Staff Connections: Amy Bzdak, Assistant Exhibition Designer

Running a museum takes a whole team of professionals whose different skills help make the Rubin Museum of Art one of the premiere places to visit. To get to know us a little more, and to explore different careers in the arts, each month we will be asking a Museum staffer/intern to answer six questions about their position at the Museum, their favorite artworks or exhibitions on display in the museum and other personal attributes. For our third installment we’re going to be introduced to Amy Bzdak!

Staff Connection-Amy Bzdak

RMA: What is your title and what do YOU do here at the Museum?

I am the Assistant Exhibition Designer, which means I design several shows a year under the supervision of John Monaco, the Exhibition Designer. Designing an exhibition entails working with the curators to create a layout of objects that works for everyone, for content and aesthetics. I use a 3D program to make sure the objects will fit and look well in their locations and casework.  I design new casework when needed and choose wall colors to set the mood of the show.

RMA: Where are you originally from and how did you end up at the Rubin?

I am from Portville, a small town in western NY.  It’s in the southwest corner of the state, almost in Pennsylvania.  I came to NYC for undergrad, where I double majored in Urban Studies and Visual Arts. My senior year of college, I did an internship at the Museum of the City of New York with the Exhibitions Coordinator. It was very hands on and they let me use a drill to install fixtures, work with the freelance exhibition designers, and put on gloves to install period costumes with the textiles conservator. That revealing experience let me see behind the curtain and led me to apply to this job opening, which at the time was called Exhibition Design Assistant. I was also encouraged by the fact that I had experience with the architectural design program (Vectorworks).

RMA: What is your favorite thing about your job?

I really enjoy designing casework. I like the process of changing a leg on a table or the angle of a shelf until it feels just right, which can go through so many iterations, and in the end can be a very subtle difference.

RMA: What is your favorite piece of art or exhibition in the museum and why?

I really liked Remember That You Will Die, which was an exhibition we did in 2010.  Besides the lovely wall colors and design, I was impressed and challenged by the fact that it was a cross cultural look at how different people remind themselves that death is coming. There were some really great memento mori pieces from the Christian tradition that contrasted nicely with our Buddhist pieces.

RMA: What advice would you give to someone who wanted to follow the same career path?

Find out which design program the place you want to work uses and learn it! Now there are  a lot of undergraduate and graduate exhibition design programs, which I am sure are a good way to go, although both my boss and I both have degrees in art. An internship at a museum is also very helpful.

RMA: Do you have a secret talent or a hobby that you enjoy?

It’s not a secret, but my biggest hobby right now is part time graduate school for City & Regional Planning at Pratt Institute.  Since my undergrad was also in Urban Studies, I have always had an interest in spatial thinking and design implications on a larger scale, which also incorporate quality of life and sustainability issues.  I also enjoy manual art projects, tap dancing and playing my flute.

RMA: If you could travel anywhere in the Himalayas where would you go and why?

You know, I have been looking at many beautiful images of the area in my 4+ years here and it seems to me that anywhere near those mountains would be so imposing that I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to go.  I would also like to pet a yak.

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