#max seiler

This semester I have been working as one of the exhibitions assistant with Sarah Miller on various curatorial projects.

 Recently the Tang was privileged to receive a gift of 500 photographs from collector Jack Shear. Shear’s collection ranges from daguerreotypes shot in the mid-19th century to portraits by Robert Mapplethorpe. As an exhibition assistant I helped with the research component of the gift. The collector didn’t always have complete information about each work, so as a team the exhibitions assistants searched for this information in books and on museum collections’ websites. I saw myself as a detective like Holmes or Bosch, searching for clues, which would lead to information about the mystery art piece I was investigating. Our research has culminated in an excel database of all of the photographs and their corresponding information, which can be used for exhibitions and accompanying labels and catalogs in the future. 

 To go along with two upcoming exhibitions, Alma Thomas and Borrowed Light: Selections from the Jack Shear Photography Gift, I worked on a Wordpress website, which included photographs and journal articles that help contextualize these two exhibitions. This website is used by students and faculty to help with classes and to understand the ideas the curatorial team was dealing with when created the two shows.

 I think the best part of working on these projects is I know the information I researched or the journal articles I uploaded will help with future exhibitions and add to students and faculties’ educational experiences. Without the research project on the Shear gift certain photographs would not have been identified and by creating the Wordpress website I am able to help people understand how shows are created at the Tang.

 I love what I’m doing at the Tang. I get to be a part of a museum where students get to add positively to the experience of the institution.

Max - Engagement

Over the the fall semester, 2014, and the current spring semester, 2015, I have been working with Michael Janairo on various video projects as the digital media assistant.

During the fall semester I was a double, a exhibition co-curated by composer David Lang, was up and had various events that accompanied it. These events were documented with videos by Little Dog Live. Although I wasn't apart of the actually shooting of the films, I edited them so they could be featured on the Tang's Vimeo page.

Working on the Ashley Bathgate and Doubling, events that were apart of I was a double, videos was a fun process both from an editing perspective because I don't get to work with videos in school, but because I able to enjoy the performances by talented dancers and musicians. I get to work creatively on the videos and enjoy the creations the artists are executing. 

I enjoy my time at the Tang because I love what I'm doing. Working on the editing process of creating videos may seem dry because I am just stitching together clips or changing sound levels but I know I am helping with the process of creating something that will be seen by the public and may get them to come to the Tang. That's the best part.

Above is a video I edited for the Vimeo page. It is part of the performance by Ashley Bathgate. More videos can be found at: https://vimeo.com/tangmuseum