Artist, Artist Agent, Independent Curator, Freelance Writer
Fine Art | Greater Chicago Area, US
- Arts professional and practicing artist with
> extensive experience in project management and research, curatorial leadership, exhibition design, marketing and public relations, journalism, and archive administration;
> wide-ranging knowledge of the art industry from the auction house to the gallery to the nonprofit; and
> comprehensive writing background with a focus on poetry.
- Interested in critical theory and social activism—especially as expressed through art and culture—with issues pertaining to gender, race, and class.
Specialties: - Intaglio, woodcut, oil, acrylic, plaster, ink, graphite, monochrome photography, digital photography, art history and theory
- Adobe Photoshop CS3, MS Office, PC and Mac OS
Jun
2011 - Present
Independent Curator / Artist Agent / Freelance Writer / Self
http://artistsonthelam.blogspot.com
Mar
2011 - Present
Contemporary Art Journalist / Sixty Inches From Center
Chicago, IL
http://sixtyinchesfromcenter.org/archive
Sept
2009 - Present
Head Curator / 4Art Inc.
Chicago, IL – Independent gallery for emerging contemporary artists working across media
• Lead and supervise the launch of an annual group show held in the 14,000 sq. ft. exhibition space of the internationally renowned Zhou B Art Center, elevating the gallery’s reputation in its industry while giving relatively unknown and rising artists significant exposure and publicity
• Write and edit press releases, curator’s statements, calls for submissions, and artist biographies, enhancing the company’s image as a vibrant environment that cultivates creativity and innovation
• Generate publicity and engage consumers through word of mouth, client interaction, and social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Flickr, extending the gallery’s reach and facilitating the company’s growth
• Develop initiatives, such as an ongoing 4”x4” show, that target a wide range of market segments with diverse spending capacities, acquiring patrons new to the industry and winning their loyalty while vaulting the gallery ahead of competitors who disregard and alienate lower price segments
• Train and delegate assignments to interns, maximizing productivity
Jan
2009 -
Jun
2009
Post-War and Contemporary Art Intern / Christie's
New York, NY – World’s leading art auction house
• Spearheaded a special project for specialists’ presentations by writing thoroughly researched speaking points that highlighted the value proposition of each artwork, lauded by the department head as “unprecedented in its benefit to the marketing effort”
• Wrote captions, edited manuscripts, researched consignments, and selected images for sales catalogues, augmenting the appeal of the Spring Sales and contributing to their success
• Initiated and directed the creation of an intern manual by writing tutorials on all procedures, saving employees valuable time and synthesizing information dissemination
• Ensured the accuracy of sales estimates under urgent deadlines by selecting works comparable to those in current appraisals and researching their prices realized, helping minimize business risks
• Conducted market intelligence by recording competitors’ estimates and sales results immediately upon disclosure of figures, helping improve the company’s competitive advantage in the marketplace
Sept
2007 -
May
2009
President / Postcrypt
New York, NY – Only organization at Columbia dedicated to the exhibition of undergraduate art
• Reinvented and expanded the gallery’s scope beyond art shows by envisioning, planning, and executing large-scale functions such as multimedia and music festivals, participatory public art happenings, and collaborations with other student groups, garnering acclaim from the Columbia University Spectator that the gallery “isn’t afraid to push the envelope”
• Launched publicity stunts and originated a weekly electronic newsletter with over 800 subscribers, increasing meeting attendance by 229%, artist submissions by 67%, and followers by 38%
• Created and successfully implemented profit-turning enterprises, such as silent auctions and official merchandise, investing the revenue towards the enrichment of and publicity for free events
• Coached and advised board members, curators, artists, and other gallery staff, guiding 44% of assistant curators to assume executive positions of their own, with 63% of 2008-9’s elected board members having joined the previous year
• Ignited and facilitated the proliferation of other student-run groups such as The Artist Society and the Columbia University Photography Society, revitalizing and revolutionizing the campus arts scene
Sept
2006 -
May
2009
Illustrator / The Blue and White
New York, NY
Sept
2008 -
Dec
2008
PR Assistant / Intern / Eyebeam
New York, NY – America’s leading nonprofit art and technology center
• Compiled specialized press kits and customized publicity packages for distribution to national and metropolitan media outlets, helping optimize Eyebeam’s market positioning
• Streamlined the organization of electronic press mentions onto del.icio.us, simplifying the company’s archival system and improving office efficiency
• Overhauled and consolidated the in-house presentation of promotional materials, increasing work productivity
• Assisted in expanding targeted mailing lists, presenting new media to a continually growing audience
Jun
2007 -
Aug
2007
Art Camp Counselor / YMCA
Chicago, IL
Jun
2006 -
Aug
2006
Art Camp Counselor / YMCA
Chicago, IL
Sept
2003 -
Jun
2005
Founder / President / English Tutor / New Horizons
Chicago, IL – Nonprofit English tutoring program for inner-city immigrant youth
• Liaised with the Chairman of the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association of Chicago and with local businesses, securing classrooms while obtaining financial sponsorship from the CCBAC and free catering from local restaurants, who in turn received publicity for their services
• Wrote and designed publicity materials and networked with the press, gaining media attention in China Journal, China Star, and Chinese American
• Motivated peers to volunteer as tutors and to donate books and other resources, eliminating expenditures
• Assessed students’ language proficiencies and learning abilities, assigning tutors to students and amplifying the program’s efficacy
• Formulated personalized course curricula and documented each student’s progress, one student becoming a tutor herself within one year in the program
-
2005
-
2009
Columbia University in the City of New York
BA
in
Visual Arts, Creative Writing
Activities: President of Postcrypt Fall 2007 - Spring 2009, Co-Coordinator and Head Curator of Collision Fall 2008 - Spring 2009, Illustrator for The Blue & White Fall 2006 - Spring 2009, Community Impact Fall 2007 - Spring 2008, Art of Community Campaign Fall 2007 - Spring 2008
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Websites:
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Honors:
Dean's List, 2005-2009