Honoring those who have made Rena’s good life possible
Rena’s Picture Book
RENA TOBEY ________ renatobey at gmail.com
Bringing Beauty to Life
Celebrating the Creative Spirit
WORK EXPERIENCE
Teaching
Talks and Classes, independent provider since 2020
Educator, Jewish Museum
Previous:
Adjunct Faculty, New York University School for Professional Studies
Instructor, art history, 92Y
Part-time Faculty, Southern Connecticut State University, Section Leader, Survey, Fall 2015-current
Part-time Faculty, Eastern Connecticut State University, Explorations in Visual Culture, Fall 2015
Adjunct Faculty, George Washington University,
Co-created interdisciplinary graduate certificate program “Leadership Coaching” and taught capstone course
Creator, Artventures™–a tabletop board game on the adventures of art and art history
Marketing to and communications for all channels including wholesale, online, physical retail, social media, and consumers; developed and oversaw production for packaging, game contents, and collateral
Freelance for Museums and Libraries, 2003-2020
Curatorial, Research and Writing
Shrayber, Yiddish Book Center, research and write oral history abstracts, 2016
Reviewer audio books, AudioFile, 2016
Catalog Copy for 2015 Yale Press Art and Architecture Books, 2015
Catalog Essays for Site Projects Digital Catalogue, 2014
Curatorial, Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford, CT, 2013, researching collection for reinstallation and Coney Island exhibition catalog
Curatorial, New Britain Museum of American Art, New Britain, CT, 2013, researching and writing object labels for the permanent collection
Researcher, Catalogue Raisonné, Ed Ruscha, Drawings Volume, Gagosian Gallery, New York, 2011-12
Researcher, Delaware State Parks, wrote and narrated podcast and cell phone tour of historic site, 2009
Digital Humanities/Collections Management
Museum of the City of New York, inventoried and catalogued works on paper, 2012
Visual Resources Collection, University of Delaware, digitized and prepared metadata for over 500 digital images of 146 American women artists working before 1945, 2010
Hagley Museum and Library, cataloged metadata of American architecture imprints for digital exhibition and cataloged 4 Grand Tour photographic collections, 2009-10
Library of Congress, developed and delivered videoconference training for K-12 teachers on oral history, 2003
Corcoran Museum of Art, Archives, researched and conducted oral histories of faculty, 2003
Education, interactive talks and tours on American art and history
Presenter for public groups: Connecticut Public Libraries, museums, and historic sites, 2015 – current
Artspace, City-Wide Open Studios, curator and guided tour leader, October 2014
New Britain Museum of American Art, Talk on Elizabeth Okie Paxton, October 2013
Featured in the “50×50” documentary about the Vogel Collection, released October 2013
Delaware Humanities Forum Speakers Bureau, Wilmington, DE, 2011
Designed and delivered diverse visitor tours for New York Historical Society, Delaware Art Museum, and Winterthur Museum changing exhibits, 2008-2014
Project Management
Consultant Team Leader, strategic planning grant to York Theatre Company, New York, 2011
Project Manager, Author Series, Maine Women Writers Collection, University of New England, Portland, 2007-8
Exhibitions Director, Dairy Barn Arts Center, Athens, OH, 2006; planned and installed exhibits, 6000 sf gallery
Development
Raised $50,000 for the Seattle Group Theatre with the Wrecking Ball Party, also supporting renovation
Grant writing for the Neighborhood Music School, NYLaughs, Dairy Barn Arts Center, DC JCC, and Georgetown University Library
Grant evaluator for Community Foundation of Greater New Haven, City of New Haven, Arts, Culture & Tourism, and Delaware Division of the Arts
Solicited sponsorships to fund new ASTD multi-day, multi-track professional development conference and 2015 New Haven Reads Spelling Bee
Boosted ASTD volunteerism by 300% in one year due to “her infectious enthusiasm,” Chapter President
Previous Experience
Training, Coaching, Consulting, and Strategic Planning, private practice, 1991-2003, highlights include:
Custom programs on individual effectiveness for Federal government, non-profits, and professional associations
Served on the board of the American Society of Training and Development, Washington DC
VP Professional Development – designed and implemented multi-day, multi-track conference and 3 workshops, raising the most net profit in chapter history; supervised 25 volunteers
Director of Volunteers, increasing participation by 300%; recruitment, training, matching, and rewarding
Designed and implemented citywide calendar of training, City of Seattle
Needs assessment for national non-profit, professional association learning management system
Adjunct faculty at George Washington University, teaching capstone Practicum in Leadership Coaching
Author of The Integrity Moment: Making Powerful Choices in Life, published in 2001
Master Certified Coach; worked with hundreds of clients one-on-one to build leadership and communications skills
Marketing and Product Management, 1979-1991, highlights include:
Marketing Director, Brown & Haley, Tacoma, WA; staff and department management, policies, new product development, budgeting, strategic planning, branding
Product Manager, Frito-Lay, Dallas; managed introduction of Cool Ranch Doritos
Account Executive, DBG&H, Dallas, account services and special events management, including Avon Tennis Championships and Dallas Craft Market
Co-author of The Advertising Handbook, published in 1991; focusing on strategic positioning and branding
ACADEMIC CREDENTIALS
MA, Art History, Hunter College, 2013; thesis Elizabeth Okie Paxton
