Hannah Gebhart

Every Tuesday evening the same group of friends gathers together and cooks a great, healthy meal and watches the reality TV show, The Biggest Loser. It seems to be the right thing to do. On one particular evening, a guest joined the group, and in his unbridled enthusiasm to be friendly to the host, asked her, “I heard you were a really big fan of Liechtenstein. Is he a German soccer player, or is that where you lived before you moved to Des Moines?”

Hannah looked at him and with a slight smile and responded. “I’m sure Liechtenstein is a great country to visit, and although I did play soccer at my high school, it’s Roy Lichtenstein – the artist. He’s been a huge influence in my work. I’m a designer and artist." “Oh,” the guest responded, “I thought you were a chef.”

Hannah Gebhart joined SPPG as Communications and Design Manager in 2009. While she is intensely quiet and focused at work, she would never be considered one of those brooding artists. She moved from Salina, Kansas, to attend Drake University and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts. Among her many awards and recognitions were both the Milton Glaser Fine Arts Scholarship and the Presidential Scholarship.

“When I joined SPPG, the day-to-day amount of work was pretty much as I expected. But I truly enjoy the diversity of the projects. I am encouraged, and expected, to design what I think best works. I can use my fine arts skills as well as the technical design techniques I’ve learned. Every day I get the opportunity to be creative.”

Hannah worked as a graphic designer for the Salina Art Center since 2006 and among, other projects and internships, has been a freelance designer for the Salt Lake Art Center. She spent a great deal of time on the soccer field in Salina, but the best place to find her was at the Salina Art Center, either working on a design or leafing through the graphics of Roy Lichtenstein.