(Peoria, Ill.) – ArtsPartners of Central Illinois, Inc. announced today that Suzette Boulais will officially retire from her position as executive director, effective March 1, 2015.Boulais held the position since 2003. In that time under her guidance, she helped foster more synergy and solidarity among the arts community, enhancing the visibility of the arts in the region and establishing positive working relationships with inestimable number of volunteers overthe years.
“What an extraordinary honor it has been to work cooperatively with the City of Peoria to serve, strengthen and support Peoria area arts,” Boulais said. “It has been a joy working with area artists and arts leaders, engaging them in dynamic promotional and marketing campaigns which led to higher visibility of the arts in our local community. My best wishes to the next executive who will lead this fine organization ever onward, ever ‘artward.’”
During her tenure with ArtsPartners, Boulais oversaw numerous projects and events, including the Discovery Forum, a visit from then-chairperson of the National Endowment of the Arts Rocco Landesman, arts-related national grants through HUD and NEA Art & Soul, creation of the IGNITE Peoria! event featuring local arts and development of the new ArtsPartners web site. In addition, she helped plan and oversee numerous promotional campaigns such as Follow Your Arts, The Arts Mean Business and The Arts Are Alive while fostering increased exposure through via the media with WCBU-FM’s Out and About, WAZU Radio arts interviews on Breakfast With Royce and Roger, WTVP-TV’s arts fillers and Arts in the Works series and WEEK-TV’s National Arts and Humanities Month promotions.
Boulais created and introduced a yearly ArtsPartners annual report as well as other publications, including the Arts as Big Business economic report and the Arts Lives in Central Illinois promotional publication.
The ArtsPartners board of directors is conducting a job search for candidates to fill the executive director position once it is vacant. Click here for more details.
ArtsPartners of Central Illinois, Inc. promotes the arts as a vital component of central Illinois’ cultural and economic development. Founded in 1999, ArtsPartners of Central Illinois, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, not-for-profit organization whose mission is to build awareness and strengthen the arts as an economic catalyst for the Peoria area.