MY STORY
Allison Michelangela Malafronte discovered her love of writing and art at a young age. Documenting the details of life in a diary from the time she was in first grade — the teddy-bear covered version her grandmother gave her being the first — she was prone to process life through words. As a child who loved to draw and color, her carry-along sketchbook was full of doodles, drawings of faces, and fashion sketches, as well as her own comic-strip series. As an adolescent she spent hours poring over fashion magazines and pulling out ads to sketch from, while summers and spare time were often spent reading literary classics introduced to her by her mother.
While attending college — first as a Literature major and then an English/Professional Writing major — Allison simultaneously expanded her love of art history by studying the Old Masters in classes and in her own reading. A semester abroad in London, where she took courses in literature, art history, creative writing, and film, opened her eyes to the rich history of European culture, and regular field trips to the National Gallery, Shakespeare's Globe, and West End theaters furthered her interest in the arts and humanities.
Post-graduation, Allison's first job was in advertising at MindShare Media Agency in New York City. Still determined to become a magazine editor and writer, she enrolled in a Boot Camp for Magazine Editors course through MediaBistro.com with Sara Austin, the then Deputy Editor of Self magazine. She asked Sara if she thought it was necessary for an aspiring editor to attend graduate school. Her sage advice was to save the money on grad school and get a staff position at any national monthly magazine, to learn the day-to-day, deadline-driven operations of magazines firsthand.
Not long after that course was completed, Allison got a staff position as the editorial assistant of American Artist magazine, a dream come true for the 25-year-old writer looking to make a career pivot into the publishing world. Although she kept her teenage dream of being the editor-in-chief of Marie Claire or Elle magazine in her back pocket, she soon realized working at an art magazine was a natural fit. She would stay at American Artist for eight years, eventually becoming senior editor. While there, she wrote regularly about art history and contemporary art while also working on editorial projects, events, and exhibitions. Travels associated with the job allowed her to meet practicing artists, participate in and write about painting workshops, and connect with a whole new community of like-minded creatives.
When the magazine closed in 2012 after 75 years of publication, Allison took a chance on the path of a freelancer. She continued to write for several publications while offering consulting services to various organizations. During that time, she curated and project managed exhibitions, was the editor of an online publication, worked on public relations for companies, and wrote the 25th anniversary book for The Florence Academy of Art in Italy while pursuing her own artistic interests and education. Today Allison continues to write about art history and contemporary art and recently has also added design to her writing portfolio, a personal passion of hers. In 2022 her decor/design was selected for a House Call on Apartment Therapy, which can be read here.
As an artist, Allison is still inspired by many of the same things that caught her attention from her youth: classic literature, art history, color, light, music, nature, poetry, painting, design, and dancing. She sees the beauty of the arts as a gift from God — an opportunity to rise above the everyday and catch glimpses of His divine nature and creation. As a writer, one of her favorite subjects is the unique stories and symbolism woven around and through those who are called to create.