Employee Owner Spotlight: Sean Brady

Employee owner name: Sean Brady

Department/Job at Work: Art Services Specialist

Number of years working at Bark: About 2.5 years

Hails from: Worcester, MA.

What did you do for work before you worked at Bark Frameworks?

I worked at an art gallery, where I did custom crating and art handling, right before I started at Bark. Prior to the gallery, I worked in art services. I kind of stumbled into this line of work – I wanted to do something related to art after college (I majored in psychology). I started Google-ing art jobs, and the only thing I had experience in was crate-making (as my dad is a carpenter and builder). I got my first job with little experience, but building crates was easier than building an entire house!

What is the biggest challenge in your area of work at Bark?

Designing and building crates for large exhibitions, because all of the crates for the order have to be exactly the same. Meaning the first crate of the job – as a template for the other crates – has to be perfect. Creating time to do the work, ordering the materials, and planning for the timeline and necessary staffing of who will be able to help me when we pack the crates, is a challenge.

What do you like best about working at Bark?

I like the woodshop best, and how talented everyone is. It helps a lot. I also like being exposed to new and different artists as well. Being able to handle the artwork (in crating, etc.) is great too.

Name a particularly memorable framing job you worked on:

The Richard Avedon exhibition we recently framed for Gagosian Gallery Beverly Hills (“Ten Exhibition Prints currently on view) was very memorable. I made the crates for this exhibition. I wasn’t really into photography before, but now Richard Avedon is one of my favorite artists.

Also: the Lotte Laserstein frames we made (for which I also did the crates) – she’s a new favorite as well.

Lotte Laserstein, “The Opera Singer” (1959), oil on canvas, in its Bark frame and crate.

How has your life in- and outside of work changed as a result of the recent pandemic?

I spend a lot more time painting! The pandemic has been a great excuse not to go anywhere.

What does being an employee owner mean to you?

It means being part of a collaborative effort to make a beautiful object that someone else will enjoy. It’s a good feeling knowing that everyone else at Bark feels the same way.

Any outside hobbies/interests you have when you’re not making frames? 

I go to museums and galleries a lot. I also like to look through records with my brother, who also lives in New York.

Are you an artist? 

Yes! I am a painter – predominantly Surrealism. Salvador Dali made a comforting impression on me early on. I paint mainly with oils, I like that they stay wet, so I can always change things. Sometimes I change my mind, so if I wake up the next day and hate what I painted, I can change it as long as its in oil.

To see some of Sean’s work, visit: seanpatrickbrady.com

(See an image of Sean’s artwork at bottom of page).

Thank you, Sean!

“Tulips” (2021), oil on unstretched canvas, 73″ x 49″. By Sean Brady.