Jing Zhao studied as an artist exploring ideological transformations in this time of accelerated information circulation and cultural diaspora. As Jing worked through the rigors of a BA in Photography in China and an MFA in Photographic and Electronic Media in America, she achieved various art practicing skills and the primary historical knowledge of modern and contemporary art. Meanwhile, she was engaged in art organizations such as the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Museum of Chinese in America, allowing her to work directly with professionals in media production, art documentation, and curatorial collaboration. During her tenure as a graduate student in the MS Museums and Digital Culture program at Pratt Institute, Jing pursued projects that reflect her passion for museum collection management, art documentation, and preservation. Having learned new technologies, she hopes to employ these approaches throughout her career and continue to engage in advanced methods of dispersing information.
Education
2020-2022
Pratt Institute
Master of Science, Museums and Digital Culture
2017-2019
Maryland Institute College of Art
Master of Fine Arts, Photographic and Electronic Media
2012-2016
China Academy of Art
Bachelor of Arts, Photography
Experience
February 2023 – Present
7s Art Group Inc, New York, NY
Partner, Resources Manager
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Conducts research on traditional Chinese culture, polishes lesson plans of workshops, assists instructors host cultural events, and helps attandees obtain enjoyable and informative experiences
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Manages external communications, connects the Gallery with its constituents, answers inquiries from customers, and helps customers sign up for classes and events
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Enforces inventory policy, conducts data entry into the inventory database, maintains constituent, event, and product records, and organizes digital assets on Google Drive
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Leads advertising campaigns for 7s Art products and events, which includes producing product photography, graphic design for advertisements, ensuring photo/video documentation of events, composing captions, and managing social media accounts (Instagram: @7sart, 小红书: @7SART)
August 2021 – May 2022
Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY
Collection Information & Data Fellow, Research Resources
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Entered provenance data in TMS and assigned descriptive subject terms to over 2000 permanent collection object records
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Drafted and entered catalog raisonné citations into TMS
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Organized, printed, and filed primary source documents and object files generated in 2020-2021
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Assisted Permanent Collection Documentation Manager with collection information and data fact-checking
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Assisted museum staff, interns, and outside researchers with research inquiries
March 2020 – August 2020
Museum of Chinese in America, New York, NY
Graphic Designer and Community Organizer, MOCA Census Outreach Initiative
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Led the museum’s outreach to engage thousands of its constituents about the importance of completing the census survey
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Designed appealing posters and flyers to increase public census awareness and participation
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Coordinated the launch of a bilingual and multiplatform social media campaign to target Chinese communities in NYC
December 2019 – March 2020
Museum of Chinese in America, New York, NY
Communications, Graphic Design, and Media Production Intern, External Affairs
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Executed the implementation of media outreach campaigns, web content development, and social media management
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Produced and edited video & image content for museum programs and the museum press on media platforms such as The New Yorker, CNN Style, and ARTnews magazine
July 2019 – November 2019
NewFilmmakers Festival, New York, NY
Festival Coordinator, NewFilmmakers New York at the Anthology Film Archives
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Conducted the background research of film series and the review & selection of works to be featured at the festival
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Engaged audiences and enhanced the festival's reach through online marketing and promotions
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Managed logistical elements of screenings and monitored photo & video documentation of events
August 2018 – May 2019
Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, MD
Graduate Program Assistant, MFA Photographic and Electronic Media
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Assisted faculty with communications, scheduling meetings, and preparation of course materials
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Initiated/organized/facilitated program activities (exhibitions, networking events, tours)
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Maintained digital equipment in the department and assisted students with use of facilities
September 2017 – May 2019
Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, MD
Curator, Graduate Exhibition Committee
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Communicated with artists, reviewed their proposals, and drafted production plans for solo/group exhibitions
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Handled budget, managed inventory checklists, and helped artists with reservation, transportation, and art handling
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Assisted with the installation/de-installation of exhibitions and the preparation of opening receptions
