Elise Boulanger is a citizen of the Osage Nation and MA student in the Art History in Arts of the Americas program at the University of Arkansas. As an emerging curator and ceramic artist, Boulanger specializes in collaborative, community-centric, and place-based projects that intertwine knowledge from Indigenous-made works in museum collections with revitalization networks of Indigenous lifeways and languages.
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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
Curatorial Research Assistant
∘ Art Bridges Inc.
∘ Bentonville, AR
∘ September 2025 — present
Exhibit Planning and Design Graduate Assistant
∘ University of Arkansas Museum
∘ Fayetteville, AR
∘ August 2025 — 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 — January 2025
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
Oral Histories Certificate
∘ Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums
∘ Temecula, CA; Oklahoma City, OK; Cherokee, NC
∘ October 2022, 2023, and 2025
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
Curatorial Research Assistant
∘ Art Bridges Inc.
∘ Bentonville, AR
∘ September 2025 — present
Exhibit Planning and Design Graduate Assistant
∘ University of Arkansas Museum
∘ Fayetteville, AR
∘ August 2025 — present
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
Invited 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
Invited 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
Invited 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
Invited Guest Presenter at Survivance Unconference
∘ The Last Resort and Baltimore Museum of Art
∘ Baltimore, MD
∘ February 2023
Invited Guest Presenter at Seventh Annual Pueblo Alliance Feast Day
∘ Pueblo Alliance Feast Day at Fort Lewis College
∘ Durango, CO
∘ March 11, 2023
Invited 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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