Hanna-Reetta Schreck is a veritable hybrid specialist – an author, writer and scholar all in one. Schreck, who graduated with a master’s degree in art history in 2005, has built her career in an intuitive but determined manner. Her master’s thesis on the artist Ellen Thesleff led her to the museum sector and fine arts, and later on to the position of a doctoral researcher in cultural history at the University of Turku. However, she has always perceived the University of Helsinki as her alma mater and inspiration.
Expertise in the humanities skills are important in professional life
“Education in the humanities provides diverse qualifications for serving in a range of societal positions,” Schreck says.
After graduating from the University of Helsinki, Schreck worked for a long time as the head of communications and relations at the Association of Finnish Theatres. Experience gained in association activities and communication during studies as well as her writing skills, common among humanities graduates, immediately found an outlet.
Since 2017, alongside her work, Schreck has published a book almost every year, from comics to non-fiction, all the way to her biography of the beloved Ellen Thesleff. She also curated the Thesleff exhibition 'I Paint Like a God’ at the Helsinki Art Museum (HAM) in 2019.
“I draw inspiration from the combination of scholarship and art, and the study of their interfaces.”
Schreck makes art history and scholars of the humanities visible
Schreck has looked for and found ways to make humanistic research visible to the public. She is an active host and organiser of discussion sessions, as well as a lecturer.
Her interest in popularising humanistic knowledge has spawned, among other things, a project in which a comic book version of Schreck’s Ellen Thesleff biography was published (Ellen T. 2019, Teos). In addition, the topic was investigated in the multidisciplinary and multi-arts Omakuva (‘Self-Portrait’) performance at the TEHDAS Teatteri theatre in Turku in 2021.
Extensive phenomena, Thesleff’s life and art in particular, provide a lot of new perspectives for research. Schreck is fascinated by the attitudes towards Thesleff 150 years ago, when modernism was emerging, and what her art has to offer today.
Hanna-Reetta Schreck believes that art history should gain more prominence in society, since everything in the world has a visual dimension. She hopes to be able to promote the visibility of experts in the humanities in public discourse.
According to Schreck, humanities scholars and graduates have an in-depth understanding of culture, and are able to perceive major cultural phenomena that affect us all. Among them, critical thinking is not a vacuous slogan.
“There should be more experts in the humanities involved in discussions on all potential topics relevant to society, from their own perspective, alongside experts in medicine and the social sciences. In recent times, such topics include war, biodiversity loss and pandemics,” Schreck notes.
The humanities have great societal significance, as literature, drama, dance, music and museums make our lives and existence visible by asking and initiating discussions on a multitude of topics. They are a source of joy and comfort for all, as well as a cause for introspection, especially in today’s world.
Hanna-Reetta Schreck is working on her doctoral thesis on Ellen Thesleff’s notion of the concept of corporeality. The thesis is currently being examined at the University of Turku’s Faculty of Humanities.
The Alumnus or Alumna of the Year of the Faculty of Arts has significantly influenced the visibility of the humanities and learning in society, while being respected among the wider humanities community.
Hanna-Reetta Schreck is an active participant in public discourse. She also highlights other experts in the humanities and is contributing to the establishment of new ways of collaborative action in humanistic research that open-mindedly break down the boundaries between individual fields.
Through her works, the exhibitions she has curated and her public engagement, she has brought to the fore humanistic themes in public discussion. Her works on women in the history of Finnish art have been a success, in terms of both public and critical acclaim.
Further information in Finnish on Hanna-Reetta Schreck’s work and projects on her homepage.