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Conducted the promotion of exhibitions on social media (Instagram and Facebook)
February 2017 – May 2017
MadeIn Gallery, Shanghai, China
Gallery Intern
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Monitored the reception desk; Greeted and directed visitors while on-site
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Updated the Gallery's website and Art-Ba-Ba BBS
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Managed video data of Shanghai Contemporary Art Archive Project; The completed project was featured in the exhibition Art and China after 1989: Theater of the World (Oct 6, 2017-Jan 7, 2018) at the Guggenheim Museum in NYC
Exhibitions
2019
NewFilmmakers New York Fall Festival 2019, Anthology Film Archives, New York, NY, USA
The Story of Finding Differences, OCAT Institute, Beijing, China
MICA Grad Show III 2019, RIGGS - LEIDY Galleries, Baltimore, MD, USA
Imageless Dummy Photo-Zine Awards 2018 exhibition, Wuxi, China
2018
PEM Fall Show 2018, Fox3 Gallery, Baltimore, MD, USA
Looking-Glass Self, The Gateway, Baltimore, MD, USA
Mirror, Cardinal Space, Baltimore, MD, USA
2017
PEM Fall Show 2017, RIGGS - LEIDY Galleries, Baltimore, MD, USA
ILLUMINANT, Young Photographers' Group Exhibition & Art Books Exhibition, Jiangxi, China
The Scene of Privacy, Xixihuajian Hall, Hangzhou, China
2016
XU YU WEI SHI | Pioneering Plan: 2016 Exhibition of Photographing Creation, Zhejiang Art Museum, Hangzhou, China
[art book in China]abc Book Fair, Shanghai 21st Century Minsheng Art Museum, Shanghai, China
Speaking into the Air, Artlaxy Gallery, Shanghai, China
Cloudscape: Excellent Graduate Exhibition in China Academy of Art, Wubei Gallery, Hangzhou, China
Spring Is Coming _Fukubukuro, Sanshang Art Museum, Hangzhou, China
2015
The City of Leisure, LBX Gallery, Hangzhou, China
3268.7, China Academy of Art, Hangzhou, China
Spring Is Coming _10cm³, Sanshang Art Museum, Hangzhou, China
2014
3rd Wanxiang Series of CAA, Practical Education Exhibition of Photography Dept., Hangzhou, China
Overlaid Reality, Sanshang Art Museum, Hangzhou, China
Babel: Reunite After Bewilderment, CAA Art Museum, Hangzhou, China
On the Road, The Affiliated High School of China Academy of Art, Hangzhou, China
Awards and Scholarships
2020-2022
Pratt Institute
Graduate Merit Scholarship
2017-2019
Maryland Institute College of Art
Graduate Merit Scholarship
2016
Zhejiang Provincial Federation of Literary and Art Circles
Annual Talent in Fine Art
China Academy of Art
“Lin Fengmian” Gold Award
Skills
Software
Microsoft Office, Google Suite, TMS (The Museum System), Tableau, Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Illustrator, Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, Google Analytics, Google Data Studio
Programming
SQL, Python
Language
English (fluent), Mandarin Chinese (professional)
Artworks
2019
Midnight Vortex, multimedia installation
2018
Looking-Glass Self, multimedia installation
Jayne Chao Raising Program, text adventure game
2016
A Photo of 14, documentary and inkjet printing photo
2202, photography series
2015
Farewell, photography series
丶, single-channel video with sound
Mind Notes, painting on canvas
From Langjun to Fangjia Fan, multichannel video with sound
2014
Oops, Screens Lodging in the Flesh, photography series
Articles
December 10, 2020
Media Art Conservation in the European Union and American Spheres: A Case Study of the ZKM and the Whitney Museum
By analyzing conservation projects at the ZKM and the Whitney, this article explored the methods, challenges, and ethics of media art conservation in the European Union and American Spheres. This case study demonstrates my familiarity with time-based media collections and my ability to articulate the relationship between media art conservation strategies and art institutions in different social-cultural environments with well-supported individual viewpoints and interpretations.
November 16, 2020
Collections, Disasters, and Recovery: A Case Study of the Museum of Chinese in America Archive Fire
This article begins by outlining the regular preventive conservation of collections. Then, using the case of the fire at 70 Mulberry Street, it explored the Museum's real challenges when facing a disaster and its recovery methods. At the end of this article, a list of guidelines was provided for museums, archives, and libraries. The article showcases my knowledge of preventive conservation. It also illustrates my competence in research through the adoption of an appropriate methodology for collecting information from interviewees, conducting a thorough review of the relevant literature, and drawing conclusions based on an integrated analysis.
October 30, 2020
Interview with Digital Media Preservation Specialist Savannah Campbell
I interviewed Savannah Campbell - Digital Media Preservation Specialist of the Media Preservation Initiative at the Whitney Museum of American Art. During that time, I worked on a case study project - Media Art Conservation in the European Union and American Spheres. In our conversation, Savannah answered many questions mainly related to this case study and shared some of her reflections and prospects of digital media conservation.
September 30, 2020
Interview with MOCA Collections and Research Center Director Yue Ma
In the middle of September, I interviewed Yue for a brief chat to get a better understanding of the MOCA collection department and her story as an archivist who worked both in China and America.
March 30, 2019
Unlimited-Limited: Hybridized Identity and Censorship in Chinese Post-Internet Art
The Internet has revolutionized young Chinese citizens, drawing them out of national isolation. However, they are coming of age with an internet that is distinctively different from the rest of the World Wide Web because of the goverment's censorship of information. By analyzing six Chinese artists' works, this article explored the creativity under the 'unlimited-limited' internet situation in China.
