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Find out what it's like to work in an academic art museum, hear about the Barrick’s strangest phone calls, and discover who on staff is the office prankster.
Go behind the scenes in an art museum. Join the crew from the Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art as we chat with artists, curators, and everyone else who helps us bring our galleries to life. New episodes will be posted in selected months after the program has aired on KUNV 91.5.
The Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art is located on the campus of one of the most racially diverse universities in the United States, we strive to create a nourishing environment for those who continue to be neglected by contemporary art museums, including BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ groups. As the only art museum in the city of Las Vegas, we commit ourselves to leveling barriers that limit access to the arts, especially for first-time visitors. To facilitate access for low-income guests we provide free entry to all our exhibitions, workshops, lectures, and community activities. Our collection of artworks offers an opportunity for researchers and scholars to develop a more extensive knowledge of contemporary art in Southern Nevada. The Barrick Museum is part of the College of Fine Arts at the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV).
Kevin Krall 0:00
The following is special programming aired in collaboration with the Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art on the campus of UNLV. The content of this program does not reflect the views or opinions of 91.5 Jazz and More, the University of Nevada Las Vegas or the Board of Regents of the Nevada System of Higher Education.
Dan Hernandez 0:21
I drive to the UNLV campus down Harmon Avenue and the parking lot outside the Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art. It wasn't easy, but I managed to find one of the places set aside for visitors. I pay the meter. The museum is free. So I know that this is going to be the only money I have to spend while I'm here. Ahead of me, I see a row of glass doors. One of them sticks a little as I open it. The tiles on the floor inside are a pink color almost like clay. I've only taken two steps and the person behind the desk ahead of me is already calling out, Hello. Welcome to the Marjorie Barrick Museum. In a moment, she'll probably ask me for my zip code, so she can check me in. I know her - she's LeiAnn. The - wait, let me let her introduce herself.
LeiAnn Huddleston 1:07
Hi, my name is LeiAnn and I am the programming manager at the Barrick Museum of Art. I've worked here for about six years. And my favorite thing about the Barrick is that we are many people's first visit to an art museum, which can be pretty scary, but we always strive to create a positive experience and make them feel welcomed.
Dan Hernandez 1:25
Once LeiAnn has finished, I opened the door to a side room with glass walls where a second woman is sitting at a desk, with her back to me. On the screen in front of her I see what looks like the layout of an exhibition catalog with texts and paragraphs.
Chloe Bernardo 1:41
My name is Chloe Bernardo. I'm the graphic designer at the Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art. I've worked here for almost two and a half years and my favorite thing about my job at the Barrick is collaborating with artists and curators into bringing their visions to life.
Dan Hernandez 1:57
Someone else comes into the room as Chloe turns back to her screen. He's carrying a cardboard box full of papers. I think they're museum archives.
Manny Munoz 2:06
Hi, my name is Manny. I'm the archivist and programming assistant at the Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art. I've worked here for a little over two years now. And my favorite thing about working at the Barrick is probably talking to our visitors about art.
Dan Hernandez 2:21
Manny puts his box down and says something to a woman in an office behind us. I can see plants on the shelves behind her and pieces of art hanging on the sides of the cabinets.
Alisha Kerlin 2:31
My name is Alisha Kerlin and I am the Executive Director of the Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art. I haven't always held this role, but I have been at the museum for 10 years this year. I love what we do here. I love my team and the people that we get to work with. But most of all, I love the visitors. If you visit the Barrick, you will see artworks that evaluate our past and critique our present. We always make space for meaningful representation, joy, celebration, and also remembrance. At the heart of what we do here is the belief that everyone deserves access to the arts. And that UNLV's Museum is powered by those who activate the space, our visitors, who experience the art with a range of powerful responses. What we do here is so important. And even more, we just so happen to be the only art museum in the city of Las Vegas, and one of the few places where you can experience art free of charge. So whether this is your first time or 1,000,000th time visiting an art museum. All are welcome. Hope to see you soon.
Dan Hernandez 3:42
I can't see anyone else here so I leave the big office and walk across the lobby to visit Deanne, in the smaller office where visitors to the museum are asked to leave their backpacks in white cubby holes. She's sitting at a grey desk behind a glass cup full of paper clips, writing something, probably a grant.
Deanne Sole 4:00
Hello, my name is Deanne Sole. I'm the publications editor at the Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art. I've been working here for about a decade. My favorite thing about being at the museum is you know, A, I get to be around a lot of works of art. And B, I'm able to see how exhibitions come together. So how themes are chosen, how artists are chosen, how artworks are chosen, and then all the activities that follow on from that to create the experience that you have when you actually walk through the doors of the museum.
Dan Hernandez 4:35
There's only one person left to see. I leave my backpack in a cubby behind Deanne and give LeiAnn at the front desk my zip code so I can enter the galleries. I walk across the creaking wooden floor, past rows of artwork, through the largest gallery and then down the narrowest gallery, to the open door of the collections room.
Paige Bockman 4:55
Hi, my name is Paige Bockman and I am the collections and exhibitions manager here at the Barrick Museum, I have worked here since 2015. And my favorite thing about the Barrick is definitely the people, the staff and students, instructors here at UNLV. And all of the wonderful members of the arts community here in Las Vegas.
Dan Hernandez 5:19
Paige is looking up at the wall of the shelves where the paintings are stored. They tower over her head, she moves to pull out one of the paintings and its protective layers of plastic wrapping. I wonder what she's planning to do with it - is it being prepared for a new exhibition, or for a researcher has scheduled a time this afternoon to come in and carry out some research. I try to imagine what this painting must look like under the plastic and my imagination inspires me to find some art I can see. I leave Paige to her work and go back to the galleries.
Dan Hernandez 6:00
My name is Dan Hernandez and I'm sitting with the staff from the Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art. And I'm gonna go around the table and let them introduce themselves and tell us what their position is.
Paige Bockman 6:12
My name is Paige Bockman. I'm the collections and exhibitions manager.
DK Sole 6:17
I'm DK Sole. I'm the publications editor.
Tracy Fuentes 6:20
My name is Tracy Fuentes and I'm a student worker.
Lauren Dominguez 6:24
My name is Lauren Dominguez. I am also a student worker.
LeiAnn Huddleston 6:27
Hi, I'm LeiAnn Huddleston and I'm the program manager.
Manny Munoz 6:30
My name is Manny, I'm the archivist and programming assistant.
Alisha Kerlin 6:34
My name is Alisha. I am the Executive Director and the snack pusher.
Chloe Bernardo 6:39
I'm Chloe Bernardo. I'm the graphic designer.
Dan Hernandez 6:43
All right, thank you. All right, I'm gonna ask a few questions that were posted online. Some of these are frequently asked questions and a few things that people are wondering. So let's start with any funny or special 2021 Behind the Scenes experiences you could share with us and this is open to anybody.
Alisha Kerlin 7:03
Okay, so we got to follow professional, very athletic, sign spinners out to the corner of Las Vegas roads, and watch them spin conceptual art. And people drive by and they go beep beep.
Chloe Bernardo 7:21
Yeah, shout out to Aarrow Las Vegas.
Alisha Kerlin 7:24
Yeah. Aarrow Sign Spinning of Las Vegas.
Manny Munoz 7:25
That was a fun experience. Yeah.
Paige Bockman 7:28
Yeah. They tried to teach us. I don't I don't know how great any of us were.
LeiAnn Huddleston 7:33
Well, Chloe was great at it.
Chloe Bernardo 7:35
The signs were taller than me. But it felt like playing, just playing around and spinning them. It takes really great skills and some strength. But I think anyone can do it. It was a cool experience.
Dan Hernandez 7:51
So how did the sign spinning? How did you guys get involved with that? Like what was the reason behind this?
