Getting a Handle on a New Arts Career
Photos by Juan Montes
For the past year, Art students have set aside their easels and learned the trade-skills aspects of the art world. A pilot program in Art Handling teaches students the proper techniques and prepares them for careers in museums, galleries, auction houses and beyond. The 12-unit program is among the first of its kind at a public university, training students in a field where no academic degree program exists, anywhere.
Students found themselves driving a forklift, riding a scissor shift, drilling wooden cleats into walls and more. The experience they’ve gained has landed them work at prominent museums in San Francisco. Many of the 15 students in the pilot program had never even heard of art handling.
“This program has been transformational,” says Adrian Morelock-Revon (B.A., ’24), a sculptor. “I was goalless coming back to university. Now I have more direction.”
For Public Health major Megan Rogers (B.S., ’24), the program has introduced her to a new community. “This has been a really big confidence boost. It has been wonderful to connect with like-minded students,” she says.
Others in the cohort have made practical discoveries.
“I’m much nicer to my own artwork now, especially storing it,” says Emma Purves, a multidisciplinary artist. “I used to keep it in a pile without thinking about long-term damage.”
Art handling is a mid-level position secured through on-the-job training, word of mouth and unpaid internships, which is not economically feasible for most SF State students, as stated in the grant proposal that netted an award from the California State University Chancellor’s Office. The pilot program also aims to diversify the field of art handling. The overall workforce is more than three-fourths white and male, according to data compiled by the Broad Museum.
“We want to create those network connections now,” says Art Lecturer Kevin B. Chen, who directs the program with Fine Arts Gallery Director Sharon E. Bliss. “If we can help restructure the network, we can help diversify it.”
“The semester is a short time, but my mentorship with the students truly lasts longer,” says Kurt Otis (B.A., ’18), one of two alumni brought on to mentor Art Handling students. He is lead art handler for Minnesota Street Project in San Francisco. “I told them, ‘You have my phone number. You have my email. ... Let me help you transition into the professional world and even beyond.’”
The other mentor, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art Preparator Ximaps Dong (B.A., ’19), has shown students how they install artwork in their job as well as for friends at neighborhood galleries.
“I’m able to use the resources and my community to help students out,” Dong says, “and also make it approachable because the art world can be a little scary and foreign.”
Biotech: The Next Generation
SF State has received $14 million from the Genentech Foundation to support two University programs training the next generation of life sciences leaders: the Genentech Foundation Scholars and PINC (Promoting Inclusivity in Computing). The new five-year grant is the latest in the Genentech Foundation’s transformational support for University programs, which has totaled more than $33 million so far.
“I was able to tap into my inner confidence that everyone else saw in me, but I wasn’t really tapping into it because of my situation,” Sergio Gonzalez Jr. (B.S., ’24) says of the impact of these programs. He started his Ph.D. at Vanderbilt University as the next step in his path to becoming a professor and biotech leader in regenerative medicine.
“Our partnership with the Genentech Foundation has accelerated the expansion of successful training programs preparing our diverse students for exciting graduate programs across the country,” says College of Science & Engineering Dean Carmen Domingo. “Working with Genentech scientists, our faculty are creating innovative curricula that apply machine learning approaches to solve real-world biotech problems. These experiences are making our students uniquely prepared for the biotech workforce needs of the future.”
Photo by Benjamin Lee
Master Microscopists
Back in grade school, many of us read biology textbooks filled with illustrations of cells, organelles and chromosomes. But in the real world, scientists have methods to light up cells (sometimes colorfully) to view these elements with their own eyes. At SF State, these researchers are students using the Cell and Molecular Imaging Center (CMIC).
The CMIC recently surpassed 1,000 student trainees since 2003. Many of these students were master’s students, and even more were undergraduates. Approximately 36% of students are from underrepresented communities.
The CMIC provides researchers access to cutting-edge equipment, data analysis tools and extensive training. It’s that last point — the extensive training — that is key to the students’ success.
“It just opens so many doors. Even if you don’t use it in the future, it’s still something to show that you are getting out there and you’re learning new things,” says Molecular Biology senior Angelo Orozco.
“When you are the person who gets to prepare the samples and put it in the microscope and are able to take those pretty images … wow, it’s amazing,” says Judy Abuel (B.S., ’22; M.S., ’24). “I didn’t know I could do that.”