Gallery Talk: Building Kusama

In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, join us for a gallery conversation about Yayoi Kusama with Senior Preparator Jorge Valenzula and Museum Educator Olivia Gutierrez. Located in museums across the world, Kusama’s Infinity Mirror Rooms take many hours to construct and require constant upkeep. In this conversation, you’ll have the chance to learn more about the artist and her famous Infinity Mirror Rooms.

Free, no tickets required.

Olivia Gutierrez is the museum educator of Adult Public Programs at Crystal Bridges and oversees in-gallery programs. She holds a Master of Art in art history with an emphasis on the visual cultures of the Americas.

Jorge Valenzuela is the Senior Preparator of the collection at Crystal Bridges and has been working on various projects dedicated to maintaining the museum’s artworks for the past two and a half years. Valenzuela has been working in the field for 20 years, and he has collaborated with artists, curators, and registrars. He graduated from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, MA, in 2005. From 2012 to 2021, Valenzuela was the Lead Preparator at the Museum of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg, Florida. Museums have made a profound impact on his life, as each work gives Valenzuela the opportunity to gain experience with something new. Each day at work, he confronts a new challenge, whether it be the lighting of the artwork, the placement, the handling, or the drafting of the project.