Jaco Juice and Taco Bar, Washington, Social Media/Special Events Coordinator

Along with serving as a barista/juice bar tender at Jaco Juice and Taco, my roles include updating social media and creating new marketing content, advertising specials, sales and events, and the design of signage within and outside of the store. I am also responsible for the recruiting, interviewing, and hiring of new staff members, and the subsequent training of new hires.

Touchstone Gallery, Washington, DC, US, Gallery Assistant and Events Supervisor

During the Spring 2017 academic semester at Corcoran School of the Arts and Design, I completed an internship for credit at Touchstone Gallery, a nonprofit contemporary gallery in City Center, DC. Working closely with the director in a team environment, I assisted with all phases of the development of monthly exhibitions. From planning and conceptual development to design, fabrication, and installation, I assisted the artists and the gallery team in the full implementation of each exhibition. Upon completion of the Spring 2017 semester, I was offered a permanent position at the gallery, which remains my primary place of employment. I serve as exhibition designer, graphic designer, web developer, PR point of contact, sales associate, and general administrative assistant.

Each month Touchstone Gallery showcases an exhibition of contemporary pieces of fine art created by the artist members of Touchstone Foundation. In addition, the gallery hosts a major juried exhibition annually, showcasing art of national and international artists. Each of these shows requires careful conceptual development and planning, acquisition and organization of pieces, 3D spacial design of the gallery, fabrication, and installation of pieces. My role as exhibition designer includes the planning, designing, and coordinating of installations, developing the layout for the exhibition components using CAD software, as well as design of 2D and 3D objects and elements within the exhibit such as display cases, platforms, risers, wall panels, and wall and ceiling structures. Producing technical and architectural drawings and preparing floor plans, elevations, cross-sections, and scale details using CAD is a major part of my responsibilities, along with preparing 2D designs for the graphic elements of the exhibitions. I am also responsible for producing and maintaining the displays, from preliminary planning through fabrication.

Correspondence with artists, donors, and members was another aspect of this position, ensuring participation in exhibitions and adherence to gallery rules and restrictions. Cooperation with the artists was key in the exhibition design process from planning to installation. My general gallery administrative duties included consulting sales representatives, artists, contractors, vendors, caterers, and clients. I was required to develop budgetary requirements for exhibitions, shows, and events, and handling bids from contractors and clients. I recommended purchases when planning major events or supervising gallery space rentals, and prepared requisitions for services and supplies.

In preparation for each exhibition, I was responsible for the design of marketing materials such as posters, post cards, email blasts, and digital flyers. Using graphic design software from the Adobe Creative Suite including Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign, I created print and web materials for each unique exhibition. As in the exhibition design and implantation process, cooperation with artists, donors and members was key when creating marketing materials to communicate design intent.

Each month's exhibition debuted with an opening reception, which required organization, planning, and staffing, which I was heavily involved with. My good report and communication with the clients, artists, and project teams, as well as with colleagues, was important to the success of these events.

Solas Nua, Washington, DC, US, Contract Exhibition and Graphic Designer

Solas Nua is a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing awareness and celebration to the visual and performing arts of Ireland. As a DC-based organization, Solas Nua organizes and designs regular exhibitions and events that showcase international artists living in the United States.

I was hired under contract to develop and produce the exhibition "Home + Discordance = US", which featured multi-disciplinary work by 25+ international artists working in the United States. My intensive work for this exhibition required careful conceptual development and planning, acquisition and organization of pieces, 3D spacial design of the gallery, fabrication, and installation of pieces. My role as exhibition designer included the planning, designing, and coordinating of installations, developing the layout for the exhibition components using CAD software, as well as design of 2D and 3D objects and elements within the exhibit such as display cases, platforms, risers, wall panels, and wall and ceiling structures. Producing technical and architectural drawings and preparing floor plans and elevations was a major part of my responsibilities, along with preparing 2D designs for the graphic elements of the exhibitions. I was also responsible for producing and maintaining the displays, from preliminary planning through fabrication.

