Armory Art Center in West Palm Beach names new CEO
John Suau wants to make the Armory Art Center a bigger part of the community. As its new CEO, he'll get his chance.
Suau replaces Tom Pearson, who retired in October after six year, as leader of the 35-year-old arts education center in West Palm Beach. Suau said he was itching to get back to an office after working remotely since the start of the pandemic.
"My career has led me to a point to where I'm ready to work live. Post-COVID, I welcomed the opportunity to work in a facility, not remotely," he said.
Armory seeks new leader: Tom Pearson announces retirement.
With more than 20 years of experience in arts administration, Suau most recently worked as a consultant for several technology companies working with libraries and museums from his Florida-based company, Suau Diversified. During the pandemic, his company helped cultural organizations utilize technologies to improve visitor experiences ''in the post-COVID-19 reality.''
The former executive director of the Historical Society of Washington, D.C., Suau oversaw the redesign and construction of its DC History Center in the Carnegie Library. He sees similarities in the Armory's 1929 facility, which, he said, needs to be brought up to "contemporary standards'' structurally, including a new roof.
"That experience made me comfortable with what's needed here,'' he said, noting that any work to the facility would have to take into consideration that it is on the National Register of Historic Places.
The new director has experience in operations and cultivating ''Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility-centered environments,'' and that work will continue at the Armory, he said.
Classes at the Armory are "exceptional," he said, adding that he would like to make them "more inclusive" for underserved portions of the community.
"We're trying to provide a resource for the creative community. ... My hope is for us to be more of a part of the cultural fabric here," he said.
He has already reached out to organizations such as the Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach and the Historical Society of Palm Beach County to look for ways the groups could partner on projects, Suau said.
“I’m excited and honored to lead the Armory Art Center into a future that fully embraces the region’s diversity to create exciting opportunities for artistic expression and arts education in the 21st century,” he said.
Suau’s other accomplishments include creating a training program for cultural competency skills for the American Alliance of Museums in partnership with the Smithsonian Office of Educational Technology, spearheading the first national coalition of diverse museum professionals, and establishing a national scholarship program for diverse museum professionals, according to the Armory and suaudiversified.net.
He has a bachelor in fine arts degree in industrial design from the University of Iowa and a master's degree in arts administration from The American University in Washington, D.C.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Armory Art Center in West Palm Beach names new CEO
