About hej creative
Independent Arts & Humanities Education in Central Illinois
hej creative is a culmination – of an imaginative childhood, of an expansive education,
of a formative career in the nonprofit sector, of a lifetime in community.
From 1990s camcorder recordings of HEJ Live in the basement of a best friend’s house,
to routinely signing off communications as HEJ, to the serendipitous realization that hej is a familiar greeting in the Swedish language, to embracing HEJ/hej as the identity of a personal and professional creative practice, the three letters H. E. J. are all encompassing.
Arts & humanities educator Hannah Johnson has spent a lifetime immersed in the creative communities of Bloomington-Normal. The daughter of theatrical artists and a degreed student of history (Illinois Wesleyan University, BA, 2012; Illinois State University, MA, 2014), Hannah's 12+ year career in the Central Illinois nonprofit sector has afforded her invaluable and inspiring opportunities to connect audiences of all ages and lived experiences with the arts and humanities through notable institutions including the McLean County Museum of History (Bloomington) and Illinois Art Station (Normal).
Hannah currently serves as Hub Anchor for the Bloomington-Normal Hub of Illinois Humanities Envisioning Justice, as a community educator with Power House Art, as the Community Liaison for the Public Art & Safety Committee of Strong Towns Blono, as a board member with Creative Healing Expressive Arts Center (CHEAC), as a committee member with Illinois Prairie Community Foundation, as the primary facilitator of the Central Illinois Community Educators (CICE), and more.
Hannah is a graduate of the Multicultural Leadership Program (MCLP, Class of 2021), a twice nominated YWCA of McLean County Woman of Distinction (2021, 2022), the recipient of numerous best practices awards for her work in museum education, and was named Illinois State University's 2025 Friend of Civic Engagement.
Hannah honors the intersection of art and wellness in her practices of slow looking/making, creative movement, and inhabiting/fostering third places.
hej creative is a culmination –
of an imaginative childhood,
of an expansive education,
of a formative career in the nonprofit sector,
of a lifetime in community.
Past & Present
2025 - Present
Art & Humanities Educator
hej creative, LLC
Bloomington-Normal, IL
Since Spring 2025, Hannah has identified as an independent arts & humanities educator. This role is made possible through numerous partnerships with fellow artists, educators, and organizations throughout Central Illinois.
2022 - 2025
Executive Director
Illinois Art Station
Normal, IL
As the longest tenured Executive Director of the nonprofit
Illinois Art Station, Hannah helped steward the organization's
mission "to provide young artists and families from all neighborhoods and backgrounds with transformative experiences in the visual arts."
2014 - 2022
Dir. Youth & Family Education
McLean County Museum of History
Bloomington, IL
For more than 8 years, Hannah served as an informal educator with the McLean County Museum of History, supporting its mission "to preserve, educate, and collaborate in sharing the diverse stories of the people of McLean County."
Program Partners
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