Alisha Kerlin 7:57
The most amazing artist, Yumi Roth, built this community together, we got to hang a bunch of signs on the wall like skateboards, with conceptual art statements. And each of the sign spinners signed up. They came in, they spun at the museum, told us their stories, and then we went out to the street corners.
LeiAnn Huddleston 8:17
But it was such a great opportunity. I don't think at least with my time within the museum, I don't know if anyone else feels this way. I never thought that was going to be a possibility working at an art museum, which I think is the whole point of the project. But it was phenomenal. It was great experience.
Alisha Kerlin 8:30
And no one got hurt.
Manny Munoz 8:32
Which is important.
Dan Hernandez 8:34
Is there any other moments anybody else wants to mention?
Paige Bockman 8:37
We went on our first Barrick field trip with the staff, which is something that we've always joked about for years about doing. We all like working together so much that we often spend time outside of work together. And so this was kind of a natural extension of that, but we got to go visit the Mystery Ranch with Kim Garrison Means and a couple other local artists and activists and that was part of our preparation for an upcoming exhibition in the spring called Spirit of the Land. And we just got to go out in the desert and they showed us the area and it was just absolutely beautiful. And we got to hike around.
LeiAnn Huddleston 9:27
Got to see the sunset. And like with no light pollution from the city, you could actually see the stars . It's insane.
Dan Hernandez 9:35
That's cool. Can you tell anything more about the Mystery Ranch? Since you mentioned it?
Paige Bockman 9:39
No. It is I believe it was started by her grandfather. Her grandparents bought the land and it's just a little kind of one room cabin up at the top of this hill, this kind of bluff so you can see for miles and miles and it is near an area and a mountain range called Avi Kwa Ame, which is a kind of the spiritual center and a very sacred space for a lot of the indigenous peoples to this area, and they are actually working to try to make Avi Kwa Ame and the surrounding land a protected monument. And so that's kind of the activism behind that, it is kind of what's fueling Spirit of the Land, the show.
Dan Hernandez 10:34
All right, well, we're gonna move on to another question. So what is your favorite thing about working at the Barrick? And that's kind of a broad question, everybody probably has something different to say. But.
Alisha Kerlin 10:45
I like talking to the first time visitors like if they've never been to an art museum, or they've never been to UNLV, or to any museum at all. I like to ask them how their visit was. And you know, I've committed this new year, to sitting at the front desk at least one time a week, so I can do those talks.
Manny Munoz 11:05
Yeah, I think for me, it's also talking to people, I think, when I got first, you know, brought onto the team, which was about two years ago, now, a little over two years ago. My role was mainly with tours. And this, this was before COVID and the pandemic. So I think back then talking to people and giving tours and just hearing questions from the visitors about art, and just having a conversation with them was probably my favorite thing. But now since you know, things have kind of changed, I feel like my favorite thing about working at the Barrick has also changed. Recently, I think I really got into the archiving part of working at the Barrick, which is a lot more behind the scenes, I do consider myself a people person. But working with filing cabinets has also been really interesting. And I have, I don't know, I kind of really enjoy that now. Which I would have never imagined that I would have liked filing papers.
Paige Bockman 12:09
Had I known that you liked filing things so much I would have had you helped me with all of my filing tasks several years ago, well, I appreciate the help.
Manny Munoz 12:21
There's still a lot of filing to be done. So I see a lot of fun in my future.
LeiAnn Huddleston 12:26
But bouncing off of what Manny was going on about with when he first got hired and he would do a lot of the tours and you are a lot, you are a huge people person and you're great at it.
Manny Munoz 12:39
Thank you.
