Molly Hanse and David Schalliol join MAS Context’s team

“I am thrilled that Molly and David are joining the MAS Context team. At a moment when MAS Context is close to celebrating its first fifteen years, we are excited to strengthen our structure to continue our work,” said Iker Gil, founder and editor in chief of MAS Context. “We have had the pleasure of working with David numerous times over the years since we included his Isolated Building Studies series in our Work issue published in 2009. Molly’s experience of nearly two decades with arts and educational organizations, the last ten at the Walker Art Center, are invaluable to manage and develop the work we are envisioning.”

Reflecting on her new role, Molly Hanse states, “Over the past fourteen years, MAS Context has created a vital platform exploring ideas about art, design, cities, and the built environment. There’s a genuine commitment to collaboration and relationship-building, and an incredible rigor and depth to everything they do. I can’t wait to help build MAS Context’s capacity for years to come.”

David Schalliol notes, “As a collaborator with MAS Context since its early days, I’ve long admired its approach to exploring the meaning of place. I’ve also enjoyed watching the organization evolve over the years, and now as the fifteenth anniversary approaches, I’m excited to expand and deepen my work with MAS Context.”

Molly Hanse (she/her) is a nonprofit professional with nearly twenty years of program management, development, and communications experience for arts and educational organizations. She spent the last decade at the Walker Art Center, most recently as Administrator and Curatorial Assistant in Performing Arts. She holds a Master’s in Arts Management from Carnegie Mellon University and a Bachelor’s degree in Art History and French Studies from the University of Minnesota. She has worked in arts and education organizations across the country, including UnSmoke Systems Artspace (a nonprofit gallery in Braddock, PA), Near North Montessori (Chicago, IL), Court Youth Center (Las Cruces, NM), and the Weisman Art Museum (Minneapolis, MN). She currently lives in Minneapolis and spends her free time honing her nature photography skills, gardening with native plants, and volunteering with organizations committed to environmental justice.

David Schalliol (he/him) is an associate professor of sociology at St. Olaf College who is interested in the relationship between community, social structure, and place. He exhibits widely, including in the Chicago Architecture Biennial, the Centre Régional de la Photographie Hauts-de-France, and the Museum of Contemporary Photography. His work has been supported by institutions including the Graham Foundation and the European Union and featured in publications including MAS Context, The New York Times, and Social Science Research. David is the author of Isolated Building Studies (UTAKATADO) and coauthor, with Michael Carriere, of The City Creative (The University of Chicago Press). He additionally contributes to such films as Almost There and Highrise: Out My Window, which won an International Digital Emmy for Non-Fiction. His directorial debut, The Area, premiered at the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival.

On behalf of MAS Context, welcome Molly and David!