By Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Published: Wednesday, May 30, 2012, 2:12 p.m.
Updated: Thursday, May 31, 2012

When Eric Shiner interned at the Andy Warhol Museum in 1994, one his first tasks was to open boxes that were marked "Fashion" that contained shirts, belts, leather jackets and other clothing that Warhol had bought new and immediately packed away as time capsules. Last year, the New Castle native took on considerably more responsibility when he became director at the Warhol. Prior to that, he was Milton Fine Curator of Art at the museum. He spent his earlier career in Japan and New York City, pursuing his passion for Asian art and architecture. As an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, he first visited Japan during a semester at sea. After graduation, he moved to Japan, where he got his graduate degree at Osaka University and worked as an assistant curator at the inaugural Yokohama Triennial, a sprawling international exhibit of contemporary art. A scholar, professor and translator, Shiner speaks Chinese and Japanese, and says he's keen to bring the Warhol to the world through more traveling exhibits and social media.

The star who would play me in the movie version of my life and why:

Tim Robbins. People often say we look alike, even though I don't think so -- but he's tall, so it works.

Childhood hero and why:

Wonder Woman. She really knew how to accessorize -- and she owned an invisible jet. Fierce

Pick one:

A. Go-Gos

B. Goo-Goo Dolls

C. Lady Gaga

D. Yo Gabba Gabba

C: Lady Gaga is the Warhol of our age.

The piece of memorabilia from my childhood I wish I still had:

A toy monkey riding a tricycle that was my favorite thing to play with at my grandparents' house.

The superpower I wish I had in real life and why:

The ability to become invisible, so I could go to art fairs without being hit up for a show.

I can't live without my: iPod, cellphone, DVR, or laptop?

Cellphone

My favorite reality show:

The Real Housewives of anywhere

App I wish I could invent:

Walk The Dog app

Favorite brunch food:

The polenta at Casbah. Amazing

Favorite guilty pleasure:

Watching Bravo reality shows

Best mistake I've ever made:

Not finishing my Ph.D at Yale

Something I would do over if I could and why:

Wouldn't change a thing

Favorite lunchtime spot:

Cafe at the Frick

Top thing on my "Bucket List" to do before I'm gone:

Go to Morocco

In five years, I'd like to:

Make sure The Warhol is fully endowed and more welcoming to people of all stripes

My favorite thing about Pittsburgh is:

Affordability

One word my mother would use to describe me:

Eccentric

The oldest thing in my refrigerator is:

You don't want to go there.

When I was 10, I wanted to be:

An Egyptologist

The first band I saw in concert (when and where):

MC Hammer at the Civic Arena in 1989

The best concert I've ever seen:

Beyonce at Madison Square Garden

Favorite Pittsburgh-area landmark:

Fallingwater

In high school, I was:

Social

The most famous person I ever became friends with:

Baby Jane Holzer

If I wasn't a museum director, I'd be:

A televangelist

Movie I could watch every time it appears on cable:

"Gremlins"

My most memorable fashion mistake:

Way too many to count. I live on the edge.

If I could live my life as someone else, it would be:

Ivana Trump

My first job:

Ride host at Cedar Point. Yes, really

My favorite cable channel:

Bravo

Life would be better without:

Haters

If I could tour with any two bands, they would be:

Duran Duran or Grace Jones

People would be surprised to know that I:

Am shy

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