Lauren Graber, Ph.D.

415.419.6977 | lauren.graber16@gmail.com

EXPERTISE

Demonstrated experience in administrative support and project management for multiple supervisors, executives, and departments. Acumen in research, writing, and copy-editing correspondence, reports, and publications. Content creation of academic texts and articles as well as spreadsheets, presentations, and reports. Supported the development and implementation of public event programming. Exceptional verbal, written, and interactive communication skills. Excellent ability to manage and complete multiple projects. Sustained interest in art and culture philanthropy, non-profit, and academic communities.

EDUCATION

Doctor of Philosophy, History of Art
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Conferred December 2012

  • Ph.D. Dissertation: Gruppe SPUR and Gruppe GEFLECHT: Art and Dissent in West Germany, 1957-1968
  • Specializations and research interests: modern and contemporary art; German studies; Cold War studies; Situationist International; avant-garde music and sound art; prints and drawings; painting, sculpture, mixed media art, installation art, video art

2004 - 2012

Master of Arts, History of Art
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Conferred December 2006

  • Specialization: modern and contemporary art

2004 - 2006

Bachelor of Arts
University of California, Santa Barbara, Conferred December 2002

  • Majors: Art History (Honors), Political Science–International Relations (Honors); Minor: Italian Cultural Studies
  • Honors Thesis: Reconstructing Identity: Historical Memory and the Rebuilding of the Reichstag and Christ the Savior Cathedral

1998 - 2002



PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Curatorial Research Assistant
Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles

  • Exhibitions: Fluxus Means Change: Jean Brown’s Avant-Garde Archive (September 14, 2021-January 2, 2022), Käthe Kollwitz: Prints, Process, Politics (December 3, 2019-March 16, 2020), and Concrete Poetry: Words and Sounds in Graphic Space (March 28-July 30, 2017)
    • Collaborated with curators on all stages of these exhibitions including concept development, meetings, research, object selection, coordination, registration, design, conservation, digitization, promotion, book publications, installation and deinstallation
    • Collaborated on the research, writing, and editing of all exhibition content including captions and wall texts
    • Collaborated on the development and maintenance of all checklists, spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations, logs, The Museum System (TMS), and documents
    • Collaborated on image, sound, and video rights including selecting images, determining image and sound quality, researching and acquiring permissions from rights holders, maintaining logs, handling digital assets
    • Collaborated on the planning, content creation, and editing of exhibition videos and audio guides
    • Collaborated on the planning, writing, and editing of exhibition websites and promotional materials
    • Conducted exhibition tours
    • Collaborated on the organization and implementation of public programs and events
    • Assisted Exhibition Coordinator on loan and lender agreements, insurance values, and related issues
  • Käthe Kollwitz Research Project:
    • Project Management: Co-managed with the Curators sections of the Research Project, which comprised acquisition, processing, cataloging, research, conservation, digitization, workshops and events, Getty Conservation Institute (GCI) Technical Study, budget, loans, the book publication, and the exhibition
      • Co-organized work flows with Curatorial, Conservation, Special Collections, Collections Management, Exhibitions, Design, Events, Publications, and Getty Digital and the GCI
    • Special Collections cataloging: Assisted the Archivist on cataloging, editing the finding aid, processing, and storage of the Dr. Richard A. Simms collection of prints and drawings by Käthe Kollwitz and other artists
    • Research: produced original research and translations related to all aspects of the Project
    • Conservation: Assisted the Conservator and coordinated the movement of the collection
    • Digitization: Assisted Getty Digital Imaging Technician for the Kollwitz digitization project, coordinated work flow and movement of artworks and digital assets, edited shot lists and metadata
    • Image Rights: Assisted Image Rights Coordinator, researched rights issues, maintained logs, wrote and edited image captions
    • Events: Collaborated on the development and planning of workshops and public events, produced research, delivered presentations
    • GCI Kollwitz Technical Study: collaborated with Scientists and Curator to assess results, worked with Registrar to track movement of artworks, provided research, organized meetings, collaborated on content creation for the video
    • Budget: Assisted on Kollwitz Research Project budget
    • Loans: Assisted Exhibitions Coordinator and Curators for the exhibition to travel to Art Institute of Chicago: established checklist, examined artworks with conservation, determined insurance values, assisted on loan agreements
  • Publications:
    • GRI publication Käthe Kollwitz: Prints, Process, Politics: collaborated with the Curator, Designer, and Editor on all aspects of concept development, research, and design; completed translations; wrote image captions; edited manuscripts; assisted on image rights and photography
      • Käthe Kollwitz: Prints, Process, Politics won the College Art Association (CAA) Alfred H. Barr Jr. Award in 2021
    • Concrete Poetry: A 21st Century Anthology by Nancy Perloff (Reaktion Books, Forthcoming 2021): Produced research, wrote bibliographies, assessed image rights
  • Acquisitions:
    • Assisted Curators on +170 acquisitions of Special Collections rare books and journals, prints, artworks, artists’ books, correspondence, ephemera, and major archives: researched archives and special collections materials, produced reports, assessed art historical significance, determined donation and insurance values, assisted with negotiations, wrote bibliographies, tracked and acquired rights permissions, collaborated on promotion
    • Wrote and researched acquisition forms in FileMaker Pro
    • Developed relationships with dealers, auction houses, donors, and GRI council members
    • Collaborated on check-in and assessment of acquisitions; assisted with conservation, rehousing, and cataloging
  • Conducted research and valuation of the Getty Trust Art Collection with the Curator
  • Collaborated on specially curated tours for academics, dealers, and museum curators of Special Collections holdings
  • Assisted the Curators to train Graduate Student Interns
  • Supervisors: (from 2016 to 2021) Nancy Perloff, Curator of Modern and Contemporary Collections; (from 2020 to 2021) Marcia Reed, Associate Director & Chief Curator; (from 2019 to 2021) Christina Aube, Exhibitions Coordinator; (from 2019 to 2020) Naoko Takahatake, Curator of Prints and Drawings; (from 2017 to 2019) Louis Marchesano, former Curator of Prints and Drawings

2016 - 2021

Curatorial Research Assistant
Grunwald Center for the Graphic Arts, Hammer Museum, University of California, Los Angeles

  • Cataloged prints and drawings from the 1500s to the present in The Museum System
  • Assisted with the implementation of the Grunwald Collection digital art history database
  • Conducted research and analysis on rights holders; negotiated image rights permissions, fees and payments; maintained license and rights files; developed and maintained spreadsheet logs
  • Supervisor: Philip Leers, Project Manager for Digital Initiatives

2017

Writer and Postdoctoral Researcher
DeGruyter Press

  • Commissioned to research, write, and copy edit academic articles for the Art Market Dictionary

2016 - 2021

Independent Scholar and Postdoctoral Researcher
Los Angeles and Berlin, Germany

  • Extensive research and archival experience with rare documents, artworks, photographs, and ephemera at numerous archives, artists’ studios, private collections, libraries, museums, and galleries in the U.S., Germany, Holland, and Denmark
  • Expertise in German, Danish, and American library and archival systems
  • Research and publication of high level academic contnet

2013 - Present

Committee Member and Teacher
The Public School Los Angeles, part of The Poetic Research Bureau

  • Co-organized and taught lectures, reading groups, film screenings, and other activities
  • Raised funding; media and internet promotion; shared administrative duties

2013 - 2016

Museum Educator
Museum of Tolerance–Simon Wiesenthal Center, Los Angeles

  • Specialist Educator on racism, discrimination, and anti-Semitism for school groups and public visitors

2003 - 2004

Sound Curator
Los Angeles and Berlin, Germany

  • Co-manages record label; co-curates numerous music events; collaborates with artists

2001 - Present



PUBLICATIONS (SELECTED)

“Galerie Parnass.” Art Market Dictionary. Ed. Johannes Nathan. Berlin: De Gruyter, 2021

 

“Galerie Der Spiegel.” Art Market Dictionary. Ed. Johannes Nathan. Berlin: De Gruyter, 2021

 

“Galerie van de Loo.” Art Market Dictionary. Ed. Johannes Nathan. Berlin: De Gruyter, 2021

 

“The Red Flag: The Art and Politics of West German Maoism.” Art, Global Maoism, and the Chinese Cultural Revolution. Co-authored with Daniel Spaulding. Eds. Noemi de Haro García, Jacopo Galimberti, and Victoria H.F. Scott, 109-127. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2019

 

“Introduction.” Everything Else is Even More Ridiculous: A Decade of Noise & Politics. Datacide Magazine Issues 1-10. Eds. Christoph Fringeli, Lauren Graber, et al, 11-13. Berlin: Datacide Books, 2015

 

“Creators of New Values: Gruppe SPUR and Drakabygget–The Workshop of Freedom.” Expo Jorn, Art is a Festival. Eds. Karen Friis and Karen Kurczynski, 46-49. Silkeborg: Museum Jorn, 2014

 

In progress The Politics of Cold War Expression: Gruppe SPUR, Gruppe GEFLECHT, and Kollektiv Herzogstrasse, 1957-1982

 


RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS AND HONORS (SELECTED)

Dissertation Fellowship, University of Michigan, Department of the History of Art, 2011

 

Rackham Pre-Doctoral Fellowship, University of Michigan, Rackham Graduate School, 2011

 

Rackham Conference Travel Grant, University of Michigan, Rackham Graduate School, 2010

 

Berlin Program Fellowship for Advanced German and European Studies at the Freie Universität Berlin, 2009

 

German Academic Exchange Service (Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst, DAAD) Research Grant, 2008

