Rena’s Resume

Rena’s Audio Comments

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

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.