1) Environment/ Initial Impressions at GAGOSIAN GALLERY, Beverly Hills

As I entered the beautiful, white open gallery space on my first day, I was excited to start working. The space currently exhibits massive and colorful photograms by photographer, Thomas Ruff . I was greeted at the front desk, and noticed  security guards around the space. The receptionist introduced me to everyone around the gallery, about 25 people. My first day happened to be the an extremely frantic, as everyone was moving and rearranging their offices. Assisting them in this process helped me remember many people’s names. I work 3 days a week, yet, I do not have a specific person I work for. Therefore, it is really up to me to speak up and ask around if anyone needs help with anything. Sometimes I am bombarded with multiple things to do such as, rearranging books, creating artist binders and addressing envelopes, while over times I sit around at my desk with nothing to do. Some of the work is really exciting, the other day we had a Saks Fifth Avenue fashion show in the gallery which was really fun. It is important though to not get phased by the VIP clients or celebrities, as they are very involved. There is one other intern, we each share a desk and have our own email account to chat with people around the office. I have noticed that all of the employees call each other by their first names.  For the most part, people come and go as they please and seem to be quietly working on their own things. We mostly communicate through imessaging through our Gagosian emails. The head directors and salesmen have their own assistants through which they can be contacted. I have noticed that most people start off as assistants and receptionists at the front desk. This way they are familiar with the way the gallery operates on a deeper level, as everyone knows everyone on a first name basis throughout all of the international locations. The gallery is open to the public, yet certain shows get more attention than others. Many times there are private showings to VIP clients who are more seriously interested in buying and viewing a certain piece in the viewing room rather than just looking around as one would in a museum. The workplace is serious but many people stop and chat to joke around on occasion with one another. There is some diversity, more women than men, with ages ranging from  mid-twenties to late-forties. The salesmen wear pants and button downs, with no ties, and the rest are more casual. The women are not too dressy or too casual, since it is a creative space, they express themselves more freely. This coming week our Ruff show is closing and we are preparing for our next show, Albert Ohelen, which I am really excited for.