It sounds relaxed enough—the Whitney’s big contemporary-art survey rolls around only every two years—but Henriette Huldisch and Shamim M. Momin barely had 14 months to put it together. Momin calls their schedule “insane,” then adds cheerily, “Henriette managed to have a child during the course of it. That was totally badass.”— Sophie Fels

Jan 10, 2007
The Whitney offices, initial curatorial meeting. We begin compiling ever-expanding lists. Item one: Review the press release announcing we’ve been appointed.

Mar 19, 2007
Reunion at Mungo Thomson’s studio. H.H. in from San Francisco scouting trip, S.M. in from New York, kicking off a week of L.A. studio visits. Thomson’s Coat Check Chimes will eventually ring in the museum’s lobby.

Jun 2–23, 2007
Hit the four major festivals—the Venice Biennale, Art Basel, Documenta and Sculpture Projects Münster in Germany—then meetings and studio visits in Paris and Berlin.

Jul 16, 2007
Sit-down with advisers to talk artists and themes. Some extremely good artists we can’t include because they don’t make sense with the selection.

Sept 22, 2007
H.H.’s son, Graham Graydon, born.

Nov 10, 2007
Final participant list released. This is where the work starts. Follow-up meetings with 81 artists take the next three months.

Feb 4, 2008
Installation begins. Fritz Haeg’s Animal Estates should be set up in ten days; it takes a month.

Feb 15, 2008
Trucks keep coming. For Amanda Ross-Ho’s installation Inbox, staff struggles through snow with 600 pounds of kitty litter.

Feb 25, 2008
Ten days after the Landmarks Commission approves Rashawn Griffin’s design for an eagle’s nest above the front door, art handlers shovel off enough ice to install it.

Mar 3, 2008
Artist party. A long dinner at Trata Estiatorio, then on to Good World Bar & Grill. In the galleries, the staff works until 2:30am hanging labels; previews start the next morning.

Also in Art:

• Q&A with Glenn Lowry, MoMA Director: Crazy about our city’s most renowned modern-art museum? Here’s the guy to thank. (You can also thank him for that $20 admission fee.)
• No man’s De Land: The art world tries to carry on a legacy.