zachary arao hanson
senior history student at the University of California, Riverside
writer, researcher, photographer, filmmaker
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. Additionally, I am currently producing a film about the grassroots effort to preserve the site of Riverside's Chinatown. I hope that through community involvement in my work, I can produce more egalitarian and less Eurocentric histories and narratives.
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. Recently, I have begun an internship at the Malki Museum on the Morongo Reservation near Banning, CA. My work there is broad, including photography, research, fundraising writing, and docent work. My near-decade of work at Leone Photography has given me a professional understanding of portrait and candid photography, in addition to an exceptional customer interface.
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." I am working on a book focusing on the ancient practice of Cahuilla birdsinging, and its persistence into the modern age. Additionally, I am currently producing a documentary about the grassroots effort by the Save Our Chinatown Committee to preserve the site of Riverside's Chinatown.