Résumé for Alan A. Bekhuis - Photographic Collection Management

Between 1992 to 2003 Alan worked for these organisations and individuals:

Archives New Zealand –Te Whare Tohu Tuhituhinga o Aotearoa
Elliot Erwitt, Photographer (NYC)
Fox Talbot Museum, UK
Magnum photos, NYC
Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC
Museum of New Zealand – Te Papa Tongarewa
National Library of New Zealand – Te Puna Matauranga o Aotearoa
Presbyterian Church Archives of Aotearoa/New Zealand
Harvey Zucker, Collector/dealer (NYC)

Career History

Harvey Zucker, Private Dealer/Collector, NYC, USA - October 2003
Creation of Archival storage enclosures for a large collection of mid 19th century photographic manuals.

Fox Talbot Museum - January 2002 to March 2003
Curatorial assistant in a manuscript collection inventory, documenting the 16 000 letters and other documents of William Henry Fox Talbot. Solely responsible for the documentation of the photographic technology collection, a inventory project involving the transfer and reorganization of collection to new storage and the creation of a database with digital images of each item.
[www.r-cube.co.uk/fox-Talbot/index.html]

Harvey Zucker, Private Dealer/Collector, NYC, USA - November 2002
Reorganization and new storage of a large private collection of cased images, prints, albums, cameras, camera accessories and photographic ephemera. Creation of workspace to process the collection.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art - October 1999 to Jan 2002
Preservation management of photographic negative collection (approx.. 750 000, C20th material). Condition surveying, rehousing, constructing conservation housings and general collection management duties. I was responsible for the relocation reorganisation of the entire collection to a cool storage facility. I developed and implemented documentation and handling procedures for the collection. Image research and retrieval for the digital scanning.[www.metmuseum.org]

Magnum Photos, NYC office - May to August 2000
Condition survey and report recommending new storage. Examination and documentation of condition of this internationally significant 20th century 35mm negative collection. Report included a design for a new archival 35mm storage enclosure, storage devices and proposed new physical arrangement of the collection. [www.magnumphotos.com]

Elliot Erwitt, Photographer, NYC - August 2000
Report on deterioration found in 35mm negative holdings and recommended courses of action and future prevention.

National Archives of New Zealand - May 1996 to September 1999
Preservation management of negative collection (approx.. 500 000, C20th material). Establishment of a cool storage facility for film negatives at 2 degrees Celsius and a digital scanning facility. Design and construction of film negative storage system, condition surveying, rehousing negative and print series, documentation and handling procedures. General preservation activities in the management of non-textual archives, including paper conservation laboratory work, construction of conservation housings, condition surveying of nitrate cinematic film holdings, disaster preparedness planning and actual salvage operations for fire damaged archives. [www.archives.govt.nz]

Presbyterian Church Archives of Aotearoa/ New Zealand - January to April 1996
Consultancy to improve archival standards in the storage for photographs in a religious archive. The collection of approx.. 20 000 prints, photograph albums, lantern slides and 26 000 negatives. The project involved the development of photographic preservation procedures, designing storage enclosures, purchasing materials and equipment.[www.archives.presbyterian.org.nz]

Te Papa, Museum of New Zealand - October 1993 to September 1995
Collection management : condition surveying and rehousing of negative collection
(approx.. 500 000, C19th and C20th material) and documentation of the holdings. Image research for exhibitions from national (research trips) and international sources (through correspondence) [www.tepapa.govt.nz]

National Library of New Zealand- May 1992 to September 1994
Duties pertaining to the compilation of photographic orders for New Zealand's largest historical photographic archive. Retrieval and filing of negatives from cool storage and prints from files, researching public images inquiries. Cleaning of 500 nitrate panorama negatives under the supervision of the photographic conservator. [www.natlib.govt.nz]

Educational Background

1999 - Photographic Preservation and Archival Practice (1 year certificate program) at George
Eastman House, International Museum of Photography, NY, USA. [www.geh.org]

1997 - Preserving Photographs in a Digital World (1 week seminar) - Rochester Institute of Technology, NY, USA

1994 -Post graduate paper in Archives management, part of the library studies diploma at Victoria University, Wellington, NZ.

1993 -Postgraduate paper in History and Philosophy of Museums, part of the Museums Studies post graduate diploma at Massey University, Palmerston North, NZ.

1992 - Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology - University of Otago, NZ. [www.otago.ac.nz]