Training Specialist, Gallery Systems
With a decade of experience working across art museums in the United States, Sofia Retta brings a strong foundation in collections management, exhibition coordination, and database administration to her role at Gallery Systems. Having held positions at institutions including the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, the Blanton Museum of Art, and the Bell Gallery at Brown University, Sofia has collaborated with a wide range of museum professionals and developed a deep understanding of how collections data supports institutional work. Her first-hand experience with TMS Collections during a major system migration, combined with her academic background in art history, informs her thoughtful and practical approach to training clients today.
Please can you tell us a bit about your museum background before coming to Gallery Systems?
Before joining Gallery Systems, I worked in art museums for about ten years, including at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, the Blanton Museum of Art at the University of Texas at Austin, and the Bell Gallery at Brown University. I held a variety of roles, including curatorial assistant and collections database cataloguer, and developed skills in areas such as exhibitions coordination and collection information management. I have worked on a small team where every staff member wore multiple hats, and at mid-size institutions with multiple departments. I have collaborated closely with registrars, curators, preparators, artists, designers, editors, educators, and more. I also hold a BA and MA in art history, and I always bring my museum experience and education to my work with our clients at Gallery Systems.
What drew you to work at Gallery Systems?
As the collections database cataloguer at the Blanton Museum of Art, I supported the museum’s migration from EmbARK to TMS Collections. I had an excellent experience working with Gallery Systems throughout this project, including in our training! After our transition, I supported the management of the database, including training our staff, configuring the database, and writing reports. As a detail-oriented person who values structure and organization, I truly enjoyed working with TMS Collections. I knew that Gallery Systems’ staff was extremely knowledgeable, and I jumped at the opportunity to join the team when my current position opened. I wanted to help other museums learn how to use their database as I had.
What does a typical day look like for you as a Training and Reports Specialist?
I spend most of my time in custom remote trainings with clients, so I am presenting and talking on Zoom for up to 7 hours a day. Outside of training time, I communicate and coordinate with clients and my Professional Services colleagues about projects; review client’s data and prepare for trainings; and investigate questions or items that arise during trainings.
How has the TMS training (or reports) evolved since you joined the team?
We are offering new classes in our TMS suite group trainings. Last year, I began teaching a class that focuses on Exhibitions, Loans, and Shipping, providing an in-depth exploration of these modules and demonstrating how they can support project management for museums. We are beginning to offer group classes in TMS Media Studio and TMS Conservation Studio this year, giving clients the chance to learn the fundamentals of both products in our demo database.
We are also developing short trainings that focus on specific features, such as querying and using Packages, as well as advanced topics such as customizing Data Entry Views or creating Flex Fields. Clients will be able to sign up for 2-hour sessions with our trainers and select from a list of focused topics. These new sessions will offer clients the opportunity to consult with our trainers and receive hands-on guidance through certain functionality, configuration, and even data clean-up strategies.
I am excited to expand our training offerings and provide clients with new opportunities to enhance their skills! Also, training must always be responsive to developments in our products, so I look forward to seeing how training will continue to evolve as our products evolve.
What’s one recent project you’re especially proud of?
In addition to the new group trainings, we are also creating training videos that will offer short overviews of common training topics, such as how to use different search functions or the differences between Object Working List and Packages. The first batch of videos will be posted on the Community Portal soon, and we will continue producing new videos this year and as new versions of TMS Collections are released. I believe these will be helpful resources for clients who are looking for a quick refresher on these topics, and they provide training materials that are accessible on demand. I look forward to sharing these videos with clients soon and continuing to explore new formats for training resources.
How do you approach gathering feedback and incorporating it into future training sessions and/or reporting functionality?
After each training is completed, we send a survey to all the participants to collect feedback, which we regularly discuss internally to inform future trainings. I am also constantly gathering helpful comments and ideas from clients in my conversations with them. Throughout each training, I frequently check in with clients about our agenda, ensuring that the topics and schedule meet their priorities and making adjustments as needed. I aim to make each training as useful to the client as possible, so it’s important to me to establish a good rapport so that they feel comfortable and empowered to communicate their questions and needs.
What’s one thing people might be surprised to learn about your role?
People are often surprised by how much time I spend in training in a day. Sometimes my sessions are only 3 or 4 hours, but most are 7 hours, which means I am presenting and talking over Zoom for a majority of the workday! I drink a lot of hot tea and water to take care of my voice.
What’s one fun or unexpected fact about you that might surprise people?
I have recently become interested in birdwatching! While conducting remote trainings, I often keep an eye on the birdfeeder and trees outside my office window. My cat Lily also keeps me company in my office and occasionally makes a cameo appearance during trainings (she also enjoys birdwatching). Feel free to tell me about your pets or favorite birds during training!
Sofia’s work as a Training Specialist reflects both her technical expertise and her commitment to empowering museum professionals. Drawing on her experience as both a system user and trainer, she helps clients build confidence in managing their collections data while adapting training to meet evolving needs and technologies. Through expanded training offerings, new learning formats, and a collaborative approach to client feedback, Sofia plays a key role in ensuring that institutions can make the most of their TMS solutions.
If you would like to learn more about how Gallery Systems can support your collections management goals, contact us today to speak with an expert.
