Name: Sarah Schaefer
Hometown: North Webster, Indiana
Year in School: Second Year MAAA Student
Q: How did you come to find yourself at the MAAA program?
A: Before I applied to MAAA, I was working at Cook Medical. I was working a blue color job, a factory position. I knew I wanted to go to grad school but I had gotten into this thinking that maybe it was just something I would eventually do in the future. I went to undergrad at a place called Cottey College. When I went there it was only a two year women’s college and they are owned by a group called P.E.O. Sisterhood, which I also found out my grandmother was a member of. Soon after my grandmother ended up moving down here to Bloomington, I got an invitation to join a local program of P.E.O. Sisterhood. I found out about the MAAA program through one of the chapter members who works in one of the O’Neill offices who then introduced me to Megan Starnes and the program. I applied and got in!
Q: You’ve had a bit of a personal journey while in the MAAA program too, right?
A: Museums are why I initially applied but as I’ve gone through the program, my perspective has drastically changed. Karen Gahl-Mills’ class, Fund Development, really shifted my perspective on fundraising. Then, in Doug Booher’s class, Performing Arts Center Management, one of the guest speakers worked in development but the fundraising itself was just a fraction of what she did. She talked about the relationships that she builds and that’s really the main part of it: not necessarily selling your organization but making it known and relatable to people. So, over the course of the past year, and especially since Karen’s class, I’ve gone from “I will never have anything to do with fundraising” to “maybe that’s something I want to do…”
I’m not currently fundraising at my internship right now though because I wanted to go back to what had gotten me interested in arts administration which is exhibits. Designing the exhibits and putting them together to tell a story is what drew me to development because I am interested in story telling. I suppose it all goes back to what consumes my life: stories. The theme of my life is a mild obsession with stories. Reading. Theater. That’s been the biggest thing for me, my shift of thinking about development.
Q: What’s been your favorite part of the program thus far?
A: I think a couple of things, for very different reasons. One would be the practicums. For me, I don’t have the experience some of our MAAA peers do. I don’t know how I would have gotten any experience if it weren’t for the practicums, if it weren’t for the internships. So that will be something that I think will be very helpful to me in the future.
I think the other thing, in a more personal sense, would be the seminar class with Karen (Gahl-Mills). That was huge for me. Before this I was working basically a factory job. It’s been something of a soft spot because, like I mentioned, I don’t have any professional art experience like some of our peers. Some are musicians or artists and have so much experience tied to the art directly but may not have had work experience. And then there are peers who have had lots of work experience but decided to pivot. I don’t fall into either of those categories. So, it’s something that I am continuing to work on, not let get to me, and not think about it in that way.
Q: Would you say that your work history as you described it has been the most challenging part of the program thus far?
A: Yes. Huge imposter syndrome.
But besides that, I think our experience is going to be really hard to quantify because we were on Zoom. We weren’t able to be around each other for a whole year. Not having any direct contact for a whole year really stifled any comradery. We created a group chat but I personally struggle with indirect contact. Face to face I’m great with. Texting, emailing, all that stuff, it’s another thing I’m hard on myself about.
Q: How are you feeling about graduating in May? What are your goals?
A: I’ve always imagined my career path as more of a museum or a theater.
However, I’m auditing Rural and Grassroots Arts and I think it’s really interesting because I think it’s a perspective we don’t get in the program as much. Because of the time that I spent at Cook, I spent a lot of time with people who work full time jobs, go home, and don’t want to do anything else. It can be really hard to connect with those people. A lot of those people, you can tell the ones that have been there a long time. In one of the museum courses I took with Frank (Lewis) I remember discussing “You can’t just rely on the people coming to the place that you’re advertising. Sometimes you have to make the effort to go to their space.” That has really stuck with me. There are a lot of people in our communities that wouldn’t know when performances are, how much they’re going to be, or how long it’s going to take… Those are people who could really, really benefit from arts organizations. It’s a part of life that I think has always been there for most people but with, you know, working a job and that being your whole life and then going home and trying to forget about it… that’s barely surviving. You need more. That motivates me.
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: Sometimes I go in the direction of “It’s a business administration degree, just like running a business, but it’s an arts focus, which is a different way of thinking, which is why it’s a different program geared towards learning how to do that the best way possible.”
Other times I go back to the story telling element: I want to be a part of an organization in helping them be successful by telling their story and helping them tell their story.
It depends on who it is that I’m talking to but the main one I go to is that it’s running a business but it’s an arts organization.
Q: How would you explain Arts Administration to a ten year old?
A: That’s a good question. Who was it that said “If you can’t explain it to a child then you don’t really understand it.” Albert Einstein. I would say: helping the people who make music, or art, or stories, help them tell their stories to as many people as possible.
Q: If you were to meet someone who might be considering a degree in Arts Administration, what would you say to them?
A: I would bring up what someone told me. I met Felicia Shaw, one of the last speakers in our seminar with Karen Gahl-Mills, who runs the Women’s Museum of California. One of the things that she told me was to not worry about what kind of organization you end up at. Because Arts Administration is Arts Administration. You’re going to be able to transfer those skills to whatever organization you end up going to. I had mentioned that I really wanted to go work for a museum and she goes “Well, you’re going to be starting your career. Don’t worry too much about whether it’s a museum or not. The work you’re going to be doing is transferable.” That would be one of the things I would mention. Definitely think about what you’re passionate about and that can definitely be an end goal but don’t worry too much about where you’ll end up. What you can do, you can do at any other organization.
Q: What’s on your arts and culture bucket list?
A: I wanna go to Broadway! I need to see Broadway! I’ve never been to New York. One of my top ones would be Wicked or Hamilton. I think it would be really fun to see Book of Mormon. Something like that. I would also be really interested is seeing a really good Off Broadway play.
Colonial Williamsburg. I really want to go to Colonial Williamsburg and either drag my partner or find someone who wants to go with me.
I visited Barcelona and Ireland ten years ago. So, funny story about the museum visit in Barcelona. I was part of a group who went and I was so desperate to remember everything that I was taking pictures like a mad woman. I was particularly excited about the Roman ruins. I ended up falling further and further behind hastening my panic, resulting in SO MANY pictures and almost no idea of what any of it is. I do remember the throne room because it’s the room that King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella gave Columbus permission to set sail for what would be the Americas. It was such a strange mixture of feelings. As someone who loves history, it was amazing to be in a place of such significance. However, Columbus massacred I don’t know how many Indigenous people in his genocidal arrival, just the first of such horrors that followed all the way to today. I remember standing in that room and not really knowing what to feel.
Anyway, a couple of friends and I went on a bus tour to/from the Cliffs of Mohr in Ireland, including a stop at Dunguaire Castle – a 16th century castle on Galway Bay. It was beautiful. There was also a tomb from over 5,000 years ago (Poulnabrone Dolmen). The bus tour was easily the best part of my two week trip to Europe.
P.S. Use guided tours! Going on your own will never be better, especially with a guide worth their salt.
Q: Favorite work of art (any art form, genre)
A: I love Van Gogh. I don’t think I have a singular piece of art that I like. When it comes to books, I would say one of the things that sticks out most to me, as being influential and kind of became iconic to me as my identity as I grew up, is a trilogy called Boston Jane. I loved that book. I think it was around high school that every summer I would read them.