about us
Brigid Mountmaking is named after the Celtic patroness of craftsmanship, wisdom, and excellence. We are a collaboration between three mountmakers committed to designing and fabricating unobtrusive artifact mounts with a deep respect for object safety. We work in a variety of materials, including brass, steel, and acrylic, and are able to design and fabricate onsite or template objects and return for fittings. Whether managing large museum-wide installations or working on a single object for a collector, we bring the highest level of care to every object. Please contact us for a resume of previous work and selected clients.
Jen Simons
Jen began welding at the age of 14. She carried her passion for metalwork to the Kansas City Art Institute, where she concentrated on large steel construction. After passing AWS certification as a structural welder, Jen worked as a shop foreman, rigger, and structural welder. In 2005 she joined Surroundart as a metal fabricator, fine art rigger, and mountmaker. In 2010 Jen established her own mountmaking company, Mountwork, LLC, where she provided mount making and fine art rigging services to institutions both nationally and internationally until 2014, with the founding of Brigid. In 2022, she presented “Between Two Carts” at the International Mountmakers Forum (IMF) with Laura McClure of the National Museum of American History.
ERIKA JOHNSON
Erika began metalworking and object handling in 2001 at the Arcadian Clock Co. As a clockmaker, Erika specialized in restoring French timepieces and designing and fabricating original precision regulators. From 2006 to 2014 Erika led major mountmaking projects at Ely Inc. She has displayed an extensive range of objects, from samurai armor to delicate fishbones smaller than a fingernail. Erika has a bachelor's degree in studio art, summa cum laude, from the College of William and Mary. She presented “What Your Mountmaking Mama Never Told You” at the 2020 IMF.
DEANNA HOVEY
After earning her BFA in sculpture at the Maine College of Art, Deanna began as a mountmaker in 2002 at the Field Museum. After five years, she moved to the Saint Louis Art Museum where she seismically mounted objects from their extensive collection, which spans the centuries from ancient Egypt to the present. In 2012, the Journal of the American Institute for Conservation published Deanna's article, "Simple and Invisible Solutions Using Rare Earth Disc Magnets in Mountmaking." She also presented at the 3rd IMF on her work mounting two 19th-century Persian tents.