LeiAnn Huddleston 12:40
But with with my favorite part at least working with the Barrick has always been the bulk of the Barrick tours, I love interacting with kids, I have so before working here, but that was probably my favorite thing about working with the Barrick is getting a chance to do those tours and see the kids reactions to all the artwork we had on display. And to kind of see that, their mindset about art change. Instead of it being just about painting or sculpture, we would have Justin Favela's Estardus that's made out of cardboard on the wall. And they would be like, Oh my gosh, I think I can do that. Like I think that's possible for me to do and to have like a fifth grader or a third grader tell that to you that is so heartwarming and just to see them light up to recognize that, Oh, I can be an artist, like I don't have to learn how to paint, I don't have to know how to draw, necessarily in order to be an artist, which those skills are very important not to like belittle them, but just to know that there's a lot more that's possible than just those things. So that's at least that was my favorite thing.
Paige Bockman 13:41
I think what I like best about working at the Barrick, besides the people, is that it's challenging to me, I come from a non art background. My background is in anthropology and archaeology. So I kind of came at museum work a little differently than everyone else, and didn't really have the art training. All of my art classes and knowledge are like pre-Byzantine era. So working at a contemporary art museum was kind of strange. And that's something that the Barrick has taught me that accessibility to art and contemporary art. Because I think like a lot of people came to it and thought like, oh, there's, you know, a blank canvas on a wall with a dot and someone calls it art, you know, but I think learning more about the artists and about the work has really kind of changed my mind on what is art. And it's those ideas that are challenging, and also just the wide breadth of types of art that you get in contemporary art and the challenges of like, oh, how do we hang, this, you know, weird thing. I don't want to, like call out any artists for like having a difficult thing to hang. But sometimes it is like a different way of thinking of, you know, how are we going to hang this? How do we display it? How do we pack it up? How do we move? Like, you know, how do we get a 20 foot cement damn into the, into the gallery? Like, I don't know. So that, you know, I think that problem solving and challenges I really like.
Dan Hernandez 15:30
Keeps you on your toes, keeps every day Interesting.
Paige Bockman 15:33
Yeah, yeah, every day is different.
Dan Hernandez 15:35
Before we move on, does anybody else have anything they want to share?
Alisha Kerlin 15:38
How about student workers, you guys just started?
Lauren Dominguez 15:41
I mean it's hard for me to choose like my favorite like anything. So I guess that's my favorite thing about the Barrick is that I've been able to do so much. Because I'm a student worker, I'm trying to find out exactly what I want to do, you know, past undergrad. So being able to experience a little bit of everything is awesome.
Dan Hernandez 16:06
So we're gonna hop on to the last question. And people want to know, what is your favorite exhibition that you've worked on?
Alisha Kerlin 16:13
I would say Axis Mundo: Queer Networks in Chicano LA. It was, I think ,the one where we grew the most. And we were able to see ourselves from afar, we were able to pull back and see what we were doing. The show traveled all over the place. And we worked with this organization called the ICI, which is an international organization. And so we brought this show in and everybody said, oh, you can't do it, one because of the content or the scale. But we did it. We put this thing together. And we did a great job. And as the show traveled all around, we learned you know, what our strengths were and how great our community is. And we brought in more people than any of the other spots. And the curators really did love us. And I'd love being able to pull back and see that.
Manny Munoz 17:03
That probably would have been my favorite too. But I wasn't here then. Which is unfortunate. But I think Amanda's show has a special place in my heart because that was the first thing I ever did when I first came into the Barrick. And when I think back it encompassed everything, that working in a museum like entails, I painted murals, I gave tours, I installed artwork, I even got a chance to work as like a volunteer trainer. I was a volunteer myself when I started, but I was able to kind of like, lead a couple of volunteers who were coming in after me, that was also an interesting, dynamic. And then it was also something that that exhibition encompassed the entirety of the gallery space, like every single piece of wall was taken up by art, which I think in my mind, like makes the space feel really, really large. So I think that that show probably is my favorite. The show was called Connective Tissue, by the way,
LeiAnn Huddleston 18:09
I think bouncing off of what Alisha has said is I think it was the show right after Axis Mundo called Sorry for the Mess with Justin Favela and Jay Lynn Gomez. That was probably one of my favorite shows we have ever done just because of how the space completely changed, how like Justin added his grandmother's living room, and we got to help fabricate some of the pieces. It was the most hands-on exhibition. And for me personally, it was the most fun that dealt with a lot of serious subject matter where it felt very playful, but it hit on a lot of really important topics. For me, that was hands down the funnest show to at least install and to also like exhibit.
