‘The arts were really important to me growing up here and I want to make sure that that continues.’

Sam Kacala is a full-time education manager at Arts @ Large and has been with the organization since 2017. The organization has been volunteering for Doors Open Milwaukee for the past three years. As a Milwaukee native, Kacala is focused on staying connected to his community and encouraging creativity throughout Milwaukee.

Alexis Knecht: How long have you been at Arts @ Large for?

Sam Kacala: I’ve been with the organization since 2017. I was a teaching artist with the organization, but then I came on full time as a full-time education manager about three years ago. So, I’ve been connected for a while and now I get to spend most of my time here during the day.

Alexis Knecht: Is this your first time working at Doors Open Milwaukee?

Sam Kacala: No, we actually have been doing this for three years, so we’re kind of used to it by now. This isn’t our first rodeo but every year is a little bit different. It is a good opportunity for people to check us out and see what we’re doing and also to be able to meet people in the community as well.

Alexis Knecht: How does the work you do at Arts @ Large impact you individually?

Sam Kacala: It keeps me connected with Milwaukee. I grew up here and the arts were really important to me growing up here and I want to make sure that that continues and this is a way for me to do that but also stay connected with the community. I am always meeting new people, and you realize 600,000 people is a lot. You’re always meeting new people and new creative people here too and that’s a lot of fun.

Alexis Knecht: Would you say community is a big aspect at Arts @ Large?

Sam Kacala: Yeah absolutely, I think it’s in our mission that it’s an unspoken truth. I think that if we didn’t have community or if we didn’t work with the community then we wouldn’t have Arts @ Large because it’s baked into everything that we do. We want people to participate, we want people to engage so that they can be more creative or they can influence us to be more creative.

Alexis Knecht: Do you think art helps build diversity here as well?

Sam Kacala: Absolutely, and if not building it then just recognizing how it looks and feels in a space and just being responsive to that. I think art does a good job of being that approach to entering a room or a space. Creativity is that thing you’re doing when you’re five years old. And it takes effort but you are able to have a conversation while you’re doing it and meet somebody new and share a new perspective.

Alexis Knecht: Why is Arts @ Large so important to you?

Sam Kacala: For me, it’s in our mission, we provide equal access to the arts, which means the internships that we bring in, the interns that we bring in, we get to pay them to have these art experiences that help them to build creative careers. We also have programs that work with youth that do the same thing on a different level, and then we work with adults as well in our residence program. I love this place because we offer a lot for people to come in and it’s all free.