Keenan Saiz
Oakmont,PA
Summary
Museum professional dedicated to research initiatives, public programming, exhibition development, and arts education. I am seeking new opportunities in archival research and public history.
Overview
9
9
years of professional experience
Work History
Project Curatorial Assistant, 37.5 Hrs/week
Carnegie Museum of Art
11.2022 - Current
- Support Curator of Photography on implementing chosen theme of Hillman Photography Initiative, including conducting and organizing curatorial research and interfacing across museum departments to plan and execute group exhibition, publication, podcast series, and public programs.
- Coordinate project development with external collaborators including artists, universities, advisors, media producers, and grant organizations.
- Conduct collections-based research for acquisition reports, curatorial seminars, and museum website.
- Contribute written material for publication, gallery wall text, podcast prompts and script, and other interpretive material.
- Support design and production of exhibition catalogue, including sourcing all images and copyrights, commissioning new essays and artwork, and editing proofs.
Equity Audit Researcher, 10 Hrs/week
City of Pittsburgh
06.2023 - 03.2024
- In consultation with the City of Pittsburgh's Public History, Art, and Design Division, and an advisory council of local artists, historians, and activists, I conduced research on the city's public art collection to identify inequity within the objects, histories, and practices of the city's public art narrative.
- Formulated a research plan with the advisory council and applied that to specific objects in the collection that require further provenance research.
- Conducted archival research into the City of Pittsburgh's Municipal Records and the Heinz History Center Collection.
- Organized and mediated monthly meetings with advisory council where research findings were shared and discussed.
- Compiled research into a final report that will be used to aid in future public programming.
Curatorial Intern, 15 Hrs/week
The Kitchen
01.2020 - 07.2020
- Wrote artist bios and event descriptions for the online archive, conducted archival research for upcoming exhibitions, assisted in outreach for public programs.
- In collaboration with the curators, I wrote two articles that utilized interviews and archival research, both published online at TheKitchen Magazine.
- Assisted in exhibition opening, installation, and outreach for The Kitchen's new off-site program at Queenslab.
Graduate Student Co-Curator, 15 Hrs/week
American Museum of Natural History
01.2020 - 06.2020
- Collaborated with a team of graduate students, designers, curators, anthropologists, and community leaders of the Kayapó tribe from the Brazilian Amazon on research and curation for an exhibition case in the Hall of Native South American Peoples at AMNH.
- Adapted to COVID-19 with a virtual exhibit.
- Primary responsibilities were conducting research on visual media from Kayapó artists and AMNH exhibition history, writing introduction text, and editing object labels.
- Assisted in the coordination of research, deadlines, and other project related tasks on work sharing platforms.
Lead Arts Coordinator, 37.5 Hrs/week
The Arc SF-Art Reach Studios
07.2015 - 06.2019
- Supervised a team of teachers, interns, and volunteers in the development and implementation of a year-round arts curriculum for adult artists with developmental and intellectual disabilities.
- Maintained partnerships with local art non-profits, galleries, museums, and other businesses in order to organize exhibitions, advocacy events, and art sales.
- Managed all social media accounts, studio supplies, and assisted the studio manager in tracking the annual budget.
- Designed and taught a wide range of art courses and lectures.
Education
Master of Arts - Museum Anthropology
Columbia University
New York, NY02.2022
Bachelor of Fine Arts - Photography
San Francisco Art Institute
San Francisco, CA05.2015
Skills
- Archival Research
- Program Coordination
- Microsoft Office Suite
- Team Leadership
- Interpretive Writing
- Adobe Creative Suite
- Arts Education
- Content Research and Development
- Public Speaking
- Exhibition Development
- Editing/Proofreading
- Communication
- Visitor Engagement
- Conservation Knowledge
- Community Partnerships
- Art History Expertise
- Public Engagement
- Museum Collections
Volunteer Experience
- May 2018-May 2019, Gallery Monitor, Hayes Valley Art Works, San Francisco, CA
- September 2015-September 2017, Darkroom Teacher, First Exposures, San Francisco, CA
References
- Brian Boyd, Director Museum Anthropology, Columbia University, Academic Advisor, brian.boyd@columbia.edu, 212-854-4564
- Dan Leers, Curator of Photography, Carnegie Museum of Art, Supervisor, leersd@carnegieart.org, 412-622-5597
- Rayna Holmes, Special Projects Manager, The Kitchen, Supervisor, rayna@thekitchen.org, 212-255-5793
- Tony Cavalline, Public Art Planning Manager, City of Pittsburgh, Supervisor, tonycavalline@gmail.com, 412-459-5341
Timeline
Equity Audit Researcher, 10 Hrs/week
City of Pittsburgh
06.2023 - 03.2024
Project Curatorial Assistant, 37.5 Hrs/week
Carnegie Museum of Art
11.2022 - Current
Curatorial Intern, 15 Hrs/week
The Kitchen
01.2020 - 07.2020
Graduate Student Co-Curator, 15 Hrs/week
American Museum of Natural History
01.2020 - 06.2020
Lead Arts Coordinator, 37.5 Hrs/week
The Arc SF-Art Reach Studios
07.2015 - 06.2019
Master of Arts - Museum Anthropology
Columbia University
Bachelor of Fine Arts - Photography
San Francisco Art Institute
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