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Going Places. Here at Home: Ketaki Poyekar Hauber

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Ketaki Poyekar Hauber

This is one in a series of articles highlighting the latest generation of innovators making a difference in our communities.

 


Entreprenuer uses art not just to create, but to give back

 

By Willis Patenaude, Times-Register

 

We all have role models—people we look up to and want to emulate to the best of our ability, people who start us on a journey and inspire us to make life-changing choices. For 31-year-old entrepreneur Ketaki Poyekar Hauber, that person was her mother. 

 

It was her role model who encouraged a decision that ultimately took Ketaki from the densely populated, economically challenged and male dominated culture of Mumbai, India, to progressive San Francisco for college. She arrived in the “cute little town of Elkader” in 2017 with husband Tony Hauber, whose family resides in the area. 

 

But what did being “just like my mother” mean for Ketaki? It meant falling in love with the arts and beginning not just a career path—but also a life path—in design, pushing the boundaries of creative expression. 

 

This passion got its foothold in Ketaki at age of 10 when, at the encouragement of her parents, she entered—and won a gold medal in—a countrywide competition. The victory solidified the already inherent passion for the arts. It also laid the groundwork for the next seven years, as Ketaki honed her skills as a teenager. The hard work eventually paid off and led to her securing one of just 100 slots at the most renowned art school in India: The Sir J.J. School of Applied Art. 

 

During this period, Ketaki worked as an intern at MTV India and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts in graphic design and advertising. 

 

But Ketaki wanted more. She wanted not just to refine her skills, but to venture beyond the world of India. She wanted to “get a larger cultural perspective.” This desire brought her to America, and San Francisco’s Academy of Art University. 

 

But while she had left behind one set of challenges, here, she quickly encountered new ones. 

 

“When I wanted to get my master’s in America, my parents had to spend their life savings to get me there. Then, as an immigrant, finding work was hard,” Ketaki explained. 

 

However, Ketaki persevered, making her way through college and surviving a series of difficult jobs, always finding it necessary to prove herself. 

 

But there was really no alternative for Ketaki. Quitting wasn’t an option. She had to succeed or be forced back to India, unable to repay the generosity and sacrifice of her parents. She’d have to abandon the life she had built in America. She’d have to leave friends, freedom and the love of her life. 

 

“Those times were hard on me, but they also helped me. They have helped me learn empathy. They’ve helped me learn perseverance. They’ve helped me believe in myself. And they’ve made me proud of who I am,” she said. 

 

In 2011, all the challenges ended in Ketaki graduating with an MFA. From there, she worked in the San Francisco Bay Area as a graphic and website designer, finding a passion for helping companies craft their creative ideas. It’s this passion she brought to Elkader, where she started an independent brand studio, Studio K8Ki. She’s since “worked with clients from all around the world helping them with all of their creative needs.”

 

Since arriving in Elkader, Ketaki’s impact has been meaningful, and it’s not gone unnoticed. She was mentioned frequently as someone who deserved to be recognized within the community. 

 

“I’m honored and humbled,” she said of the recognition. 

 

As for her impact, Ketaki believes it’s been made “through contributions to public art, mentoring of local artists and charitable yard sign projects.” 

 

More specifically, Ketaki helped students in the Clayton County BEST initiative run by Central High School plan and design a mural. She did something similar with ArtHaus in Decorah, where she helped 15 individuals plan and execute murals in the area. She’s also responsible for her own mural work as a participant in the Art in the Alley project, where she painted the “Stay Wild” mural across the alley from Deb’s Brewtopia in Elkader. According to Ketaki, it “has become a popular local spot for taking pictures and added a nice splash of color to the local passersby.” 

 

Beyond that, Ketaki displayed immense leadership during the pandemic when she dedicated time to creating artistic yard signs and coffee mugs that proclaimed, “Thank You Frontline Workers.” The effort wasn’t a business decision, but a personal one, as all the profits—nearly $500—were donated to help MercyOne secure PPE masks. 

 

The endeavor also stimulated the local economy, utilizing the services of businesses Signs-N-Frames, thINK Custom and Fire Farm. The program has since been opened up nationally, and people have been downloading and using Ketaki’s art to produce their own signs. 

 

As for the future, Ketaki has a challenge for the community—a challenge to create their own impact to make a difference, to be more than a statistic and to shape the local economy. 

 

“We need to find a way to involve the new generation in leading and volunteering. We need to get people excited about shaping the path forward for Elkader and surrounding areas. We need to challenge people on what they want Elkader to be, and how they are going to be a part of that vision,” she said. “We all can make an impact.”

 

While Elkader is a long way from the busy hustle and bustle of Mumbai and San Francisco, it has grown on Ketaki. 

 

“As someone who has previously only lived in cities, I love the proximity to nature, but I also appreciate the close-knit community that reminds me of my community back home in Mumbai,” she said. “There is also a reverence here for art and history that I cherish. It is a town that has worked hard to preserve the cornerstones of its cultural identity…there is also an undercurrent of forward-moving progress that I am proud to be a part of.”

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