Tales from the Basement, Vol. 1

Hi, everybody. I thought I'd give you a little insight into what goes on behind the scenes with some of the exhibitions you see at the Wexner Center. My job, as a preparator, is to assist with the design of the shows, the handling of and caring for the artwork, and planning and executing the installation of everything you see in the galleries.

So, with a group of exhibitions currently on view, what is it we're doing now? Since there are three of us, we each have a specific show to take care of, and we're currently organizing the next round of exhibitions that you will see in September. This involves everything from budgeting, building the space, working with the artists and the curator on their vision for the show, and making sure everything is installed safely and smoothly.

Pug Heller, our chief Preparator, is working on "Frank Stella 1958." This show is an examination of the point in Stella's career where he began experimenting with his most well known body of work, specifically in the abandonment of representational elements, and moving into a series of "line studies." Expect to see some pretty amazing, and even rare, large scale paintings and assemblages in this exhibition.

Patrick Weber is currently working on a show called "Shiny." The title will give you a clue as to what you'll see. A lot of large scale sculpture, including Jeff Koons, Andy Warhol, Rachel Harrison, and a revisit from Josiah McElheny, among others. There will be some pretty great suprises in this show, and we have a lot of work to do.

I'm currently working on a survey of the work of Louise Lawler, "Twice Untitled and Other Pictures (looking back)." This is a pretty big show; photographs, video, audio, and sculpture. It's particularly interesting to us, since it's kind of a glimpse into what we see on a day to day basis, most commonly images of well known works of art in vulnerable situations (sitting in crates, wrapped in plastic, leaning against walls, waiting to be hung, etc.) So, currently I'm working on a few things for this exhibit with Louise and our head designer, Chris Jones, which will include a change in what the lobby area currently has to offer.

Thanks for reading,

Will Fugman, Wexner Center Exhibition Preparator