Walter Wilson's work is behind every great piece of art in Krannert Art Museum.
And, if you take into consideration each individual's tastes, it's also behind some of the not-so-great pieces.
Since 2007, Wilson, an academic professional, has been one of the museum’s two design installation specialists, meaning he hangs, secures, fastens and illuminates the museum's varied pieces for gallery shows.
"The goal is to present the work the way the artist intends and envisions," he said. "It's a very thought-out, hands-on process. It doesn't just happen."
And Wilson doesn't just hang picture frames.
He works closely with artists, show curators and staff members long before a scheduled display starts to ensure work is completed on time and the art creates maximum impact.
"They usually have some kind of idea or vision of how they like to see their works displayed," he said. "I try to bring that out. The challenge is that every piece and every artist is different. "
That takes much conversation as Wilson tries to gather every detail he can to reflect the artist's intention.
"Specificity is good," he said. "We try to learn the language of the artist. That's an art form in itself."
The work requires a jack-of-all-trades approach to working with various mediums and techniques. He takes measurements before the display goes up and sketches out options.
One minute, he'll use his carpenter's skills to measure and build a special display case for a row of portraits.
The next, he'll hang a floating burlap piece from the ceiling with several pieces of fishing line, trying to get the flowing curves just right while still ensuring support for the room-size piece.
With the burlap piece, the attention to detail went as far as screwing the ceiling fasteners in by hand, because using a drill would have caused dust to rain down on the piece. Adding to the pressure: the artist was available for consultation for only one day.
Wilson and the setup crew recently completed the installation of four exhibits that started on the same day. The next day, there already were meetings for the next big exhibit in January.
He said he is most excited about a recent grant the museum received from the Student Sustainability Committee for LED lighting. He said the new lights are less harsh on sensitive museum pieces and have given the museum much more flexibility in its displays.
"We've been playing with different degrees, different colors," he said, "and the response has been great. It helps bring out subtleties in some of these pieces."
A painter and sculptor himself, Wilson became interested in working behind an exhibition's scenes after attending the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1991.
"I didn't quite know how to make (art) work (as a profession)," he said.
By 1992, he was earning college credit while doing exhibition work with a private company, then worked at several private art restoration and moving companies until 2007, when he learned of the KAM job.
He calls himself a "preparator," though the term is normally reserved for more scientific displays, such as dinosaur fossils.
Based on some of the work he's done, the title is apt.
One of his jobs took him to New Orleans prior to and in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, where he helped move and restore museum and private art collections threatened or damaged by flooding.
"I was in the city when it was still evacuated," he said. "It's one of the things that has contributed to my knowledge."
Wilson realized he had artistic ability when he was a child. He said his grandmother used to let him paint – no matter how messy the process was – and encouraged him along the way.
"I've always been an artist," he said. "I've always had an interest in making and solving things."
His first show was at 16, in his hometown of Dallas. The gallery was on the second floor of a car wash.
"I got a big write-up in the paper – it was on the front page with a big picture and everything," he said of his first brush with notoriety.
Wilson still paints, but he also has an interest in making cast iron and bronze sculptures, which he still does annually at the Art Institute. He said he likes the medium because it involves working with a team.
"Our house is filled with pieces of art that will be around for thousands of years," he said of his work.
Wilson said he enjoys sharing the knowledge he's obtained through his varied career.
He regularly works with university graduate students at the museum, and teaches gallery display classes at the U. of I. and throughout the state.
He said students are usually receptive to his talks because it's an aspect of art many haven't considered before.
"They are looking for experience and to get a good background understanding of as much as they can," he said. "This gives them something a little different to take with them, a little different way of looking at it."
When he's not hanging paintings, he's hanging with his wife and their two boys, ages 15 and 13. Wilson's wife, Molly Briggs, is an established artist who is working on a Ph.D. at the U. of I. in landscape architecture.
He said the family enjoys going to the boys' sports events and being outdoors.
A family hobby is producing artist print reproductions on a printing press. They've made prints for several artists over the years, and the artist usually stays with the family during the process.
"My wife and I have some of the same interests, so it's hard to just shut it off when you get home, " he said. "It's really interesting to work with people who don't normally do printmaking. It's fun collaborating."