 

Rackham International Research Award, University of Michigan, Rackham Graduate School, 2007

 

Research Grant, University of Michigan, Department of the History of Art, 2006

 

Research Grant, University of Michigan, Department of the History of Art, 2005

 

Distinction in the Major and High Honors for Senior Thesis, Department of Political Science, University of California, Santa Barbara, 2002

 

Chancellor’s Research Award, University of California, Santa Barbara, 2002

 

Undergraduate Research Award, University of California, Santa Barbara, 2002

 


CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS AND INVITED LECTURES (SELECTED)

“Kollektiv Herzogstrasse at the Drakabygget Commune: International Artistic-Political Collaborations during the 1970s,” German Studies Association 44th Annual Conference, 2020

 

“Collecting the Art of Käthe Kollwitz in the U.S.: Walter Landauer in Dialogue with Emil Richter, Alexander Wagner, Dr. Jur. Portius, Alexander von der Becke, and Hudson Walker,” Getty Research Institute, Käthe Kollwitz Research Project Workshop, 2018

 

“West German Anti-Authoritarian Education and the Children’s Shops Movement in the 1970s,” College Art Association 106th Annual Conference, Los Angeles, February 21, 2018

 

“The Red Flag: Jörg Immendorff’s Maoist Art and the Communist Party of Germany,” College Art Association 105th Annual Conference, New York, 2017

 

“From Kindergarten to the Akademie: Art and Social Change in Munich during and after 1968,” German Socialisms GSA Interdisciplinary Network panel, German Studies Association 39th Annual Conference, Washington, D.C., 2015

 

“Occupy the Art Academy: Gruppe GEFLECHT and the Extra-Parliamentary Opposition in Munich, 1967-1970,” German Studies Association 38th Annual Conference, Kansas City, Missouri, 2014

 

“Networked Counter-Cultural Strategies,” The Public School Los Angeles, 2013

 

“Gruppe SPUR in ‘Exile’: International Collaborations in Scandinavia,” Berlin Program for Advanced German and European Studies Panel “The Visual Arts in Cold War Germany and Beyond,” German Studies Association 34th Annual Conference, Oakland, California, 2010

 

“Gruppe SPUR: Confronting Repressive Boundaries of Cold War Culture and Politics in Bavaria,” Cold War Cultures: Transnational and Interdisciplinary Perspectives Conference, University of Texas, Austin, 2010

 

“Subversive Art: Aesthetic-Political Debates amongst the Situationist International and Gruppe SPUR,” German Studies Association 32nd Annual Conference, St. Paul, MN, October 4, 2008

 


ORGANIZED CONFERENCE PANELS AND LECTURE SERIES (SELECTED)

Lecture Series Co-Organizer, Speaker, and Moderator
Praxis events, Stuttgart, Germany, Paris, France, Lyon, France, 2012

  • Co-organized international lecture events; gave lectures and moderated events

2012

Conference Panel Co-Organizer
German Studies Association 34th Annual Conference

  • “The Visual Arts in Cold War Germany and Beyond,” Berlin Program for Advanced German and European Studies Panel, German Studies Association 34th Annual Conference, Oakland, California

October 2010

Conference Panel Co-Organizer
University of Texas

  • “Boundaries, Borders, Transgressions: German Art, 1961-1990,” Cold War Cultures: Transnational and Interdisciplinary Perspectives Conference, University of Texas, Austin

October 2010

Conference Co-Organizer, Speaker, and Moderator
Datacide Conferences, Los Angeles and Berlin, Germany

  • Co-organized international conferences with numerous international speakers; gave lectures and moderated events

2008-2013



TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Graduate Student Instructor, University of Michigan, Department of the History of Art, “History of Art 112: History of Photography” (2006)

 

Graduate Student Instructor, University of Michigan, Department of the History of Art, “History of Art 102: Western Art from the Middle Ages to the Present” (2006)

 

Graduate Student Instructor, University of Michigan, Department of the History of Art, “History of Art 271: Origins of Modernism: French 19th Century Visual Culture” (2005)

 


LANGUAGES
  • German (Excellent Knowledge)
  • Italian (Reading Knowledge)
  • Danish (Basic Knowledge)
 


SKILLS
  • Office 365 Suite
  • The Museum System (TMS)
  • FileMaker Pro
  • OpenText Media Management and other digital asset management programs
  • Adobe CS 6
  • Adobe Acrobat
  • WordPress
  • Airtable
  • Google Suite
  • All social media platforms
  • Aound production programs: Ableton Live, Cubase
 


ACADEMIC ASSOCIATIONS
  • Historians of German, Scandinavian, and Central European Art & Architecture
  • German Studies Association
  • College Art Association
 

CONTACT

Email
lauren.graber16@gmail.com

Phone
415.419.6977

SOCIAL LINKS

©2024 Lauren Graber