Savannah Dearhamer

by Gordie Felger

Savannah Dearhamer ’16 (art history and business administration/studio art minor) took advantage of the many opportunities Coe offers its students to launch her career in the art world.

“[The Art and Art History Department professors] introduced me to hands-on and career-building experiences such as conference and study abroad opportunities,” Dearhamer said. “I assisted the director of art collections and galleries with art handling and curation, while also implementing art registration skills by maintaining records on the department’s artwork database. These experiences helped me attain museum internships and job prospects during and after college.”

Savannah first interned at the Des Moines Art Center to investigate her interest in museum work. She then participated in the Associated Colleges of the Midwest’s study abroad program in Florence, Italy, where she apprenticed under “an art restorer whose teachings have influenced the way I look at artwork every day.” Her Coe network also helped her gain an internship at the Minneapolis Institute of Art.

She praised her professors, saying: “From day one, Andrea Kann has been a consistent inspiration in my pursuit in art historical scholarship. Working directly with Ranelle Knight-Lueth to conduct my thesis research and manage the permanent art collections challenged my abilities and has prepared me for the next step into graduate school. My studio professors, Jen Rogers and Peter Thompson, had major impacts on refining my studio practice. The professors in my department are brilliant, original and helped teach me to think outside of the box.”

Savannah offers these tips to those considering the art and art history program at Coe College:

Build your résumé early with unique and practical experiences relating to your career objectives.
Diversify your portfolio of abilities.
Get creative with your options.
Challenge the boundaries of possibility for opportunities you truly want to experience and believe will benefit your career.
Always, always, always network and be thankful along the way.

Now residing in Edina, Minnesota, Savannah combines her knowledge of art and business administration as the art and sales manager at Adam Turman, LLC. For the fall 2018 term, she received the Dean’s Distinguished Fellowship to pursue her master’s degree in history of art at the University of California, Riverside.

“The Art and Art History Department has done so much for me and my career pursuits,” Savannah said.