We were lucky to catch up with Andrew Keenan recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Andrew thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

I’m number eight out of 10 children. Resources were limited but thankfully my parents knew how to stretch a penny. They were both raised during the Great Depression. If any of us wanted something out of the ordinary my father’s reply was always, “Get a job.” So at age 12, I got a job cutting grass and raking leaves. In the winter I would shovel driveways. I earned enough money that year to buy a 10-speed bike. My parents taught me how to work hard and save money.

My parents were artists and there was an expectation that their kids learned to draw. They weren’t satisfied with the cute stick figures that kids draw as kindergarteners. This led me to believe that most people can’t draw because their parents’ and teachers’ expectations are too low. By comparison, it amuses me that if kids write their “b’s” backwards they are immediately corrected, but they are allowed to draw stick figures for the rest of their lives. My parents’ example taught me that anyone could learn to draw.

I tested this theory out in college and was able teach a whole classroom of “20 somethings” how to draw a face. The trick was instructing them how to see what was in front of them instead of imagining what a face looked like.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m a firm believer that you make your own luck. I found my dream job at the very end of my career, but only through a series of events that shaped my life. I worked really hard in high school as an artist and was accepted into the University of Michigan School of Art. I originally thought I was going to be an art teacher and instead went into advertising. During those 30 years I learned marketing from some of the greats like Keith Rinehart from DDB Needham and saw Lee Clow in action when I worked at Chiat Day.

Just before I hit 40, I got the courage to enter an Executive MBA program at Georgia State. I had never taken accounting, economics or finance. The work was toughest I have ever experienced but I succeeded in graduating. It would be 12 years before I would use everything I learned, but in the end it was worth the effort.

Over 20 years after graduating with an BFA, I decided to take art classes again. The classes lowered my stress and I discovered portrait painting. Most importantly, I discovered Callanwolde Fine Arts Center.

I fell in love with Callanwolde and soon joined the board of directors. 13 years later, I became Executive Director. Running a place like Callanwolde requires a lot of different skills. The art center was once home to early Coca-Cola president, Charles Howard Candler, and consists of eight buildings situated on 12 acres. The main building is a 100-year-old 27,000-square-foot mansion. The buildings and the grounds require constant maintenance.

Callanwolde supports the community with a wide variety of art classes and boasts the largest pottery program in the southeast. Just down the hill from the mansion sits a 550-guest outdoor amphitheater that hosts Jazz on the Lawn and our Spring Concert Series. Weekends, the mansion holds weddings.

The best part of my job involves the free classes we provide for students who qualify for Title I and Title III assistance, veterans who live with PTSD, previously homeless adults, and low-income seniors.

My job requires me to have an appreciation of the arts, ability to raise money, financial expertise, management skills, an aptitude for public speaking, vision, and leadership. I am proud to say that Callanwolde is thriving.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

The one book that has had the greatest impact on my life and career is entitled “Leadership and Self-Deception – Getting Out of the Box”, by the Arbinger Institute. It teaches you how to treat people as “humans” instead of “objects”.

The book tells the story of a mid-manager’s journey at a new company and all the blunders he makes trying to claw his way “up the ladder of success”, by throwing people under the bus, taking credit for other people’s work, and general lack of empathy. I can’t recommend this book enough, particularly to leaders who are trying to fix the culture at their organization.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Beyond the many studies that show low-income students perform better in school and have higher graduation rates when involved in the arts, my personal journey confirms that the arts are a path to academic success. Prior to 10th grade, I was a mediocre student at best. I was not motivated or inspired to learn.

Fortunately, my high school had a rigorous art program. I’ll never forget the first day I met Norm Stewart (who would turn out to be my favorite art teacher and mentor). He started the class by informing the students, that if they were looking for an “easy A”, they were in the wrong class. Several students walked out immediately. I thought to myself, “This is something I can be good at.” From that point on I started to take school more seriously. When it came time to choose a college, Norm Stewart strongly recommended his alma mater, the University of Michigan School of Art. Luckily, they accepted me and my life was changed forever.

Now it is my mission to introduce low-income kids to a high-quality arts education. Southern public schools in areas with primarily African-American populations often lack quality arts instruction–especially compared to private schools. In the past two years Callanwolde has expanded its programming to include free classes for elementary school children who qualify for Title I assistance. The classes are held on teacher workdays when parents struggle to find affordable daycare because students are out of school. This year we introduced a full week of summer camp for these kids and it was so successful that our board wants to expand the program.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://callanwolde.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/callanwoldefinearts/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CallanwoldeFineArtsCenter/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs97VkDuJFmOEP_jDJoeyGA

Image Credits
Headshot and staff photos: Julian Mejia. Photos with kids: Stephen Barwick