Meet Diane Sanders, Assistant Director at Historic New Harmony
My name is Diane Sanders, and I am the Assistant Director of Historic New Harmony and a New Harmony resident. I grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, and first visited New Harmony when I was in high school. I was working on a history paper on utopian communities, so my mom and I travelled to New Harmony to see one firsthand. I fell in love with the town after spending just one day here.
After high school, I obtained a bachelor’s degree in Historic Preservation and Interior Design from Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, and went on to pursue a Master of Fine Arts degree in Museum Exhibition Planning and Design from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After graduating, I spent three years as an exhibit designer at the Missouri History Museum in St. Louis and then moved to Washington, D.C. to become an Exhibits Specialist at the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center. I worked there for 10 years and spent much of my time there serving as a project manager on the Exhibition Hall Redesign Project, where my team and I developed and installed all new exhibits on Congress and the Capitol.
While living in Washington, D.C., I met my husband, James Sanders, in 2013. On our first date, we spent hours on the bank of the Potomac River talking—which is something for two introverts! We got married in 2015. We had our first child in 2017 and our second in 2022.
After completing the Exhibition Hall Redesign Project in 2022, it was time to move on to my next opportunity. When I found the Assistant Director position at Historic New Harmony, I was ecstatic about the possibility of living in utopia. After receiving the job offer, my family moved here sight-unseen in January 2023!
My family loves to tease me because I never wanted to live in a small town growing up, but it was one of the best decisions James and I have made. I am so grateful to be here and love the life we have built together.
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
I’m not sure perfect happiness exists nor is it my goal. For me, purpose is more of a driving force in my life and decisions (though happiness does play a role as well!) With the assumption that my family is doing well, my kids are thriving, and all is generally okay in the world—many of my happiest days revolve around lazy spring or fall days relaxing near a body of water with a good book and not a care or responsibility in the world. Delicious meals that I didn’t have to cook, and good company are a bonus!
Which living person(s) do you most admire?
This spring, many historical sites, museums, humanities, and arts programs endured major funding cuts that drastically affected their operations. The National Endowment for the Arts cut $40,000 in funding from the New Harmony Project just weeks before the 2025 residency was set to begin. I admired that Jenni Werner, Executive Artistic Director of the New Harmony Project, wasn’t willing to compromise the New Harmony Project’s values to align with new funding priorities—despite the financial strain that would result. I admire this type of courage, where people maintain their integrity and make the difficult choices to stay in alignment with who they are and what they believe.
Who are your favorite writers?
Growing up, my family would go to the library on a weekly basis (or more)! I loved browsing the stacks and would often bring home a stack of new books each week. I once had a goal of reading every book at the library branch located near our home. I still love to browse the library and read, but I find it more challenging these days with my career and being a mom of two kids. I used to spend more time reading fiction, but these days, I find myself enjoying more nonfiction and love flipping through cookbooks, art books, and interior design books.
My favorite writers include Roald Dahl, Michael Connelly, Miranda Hart, L. M. Montgomery, Frances Hodgson Burnett, and Nathaniel Hawthorne.
Who are your heroes in real life?
I don’t typically view people as “heroes” in my life, but I suppose I do have a real-life hero. When I worked at the Missouri History Museum, my boss saved my life. Before a staff meeting began, I was snacking on a biscuit. A coworker made me laugh, and I inhaled the biscuit and began to choke. I remembered thinking that choking to death at work was a ridiculous way to die. Thankfully, my boss knew how to perform the Heimlich maneuver, so I was spared that fate—though my dignity may have suffered in the process!
What does the New Harmony Project mean to you?
Drawing and writing were some of my favorite activities growing up, and I often find it difficult to make the time and space for creative pursuits amongst the rest of my daily demands. I find it particularly challenging now that I am raising two young children of my own. When I first learned about the New Harmony Project, I thought it was a wonderful opportunity to provide writers with the time and space they need to immerse themselves in a project and create. I was particularly impressed to learn that the New Harmony Project recognizes the challenges that come with raising a family and provides childcare, child-friendly meals, and other stipends to allow writers and artists to focus on their work during the week-long residency. The New Harmony Project is such a gift to so many artists, but it’s so refreshing to see an organization supporting creative parents in this way.