Name: Hannah Reffett
Hometown: Crawfordsville, Indiana
Year in school: Second Year MAAA
Q: How did you come to find yourself at the MAAA program?
A: I studied theater in undergrad and grew up singing in church, playing piano, and stayed busy with show choir, so I’ve had pretty consistent but broad interests in the arts for a long time. Before coming to IU, I had been working for the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra on the Artistic team. I managed the guest artists that came into town and made sure that they felt at home when in Indianapolis. I also had the privilege of running a couple of concert series for the orchestra. The Artistic world can be quite sisyphean. You get the rock up the hill, you let it fall down the other side, and then you do it all over again the next year. Though it was an incredibly fulfilling and educational work experience, the best first job out of college I could have ever asked for, I found myself wondering what could be next for me. I love arts organizations but I just could not decide how I wanted to spend my career supporting them. Whether that be by getting people more excited about what’s happening at arts organizations through marketing or by supporting the financial needs of a non-profit arts organization through fundraising, I just could not decide. Then, COVID happened and forced me to decide that grad school was the right next step to determine what direction to go in.
Q: What are your thoughts about graduating? What path are you thinking about?
A: Hire me! I am applying and interviewing for jobs. Right now, I’m waiting with bated breath to hear back from a handful. We’ll see! I came to grad school to figure out if I wanted to go down the developmental path or the marketing path for arts organizations. Ultimately, because of my time in the MAAA Program, I have come to decide that marketing is the best direction for me. I am most excited about getting other people excited about the great work arts organizations are doing today. So, I’m looking at Marketing Manager or Marketing Coordinator positions for arts organizations. That is what’s next for me.
Down the road, I have leadership ambitions. Five years from now I would love to earn a leadership position in a Marketing department for a performing arts organization.
Q: What’s been your favorite part of the program thus far?
A: Who doesn’t say the people?! I mean, I would follow Professor Gahl-Mills into battle. She really looks after us. I’ve gone to her multiple times to ask her for career advice and just recently asked her to be on my reference list. She’s been so supportive of my journey here.
Beyond the people, I think my favorite thing has been just how much I’ve grown in a year and a half. It’s the best investment I could have ever given myself for the career that I want for myself. I will always have the people and the education that I’ve received but even more than that, it’s given me a clear path forward when I was incredibly confused about what direction to go in. Also, I was feeling quite dark about the state of the arts because they were hit so hard by the pandemic. At the time, I was really wondering what my value was in supporting the arts that I love so much. I lost my job, like so many others, because of the financial impact of the pandemic. The initial communication from a layoff can be that you, yourself, are not valuable when really it’s more your position in that precise moment. For me, I had so much more to learn and do and grow. This program has allowed me to do just that, to learn and do and grow. So, that is my favorite thing.
Q: What’s been the most challenging part of the program for you thus far?
A: I have learned that my enthusiasm for the work can be quite unhealthy in that I will overcommit myself. Fall semester last year I was taking four classes and working about thirty-five hours a week between two jobs. I was absolutely loving it and learning and growing so much but I had no time to rest. I came to grad school for the investment in myself so if I’m burnt out, I’m not getting the best out of my investment. Striking a balance between how much I’m absorbing and learning while also taking care of myself properly has been the most challenging. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I want to wring out as many opportunities as I can whilst I’m here but not at the cost of completely draining myself. I hope I can apply this thinking throughout my career.
Q: What GA position do you currently hold?
A: I am the Social Media and Communications GA for the MAAA program here at O’Neill. That means that I’ve been able to launch a blog and an Instagram account. So, if you follow us at @iu_maaa, I’m the person behind the curtain running it this spring semester (2022.) It’s been so much fun being able to tell the story about why this program is great and put a spotlight on all the wonderful people in the program. I’ll definitely miss the work after graduation.
Q: There’s a lot of misconception around what Arts Administration is. How do you explain it to your family or people you may meet that don’t understand what “Arts Administration” means?
A: I typically ask “what was the last concert you attended?” or “what is your favorite art experience you’ve had?” From there, I generally give an overview of the admin structure of an arts organization to start conveying all the people behind the scenes that make the art possible. There are people in marketing that make sure you receive the tickets you need and that you even know the event is happening. There are droves of people backstage that take care of the people on stage. The generosity of donors really blows me away and I think that there are a lot of people that don’t know about the contributed income needs of a typical nonprofit organization and all of the wonderful fundraisers that steward these important gifts.
Q: And how would you describe Arts Administration to a child?
A: I’m thinking of my niece, Natalie, who is four years old. I know she’s been to Disney on Ice so that’s the “last concert” template I’d follow. So, I’d tell her that Aunt Hannah gets to work with all of the characters on the ice and all of the people behind the scenes we don’t get to see. I make sure those artists are able to do their show on the ice and that you are able to come see it and enjoy it.
Q: If you were to meet someone who might be considering a degree in Arts Administration here at the O’Neill School, what would you say to them?
A: Embrace it with open arms. Try to learn as much as you can, not just from your faculty and your peers, but also from yourself. My biggest recommendation is to be as personally reflective as you can. The program gives you a lot of opportunities but you need to consistently reflect on what feels right and what you do well. Ultimately, it will mean the best investment of your time here so that when you’re preparing to leave you have a clear vision as to what you’re good at, can excel in, and how you see yourself in the arts admin field.
And just, try to enjoy it. It’s such a privilege to be able to do this work. Hold on to what makes you passionate about the arts.
Q: What advice would you give to someone already working in the field that might be considering a graduate degree in arts administration?
A: I would have benefited so much from this program when I was working at the ISO. It would have made me such a better colleague. You can be quite tunnel visioned when you’re working in the day to day, and necessarily so as you have a job to do and you are getting paid to get that job done.
The program has given me a lot of opportunity to try things and fail, to try things and succeed. So, I would say that if you’re looking to pivot, and looking to move into another department, then I would absolutely recommend it because that’s been the case for me. It’s been the best investment I could have given myself.
Q: What’s on your arts and culture bucket list?
A: I really want to see a production of Othello. We did a lot of Shakespeare in undergrad and Othello’s Iago is just so interesting to me. I’d love to see a major production live.
Traveling is a big priority for me after graduation. I would love to go see productions at some of the major venues: Sydney Opera House, Royal Albert Hall, La Scala. I would love to see the London Symphony Orchestra and BBC Proms.
And, lastly, I would absolutely love the chance to take my nieces and my nephew to Disney on ice!
Q: Favorite work of art (any art form, genre)
A: I’m a big Florence and the Machine fan. How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful is one of my favorite albums of hers. I’m very excited for her new album next month.
We grew up listening to musicals so I love a musical. My Fair Lady, She Loves Me, Piazza.
Though I give Professor Lewis a hard time in Museum Management, I also really enjoy the visual arts. Lee Miller is a really interesting, fantastic photographer. She was a war photographer in WW2. Yves Klein and Lucian Freud are some artists whose work I love.
I love Beethoven 7. I could listen to it every day and die happy. Debussy’s La Mer was my “aha” moment. It’s such an accessible piece. I wasn’t exposed to orchestral music growing up but after working at the ISO for a few months, I’d become friends with some of the musicians and I was deeply interested in their work. Watching them perform was so much fun for me. It’s difficult to explain but it was as if the wind got knocked out of me in the middle of their performance of La Mer. I just had the complete realization that classical music is amazing. I don’t go a day without listening to classical music now. It’s very much a part of who I am.