Our Mission
Founded in 1999, ArtsPartners of Central Illinois, Inc. is a 501(c)3 tax exempt, non-for-profit organization whose mission is to build awareness and strengthen the arts for the economic and cultural enrichment of Central Illinois.
Our vision is to be the one-stop source for arts information in Central Illinois; and to facilitate partnerships and programs that empower and raise awareness for the arts. We work to accomplish our mission by…
Engaging the Community with the Arts
We facilitate partnerships, initiatives and programs that encourage and expand opportunities for public participation in the arts. Additionally, we coordinate information and resources on behalf of local arts organizations to help keep the arts on the community agenda.
Supporting the Arts
We promote the arts through community-wide marketing activities aimed at developing new audiences and patrons for the arts in central Illinois. Additionally, we champion professional development and networking opportunities to strengthen our greater arts community.
Our Staff
Jenn Gordon
Executive Director
She/Her/Hers
Jenn Gordon joined ArtsPartners as Executive Director in April of 2015. Previously she served as Manager for Concert and Artist Activities for North and South America for Steinway & Sons – New York. She is a Peoria native and is a graduate of the Interlochen Arts Academy and the University of Illinois where she earned a Bachelors in Music – Violin Performance. She grew up participating in lots of local theatre and music in Central Illinois and is thrilled to be back to raise her family and advocate for the arts in her home town.
- 309-258-1327
- jgordon@artspartners.net
- 456 Fulton St. Suite 300 Peoria, IL 61602
Selena Pappas
Community Engagement Coordinator
She/Her/Hers
Selena started at ArtsPartners in 2022 and comes to Peoria from Tinley Park, IL. She graduated from Bradley University in 2020 with a Bachelor's Degree in Game Design.
- 309-676-2787
- info@artspartners.net
- 456 Fulton St. Suite 300 Peoria, IL 61602
Officers and Board Members
Mary Jo Papich, President
The Jazz Education Network
She/Her/Hers
Mary Jo Papich, known for her leadership in arts education has spread the good news of the arts from the heart of the midwest to South Africa! She is Cofounder of the Jazz Education Network (June 1, 2008) which is now in 44 countries. Serving public school education for 35+ years as teacher and fine arts administrator for Niles D219, Highland Park HS D113 and Peoria #150 her vision is that all children will know and benefit from the arts.
Recent honors include: Medal of Honor from Midwest Clinic, Outstanding Service to Music by Tau Beta Sigma, DownBeat’s Lifetime Jazz Ed Achievement Award, Outstanding Jazz Educator from Chicago Jazz Institute, Tau Beta Sigma’s Outstanding Service to Music award, the Arts Inspiration Award - The Art Center HP, Women in Jazz Award from the Chicago Jazz Ensemble. Papich is on the Chicago Jazz Philharmonic Advisory Board, past ILMEA Board and Highland Park Cultural Arts Commission, selection committee for the Grammy Museum Foundation Music Educator of the Year award and has served National Endowment for the Arts grant selection. HPHS Patrons of the Arts annually award a Highland Park High School student the MJ Papich Leadership Scholarship and JEN has honored her with giving the Mary Jo Papich Women In Jazz Scholarship to deserving students at their annual conference.
Papich is the editor of Rehearsing the Jazz Band and The Jazz Educator’s Cookbook-Creative Recipes for Players and Teachers. Both books are published by Meredith Music and distributed by Hal Leonard Music, proceeds to Jazz Education Network.
MJ is a graduate of Truman State (MO) and Bradley University (IL) graduating from Albia (IA) Community High School, where she was inducted in to the Hall of Fame. Her professional affiliations include JEN, ILMEA, NAfME/MENC, Sigma Alpha Iota Alumnae, ArtsPartners of Central Illinois board member. She credits her students for her continued inspiration.
Frannie Heine, Vice President
Director of Domestic Fulfillment & Global Logistics | Maui Jim
She/Her/Hers
Frannie was born and raised in Peoria, IL and attended Illinois State University, receiving her bachelor’s degree in HR Management and International Business. She has spent her career at Maui Jim Sunglasses where she’s held various roles across Human Resources, Global Operations and Supply Chain. Frannie’s passion for travel and exploring new cultures has led her to work closely with Maui Jim’s international teams, including a 5 year assignment in Dubai, UAE. She now leads the US Distribution and Logistics teams for Maui Jim.
- fheine@mauijim.com
Pam Johnson, Treasurer
Chief Accounting Officer | OppFi
She/Her/Hers
Hiral Hudson, Secretary
Financial Advisor | Morgan Stanley Wealth Management
She/Her/Hers
Hiral Hudson grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and moved to Peoria in 2008. She started her career at Edward Jones and joined Morgan Stanley in 2010, where she serves as a Financial Advisor on the Epley-Wolbeck Group. In addition to advice, Hiral educates and prepares her clients for any financial blind spots they may face. Hiral, her husband, Sam, and their two kids (Juliana, 7 and Charlie, 3) live in Brimfield, IL.
While not an artist herself, Hiral is an active member of the Peoria community. She recently won the “Community Leader of the Year” award from Women in Leadership for displaying outstanding community service and leadership. In addition to serving as ArtsPartners Secretary, Hiral actively helps organize Easter Seals and Brimfield Grade School Fundraisers, and is a sustaining member of the Junior League of Peoria. Hiral has dedicated herself to making Peoria a better place to live, work, play and raise a family.
