ARTEX

John K. Jacobs

President

ARTEX Fine Art Services

John Jacobs founded ARTEX Fine Art Services with Todd Herman, in 1990. He is responsible for directing the company’s continued growth and for establishing ARTEX as the largest and most comprehensive fine arts services company in the U.S. He has also expanded ARTEX’s services to include a variety of creative fine art storage options as well as increased capacity for special projects administration. Before founding ARTEX, John was Director of Crozier Fine Arts crating and packing services in New York and the Registrar at the New Museum of Contemporary Art. He received a Master of Fine Arts in studio art from Hunter College, 1980, and B.A. from Antioch College in 1976.

Todd M. Herman

Vice President

ARTEX Fine Art Services

Todd Herman co-founded ARTEX Fine Art Services with John Jacobs in 1990 and is currently the Vice President of ARTEX, responsible for the financial management of the company. Before founding ARTEX, Todd worked for Crozier Fine Arts in a variety of capacities, ultimately as the company’s controller. Todd graduated from Miami University, Oxford OH in 1983 with a B.S. in accounting.

Tom Leith

General Manager/Director of Operations, Landover

ARTEX Fine Art Services

Tom Leith has been with ARTEX Fine Art Services since its inception, and is currently serving as the General Manager and Director of Operations for ARTEX’s headquarters in Landover, MD. “I have been in the fine art services business for nearly 20 years, the last 15 with ARTEX. I have watched it grow with great joy and pride into a leader in the museum services business. First as a driver, packer and art handler and later as a dispatcher and as finally director of operations, ARTEX has given me a broad background and experience in moving everything from a family heirloom to museum exhibition.”

Mark H. Wamaling

National Director of Crating

ARTEX Fine Art Services

Mark Wamaling started with ARTEX Fine Art Services in 1990 working in the crate shop building crates and packing art and museum artifacts for travel exhibitions in the Washington, DC area. He became the manager of the DC art crate shop in 1992, and remained in that position until 2002 overseeing all the Crating and Packing projects. Mark was also responsible for designing the packing systems for long term storage and moving entire museum collections during building renovation. In 2002, Mark became the National Director of Crating, overseeing the development of all the crating operations at ARTEX. Mark received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Frostburg State University, graduating with Departmental Honors in sculpture in1981. “Working closely with collections has allowed me to learn more about the artists who constructed various works and to help facilitate the traveling of these works to the greater public. Being an active artist myself, I cannot think of anything more rewarding than working in this field.”

Chris Sade

Sales Manager, Landover

ARTEX Fine Art Services

Chris Sade joined ARTEX Fine Art Services in 1996 as General Manager of the Baltimore office and is now Sales Manager of the Landover office. Chris began his career in the Art Shipping and Services industry at Atlantic Van Lines, one of the pioneers offering tractor-trailer services to the museum community. During over twenty years working in the industry, Chris has worked with the entire spectrum of Art Services clients including museums, private collectors, galleries and international clients. Chris has also been responsible for preparing and overseeing various special projects. He graduated from Loyola College with a degree in Business Administration.

Kit S. Lee

Controller

ARTEX Fine Art Services

Kit Lee began with ARTEX Fine Art Services in 1996 working directly with Co-Founder, Todd Herman, in the accounting department. Before coming to ARTEX, Kit worked as the Assistant Controller of a printing firm in Bethesda, MD and in the accounting department of Artransport, Inc. in Arlington, VA / Washington, DC. “I was hired when ARTEX only had 26 employees and 1 location. Now with the number pushing close to 200 and 6 locations, I’m very excited to see where ARTEX will be in the next 5 years.”

Barbara A. Ramsay

Director of Conservation Services

ARTEX Fine Art Services

The addition of Barbara Ramsay to the ARTEX Fine Art Services staff in 1999 established the Conservation Division within ARTEX Fine Art Services. Barbara directs a staff of three highly qualified, professional painting conservators and is responsible for project management of a broad range of art restoration and conservation projects, carried out by both ARTEX staff conservators and subcontracted conservators from many specialties.

