The busiest time for the staff of the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art isn’t when a new exhibit opens … it is the two weeks between exhibits when the team there, headed up by new Executive Director Kate Eilertsen, locks the doors and oversees a complete transformation of the space.
On Dec. 11, members enjoyed the opening night of “Life of Making” featuring the works of Jim Melchert, June Schwarcz and Kay Sekimachi.
Curating an art exhibit is very similar to staging a play. As Kate Eilertsen explains, new sets and props are built and others are reused time after time. A large team of experienced professionals is required. There are many long days and late nights leading up to opening night. About 12 hours before the show goes on, it is sometimes impossible to believe that it will be ready, but it is always completed in time.
While Eilertsen is the curator of the current show; guest curators will tackle three of the Museum’s four other shows in 2010. Curators tend to be art professors, art historians or are working artists themselves. Eilertsen’s impressive resume features stints at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Harvard University’s Art Museums as well teaching at San Francisco Art Institute and California College of the Arts.
Eilertsen describes being a curator as both and art and a science in that she starts with a vision, and a theme for each exhibit. There are countless details which must be properly implemented for “the show to go on.” “I see it as weaving a story,” she says. “Each exhibit has a theme and we place the art in such a way that it underscores that theme. I visit the artists and choose which pieces will appear in the show. I work with a scaled model of the museum to decide where each of the movable walls should be. When an exhibit, like this one, has multiple artists and multiple mediums, plus audio-visual and educational components, careful pre-planning is crucial.”
Visitors to Sonoma Valley Museum of Art rarely think about how the art got to the local museum; there is a large amount of work which goes on behind the scenes to get the art from a studio or collection, to Sonoma and up on the walls safely.
The Museum’s installation consultant, Stephan Kirkeby calls himself a professional “preparator.” He specializes in packing up, transporting, unpacking and installing precious art. His goal is to facilitate the relationship between artists, lenders and curators to make sure an exhibit installation goes as smoothly as possible. He has worked in this field his entire life and there isn’t any scenario he hasn’t laid in bed worrying about.
In the back room of the new show a looped video directed by Daedalus Howell features interviews with each of the artists while at work in their studios. The theme of this exhibit is the creative process and the relationship between the art of making and the art of living. As Eilertsen explains, “Each of these artists are in their 80s or 90s. They rise from bed each morning excited to start their day. They are constantly stimulated, challenged and energized by their art. And they feel strongly that their art has not only enriched but actually extended their lives.”
This is the first time Jim Melchert has exhibited at Sonoma Valley Museum of Art. He helped unpack his art last week and said this was the first time in his career he had been invited to do so; he liked the idea of playing a role how and where his pieces would be displayed. “This is a beautiful space and a marvelous setting,” he said looking around as he carefully removed the yards and yards of taped bubble wrap surrounding his artwork.
This exhibit is unique in that a side room features “The Artist’s Studio,” an interactive room where visitors can physically touch and play with the artist’s materials. “Our goal is for these exhibits to strike a chord with visitors of all ages,” says Eilertsen. “Once upon a time, art was considered only for the rich. We’re trying to show that art can enrich all of our lives and museums can be a cool place for everyone to find inspiration.”
Thanks to the museum’s “Art Rewards the Student” program, a few local high school students will get a chance to try their hand at being a curator each year during the annual student exhibit. “They make all the same decisions that professional curators make,” explains Eilertsen.
“It is very unusual for a town the size of Sonoma to have a world-class art museum,” says Lydia Crichton, Sonoma Valley Museum of Art’s Development & Marketing Manager. It’s considered to be one of the finest museums of its kind in the North Bay. Founded in 1998, Sonoma Valley Museum of Art currently has close to 1,000 members and relies heavily on its membership and active volunteers for support. “In 2010, we hope to play an even greater role in this community,” says Eilertsen. “We are planning more lectures, programs and student experiences than ever before.”
Eilertsen and the Board are already working on the 2011 exhibit schedule. “Life of Making” runs until March 14, 2010.
Lorna Sheridan serves as Chair of the City of Sonoma’s Cultural and Fine Arts Commission. A Princeton graduate, she moved to Sonoma in 2006 with her husband Barry and three children. She teaches journalism at The Presentation School and is active with the Sonoma Education Foundation providing college counseling to area high school students.
