Ripon’s liberal arts base, internships lead Tara Schultz ’17 to a career in arts education

With an overall interest of working in arts and museum management, Tara Schultz ’17 found that Ripon College provided her with a solid base to pursue her goals.

Schultz chose to Ripon because she could stay close to her family in Ripon. However, the bigger reason for the decision was because she wanted to attend a small liberal arts school and fell in love with Ripon’s campus.

She knew that the small school would provide her with more opportunities to be involved and she would be able to get to know more people on campus, whether it be students or faculty, than if she were to attend a larger school. Many of those relationships have lasted since graduation. to attend a larger school. Many of those relationships have lasted since graduation. “My professors and advisors from Ripon are still great mentors and friends of mine,” particularly associate professors of art Mollie Oblinger and Rafael Salas, Schultz says.

At Ripon, Schultz majored in studio art with a minor in psychology. But this did not limit the kinds of classes she took. She took business classes that provided a solid base for the classes that she is taking now at American University in Washington, D.C., as well as psychology and sociology classes, which helped to prepare her for working with people. She learned much from these classes about communication, empathy and teamwork.

While at Ripon, she was a managing director of 314: Ripon College Project Space in downtown Ripon; participated in internships at the Thelma Sadoff Center for the Arts in Fond du Lac and Museum of Wisconsin Art in West Bend; and had solo exhibits in various venues.

Schultz now is pursuing her master’s degree in arts education at American University. She works in the marketing and communications department of the Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, the Smithsonian’s museums of Asian art. She also works with a consultant who assists Washington nonprofits with executive search, leadership succession and capacity building. “The opportunities in this city are endless, and I believe my time at Ripon College prepared me for this work,” Schultz says.

The most rewarding part of her Ripon experience are the relationships she built with professors and still seeks their advice when making difficult decisions. She says Ripon College will always be important to her, and she visits campus whenever she can.

Jillian Heidenreich ’22
Monroe, Wisconsin