Karen Whitecotton Heritage Museum Services, LLC 1412 Northern Hills Road, Norman, OK 73071 405.878.6341 [email protected]

Objectives It is my goal to continually further my knowledge and career as a contract registrar, museum professional, and fine art handler, while serving museums and private collections by utilizing my 15 years of hands-on museum and collection expertise.

Experience

Owner & Museum Consultant Date of Employment: June 2015 – Present Heritage Museum Services, LLC Norman, Oklahoma

. Native American owned and operated . Utilize a network of highly skilled conservators, fine art shippers, Customs brokers, foreign agents, exhibit designers, and mount makers in order to ensure a high level of professionalism for every project . Collections Management & Best Practices . Storage Solutions . Museum Forms, Documentation, and Policies . Loans and Insurance . Disaster Preparedness . Fine Art Shipping Logistics (domestic and international) . Exhibit Design, Content Development, and Mount Making . Exhibit Installations and Deinstallations . Site Visits For Venues, Facility Reports, Security Consultation . Work with museums, private collections, and other non-profits

Registrar Date of Employment : August 2013 – August 2015 Museum of the Bible Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

. Coordinated U.S Customs information for thousands of objects (acquisitions, loans, exhibits) . Coordinated international shipping and hand carry logistics and insurance for thousands of objects totaling in the hundreds of millions of dollars (acquisitions, loans, exhibits) . Couriered multimillion dollar artifact shipments domestically and internationally . Coordinated domestic and international loans, with private collectors as well as world renowned institutions such as the National Air and Space Museum, Musei Vaticani, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, Cambridge University Library, and the Israel Museum . Coordinated insurance renewals and appraisals of collection and for exhibition and loans . TMS database management . Participated in installations, deinstallations, and exhibition coordination around the country and in numerous foreign countries, including Argentina, Cuba, Israel, Italy, and Vatican City Karen Whitecotton Heritage Museum Services, LLC 141 Northern Hills Road, Norman, Oklahoma 73071 405.878.6341 [email protected]

. Worked extensively with domestic and foreign Customs brokers and freight forwarders . Coordinated fine art shuttles and packing by fine art handlers . Reviewed Facility Reports for potential venues for loans or exhibits . Identified items within the collection that needed further provenance research . Identified items within the collection that fell under US Fish & Wildlife laws, CITES, or other international laws pertaining to flora and fauna . Oversaw and coordinated with contract conservators, contract vendors, and storage consultations . Created custom brass mounts for artifacts during installations . Coordinated acquisition invoices and made sure appropriate documentation was in place for Fish & Wildlife and US Customs requirements . Created an office filing system for Object files, Acquisition files, Loan files, and Exhibit files . Trained staff on condition reporting and AAM Best Practices . Reworked courier policy . Helped draft Collections Management Policy and Collections Access Policy . Reworked and created forms for condition reporting, incoming/outgoing paperwork, and change of location . Expanded Registration department from one employee to three, to include an Assistant Registrar and Associate Registrar under my supervision. . Supervised interns

Curator of Collections Date of Employment : December 2010 – August 2013 Oklahoma Museum of History/Oklahoma History Center (Smithsonian Affiliate Museum) Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

. Coordinated AAM accreditation . Accessioning and housing various collections . PastPerfect database management . Exhibit planning and installation . Artifact research and hosted external scholars . Began retrofitting art storage . Taught docent training courses . Coordinated loans from private collectors and institutions including the Autry and the National Cowboy & Western History Museum . Packed and couriered artifacts . Curator for Oklahoma @ the Movies exhibit (which won Frontier Country’s Outstanding Temporary Exhibit in 2012): Compiled databases to track artifacts relating to Oklahomans in the movie industry, wrote exhibit labels, dry mounted labels, compiled case lists, created case layouts/drawings, created gallery layouts, created graphics, and graphic panels, created graphic vinyl and installed it, created photo-mosaic from movie screen shots, designed Oklahoma! Set, co-designed and fabricated the Alice in Wonderland interactive area, coordinated with vendors. . Developed and hosted Osher Lifelong Learning Institute from OSU (OLLI) course for the Oklahoma @ the Movies exhibit (2012) . Developed, wrote, organized, and installed the Enriched: Animal Art from the OKC Zoo exhibit, which was a partnership with the Oklahoma City Zoo. 2 Karen Whitecotton Heritage Museum Services, LLC 141 Northern Hills Road, Norman, Oklahoma 73071 405.878.6341 [email protected]

. Organized and updated museum’s policies and procedures . Wrote institutional Code of Ethics and helped rewrite the Collections Management Policy . Developed an updated and comprehensive staff resource library . Created exhibit mounts . Supervised interns

Executive Director/Tribal Historic Preservation Officer/NAGPRA Officer Date of Employment : July 2009 - October 2010 Citizen Potawatomi Nation’s Cultural Heritage Center Shawnee, Oklahoma

. Managed a staff of 17, which included museum, library, archives, Tribal Heritage Project, Veterans’ Wall of Honor, Long Room event center, and gift shop . Oversaw production of Tribal Heritage Project (oral history project) DVD production and interviews . NAGPRA and THPO paperwork and surveying tribal trust and allotment properties . Managed and maintained budget and day to day operations . Grant writing . Gallery design . Gift shop purchasing . Oversaw all aspects of collections care, including PastPerfect database management . Updated social media, newsletters, etc. . Traveled to Regional throughout the country . Coordinated with the Oklahoma Historical Society to serve as a repository for a hundred years of Pottawatomie County court house records

Assistant Registrar Date of Employment : January 2006 – July 2009 National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

. Processed all incoming and outgoing loans . In charge of collections care for the museum’s permanent collection . Processed all new acquisitions . Inventoried 1/5 of collection annually . Access and Filemaker database management . Unpacked, packed, and coordinated shipping for thousands of pieces of art each year for exhibits, loans, and sales shows (including Prix de West, Small Works Great Wonders, and the Traditional Cowboy Artists of America (TCAA), Oklahoma Youth Expo show, and the Craft in America exhibition) . IMP duties and managed CO2 chamber . Participated in AAM reaccreditation . Regular use of power and hand tools . Installed and deinstalled galleries . Couriered artwork domestically and internationally 3 Karen Whitecotton Heritage Museum Services, LLC 141 Northern Hills Road, Norman, Oklahoma 73071 405.878.6341 [email protected]

. Created storage mounts and exhibit mounts . Developed training manuals for volunteers and interns . Quadrupled volunteer base in collections . Supervised seasonal employees in collections . Supervised interns

Temporary Curatorial Assistant Date of Employment : September 2005 – October 2005 National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

. Unpacked, packed, and assisted with shipping for almost a thousand of pieces of art for two sales shows- Prix de West and the Traditional Cowboy Artists of America (TCAA) . Regular use of power and hand tools . Deinstalled gallery

Preservation Coordinator Date of Employment : June 2004 – June 2005 Citizen Potawatomi Nation, Tribal Heritage Department Shawnee, Oklahoma

. Registration and curatorial duties for entire Tribal Heritage Department collection (both digital and 3D based collections) . Created initial paperwork for tribal artifacts and loaned artifacts . Created new labels for all artifacts on display . IMP duties . PastPerfect database management . Created physical browse books for the public . Scanned photos and documents during tribal gatherings . Created take home preservation handouts for tribal members . Supplied tribal members archival materials for their photographs and documents . Developed and taught workshops to tribal members on preserving personal collections . Processed all NAGPRA and THPO paperwork . Managed tribal Veterans’ Database project and coordinated Veterans’’ Day picnic . Supervision of assistant . Created office filing system for object paperwork . Created standard museum forms such as accession, condition, change of location, etc. . Inventoried tribal collections . Developed drafts of museum policies such as a Collections Management Policy and a Packing, Transportation, and Rehousing policy . Managed Potawatomi Leadership Program

4 Karen Whitecotton Heritage Museum Services, LLC 141 Northern Hills Road, Norman, Oklahoma 73071 405.878.6341 [email protected]

Temporary Curatorial Assistant Date of Employment : September 2002 – December 2002 Oklahoma Museum of History Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

. Worked in Registration department with accessioning backlog of collection . PastPerfect data entry . Artifact research

Professional Education Dates of Attendance : 2015 To 2017 (expected) University of Oklahoma Norman, Oklahoma Masters of Liberal Arts- Museum Studies

Dates of Attendance : 2000 To 2002 University of Central Oklahoma Edmond, Oklahoma Bachelors of Arts- History/Museum Studies . Liberal Art’s College Dean’s Honor Roll . National Collegiate Minority Leadership Award . Phi Alpha Theta History Honor Society

Dates of Attendance : 1998 To 2000 Rose State College Midwest City, Oklahoma . Study tour of Greece and Turkey . Study tour of France

Internship Date 2002 Oklahoma Arts Council- under Visual Arts Director, Karen Sharp Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

. Installed and deinstalled artwork in the Governor’s Gallery at the State Capitol . Installed traveling exhibits . Helping coordinate institutional loans . Research and writing for exhibits . Inventoried Oklahoma State Art Collection . Researched artists, art organizations, and museums . Created office filing system . Helped with the dedication of The Guardian . Worked with Centennial Commission prepare commemorative coins

5 Karen Whitecotton Heritage Museum Services, LLC 141 Northern Hills Road, Norman, Oklahoma 73071 405.878.6341 [email protected]

Internship Date 2001 National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum- under Helen Stiefmiller and Melissa Owens in Registration Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

. Packing and unpacking artifacts . Extensive handling and storage of artwork and artifacts . Assisted with Prix de West sales show and exhibition . Shipping art from Prix de West . Accessioned collections . Rehoused and rolled Native American textiles . Sewed dust covers for artifacts . Inventoried galleries . Proof read labels, text panels . Installed labels in galleries

