By Ellen Shubart, Class of 2006
She’s behind all the tickets, the offerings, the lists of who will show up to the tour on any set day. Meet Amanda Abernathy, CAC’s newest Database Analyst Specialist.
Amanda, who joined CAC last summer, brings a varied background and wide experience to her new job. She grew up in Oregon, went to high school in Texas, and “escaped” above the Mason-Dixon line to go to Ithaca College in upstate New York where she majored in psychology and theater. She came to databases and software via the box office.
“I did arts administration, not performance,” she explained. “I love the dance; I’m a dancer, but I am not a performer.”
She purposefully chose to move to Chicago. “I knew I wanted to be in Chicago,” she says emphatically. She landed her first Chicago job at the Museum of Contemporary Art box office. There she learned Tessitura, the system the museum used for its ticketing box office. CAC has used the same system for the past five years because it integrates ticket purchases with membership information.
Amanda, who bubbles with enthusiasm when she talks, said Tessitura was “easily learned.” She worked her way up to be the systems manager at the MCA, where she spent the past five years.
Coming to CAC, Amanda shares responsibilities of “building” the tour offerings into Tessitura, working in tandem with Casey Crail, who often is the public face of tour scheduling.
Outside of CAC, Amanda retains her love of the arts; she goes to galleries and expos such as SOFA, as well as the theater. She “loves camping and hiking.” She is also a wood-worker, although most of her tools at back in Texas, where her parents still live. Amanda’s family moved to Tyler, Texas, for the weather. The outdoors, among other things, allowed her to have a pet goat while in high school. Today Amanda has both a cat and “free range” bunny at home. Her father builds condominiums, and her mother is in interior design. An older brother is doing a post-doc year at Harvard University.
Amanda is enthusiastic about CAC and its tour offerings. She was eager to experience her first Open House Chicago, particularly the theaters that are included in the 257 sites. While docents and volunteers likely won’t be seeing Amanda in person, her efforts will make their work on tours and events easier to execute.