Elise Boulanger is an emerging curator and artist currently located in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Boulanger is a citizen of the Osage Nation and specializes in collaborative, community-centric projects that place Indigenous artistic practices at the forefront.
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CONTACT
eliseblngr@gmail.com
instagram: @liluhlise
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CURRENT ENGAGEMENTS
Master of Arts in Art History, Arts of the Americas (in progress)
∘ University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, AR
∘ August 2024 — present
Eagle Feather Fellow for Thriving Women and Girls
∘ Seventh Generation Fund for Indigenous Peoples, Inc.
∘ Spring 2023 — present
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EDUCATION
Master of Arts in Art History, Arts of the Americas (in progress)
∘ University of Arkansas
∘ Fayetteville, AR
∘ August 2024 — present
Osage Language Department Community
Beginner, Verbs I, and Verbs II Courses
∘ Osage Nation Language Department in Pawhuska, OK
∘ virtual
∘ August 2022 — present
Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art, Focus in Museum Studies
Minors in Art History and Anthropology
magna cum laude
∘ Fort Lewis College
∘ Durango, CO
∘ Fall 2017 — May 2021
Business & Entrepreneurship Certificate
∘ Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, NM
∘ virtual
∘ January 2023 — May 2024
Exhibition Planning for Tribal Repositories
with a focus on Collections Care Course
∘ University of California Los Angeles, Extension Program
∘ virtual
∘ September 2023 — December 2023
Partnerships & Collaborations Certificate
Native Arts & Culture Bearers Certificate
∘ Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums
∘ Temecula, CA and Oklahoma City, OK
∘ October 2022 and 2023
Andrew W. Mellon Opportunity for Diversity in Conservation
Summer Workshop
∘ UCLA / Getty Master’s Program in Archaeological and Ethnographic Materials
∘ Los Angeles, CA
∘ July 2019
University Studies Abroad Consortium
∘ Tuscia University
∘ Viterbo, Italy
∘ Summer 2019
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EXPERIENCE
Co-Curator of Resounding Sovereign Expressions: Resurgent Indigenuity
in Ozark Arts Practice & Scholarship, a 4-day Convening Program
∘ Center for Art as Lived Experience at University of Arkansas
∘ Fayetteville, AR
∘ October 2024 — March 2025
Curatorial Graduate Intern
∘ Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art
∘ Bentonville, AR
∘ March 2025 — May 2025
Curatorial Research Assistant for Preoccupied: Indigenizing the Museum
Fellowship Position
∘ Baltimore Museum of Art
∘ Baltimore, MD
∘ June 2023 — August 2024
Curatorial Fellow
∘ Center of Southwest Studies Museum at Fort Lewis College
∘ Durango, CO
∘ September 2021 — May 2023
Co-Instructor of Fort Lewis College Course
“Mural Painting with Nanibah Chacon,” 3 credits
∘ Center of Southwest Studies Museum at Fort Lewis College
∘ Durango, CO
∘ May 2023
Eagle Feather Fellowship for Thriving Women and Girls
∘ Seventh Generation Fund for Indigenous Peoples, Inc.
∘ virtual
∘ Spring 2023 — present
Ceramics Instructor and Studio Technician
∘ Colorado Clay Studio
∘ Durango, CO
∘ January 2021 — May 2023
Secretary, Board of Directors
∘ Durango Natural Foods
∘ Durango, CO
∘ April 2022 — April 2023
Art Market Manager and Board Member
∘ Animas City Night Bazaar
∘ Durango, CO
∘ May 2021 — November 2021
Curatorial and Collections Management Intern
and Leadership Team Collections Ambassador
∘ Center of Southwest Studies at Fort Lewis College
∘ Durango, CO
∘ January 2019 — September 2021
Teachers Assistant and Tutor in Art History, STEAM Peer Educator
∘ Fort Lewis College
∘ Durango, CO
∘ August — December 2019
Gallery Preparator Intern
∘ Art & Design Department at Fort Lewis College
∘ Durango, CO
∘ August 2018 — May 2019
Gallery Desk Volunteer
∘ Durango Arts Center
∘ Durango, CO
∘ August — December 2018
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EXHIBITIONS
Preoccupied: Indigenizing the Museum
Curatorial Research Assistant
∘ Initiative of nine solo and group exhibitions, museum-wide interventions,
and an untraditional catalog at the Baltimore Museum of Art