Correspondence with artists, and facilitators was another aspect of this position, ensuring communication between all of those involved in the development of the exhibition. Cooperation with the artists was key in the exhibition design process from planning to installation. My general gallery administrative duties included consulting sales representatives, artists, contractors, vendors, caterers, and clients. I was required to develop budgetary requirements for exhibitions, shows, and events, and handling bids from contractors and clients. I recommended purchases when planning major events or supervising gallery space rentals, and prepared requisitions for services and supplies.

George Washington University Corcoran School of Art & Design, Washington, DC, US, Graduate Teaching Assistant

In the Fall 2016 academic semester at Corcoran School of the Arts and Design, I served as graduate teaching assistant to the "Methods of Visual Representation" course, which is a required class for first year students in the Masters of Exhibition Design Program. My duties included assisting the instructor, Clare Brown, in studio teaching sessions, holding personal office hours for individual tutoring, and being available for software trouble-shooting throughout the week. This position required a thorough knowledge of CAD software, specifically Vectorworks, Adobe Creative Suite design software including Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and After Effects, as well as model-building techniques, drawing ability and hand-drafting skills.

This course provided first-year exhibition design students with an introduction to the software, tools, skills, and techniques necessary for the full design process of a museum exhibition. Working alongside the first-year studio class, this course covered conceptual development processes, visitor circulation, and exhibition planning as interpreted through architectural and detail drawings. An introduction to Vectorworks CAD software allowed students to begin designing 3D spacial designs for exhibition proposals. I was responsible for helping to teach technical drawing methods, detailing, drafting, and basic architectural drawing styles. I also taught strategies for developing construction and remodeling specifications, as well as the use of CAD software to prepare floor plans, elevations, cross-sections, and scale details.

The focus of this course was to prepare students to plan, design, and coordinate installations. The design and development of exhibitions for galleries and museums was the end goal of the instruction in this course, and the focus of my duties as a teaching assistant. Students learned how to develop the layout and components of exhibitions, and design the building space, exhibit furnishings, and displays.

In the Spring 2017 semester I served as a TA for "Advanced 3D Vectorworks, another course mandatory to graduates of the program. his course built off of an introduction to basic CAD drawing in the "Methods of Visual Representation" course. I helped to teach advanced 3D modeling and design techniques to prepare students for the design process of a museum exhibition. Planning and management of files for user flow and document organization, 3D modeling tools and workflows, and rendering methods were major topics I helped to teach during studio time. I helped students complete spacial modeling assignments, including a final project that required a full spacial design modeled and rendered entirely in Vectorworks.

Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, PA, US, Decorative Arts and Design Fellow

In my senior year of undergraduate studies at the University of Pittsburgh, I was awarded the Milton Fine Museum Professional Fellowship at the Carnegie Museum of Art. My fellowship took place under the curator of Decorative Arts and Design, and centered around exhibition and collection management. Working closely with both the curator and the exhibition team, my duties included cataloguing work in the museum exhibitions, curatorial research for the collection, and planning of upcoming exhibitions and events. The planning, designing, and coordinating of installations within the decorative arts galleries was also included in my responsibilities as a museum fellow.

This was a fast-paced, team environment, and required excellent communication skills with my colleagues, supervisors, and various design project teams. I was required to manage multiple projects, adhering to strict deadlines.

Fallingwater House, Mill Run, PA, US, Special Collections Assistant

At Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater House, my internship focused around the permanent art and furniture collection that is part of the historic home. I worked with Aleksandra Carapella, curator of house and grounds, on the maintenance, categorization, care, and display of the collection. My duties also included restoration/preservation research, and creation of emergency repsonse plans in case of natural disasters. Adherence to accessibility, safety, and security standards, as well as conservation standards of the home and its collection, was of utmost importance in my job requirements.

Williams and Ports Architecture and Design Inc., York, PA, US, Historic Preservation Intern

Interning in the historic preservation department of Williams and Ports Architecture and Design Inc., I was responsible for the research and categorization of historic buildings in York City, Pennsylvania. Throughout the summer I conducted surveys of homes and other structures under the protection of the Historic Preservation Act, taking part in board meetings and hearings pertaining to the maintenance and protection of historic architecture.