I joined the MASS MoCA project right out of grad school in 1995. I walked across the stage at Cranbrook Art Academy's graduation ceremony on a Friday in May, and began at MASS MoCA the following Monday as Director of Design—employee number two. I brought in my own Mac, and we worked with space heaters by our desks—and without paychecks—for 6 months until the project was finally approved by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in late 1995.
Sometimes you need to take risks in your career to find rewards. I spent 8+ years at MASS MoCA: four before the 1999 public opening, and four after. Working with the talented museum staff and endless supply of world-class visiting visual and performing artists was a privilege. I worked directly with our fabrication team building the early signage and wayfinding system in-house. That's just how we rolled.