Projects
2022
Linked Cinema Project: Linked Open Data at the Anthology Film Archives
This is a grant proposal seeking funds and supports to enhance access to programming and collection information at the Anthology Film Archives through linked open data. The Linked Cinema Project ultimately aims to open the possibility of inter-connection with other film archives and independent cinemas, and to advocate for the discovery of lesser-known films, directors, and cultural moments.
Preservation Assessment Report: Barbara Curtis Adachi Bunraku Collection
This report applies knowledge about the preservation and historical manufacture of typical collection items to create a preservation assessment using the information from the Bunraku Collection's Finding Aid.
2021
Net Art Commission Management Plan for 661 Art Museum
This is an integrated management plan for net art commissioned by a fictional museum, ensuring the storage and documentation of their net artworks are uniform and in line with industry standards. This project demonstrates my in-depth understanding of the technical challenges, ethical standards, and practical concerns that impact the museum profession in net art collection management. It also reflects my ability to compose a comprehensive proposal with all fundamental elements, including objectives, problems addressed, methodology, assessment, and budget.
Museum Public Program Proposal: Virtual Gallery Tour of Twilight of the Idols Exhibition
This proposal suggests the House of Art launch a virtual gallery tour program of its online exhibition -- Twilight of the Idols - Art and AI as Aesthetic Discourse in the Age of Trans- and Post-humanism.
Contemporary Chinese Art Price Trends
This project works with contemporary Chinese art prices data. Web scraping from artsy.net, I compiled 40 years’ worth of data into four CSV files based on artworks in different medium categories. I was able to calculate the general price trend of artworks from 1980 to 2020, the artist & gallery ranking based on the artworks’ prices, and sales status based on artist & artwork time period. In addition, I also created data visualizations of these price trends.
Analytics Report: MoMA Online Education Events
MoMA Online Education Events Analytics Report project conducts digital analyses of www.moma.org between March 2020 and April 2021. The purpose of this group project is to measure the traffic of the MoMA Education web pages and media channels, understand the audiences, and find the most successful programs. The analytics report uses the data collected from Google Analytics & Spreadsheets provided by MoMA Education Department, dashboard visualizations, and predetermines metrics to identify key findings and opportunities to improve MoMA online education events.
*This project is confidential.
Digital Strategy: Fenton History Center
SNAC Record Update: Ai Weiwei is a project that focuses on enhancing artist Ai Weiwei’s biographical and historical record on snaccooperative.org. This project listed the missing parts in Ai’s SNAC record, such as biography, artworks, and related names. By harvesting data through Application Programming Interface (API), the project discovered the information from trusted sources that could enrich Ai’s record.
*This project is confidential.
Benchmarking: Art Museums' YouTube Channels
This project took a look at five YouTube Channels of museums that focus on modern & contemporary art and analyzed the performance of each channel's activities by collecting data through YouTube Data Tools and visualizing the data through Tableau Public. Comments and recommendations were made based on the listed findings.
Mediation in the Digital Age: Emotion, Memories, and Values
This is an online collection that features the contemporary art scene (2011-2017) that artists from different countries use video art to question and provoke ideas in which digital media shapes acts of our memory, emotive process, and values. This project demonstrates my ability to perform activities that relate to museum information management by using industry standards to curate an online collection and catalog artwork records strategically and creatively.
2020
The Media Artists Speak project aims to provide an online platform for media artists to share and learn about media art conservation. It features a blog page for media artists to post their opinions on how art institutions should take care of their works during the exhibition, preservation, and restoration process. This project also committed to researching media art conservation methods, technologies, resources, and case studies that provide artists more comprehensive insights.
Interviews & Reviews
Mazzoli, Carlotta. “10 Questions with Jing Zhao.” AI-Tiba9 Contemporary Art, April 24, 2023.
Lucy Media, "Jing Zhao: Discover the Beauty of Diversified Art and Achieve New Expressions of Multidisciplinary Art." ifeng.com, April 14, 2023.
Elliott, Claudia. “Comics, Orange & Magnifying Glasses: An Interview with Jing Zhao.” Smart Artist Hub, April 14, 2023.
Lin, Zi. “Jing Zhao’s Research on Images.” Sina.com, March 28, 2023.
Zhang, Yehong. “Jing Zhao: Finding Narritives In Images”. The Paper, April 18, 2019.
Jiao, Jian. “2016 Photography Pioneering Plan Shortlisted Artist No. 9: Jing Zhao.” Zhejiang Photographers Association, December 30, 2016.
yiiran. “Jing Zhao & Yanjun Li: The Meaning of Snapshots and the 2202nd Blink Waiting to Happen.” Zhihu, November 2016.