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Ashley Poirier
Arts Communication Strategist
My Mission
Let's get
Philosophical.
In a digital age that daily challenges what it means to engage authentically, there are few things like the arts to remind us how to be human.
It is my joy and my expertise to guide patrons as they harness their intrinsic creativity, approach arts experiences with curiosity, and support artistic initiatives that make them feel connected to themselves, each other, and the world we share.
You, Me & the Arts:
We belong together.
My whole life has accidentally prepared me for strategic communications work in arts spaces.
I am a classical saxophonist who now plays in a jazz band; a creative writer who began her career in editing; and an empath who's been transplanted more times than she can count. I have always belonged everywhere...
and nowhere simultaneously.
I know intimately what it means to desire belonging. And I believe arts spaces offer that opportunity to everyone.
If only they are invited in the door.
My Purpose
This kid wouldn't believe I do what I do now...
Connecting the Dots
I listen
The arts taught me to listen.
And I'm good at it. That's how I gain trust and forge authentic connections with artists, audiences, donors, advocates and anyone willing to share their story.
It's also how I learn to speak the language of an organization in their own voice.
with curiosity
Raising three kids has taught me patience.
Anyone who has raised children or had a sibling knows there is often more than one perspective to every story. Asking the right questions with genuine curiosity helps find the truest frame, and I make sure that I believe everything I write...before I ask anyone else to.
to make natural connections
and real impact.
The natural world has reinforced my foundational belief that we are all connected at our roots.
I love to hike, stopping often to look at bugs and critters and wild fungus fairy villages that miraculously grow from the tops of logs. Pausing to watch the sun set over Lake Michigan or rise from a forest canopy is a great reminder that we're all experiencing this same earth from different angles.
Art is the closest we can get to bottling that view and sharing it with those around us in real time.
And that is an experience that will always be worth exposing, funding, and advocating for.
