitors talk about the significance of their tattoos.
Campaigning for the Presidency: Selections from the Museum of Democracy
August 26, 2016 - November 27, 2016
The New York Historical
Curator
Exhibit design: Brianne Muscente, JinYi Yang
Graphic design: Kira Hwang, Maura Spellman
Coinciding with the presidential election, the exhibit explored the political campaigns of 1960, 1964, 1968, and 1972. Over 120 objects were on view alongside archival videos.
Memorable moments:
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Researching the MOD collection and selecting from hundreds of thousands of buttons and wacky campaign ephemera.
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Having to decide with the art handling team if to display the Richard Nixon toilet seat open or closed.
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The hours spent reviewing political campaign reels at the Paley Center for Media.
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Getting hooked on purchasing 1960s campaign buttons.
Gallery view. New-York Historical Society, 2016. Photo by Glenn Castellano.
Gallery view. New-York Historical Society, 2016. Photo by Glenn Castellano
Gallery view. New-York Historical Society, 2016. Photo by Glenn Castellano
Gallery view. New-York Historical Society, 2016. Photo by Glenn Castellano.
Gallery view. New-York Historical Society, 2015. Photo by Glenn Castellano
Gallery view. New-York Historical Society, 2015. Photo by Glenn Castellano
Gallery view. New-York Historical Society, 2015. Photo by Glenn Castellano
Gallery view. New-York Historical Society, 2015. Photo by Glenn Castellano
Silicon City: Computer History Made in New York
November 13, 2015 - April 17, 2016
The New York Historical
Assistant Curator
Curator: Stephen Edidin
Exhibit design: John Esposito
The exhibition celebrated New York City's central role as a hub for technological innovation. Its content included over 250 objects from museums, corporate archives, and dozens of private lenders, interactives, video screenings, and projection mapping.
Memorable moments:
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Tracking down and securing the loan of a Telstar satellite (one of the two still on Earth).
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The curatorial research visits to Bell Labs, IBM HQ, the Brookhaven National Laboratory, and companies on New York's Silicon Alley.
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Figuring out the logistics of displaying large mainframe IBM computers, fragile 1800s lightbulbs, and minuscule transistors.
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Finding, purchasing, and caring for Selectric typewriters and a Space Invaders stand-up arcade cabinet for the interactive areas.
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Researching and curating the colorful display of ephemera from the 1964 World's Fair, early lightbulbs, transistors, vintage radios, and 3D-printed objects.
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Searching for the perfect fabric rose in NY's Fashion District, to complete a display recalling a 1980s IBM television ad.