Qualifications . CIMP (Certified Institutional Protection Manager) Certification through the International Foundation for Cultural Property Protection (IFCPP) . FEMA Incident Command System (ICS) training . Detailed knowledge and expertise with museum registration methods, including accessioning, conditioning, and numbering, as well as standard museum forms, nomenclature, and loan paperwork . Extensive experience handling artwork and artwork related logistics (accessioning, storing, creating storage mounts, packing, transporting, shipping, Customs paperwork) . Extensive hands-on fabrication of storage mounts utilizing various tools and materials, including Ethafoam hot knives. . Extensive international and domestic art couriering . Coordinated loans with internationally acclaimed museums and private collections . Supervised and worked closely with numerous conservators (frame, plaster, painting, object, textile) . Detailed IPM experience . Current on AAM Best Practices and ethics, and in-depth knowledge of the AAM Accreditation process . Exhibit planning experience through research, design, and writing . Worked with various types of collections, including Native American, fine art, antiquities, archival, digital, and general history collections . Extensive exhibit installation experience and preparation (designing mounts, painting mounts, covering mounts, framing, hanging artwork, dry mounting labels, vinyl cutting and installation, brass mount work, book mounts and strapping). Some experience with plexi bender. . Abundant knowledge of power and manual tools (drills, lifts, pallet jacks, etc.) . Experienced user of TMS, PastPerfect, and Access museum software; Some experience with Filemaker Pro . Experienced user of Microsoft Office and Outlook software . Working knowledge of Photoshop as well as Apple computers . Extremely organized and detail oriented . Able to multi-task and manage projects efficiently

6 Karen Whitecotton Heritage Museum Services, LLC 141 Northern Hills Road, Norman, Oklahoma 73071 405.878.6341 [email protected]

Other Experience . Long-range planning experience . Oklahoma Cultural Heritage Trust Collections Care Conference planning, session presenter, provided traveling exhibit assistance, volunteered at Conservation Roadshow, and presented several TV morning news segment interviews on collections care (2013) . AASLH/OMA Conference Tribal Track planning committee (2010) . OMA Annual Conference Planning Committee (2009) . OMA Annual Conference Program Committee (2015) . Nominated for a Gubernatorial Appointment to the Historic Records Advisory Board (2009) . Experience and extensive study in art history, ancient history, humanities, world religion, architecture/design, historical research, archaeology, historic preservation, artifact preservation, museum management, as well as practical museum experience . Familiar with domestic and international laws and conventions regarding endangered animals, objects of cultural patrimony, antiquities, Native American human remains and grave goods, and Nazi Era provenance including ARPA, NAGPRA, Endangered Species Act, National Historic Preservation Act, CITES, and UNESCO . Participated and presented in workshops ranging from disaster response/salvage, long range planning, condition reporting, collections management, grant writing, legal/ethical issues, NAGPRA, art fraud,etc. presented/funded by various non-profit organizations nationwide (American Alliance of Museums, American Association of State and Local History, National Endowment for the Humanities, Oklahoma Museums Association, Oklahoma Registrars Association, Oklahoma Department of Libraries, Oklahoma Cultural Heritage Trust, State Historic Preservation Office, National Association of Tribal Historical Preservation Officers, Administration for Native Americans, National NAGPRA)

Memberships and Organizations . American Alliance of Museums (AAM) . Association of Registrars and Collection Specialists (ARCS) . Citizen Potawatomi Nation . International Foundation for Cultural Property Protection (IFCPP) . Native Americans & Museums Collaborations (Professional Interest Committee of AAM) . Oklahoma Museums Association (OMA) . OMA Board Member (2008-present) . Oklahoma Registrars Association (OKRA) coordinator 2008-2010 . Previous coordinator and team member of the OMA Disaster Response Network (DRN) (formerly the OKRA Disaster Response Team) . Oklahoma Native American Museum Professionals Association (OKNAMPA) of OMA . OMA Smarties Fundraiser Chair (2010-present) . Packing, Art Handling, and Crating Information Network (PACCIN) (Professional Interest Committee of AAM) . Registrars Committee of AAM (RCAAM)

Publications/Social Media . Written various blogs/articles for the Oklahoma History Center website, Oklahoma Museums Association MuseNews newsletter, Mountain Plains Museums Association newsletter, Western Museums Association 7 Karen Whitecotton Heritage Museum Services, LLC 141 Northern Hills Road, Norman, Oklahoma 73071 405.878.6341 [email protected]

newsletter, OKRA newsletters, HowNiKan newspaper, and have articles featured in the Encyclopedia of Oklahoma. . Co-administrator for the Oklahoma Museums Association Facebook page and administrator of Heritage Museum Services, LLC Facebook page. . Developed articles for various magazines and newspapers for exhibits, providing images and photo credit/copyright information. . Provide PR staff with information regarding exhibits and collections for press releases and social media updates.

References Dr. Steven Grafe, Curator of Art Kim Moinette, Registrar, Culture Department Maryhill Museum of Art TCA AD (509)773-3733 [email protected]

Brenda Granger, Executive Director Melissa Owens, Registrar and Exhibition Coordinator Oklahoma Museums Association National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum (405)424-7757 (405)478-2250 ext. 220

Nancy Lowe-Clark, Owner & Exhibit Designer Helen Stiefmiller, Collections Manager ITIN Museum Services OKC National Memorial & Museum (405)376-8865 (405)235-3313

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