Design

Hi everybody. I was a WAC intern from October 2000-2001. My co-intern was Jodie Gatlin. The rest of the Designatorial staff was: Andrew, Kathleen, Pamela, Santiago Piedrafita, Linda Byrne, David Naj, Gina Bell (publications manager, replaced during my last week by Lisa Middag who had worked in New Media) and sometimes Eric Olson. There were a lot of exhibitions that year, but no books for the interns to work on. The studio bought its first digital camera. There were no condos on Nicollet Ave. And the H&dM expansion was announced that spring.

During my internship, I was known for having a good supply of peanut butter and crackers, chocolate chips and Coca-Cola on hand (ask Scott Winter). I think I spent more time going through Andrew’s bookshelves and magazines than designing. I really enjoyed working with the editors. I wish I had spent more time in the library with old issues of the Everyday Art Quarterly and in the basement with Kirk and the crew. I also wish I had Takashi Murakami sign my copy of Superflat. (But I did backdoor a piece of Arturo Herrera’s All I Ask when it was taken down after Painting at The Edge of The World.) I worked on everything from Franz Marc and The Blue Rider to Murakami’s Superflat to tiny cards for WACTAC.

My favorite professor at school was Sue LaPorte, a WAC intern with Laurie Haycock-Makela. Kindra Murphy was an intern from 1997-1998. My wife, Erin Mulcahy, was an intern from 1999-00.