Diane Hanson is a gracious, thoughtful lady who has been a member of EWA since 1997. She is co-owner of Hanson Gallery of Art with her husband, Doug.
 
In describing her partnership with her husband, Diane says, “Although I might not necessarily recommend working and being with your husband 24 hours a day, it has its benefits and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
 
Diane loves cooking, serious music listening and time with friends. She says that her faith is at the core of her life, and she feels that she has the perfect profession…working with artists and sharing their work every day with customers.
 
A little known fact about Diane: While at UT (studying Sociology and Political Science) Diane worked with Assistant Dean of Women, Martha Begalla, and chaired the first Women’s Rights Committee in 1969.
 
Diane was a studio artist for 15 years prior to starting Hanson Gallery in 1988. She was a fiber artist working in batik and quilting. Diane exhibited and sold her work on a national market level and plans to re-enter the studio at some time. 
Diane has a wonderful daughter, Holly, who is 34 years old and getting her Masters Degree this year at LSU in Anthropology. In 2007 Holly supervised an archeological dig on a Louisiana plantation and recovered 20,000 artifacts. She is currently Curator of Collections at the Museum of Natural Sciences at LSU.
 
Diane is currently working on two projects for the gallery, and she is very enthusiastic about both of them. In fact, Diane is rather shy, but was willing to participate in the “Featured Member” column largely due to her enthusiasm for these projects:
The first event is HorseFeathers, a show held at Dr. Pam and Ernie Gross' barn in Clinton. It is a fundraiser for Shangri-La Therapeutic Academy of Riding (STAR), a program that aids individuals with physical, mental and neurological disabilities. It is a two-day event at the farm (Friday, May 1 and Saturday, May 2). After that, the art exhibit moves to Hanson Gallery for the remainder of May.
The second event is "Gee's Bend Today. . . A Look at the Alabama Black Belt Region." This show runs July 10 through September 22, parallel to the Knoxville Museum of Art's "Mary Lee Bendolph, Gee's Bends Quilts and Beyond."
 
Diane says that both projects are slightly “out of the box” and very community oriented. To learn more about either project or Hanson Gallery, visit the Gallery’s Web site (www.hansongallery.com) or ask Diane – she’s happy to talk to you.