Manny Munoz 18:54
That's a good one.
Alisha Kerlin 18:55
You know, a pile of Muppets, right, made out of pinata.
LeiAnn Huddleston 18:59
Oh my gosh, the existential Cookie Monster? Like it was, it was great.
Alisha Kerlin 19:03
And then the opening where like all of the facilities workers came to the show on company time. That was amazing. There was lots of crying happening at that opening, heartfelt.
Tracy Fuentes 19:17
I think my favorite is Seeing Seen. Because yeah, I'm still pretty new here. But Seeing Seen was probably the one that I helped out the most with, like helping paint the mural and like hang up the pieces. And I think it's an exhibition that means a lot to a lot of people to see black women in a museum and portrayed in that way. I've had a girl come up to me and tell her that it meant a lot to her because where she's from, she doesn't get representation like that. So I really love that show.
Deanne Sole 19:54
I like thinking of the upcoming shows, and trying to visualize what they're going to look like. So I think my favorite shows are always the ones in the future. If I had to talk about one in the past, I liked the variety of objects in Axis Mundo. I like the variety of ways that they were hung or displayed. I like the fact that we had an audio piece that was very interesting, setting that up and seeing how it worked. So for that I'd possibly nominate Axis Mundo.
Paige Bockman 20:28
Yeah, I'm going to be boring and say Axis Mundo as well. I think that was maybe not my favorite exhibition, but definitely a turning point for what I thought we could do at the Barrick. And besides having, like, queer stories, and queer representation, being important to me, but also the community and it just felt very warm. I think we were so stressed about it, you know, getting backlash or getting hate about it, and for bringing up these topics, but I think the community really just kind of came together and accepted it with a lot of love. And it made it feel really special. And it made it feel like you could have a really well researched and very educational exhibition on this topic that is so often still still seen as like taboo.
Deanne Sole 21:38
The research, I think, yes, in Axis Mundo was very important to it, it had such an obvious depth of research behind it. And that led to such an interesting exhibition, you know, those two things meshed so perfectly, in that show. It was, it was wonderful.
Paige Bockman 21:54
Yeah, it very much like legitimizes the community. And I think that's what a lot of people felt and appreciated.
Dan Hernandez 22:01
Great. Thank you. I know I said those last question, but we're gonna do one more question.
Paige Bockman 22:03
What about Chloe?
Dan Hernandez 22:04
Oh, oh, does Chloe wanna get in there?
Chloe Bernardo 22:11
I know we're kind of low on time. But I don't know there's a lot but I also love Connective Tissue. And showing graphic designer show with all the,I don't know, divide between is graphic design art, all that kind of talk and all the ideas, all the the young girls visiting, it was amazing to see and say that, for them to say that we are welcome. This is possible for us to do as well. Women can become scientists. That was great. And I also love Seeing Seen, I think being able to support our curator Erica Vitale-Lazar, I think it meant a lot for her too, any anything she envisions. We say yes, we can do that. And we'll help you with that. It's possible. And also, like Tracy said, the representation for that exhibition. And all that it stands for. It's very inspiring.
Dan Hernandez 23:19
Thank you. I didn't mean to forget about you. No, what I was gonna say is I was gonna ask just one more like, frequently asked question, how much does it cost to go to the museum? I
Multiple Speakers 23:30
It's FREE. Zero.
LeiAnn Huddleston 23:34
There's no admission cost, but you may have to feed a meter if you go.
Dan Hernandez 23:38
That's like, I think it's like 2.75 for two hours.
