At the Albany Institute of History and Art, there are few employees that have left such a long standing and notable mark as Daniel Van Hoesen, the institute’s main art handler and maintenance man for 36 years, who retired on Wednesday, July 25.
Christine Miles, director of the institute, has worked with Van Hoesen since she started there 21 years ago. She says he is a truly remarkable person and considers him to be the heart and soul of the AIHA.
As a person he exemplifies a lot of what we do as an institution, she said. `He’s sensitive and pragmatic.`
Van Hoesen, who will be 66 on Aug. 23, is an art lover who enjoys sculpting and wood crafting and was hired at the museum in 1971 for his carpentry and drawing skills. He first put those skills to work to design crates the artwork was packed in for shipping. He also created the design of `exhibition furniture,` usually made of wood, that art is displayed on.
In 1998, the AIHA closed for renovations until 2001, but staff kept working.
Van Hoesen remembers the time well because there was no air conditioning and he became a `jack of all trades,` doing several maintenance duties like painting, snow blowing, sweeping, installing lights, and maintaining the museum’s computerized water, heating, and air conditioning systems.
Van Hoesen still does many of these tasks today, but his most specialized task is one he started with, the design and installation of exhibition furniture. He does that along with exhibition graphic designer Tom Nelson.
According to Miles, Van Hoesen was trained to handle artwork many years ago, but also possesses unique skills that have made him highly successful at his job for so many years.
`He has a sixth sense about how to move about, and care for things. He is extremely sensitive, and amazingly creative,` she said.
Van Hoesen, who has been married for 33 years and has two daughters, attended Bethlehem High School, and joined the Army during the Vietnam War. He attended electronics school and served in Germany for two years, where he learned how to draw objects to scale and make charts.
Now a resident of Clarksville, before working for the museum, Van Hoesen’s first job was doing construction for the Town of New Scotland.
However, Van Hoesen, who as a child treasured the works of Michelangelo and Leonardo DaVinci, wondered how he could incorporate his passion for art and carpentry skills he learned from his father, William E. Van Hoesen, into a practical job. As it turned out, the position at the AIHA was the perfect fit.
Van Hoesen said that while his love of artwork attracted him to the job, it’s been the people he has worked with that had kept him there for so many years.
`The staff is tremendous,` he said. `The people are the nicest people, everyone that comes and goes is just super.`
Upon retiring, Van Hoesen says he plans to spend more time on hobbies, like playing guitar, which he did in a local band many years ago called the `Helderberg Hillbillies` and doing artwork.
In the early 1970s, Van Hoesen won an award for `Best at the Fair` at the Altamont Fair for a door he carved out of birch wood.
As the for the AIHA, which held a goodbye breakfast for Van Hoesen last Wednesday, they have not found a replacement for him just yet, but agree it will be difficult to find one.
`Danny gets along with everybody. He’s very conscientious, he’s right there and you can always count on him,` aid Rob Nilson, who was Van Hoesen’s supervisor. `I hate to lose him.`
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