zachary arao hanson
senior history student at the University of California, Riverside
writer, researcher, filmmaker, photographer
Embedded Files
who i am and what i hope to do
who i am and what i hope to do
My name is Zachary Hanson and I am currently studying at the University of California, Riverside. I was born and raised in Riverside, and deeply care about the issues and injustices which affect my home. Subsequently, my research, filmmaking and art reflect this locality. My research in the past has focused on California environmentalist history and California Mission history, and my current research is focused on Cahuilla birdsinging, religion, and language revitalization. I am currently focused on both narrative and documentary filmmaking, and I hope that through community involvement in my work, I can produce more egalitarian and less Eurocentric histories and narratives.
my work experience
my work experience
I have interned at several museums, in addition to eight years with a portrait and event photography business. My work at the Museum of Riverside has allowed me to work closely with Indigenous beings and to aid in their preservation. During the Summer of 2024, I interned at the opulent O Museum in the Mansion off of Dupont Circle in Washington DC, where I took thousands of photographs of guests, artwork, events, and exhibit spaces. At the Malki Museum on the Morongo Reservation in Banning, CA, I aided in grant writing and research, and aided in the cataloging and digital archiving of the collection. I have recently begun work in collections management at the Mission Inn Foundation Museum in Riverside, CA.
my research and other work
my research and other work
My first published work was a piece on the philosophical and political stances of John Muir published in UCR's Audaemus journal titled "John Muir's Fight for Environmental Justice." It focuses on aspects of deep ecology and transcendentalism in Muir's work and interactions with friends and acquaintances. Following this, I spent time researching Nahua culture and language, in addition to the California Mission system. Upon enrolling at UCR, I began publishing with the Highlander student newspaper, with whom I published several articles about the history of Riverside and the UCR campus. During this same period, I began working with the Cahuilla peoples to produce pieces on their cultural shifts amidst the American genocide, which I have published one article on in the UCR Cornerstone Undergraduate History Research Journal titled "Eagle Dances Unpracticed and Ceremonial Houses Burned." Recently, I have begun work in film history, focusing on representation of Native Americans and women. In April 2025, I will be published in UCR's Undergraduate Research Journal with my piece "Indigenous (Mis)Representation in Emerging LLM Research Methodologies." Currently, I am refining an article on Little Egypt's cultural autonomy and representation through advertising. Additionally, I have begun work in progressive filmmaking, screening an experimental film, Me : Egogram : Sinwave, in March 2025 at UCR's States of Mind screening.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse