Art museums enable us to see and engage with contemporary and historic artworks that we otherwise wouldn’t have access to. It takes a very special person and a considerable amount of time and effort to obtain these items, verify their authenticity, store them properly, and curate exhibitions around them. To learn more, we’re joined by Mr. Scott Shields, Associate Director and Chief Curator at Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento, California. He grew up in Nebraska, has a master's degree and a Ph.D. in art history, and has curated many impressive exhibitions at the Crocker; drawing in large numbers of people who flock to the museum for a chance to view its collection of art and ceramics. Mr. Shields is also an author, having written books and catalogs about art. In this episode, he tells us what it takes to be a museum curator, from building relationships with art collectors to keeping up with the sometimes fickle art world and everything in between! Tuning in, you’ll find out how artworks are loaned, what goes into fine art logistics, where Mr. Shields gets ideas for new exhibitions, and what he considers when adding a new piece to the museum collection, plus so much more. This was a super interesting and incredibly insightful interview, so be sure to tune in (and stay tuned for part two!)
Key Points From This Episode:
- The varied responsibilities that Mr. Shields has in his capacity as chief curator.
- Insight into the Crocker, the oldest art museum in the Western United States.
- Different curatorial departments that Mr. Shields oversees at the Crocker.
- Loans, insurance, shipping, and more: what goes into putting an exhibition together.
- Why relationship-building is such an important part of Mr. Shields’ job.
- Opportunities for travel and access to private art collections.
- The sometimes complex nature of fine art logistics!
- What makes good art: assessing worthwhile additions to the museum collection.
- Keeping up with modern and contemporary art and why the art world isn’t always fair.
- Where Mr. Shields gets ideas for upcoming exhibitions and how he markets them.
- Art storage, artwork preservation, and curating every aspect of the exhibition space.
- Stay tuned for part two of our conversation with Mr. Scott Shields!
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
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