Prior to working for ARTEX, Barbara worked as a painting conservator at the National Gallery of Canada (NGC), Ottawa for 18 years, the last five years as Senior Conservator of Fine Art, 1990 to 1995. In addition, she served as an Associate Professor of Painting Conservation, Queen’s University, 1996-97 and 1983-84. Barbara received a Masters Degree in Art Conservation from Queen’s University, Kingston, Canada, 1976.

Benjamin Gage

Special Projects Manager

ARTEX Fine Art Services

Ben Gage joined ARTEX Fine Art Services in January 1993 as an art handler and driver. Ben is well versed and skilled in managing the safe handling, packing and Transportation of fine art objects of all kinds, and his skills have helped create and grow our Special Projects department. His specialty is the rigging of monumental paintings, murals and sculpture and he has a broad range of experience with the techniques and equipment needed to move every manner of objects safely and efficiently. He has directed crews in numerous large-scale museum projects and is the manager of all special projects handled by ARTEX. Ben received a Master of Arts in Sculpture, 1983, and Bachelor of Arts in Sculpture, 1980 from the University of Maryland College Park.

Tamar Head

Sales Manager, New York

ARTEX Fine Art Services

Tamar Head joined ARTEX Fine Art Services in 2000 as a member of the New York sales department. Following graduate school in Art History, Tamar spent a couple of years at the Museum of Modern Art, learning the ropes as a registrar. After her experiences at MoMA, Tamar worked at Ollendorff Fine Arts with an emphasis on foreign freight forwarding. She worked to arrange the crating and transit of 7 out of 10 of the most valuable artworks in the world, including the shipment of the Van Gogh “Portrait of Dr. Gachet” and Renoir’s “Au Moulin de la Galette”. Following Ollendorff, Tamar worked for Fine Arts Express before joining ARTEX. “There are days when I feel I have ten juggling pins, an axe, and a couple of eggs in the air, but work is never dull for one instant. In a long career I have been privileged to have responsibility for the proper care and handling of the most extraordinary cultural treasures. Nothing could have made my studies in Art History more rewarding or more real.”

Christine King

Sales, Chicago

ARTEX Fine Art Services

Christine King joined ARTEX Fine Art Services in 2000, providing major museum exhibition coordination/travel services, commercial/private client collections management, and consultation. Christine previously worked for Transport Consultants International and FAE Worldwide. She graduated with a B.A. in Art History from Colby College, 1988.

Christa Balderacchi

General Manager, Boston

ARTEX Fine Art Services

Christa Balderacchi joined ARTEX Fine Art Services in the spring of 2000 to open the Boston office with Nick Mittell. She is responsible for the day-to-day management of the office as well as for providing customer service for clients around the country, concentrating on the New England and Canadian Museums. Previous to joining ARTEX, Christa worked as an International Sales Representative at Fine Arts Express, as assistant to the director of the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston and as a Development Assistant at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. She received a B.A. in Arts Management from Salem College in 1988. “I enjoy and value the relationships that I have developed while working at ARTEX, not only with my co-workers but with clients as well. There is a true feeling of partnership throughout our work, whether we are coordinating one simple shipment or an extensive touring exhibition.”

Nicholas G. Mittell

Operations Manager, Boston

ARTEX Fine Art Services

Nick Mittell opened ARTEX’s Boston office with Christa Balderacchi in June of 2000. Since then, Nick and the entire Boston staff have successfully built the Boston office into a thriving full service operation. Before joining ARTEX, Nick served as the Transportation Logistics Coordinator and as a Driver/art handler for Fine Arts Express/FortressFAE. Nick attended Harvard University where he studied Anthropology.

Al Smink

General Manager, Fort Lauderdale

ARTEX Fine Art Services

Al Smink joined ARTEX Fine Art Services in 1996, and has been the General Manager of the Florida office since June 2004. Al has worked in the Art Services field for over 29 years, starting as a driver/art handler and has been Dispatcher/Project Manager for 10 years, overseeing a range of jobs, including installations of large outdoor sculpture, packing of rare book collections, and managing large traveling exhibitions. He has also served as an Operations Manager, Revenue Analyst and Safety Manager, managing fleet of 10 tractor-trailers and straight trucks for a nationwide fine arts company.