Alisha Kerlin 23:41
So come on Friday after 1. Or on a Saturday.
LeiAnn 23:44
It's free on Saturday. Yeah, you can park in staff, student, metered spots. We got you.
Dan Hernandez 23:51
So what I want to do next is the Barrick's staff superlative, so what I'm gonna say is an award and what the award would be for and then you guys give me your quickest response or who you think would get this award. All right, we're just gonna do these quick, knock them out. All right, this one's called the Black Hole award - most likely to lose things.
Multiple Speakers 24:08
LeiAnn.
LeiAnn Huddleston 24:09
That is me.
Dan Hernandez 24:12
All right, GPS award, most likely to know where anyone is at any given time.
Multiple Speakers 24:19
Paige.
Paige Bockman 24:22
I often find LeiAnn's phone.
Dan Hernandez 24:25
All right, the sunshine award, this would be the most positive person
Multiple Speakers, Overlapping 24:30
Oh Manny, LeiAnn. Manny.
Paige Bockman 24:31
I think LeiAnn or Manny.
Dan Hernandez 24:41
All right. The Loki award - most likely to pull pranks.
LeiAnn Huddleston 24:43
Manny.
Paige Bockman 24:44
Manny tries to. You haven't got me yet. You've tried.
Manny Munoz 24:49
All of your shoes are tied to the chairs.
Dan Hernandez 24:54
All right. What about an early bird award,most likely, the first person in the office?
Multiple Speakers, overlapping 25:00
Me or LeiAnn. Paige, LeiAnn.
Deanne Sole 25:04
Paige because she does the very, very early sessions when we have electricians coming in. At 6:30 in the morning.
Paige Bockman 25:11
I can get up early.
Dan Hernandez 25:14
I thought it was usually LeiAnn. She's usually there the day before for her shift.
LeiAnn Huddleston 25:19
Little do you know, I have a cot in the back in collections. Haven't found it yet.
Dan Hernandez 25:23
What about the foodie award, has the best lunch? Who brings the best lunch?
Manny Munoz 25:27
I think Chloe.
Paige Bockman 25:30
Chloe has some pretty good lunches.
Manny Munoz 25:33
Always smells really good.
LeiAnn Huddleston 25:34
Although Deanne's had a couple of sandwiches that I've envied.
Chloe Bernardo 25:38
It's always someone else's sandwich that looks so much better than yours. I don't know why.
Manny Munoz 25:45
It's just the way the cookie crumbles.
Dan Hernandez 25:49
Oh, hey, I should bring alright, the one liner award, always has the perfect quip.
Paige Bockman 25:55
I think Manny's good. Deanne, Deanne is pretty good.
Manny Munoz 25:58
Dan used to be good, but he's no longer here.
LeiAnn Huddleston 26:00
What do you mean used to be?
Dan Hernandez 26:04
I'm retired. I'm sorry. Retired. All right. We'll do one more - people whisper. Who can defuse any tense situation with a smile?
Paige Bockman 26:14
LeiAnn.
Alisha Kerlin 26:16
I think it's well, yes. But Dan?
Paige Bockman 26:19
Yeah, Dan. Yeah.
Alisha Kerlin 26:20
How are you today? And everyone's like, Oh, I feel so much better now.
Manny Munoz 26:25
I would say Dan. Yeah.
Dan Hernandez 26:27
Oh, thanks, guys.
Alisha Kerlin 26:30
Yeah. And Manny?
LeiAnn Huddleson 26:33
Manny's really good.
Dan Hernandez 26:34
Hey, we're a team, co captains, too. All right. Well, I think that wraps it up, if anybody has any last minute comments, otherwise,we'll be all done. Thank you.
Paige Bockman 26:44
Yeah. Thanks for having us. We can always answer questions on social media at UNLV museum or barrick.museum@unlv.edu for email.
LeiAnn Huddleson 27:00
Thank you!
Dan Hernandez 27:03
Thank you.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai