Deez Interviews: Meet the Guggenheim publishing assistant thinking about the power of gatekeeping in art and media

Happy Friday Deezers! Today’s interview takes us into the art museum world and pulls back the curtain on all of the work it takes to keep yr average Mona Lisa viewer educated and enlightened. Enjoy!

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The interviewee: Kayla Elam (follow her at @KaylaElam)

The current job: Publishing Assistant at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation

The hustle: My department is responsible for editing all public-facing text, which means we see everything from press releases to wall texts in the museum to subway advertising. I generally edit all the calendar events on Guggenheim.org, as well as many marketing and educational materials. I also edit the English-language edition of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao’s visitor guide, which is published 3-times a year.

Then there’s the administrative aspect to my job, which can involve organizing meetings, taking notes, and managing interns—aka the glamorous stuff. I also work closely with the managing editor on budgets and managing expenses, so let’s just say I know my way around a spreadsheet.

You graduated with a double major in journalism and art history, and you’ve been working at institutions like the Smithsonian, The Met and the Guggenheim ever since. In what ways has your journalism training come in useful over the years?

I think journalism training makes someone enormously resourceful: I am not afraid to pick up the phone and ask a million (annoying but necessary) questions to push a project forward. I can use just about any database and assess what’s missing in a text or narrative fairly quickly. I used to be really anxious about making phone calls or asking too many questions, so thank you, J-school, for ridding me of that fear.

Also, I am editing on deadline nearly every day, so I am constantly using the skills I gained in reporting and editing classes to shape text and ensure the content we produce is clear and concise but also has its own voice.

What lessons from the museum world do you think the media industry could stand to learn?

I think museums and media companies are going through similar challenges. Museums are mission-based and strive to serve their communities by being a place that promotes new and diverse ideas. It's similar to journalism in that regard.

I think technology is playing an increasingly important role in what we do at museums and how we reach and engage with visitors, which again, probably sounds pretty familiar to media folks. Museums are rising to the occasion in new and interesting ways, and I think it is so important for us as cultural institutions to listen to our local communities and be flexible. But that's much easier said than done tbh.

What surprises you most about working with these iconic institutions?

I think the most surprisingly thing about working at the Guggenheim has been the realization that the teams here are really small. I expected a massive operation but, at least in the Creative Department, there are only a handful of us in each team working to produce the wall text, catalogues, graphics, photography, and web and app content. Exhibitions are planned years in advance, but nevertheless things are changing up until the day before the show opens. Each person is such an integral piece of the puzzle as it all comes together. It’s cheesy, but seeing the final product when the exhibition opens is such a thrilling experience.

I think that’s also true of media and journalism-focused companies: you have to be well-rounded and know a bit of design, writing, video production, etc. Being a generalist isn’t such a bad thing!

When it comes to writing and covering art (and art criticism), what are the "dos and don'ts" you'd like all of mainstream media to know?

That’s a toughie because I didn’t spend a lot of time covering art myself while in journalism school, surprisingly enough. An obvious “do” would be to spend time with the work—I sometimes feel like I need to speed through an exhibition, but my favorite experiences with art have been when I slowed down and focused on one or two pieces I really liked (or hated). But the question I always ask myself when I visit a museum exhibition is “why did the curator/museum team choose this person’s work to be shown or if it’s a group show, why was this theme/artistic movement/geographic region the focal point?” Are there a range of voices and ideas represented here or is something missing? Is this omission deliberate?

I guess for me it’s not just about the work ,but also what the overall implication or intent of a show is. Museums have limited space and many mount only a few shows a year, so who and what they choose and what content they produce to support the exhibition matters.

A museum is a powerful, important institution and with that comes a responsibility that should be taken seriously. Also, maybe it’s just me, but one of the first and lasting impressions I have is how the wall text frames the work and the artist(s). Was it engaging? Did it enhance what you saw? Did it include problematic phrasing? Did it leave anything out? These are usually the questions I am mulling over on the subway afterward. That, or you know, something equally philosophical like what happened to Stacie Orrico? She had some jams.

Tell us about some of your favorite works of art!

Of all time: Le déjeuner sur l'herbe by Manet, at the Musee d’Orsay

Everyday: The Guggenheim Museum building designed by Frank Lloyd Wright is a constant source of inspiration.

Recently: Chris Ofili’s show at David Zwirner, An Incomplete History of Protest exhibition at the Whitney, and Barbara Chase-Riboud’s sculptures at Michael Rosenfeld Gallery

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I’m so intrigued by what Elam said here about the museum’s enormous gatekeeping/tastemaking power — and how it really is a lot like what stories media outlets choose to give attention to or not. Some wise thoughts to ponder over this Halloweekend! Make it a good one.

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