∘ Baltimore, MD
∘ April 21 2024 — February 16, 2025
Indigenous Futurity
Organizer, Co-Instructor, and Artist Participant
∘ Semi-Permanent Group Mural Exhibition in the
Center of Southwest Studies Museum at Fort Lewis College
∘ Durango, CO
∘ May 2023 — still showing
Monumental Textiles & Miniature Masterpieces
Graphic Designer
∘ Exhibition at the Center of Southwest Studies at Fort Lewis College
∘ Durango, CO
∘ May 2023 — May 2024
The Stories We Wear, Honoring Missing and Murdered
Indigenous Relatives
Curator, Organizer, Graphic Designer, and Artist Participant
∘ Traveling Group Exhibition at Fort Lewis College
∘ Durango, CO
∘ November 30, 2022 — September 2023
As Seeds, We Grow: Student Reflections on Resilience
Curator, Organizer, Graphic Designer, and Artist Participant
∘ Group Exhibition in the Center of Southwest Studies Museum
at Fort Lewis College
∘ Durango, CO
∘ April 27, 2022 — April 5, 2023
Throughline: Student Works Inspired by the Center’s Collections
Curator, Organizer, and Artist Participant
∘ Group Exhibition in the Center of Southwest Studies Museum
at Fort Lewis College
∘ Durango, CO
∘ April 7, 2021 — March 18, 2022
Durango Art Brigade
Artist Participant
∘ Mural Painting for Durango Creative District
∘ Durango, CO
∘ May 2021
Interlude to Persona
Artist Participant
∘ Main Art Gallery at Fort Lewis College
∘ Durango, CO
∘ May 2021
Student Skateboard Deck Art inspired by PIVOT: Skateboard Deck Art
Curator, Organizer, and Artist Participant
∘ Group Exhibition in Reed Library and Student Union at Fort Lewis College
∘ Durango, CO
∘ Fall 2020
Collaborative Amoebas
Curator, Organizer, and Artist Participant
∘ Group Exhibition in Reed Library at Fort Lewis College
∘ Durango, CO
∘ Spring 2019
58th, 59th, 60th Annual Student Juried Exhibitions
Artist Participant
∘ Group Exhibitions at Fort Lewis College
∘ Durango, CO
∘ Spring 2019, Spring 2020, Spring 2021
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APPEARANCES
Panelist on “Seeding and Ceding Decision-Making Power to Our Youth”
Organized by G4GC and Seventh Generation Fund
∘ Hispanics in Philanthropy and Native Americans in Philanthropy Joint Conference
∘ Albuquerque, NM
∘ June 17, 2025
Co-Moderator of “Academic Justice” and “Land Return as Artistic Endeavors”
∘ Resounding Sovereign Expressions: Resurgent Indigenuity
in Ozark Arts Practice and Scholarship
∘ Fayetteville, AR
∘ March 1, 2025
Co-Presenter of “Indigenous Futurity: Interwoven Cultural Legacies
Among Students and Museum Collections”
∘ Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums Annual Conference
∘ Palm Springs, CA
∘ November 13, 2024
Moderator of “Indigenous Futurity Artist Panel”
∘ Center of Southwest Studies at Fort Lewis College
∘ Durango, CO
∘ November 2023
Co-Presenter of “Transformative Approaches to
Programming and Exhibitions” Poster
∘ Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums Annual Conference
∘ Oklahoma City, OK
∘ October 2023
Guest Presenter in “Exhibition Planning for Tribal Repositories
with a focus on Collections Care” Course
∘ University of California Extension Program
∘ Los Angeles, CA
∘ September 2023
Co-leader of “Thriving Women’s Land and Wellness Workshop”
∘ Seventh Generation Fund Conference
∘ Pacific Grove, CA
∘ May 2023
Co-presenter of “ICWA”
with Office of Respondent Parents’ Counsel of Colorado
∘ American Bar Association Interdisciplinary Parent Representation Conference
∘ Denver, CO
∘ May 2023
Guest Presenter at Survivance Unconference
∘ The Last Resort and Baltimore Museum of Art
∘ Baltimore, MD
∘ February 2023
Guest Presenter at Seventh Annual Pueblo Alliance Feast Day
∘ Pueblo Alliance Feast Day at Fort Lewis College
∘ Durango, CO
∘ March 11, 2023
Speaker in Native Lens Short Film on Rocky Mountain PBS,
“Exhibit at Fort Lewis College reveals the extent of the
Missing Murdered Indigenous Relatives issue”
∘ virtual
∘ January 9, 2023
Presenter at Association of Academic Museums 2022 Annual Conference,
Sustainability Now!
∘ Utah State University
∘ Salt Lake City, UT
∘ June 14 — 17, 2022
Award for Best Oral Presentation
∘ Undergraduate Research Symposium at Fort Lewis College
∘ Durango, CO
∘ May 2021
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