Bill Low, curator of the Museum of Art at Bates College, says of his job “is a plum.”

Though not an artist himself, he says, “Part of my creative work comes out in the exhibition, design, layout and installation” of the artwork shown in the three museums at Bates.

“I find great enjoyment in interpreting others’ art in exhibition, design and layout. (It’s) the idea of interpreting objects of art in a space for an audience (that I enjoy),” Low said. “What do the images and works of art mean when they are next to each other?”

He does his layouts both on paper and manually.

“My specialty is gallery installation. I find great pleasure in it. Often it involves multi-media, sculpture or a set of photos that are unified in theme. I have to balance aesthetics to make something look beautiful (while keeping) with the mission and goals of the exhibition.”

His goal is to present something that the audience will receive in personal experience from an exhibit. Additionally, Low said, “The exhibits are to support the curriculum at Bates College and serve the broader audience, the public schools and people of Lewiston and Auburn.”

He produces as many as 5 to 10 exhibits yearly in the three galleries that comprise the museums at Bates.

Once in a while, Low gets to work directly with artists and exhibitions from their own collections. One of the most memorable exhibits, says Low “was the retrospective work of Joseph Nicolette, an artist with 35 years of work.”

The exhibit having most impact aesthetically on Low was the exhibit of large sculptures by Pita Coyne. “It was technically challenging to install.” Another was by Xiu Bing, a Chinese artist and a MacArthur fellow. “I spent a week with him to work on the installation. He was a brilliant and dynamic artist.”

Though he does not always work with artists personally, Low finds that he loves to present works of the artists of the 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th centuries.

When asked how it feels to be the custodian of such works as drawings by Picasso, Low says, “Working with and loving the objects, being intimate one on one with (art), it’s what got me into this field. Presenting works of art for people to come and have a personal experience with the art, there’s nothing like that.”

He admits that some exhibits don’t please everyone.

“It is not always successful because people may not like the art you show. But working with students, seeing a class of 30 to 40 students all working upstairs, teaching through internships and classes about the museum processes and works of art, it’s the most important aspect of what we do.”

Having moved to Maine from Providence, R.I., 25 years ago, Low and his wife make their home in Hiram.

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