Arts & International Affairs: Volume 2, Issue 1 | Page 142

Creating Museums:
An Interview
Abbie Chessler and J.P. Singh
Editor’s Note: The following is an interview between Editor J.P. Singh and architect Abbie Chessler,
conducted on 5 September 2016. This transcription is an abridged version; it has been edited for
length and clarity. Managing Editor transcribed and edited the interview. Listen to the audio on
theartsjournal.net.
J.P. Singh: How did you get into that line of work?
Abbie Chessler: I was an art school graduate and had to figure out how to pay
the rent. I got into the museum field very serendipitously, very accidentally,
which is how people in my generation in the museum world got into it.
JP: What was the serendipity?
AC: I worked a number of jobs after getting my fine arts degree. I was back
home in Baltimore when the National Aquarium opened. They had more
visitors than anybody imagined in their wildest dreams. The Aquarium folks
came into the photo lab where I was working as an assistant, needing help
with ideas to accommodate the crowds. They had ideas about what needed
to be done but didn’t know how to get there. A light bulb went off in my
head: I know how to do all of these things. They hired me as a contractor to do
a project and it was successful. As I began to pursue work as a freelancer
people would ask what have you done and say Oh, you must be good. We’ll hire
you. It was the gumption to put it together and just start working. In ����
we formed Quatrefoil Associates.
By focusing on museums, I really came to understand the critical role
museums have for us culturally and educationally. Museums provide an
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