- Lead article, Art Times Journal, Summer 2014 http://arttimesjournal.com/art/Art_Essays/summer-14-rena-tobey/elizabeth-okie-paxton.html
- Wrote and published Wikipedia page on Okie Paxton: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Okie_Paxton
BA, Art History, Dean’s Scholar Program in American Art, University of Delaware, 2011
- Woman of Promise, 2010, representing the Art History Department, awarded Certificate of Distinction
- Internship, Visual Resources Collection, Summer 2010, cataloged over 500 digital images of 146 American women artists working before 1945
MS in Library Science, Catholic University of America, 2003; internships:
- Library of Congress, developed and delivered videoconference training on conducting oral histories
- Corcoran Museum of Art, Archives, researched and conducted oral histories of faculty
- Washingtoniana Division-DC Public Library, wrote oral history section of Archives website
Previous:
PhD, Human and Organizational Studies, Union Institute and University; dissertation The Integrity Moment
MS, Organizational Behavior, Case Western Reserve University
MBA, Southern Methodist University
BA, English, Washington University in St Louis
- Internships at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and as a copywriter at Gardner Advertising
RECENT PUBLICATIONS and CONFERENCE TALKS
”Mariann Wolcott and Ralph Earl–Opposites Come Together and Make History,” ConnecticutHistory.org, September 2016
http://connecticuthistory.org/mariann-wolcott-and-ralph-earl-opposites-come-together-and-make-history/
“Instruction by Mail: The Famous Artists School,” ConnecticutHistory.org, June 2016 http://connecticuthistory.org/instruction-by-mail-the-famous-artists-school/
“Stevan Dohanos Captures Connecticut Life,” ConnecticutHistory.org, June 2016
http://connecticuthistory.org/stevan-dohanos-captures-connecticut-life/
“Ellis Ruley: Art that Celebrated Life,” ConnecticutHistory.org, January 2016
http://connecticuthistory.org/ellis-ruley-art-that-celebrated-life/
“Florence Griswold’s Home: A Story of Perseverance and Community,” ConnecticutHistory.org, August 2015
http://connecticuthistory.org/florence-griswolds-home-a-story-of-perseverance-and-community/
“Modern Girls by Two Modern Artists: Sophonisba Anguissola and John Singer Sargent,” Paper presentation, National Coalition of Independent Scholars, June 2015
“Finding Her Way” essay series in Art Times Journal print and online edition
“Isabel Bishop’s New Vision: Social Mobility Beyond the Separate Spheres,” Winter 2015 http://arttimesjournal.com/art/Art_Essays/winter_15_rena_tobey/isabel_bishop.html
“Florine Stettheimer and Picnic at Bedford Hills: Subverting the Separate Spheres,” Fall, 2015, http://www.arttimesjournal.com/art/Art_Essays/fall_15_rena_toby/florine_stettheimer.html
“Transported to the Public Sphere: Theresa Bernstein and “In the Elevated,” Summer 2015, http://arttimesjournal.com/art/Art_Essays/summer_15_rena_tobey/theresa_bernstein.html
Marie Danforth Page: Out of the Shadows, Spring 2015 http://arttimesjournal.com/art/Art_Essays/spring_15_rena_tobey/marie_danford_page.html
Alice Barber Stephens: Emerging Ways of Living and Working, Winter 2014 http://arttimesjournal.com/art/Art_Essays/winter_14_rena_robey/alice_barber_stephens.html
Lilly Martin Spencer and “War Spirit at Home,” Fall 2014 http://arttimesjournal.com/art/Art_Essays/fall_14_rena_tobey/lilly_martin_spencer.html
Elizabeth Okie Paxton and “The Breakfast Tray,“ Summer 2014 http://arttimesjournal.com/art/Art_Essays/summer-14-rena-tobey/elizabeth-okie-paxton.html
Catalogue Essays for Site Projects Digital Catalogue, including Nancy Holt land art and Alexander Calder sculpture
Wrote and published Wikipedia page on Okie Paxton: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Okie_Paxton
SPECIALIZED COURSEWORK AND COMPUTER SKILLS
Museum Publishing, MA, Museum Studies online program, Johns Hopkins University, Fall, 2011
Management and Registration of Art and Artifact Collections and Exhibition Design courses, NYU Art Collections Management and Display certificate program, Fall, 2011
Core TMS application training, Gallery Systems, October, 2011
Experience with FileMakerPro, Argus, Access, ContentDM, TMS, Photoshop, digitizing, and scanning
Developed and maintain www.renatobey.com and blog with WordPress
Daily use of Microsoft Word, Excel, and Powerpoint, on both Mac and PC platforms
COMMUNITY SERVICE
Docent, Jewish Museum and American Folk Art Museum
Facilitator, art history courses, Virtual Senior Center, Selfhelp Community Services
Legacy project facilitator, Wellness Program presenter, DOROT
Guide, Gracie Mansion
Narrator for broadcast, CRIS Radio and Gatewave, serving the visually impaired, 2006-2019
Shrayber, Oral History Project, Yiddish Book Center, preparing and writing abstracts of interviews
History Day Judge, National History Day, New Haven middle and high school students
Grants Reviewer, Community Foundation of Greater New Haven, 2015
Planning Committee Member, New Haven Reads Spelling Bee fundraiser, 201
Mayors Community Arts Grant Program Panelist, City of New Haven, Arts, Culture & Tourism, Summer 2014
Juror, Delaware Horticultural Center gallery for 2011 exhibits, 2010
Evaluator, Delaware Division of the Arts, events and grant panels, 2009-2011
Curator, Rose Marcus Tobey art estate; solo exhibition Thompson Fine Arts, TVAA benefit auction, 2004-2005
Marketing, branding, and fundraising for Arts2People, Asheville Jewish Community Center, DC JCC Literary Festival, Folger Shakespeare Library, and Sewall-Belmont House, 1999-2006
Board member, Seattle Group Theatre, planned and implemented the Wrecking Ball Party fundraiser, 1992
References and Writing Samples Available Upon Request
CONTACT Rena Tobey today.