Production
- Cliff Athorn
- Dan Dahm
- Lucinda Frantz
- Ethan Lebovics
- Dan Miller
- Tim Motzko
- Dion O'Keefe
- Randall Smith
Cliff Athorn - Head of Exhibit Production
Mr. Athorn was hired to lead the production staff of the exhibits division in July 2001. His background is in management of stage and scenic fabrication. Mr. Athorn served as production director for the Minnesota Opera Company from 1985-2000 when he left to establish and operate Twin Cities Scenic Studios, Inc. Mr. Athorn is responsible for all day to day operations of the exhibit production departments including staffing, scheduling, shop management and personnel.
He has earned a bachelor of arts degree in Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, a master of arts degree in Music Theory from State University of New York at Binghamton, a Master of arts degree in orchestral and choral conducting from the University of California at Santa Barbara, and has completed coursework towards a Doctorate in Musical Arts in Orchestral Conducting at the University of Texas, Austin.
Dan Dahm - Project Production Manager
Dan has been with the Science Museum since 2003, working in exhibit maintenance and as a fabricator, before becoming a project manager. Previously Mr. Dahm worked for and eventually became an owner of an exhibits and clean room products company, providing custom enclosures and displays for companies such as National Semiconductor, Advanced Micro Devices, Motorola, RMS Titanic, Inc., and Borders Bookstores. Before that, Mr. Dahm spent 10 years at the Guthrie Theater working in the scene shop and on the running crew.
A graduate of the University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire in their Theatre Arts program, Mr. Dahm is currently working on the Fossil Mysteries project for the San Diego Natural History Museum.
Lucinda Frantz - Project Production Manager
Ms. Frantz joined Science Museum of Minnesota's fabrication shop in 1991. She uses a variety of fabrication skills including woodworking, welding, and machining to produce prototypes and exhibits for the museum, traveling exhibits, and museum clients. Since 2000, Ms. Frantz has expanded her role to Project Production Manager of exhibits up to 1500 square feet. These projects include Cell Lab, the Lab Central expansion, Tissues of Life, Current Science: Mars, and Infectious Diseases (traveling exhibit). Prior to joining the Science Museum team, Ms. Frantz was a technician, set builder and stage manager for several theaters and traveling shows, a social worker and psychiatric technician, and a home repair handyperson. She fully embraces the job description line item "other duties as assigned." Her BA from Valparaiso University is in Theatre and Psychology.
Ethan Lebovics - Warehouse Manager/Production Manager
Mr. Lebovics began work at the Science Museum in 1994, as an exhibit fabricator on Hunters of the Sky 6K, a traveling exhibit about birds of prey. He worked as an exhibit fabricator and driver / buyer for Hunters of the Sky 6K (1995), Traveling Experiment Gallery (1996), Hunters of the Sky 2K (1997), and If These Walls Could Talk: An Exhibit about Buildings (1996-1998). In 1998 he assumed the role of warehouse manager for the Science Museum's 19,000-sq. ft. off-site storage facility. In this position he is responsible for the daily operations of the warehouse with respect to space, security, inventory, equipment and supplies. Mr. Lebovics holds a BA in Studio Arts from Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
Dan Miller - Project Production Manager
Mr. Miller has been employed at the Science Museum of Minnesota since 1997. Mr Miller is currently working on several national museum projects within the exhibit services program. He has been project production manager for the Science Museum of Minnesota's traveling exhibits; Playing With Time, When Crocodiles Ruled and If These Walls Could Talk as well as the new museum's Dinosaurs and Fossils Gallery. Prior to his employment at the Science Museum, Miller was a project specialist at the Minnesota Historical Society producing several exhibits for the new Minnesota History Center, the new Mille Lacs Indian Museum and other historic sites throughout Minnesota.
Tim Motzko - Graphic Production Manager
Mr. Motzko began working at the Science Museum in February 2005. Prior to coming on board at the museum, Tim was Graphics Manager at Pictura where he played a key role in transitioning the small Minneapolis photolab into one of the top digital graphics companies in the nation. Tim has produced the graphics for all of the exhibits that the Science Museum has produced since 2005. Tim has also produced graphics for San Diego Museum of Natural History, Liberty Science Center New Jersey, California Science Center, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Minnesota Historical Society and many other museums around the country.
Dion O'Keefe - Project Production Manager
Mr. O'Keefe Joined the Exhibit Shop staff in March 1999. Prior to joining the museum O'Keefe served as Head Rigger, and Assistant Technical Director at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Technical Theater from the University of Minnesota and has continued his studies with Architectural drafting, Auto CAD and welding classes and Minneapolis Drafting School and St. Paul Technical College. Aside from his work on exhibits at the Science Museum Mr. O'Keefe has produced major projects for the Super Bowl, U of M School of Architechture and Cirque du Soliel.
Randall Smith - Traveling Exhibits Technical Manager
Mr. Smith has been a tour manager with Traveling Exhibits since 1994, coordinating all logistics related to installation, transportation, and de-installation of the exhibits, training of venue museum staff and maintenance of the exhibits. When not involved in installation of traveling exhibits Mr. Smith coordinates front end planning for new traveling exhibits. Mr. Smith has 20 years experience managing his own cabinet shop, He has a B.A. from St. Mary's University in San Antonio Texas.