By Miya Williams Fayne
Hannah Arata’s childhood was “very saturated in the arts.” She pursued her interest in music by attending musical theatre camp and playing saxophone. She also enjoyed dance, writing and painting classes. These experiences helped lead her to her career interest in arts nonprofits.
“The arts have always been an integral part of shaping who I am,” she said in a recent interview. “So it’s a natural step forward for me to pursue a career path within this field.”
The Evanston, Illinois native loved her AP art history course in high school and went on to major in English and minor in art history at Beloit College. After college she obtained an internship at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center where she gained hands-on experience with collections and archives. She later interned at the Evanston Art Center and helped plan the annual gala and assisted with installing exhibitions.
Arata hopes to work within marketing/advertising, public programming, or community engagement at a major art museum. She shared, “I want to spread my love for art history in an accessible and equitable way.” She is also interested in potentially running her own arts nonprofit that encompasses visual arts, theatre, music and dance.
Arata enrolled in the MSCLE program as a means to combine her passion with the education necessary to pursue her career goals. Currently she is enjoying the class discussions that take place in the program. She is engaging with new concepts and looks forward to further directing her career trajectory by working with EPICS.
She intends to continue learning independently and collectively, with her cohort, as she matriculates through the program. She stated, “I hope to keep expanding on my own interests and capabilities and discovering new things that interest me.”