Julia Giard Handschuh

PROFILE: Julia Handschuh is an artist and community activist. In the five years since she received her undergraduate degree, she’s filled her resume with accomplishments at various organizations that would take some a lifetime to achieve.  Her commitment to creativity and building a sustainable community has led her to engage in a wide range of work including site-specific installations, community performance art events, social forums, and new media art.  “I believe my work in community building, sustainability, and the arts is made more meaningful (and sincere) when I actively value these things in the rest of my life.”  Her calling brought her to the attention of the Foundation as a community college student in her native New England. 

INSPIRATION: Julia grew up studying dance in her Massachusetts community with Janice Waldron-Hansen. “Janice challenged me to bust open the possibilities of movement and improvisation and investigate what it means to live fully as an artist,” Julia said. “I learned to value attentiveness, personal voice and authority, intention, and choice. This experience set the stage for an openness, intentionality, and experimentation in the rest of my life.”

ASPIRATION: She “hopes to be a part of a dynamic and innovative shift in the way people approach the arts, economics, and community.” After receiving a master’s degree in performance studies she intends to teach, make art, and continue to foster environments where arts are a catalyst for creative social change and community development. 

MAKING A DIFFERENCE: Organization leaders and business owners for whom Julia has volunteered or worked said her personality, intellect, and love of life left a lasting impact.  She feels most proud about the organization and structures she’s helped build in the past few years to support the arts and community in the Greater Northampton area. “It has been an immense learning experience for me and I look forward to seeing how the structures I've helped build will launch other creative activities in our communities,” she said. 

ACCOLADES: The School of the Museum of Fine Arts awarded Julia the Boit Award and a Pratt Travel Grant to study in Guatemala. While in community college, she was presented with the Medici Award for outstanding work in the visual arts. The organization she co-directs has received the BJ Goodwin Memorial Fund Award and the Keen Hahn Award for Community Service in the Arts.

INTERESTING FACT: Julia and her partner built and live in a 360-square-foot cabin that is off the grid, with no running water or electricity.