Primary role: As Project Administrator, Katie does a little bit of everything at the Alliance. She primarily assists the Executive Director with various projects and coordinates the Alliance’s participation at national conventions. Working with the students, teachers and parents who participate in the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards is Katie’s favorite part of her job.
Secret fact: Katie has always wanted to be an aerial contortionist for Cirque du Soleil!
Katie: Creativity has always played a large role in my life. I began taking ballet lessons when I was three (and I’m still dancing!), I attended arts camps, and have always enjoyed visiting museums. I always knew I would have a life in the arts, but I didn’t always know what that would mean. At Muhlenberg College, I double-majored in Dance and Art with concentrations in Sculpture and Art History. As a senior, I completed an independent study of the working relationships between artists and choreographers; the most famous of these was between choreographer Martha Graham and sculptor Isamu Noguchi. I applied these interdisciplinary studies to my own work, choreographing a dance that incorporated movement with sculptures I had built and placed onstage.
After graduating, I worked in the membership department at the International Sculpture Center in Hamilton, New Jersey, where I learned a great deal about non-profit organizations that support artists. After a rewarding year with the ISC, I decided that it was time to go back to school.
Imagine my excitement when I was accepted into a Master’s program at Christie’s Education! I spent the next 18 months immersed in the minutiae of art history, connoisseurship and the art market. My classmates and I attended weekly lectures in Christie’s auction house, tours of private art collections, and visits to conservation laboratories at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Whitney Museum of American Art. We travelled to beautiful Italy for the 2009 Venice Biennale and rubbed elbows with leading collectors at Art Basel Miami Beach. Needless to say, my experience at Christie’s was truly extraordinary! As part of the program, I also completed an internship at Haunch of Venison, a commercial art gallery in mid-town Manhattan.
After graduating, I worked for several months at a smaller gallery downtown. While I enjoyed my gallery experiences immensely, I came to appreciate that it was art education (and not commoditization) that drew me to the art world.
So I expanded my job search and soon found myself at the Alliance! The best part of my job is working with the students and teachers who participate in the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. Having grown up with art all around me, I realize the importance of an arts education – the opportunity for students to explore what they love and teachers who support their creativity. Working at the Alliance, I can help the next generation of artists and writers enjoy the same advantages I enjoyed growing up.
Advice to Artists: Impossible is only a word. Never did I imagine that I would be where I am today. Achieving your dream is impossible only if you tell yourself it is. Work hard and you will always be amazed by what you can achieve. And most importantly: do what you love!