Alexander Martin
Outreach and Marketing Coordinator | Central Illinois Friends
They/Them/Theirs
Alexander Martin is a multiracial black and queer artist and performer living and working in Peoria, Illinois. Born in Hurricane, West Virginia, they completed their BFA at West Virginia University in 2010, then went on to receive their MFA in printmaking from Bradley University in 2017. In 2015 they co-founded the artist-run project space Project 1612 with Jessica Bingham and Zach Ott, bringing contemporary artists and their practices to Central Illinois in an accessible manner while highlighting the efforts of the Central Illinois arts community. After receiving their MFA, Alexander spent a brief time in residency at T.H.I.Studios in Tottenham North London, then served as resident and program director at the Prairie Center of the Arts. As a drag queen performing under the name Artemisia VanHo, Alexander was crowned Miss Gay Peoria and Miss Gay Illinois USofA 2019 and often contributes performances to community education events. Community engagement is a major theme of their studio practice, so they are involved with several organizations and community art planning efforts, for example the 2020 project ‘Remember Her Peoria’ that commemorated and called attention to the lives of local women lost to violence. Alexander currently works as the peer outreach and marketing coordinator for Central Illinois Friends, doing work with the LGBTQ+ and black community around sexual health and destigmatization. Their practice is a combination of mixed media work, found objects, performance, ritual, and education.
Kristan H. McKinsey
Director | Illinois Women Artists Project
She/Her/Hers
Enjoying and stewarding the arts define Kristan McKinsey. Growing up in India and visiting museums with her older sister instilled a strong interest in arts and culture in her. She holds a BA in Art History with a Concentration in Asian Studies from Swarthmore College and an MA in Early American Culture from the Winterthur Museum Program at the University of Delaware. Between programs she trained as a modern dancer in New York, supporting herself as a financial analyst.
Degrees in hand, McKinsey enjoyed a 32-year professional museum career starting at the Saint Louis Art Museum where she oversaw research for the reinstallation of six period rooms and 3,000 square feet of galleries, moving on to the Evanston Historical Society outside Chicago, and concluding at the Lakeview Museum of Art and Sciences and its successor, the Peoria Riverfront Museum in Peoria, Illinois. She retired in 2016 to become Director of the Illinois Women Artists Project, a research and documentation project. McKinsey now also serves on this board and is President of the Fine Arts Society of Peoria.
Garry Moore
He/Him/His
Michelle Nielsen Ott
Assistant Professor, Sciences/Health Sciences Librarian | Bradley University
She/Her/Hers
Michelle Nielsen Ott is the Sciences/Health Sciences Librarian at the Cullom-Davis Library at Bradley University. Michelle began her library career as a student worker and fell in love with the profession. She moved to Peoria in 2009.
Serving the community is a passion for Michelle. In addition to serving on the ArtsPartners Board, she also chairs the Sculpture Walk Peoria Committee. She is the Chair of the Women’s Fund Advisory Board and is a Vice President for Women in Leadership of Central Illinois. In support of her children, Michelle is also an active parent volunteer at their schools and as hockey team and lacrosse team manager. Since 2017, Michelle has been a St. Jude runner.
Michelle grew up in Iowa, near Davenport, and graduated from the University of Northern Iowa (BA), Vanderbilt University Divinity School (MTS), and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Information Studies (MLIS). She resides in Peoria with her husband and two children.
Megan Pedigo
Director of Marketing | Easterseals of Central IL
She/Her/Hers
Megan Pedigo is the Director of Marketing at Easterseals Central Illinois where she assists with fundraising and advocacy along with brand marketing and public relations. Prior to being with Easterseals she worked alongside Arts Partners as the Director of Marketing for the Peoria Civic Center, where she obtained a passion for Arts Partners and its programs. She sees supporting the arts as integral to the economic success of the greater Peoria area, contributing to the economy and quality of life. She also enjoys supporting the arts and their involvement within the child development space.
She enjoys attending art events with her 5-year-old twins who have a budding appreciation for all things creative. Originally from Sycamore, Illinois, Megan now resides with her family in Mapleton, IL. She has a degree in Recreation, Parks and Tourism from Western Illinois University.
Joe Spanier
River City Labs
He/Him/His
Marwin Spiller
He/Him/His
Cesar Suarez
Senior Development Specialist | City of Peoria
He/Him/His
Cesar Suarez currently serves as Senior Development Specialist for the City of Peoria. Since July 2015, he has administered the City’s loan programs, reviewed business financing and incentive proposals, and has provided technical assistance to small and minority business enterprises. He currently serves as a board member for the Greater Peoria Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Illinois Business Financial Services.
Cesar has worked in the field of community/economic development for the past 24 years, and has worked in rural, suburban, and urban settings that included such cities as Chicago Galesburg, Romeoville, and Centralia in IL; and Milwaukee and West Bend, WI. He has assisted with the financing over 35 projects and hundreds of incentive packages throughout his career.
Most notably in 2013 Cesar and his economic development team in Galesburg received international recognition from the International Economic Development Council with three excellence awards—gold for electronic newsletter, gold for globalization programming, and a silver award for sustainability. Cesar earned an M.B.A at SIU-Carbondale along with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering Technology.
Regarding ART, Cesar has been a presenter for the Business of Art conference organized by ArtsPartners of Central IL, was a modern dancer for the SIU dance troupe, served as the principal ballet dancer for Galena Dance Studio is Des Plaines, IL and performed several ballets. Cesar also was curator for the Fire House Gallery in Milwaukee, WI
Our Partners
Thank you to our funders! The Peoria Civic Center Authority and City of Peoria have committed a portion of collected restaurant tax to ArtsPartners as an economic investment, recognizing that a rich cultural environment is an economic benefit to the entire Peoria area.
Additionally, ArtsPartners is partially funded by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency and a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Our Publications
Over the years, ArtsPartners has produced the following informational arts resources that highlight public art and local artists, and arts and the economy. Hard copies can be requested in person at the ArtsPartners office. Additionally, digital downloads are available below.
