The Greatest Artist You Never Knew
A Celebration of the Life and Work of William "Wild Bill" Bouchard
Please join us on Saturday June 17th for this free event. Wild Bill was the father of Cinema Arts Centre's Director of Development Rene Bouchard. Wild Bill died on May 19th, 2023, the night of a new moon. Wild Bill was an exceptionally prolific illustrator, musician and writer. A Vietnam vet, he worked on a loading dock during most of Rene’s childhood, and then later in a bookstore. He kept a daily practice of creating fantasy illustrations for most of his life, but never had a public showing of his art.
Whether you knew Wild Bill or not, and whether you personally know Rene or not, you are most welcome to come and view Wild Bill’s art, hear some of his music and writing, and listen to live performances of music in tribute to Wild Bill.
So many wonderful artists never have an opportunity to widely share their work. Wild Bill’s creative practice was a deep source of inspiration for Rene and helped instill in her the importance of giving yourself time to make art. Additionally, Wild Bill’s love of film is a major part of what inspired Rene to dedicate her professional life (and so much of her personal life as well) to the Cinema Arts Centre.
Please join us for this celebration of Wild Bill, of the creative spirit, of community, and of our Cinema and home away from home.
Special Thanks to Amy's of Huntington for event flowers.
Donations in memory of Wild Bill can be made to the Cinema Arts Centre and/or to the Campaign for NY Health. While Wild Bill was not a NY resident, a state-by-state strategy for Universal Single Payer Healthcare is worth investment. Thousands of people each year are diagnosed with cancer at a very late stage due to poor access to healthcare. A single payer system could save nearly 70,000 lives annually in the United States.
