Meet Tanja Peterson | Executive Director and Creative Force at Redbud Arts Center

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tanja Peterson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tanja, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
As a young girl, I owned the German equivalent of a Brownie box camera which I took with me everywhere I went to capture landscapes, animals, and friends. I preferred carrying a camera instead of a purse. As a result, my love for photography and preserving visual images was born. In my twenties, I earned a two-year degree in photography and started working for different photographers. Life happened and down the road, I seldom picked up my camera. Nevertheless, after I obtained a degree in education, I utilized my creative side in elementary school classrooms teaching English Language Arts and Social Studies using photographic images amongst other tools. Let’s say, I wasn’t “your” conventional teacher. Nine years later, the world in the Arts called me once again. I already worked part-time at the then named Redbud Gallery, now Redbud Arts Center in the Heights neighborhood. I decided to go back to school where I was accepted in the Master’s Program for Arts Leadership at the University of Houston. One year before I graduated, I assumed the full-time role of curator. Once I completed my studies and with the transition to a non-profit organization, I became the Executive Director of Redbud Arts Center. It feels like I came around full circle and deeply rooted, I have always felt being artistic and creative is a huge part of my life.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I have always thought of myself as a creative person in the sense of bringing ideas and concepts to fruition. In my career as an arts leader, I have the opportunity to not only visualize my ideas but to also realize them. Our newly founded non-profit foundation, Redbud Arts Center, gives way to fertile grounds where seeds can be sewn to grow bigger. My general idea is to make art more accessible to people by way of education, workshops, lectures, and selling art. One Fall evening when I was walking my dogs in the neighborhood at dusk, I could see through people’s windows into brightly lit rooms and was surprised to see so many bare walls. I was wondering as to how I could change that. Consequently, the “Bare Wood Wall” was born. On this wall, we offer a plethora of original pieces of art by local, national, and international artists. It is a great way to start a collection or find an authentic gift. Last year I started organizing a series of workshops, held in our West Gallery, that anybody can attend without a formal artistic background. The feedback was great, and I scheduled quarterly workshops for this year. Our programs will continue to grow as I pursue my ideas.
I love to advise or offer guidance to emerging artists, young and mature, to help with whatever they may need.
The journey to my position as director and curator was shaped by a series of decisions and experiences I made along the way – both positive and negative- and informed my journey to becoming an arts leader. It was not always easy, and I learned a lot. When I was teaching, I used to tell my students, “Stay curious, and you will always have fun learning”. I take this motto to heart and keep learning new things every day that I love sharing. I am excited for new possibilities that will arise working with other art leaders, artists, collectors, and art appreciators.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
It all depends on the interest and mood of the one visiting. I am originally from Germany and have friends visiting from the other side of the pond quite a bit. I like to show how much fun and versatility our city has to offer. So here is an itinerary to pick and choose from outdoor activities, live music, cultural institutions to bars and quirky localities and everything in between: Memorial Park, the Arboretum, Buffalo Bayou Park, Hermann Park, Brazos Bend State Park, Bayou Bend Gardens and the Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge. Dan Electro’s, the Heights Theater, Big Easy, Mucky Duck, Discovery Green and Miller Outdoor Theatre. All galleries, Box13 Art Space, Lawndale Art Center, Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, Menil Collection, MFAH, Houston Museum of African American Culture, Art League Houston, Contemporary Arts Museum, Project Row Houses, Houston Museum of Natural Science, Orange Show Center for Visionary Arts, Beer Can House, Site Gallery at Sawyer Yards, Art Car Museum, Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern and Redbud Arts Center. Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream and Lei Low Bar in the Heights. La Carafe in downtown.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Like life’s path, it was a winding road to my current destination. Instrumental in following my artistic endeavor was and is Gustav Kopriva, President of Redbud Arts Center and his wife, artist Sharon Kopriva. Gustav’s initial encouragement and continued mentorship in all areas of becoming a leader in the arts contributed to continuing my education and obtaining my Master in Arts Leadership. I want to give a big Shoutout to my professors in the Arts Leadership Program at the University of Houston who led and taught with passion and compassion: Fleurette Fernando, Justine Townsend, Zachary Gresham, Amanda Cachia, Ashley DeHoyos, Carolyn J. Hays, Joel Luks, Glenn Taylor, Jennifer Townsend, and Raphael Rubinstein. Finally, I would like to thank my sons Max and Kai and my close friends Claudia Williamson, Sanela Hasagic, Juliana Franco, Stephanie Darling, and Jessica DeFeo whose encouraging words and presence helped me when times got tough. I would not be where I am today without everyone’s support.

Website: https://www.redbudartscenter.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/redbudartscenter/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RedbudArtsCenter

Image Credits
Personal photo: Ernesto Leon