Q&A: Paula Katz

Katz took the helm of the Indianapolis Museum of Contemporary Art earlier this year armed with some big ideas. From majorly expanding museum hours to focusing more on design work, she’s already making a splash.

IM: What have you learned from being iMOCA’s only full-time employee?
One thing you realize when you’re kind of a staff of one is, nobody is going to call AT&T and get you a better rate, or that sort of thing [laughs]. But I will say that I have an incredibly supportive board who is very active and helpful and just a phone call away to run an idea by. So I don’t feel like I’m quite alone on the island.

IM: In July, you asked The Droops to paint the CityWay gallery walls like a giant cartoon canvas. Any other plans for making the spaces interactive?
It’s always a challenge when you have an exhibition space to make it feel different and innovative, especially with the CityWay space, where we’re really based in two dimensions and two-dimensional work. I hope to explore at some point an artist who will do things from the ceiling. That’s a possibility. So it’s really being about being creative and trying to think about how to use that space and transform it with every exhibition.

IM: What do you do on days off?
Um, I don’t have days off [laughs]. I love to travel, and I think when you love what you do—I see this with artists all the time—there’s really no line between your lived life and being in the art world. Because when you have “time off,” you’re going to other art events, you’re going to art talks. When I travel, which I love to do, I end up always saying, “I want go to museums or see an art show.” That sounds awful, but it’s true.

This article appeared in The Ticket, a 2015 special publication.