MORGAN PARK — Heather Ireland Robinson is stepping down as executive director of the Beverly Arts Center.
Robinson, 47, said Thursday her final day at the community arts center will be sometime this week. She said the decision was based entirely on her desire to spend more time with her family.
A resident of Chatham, Robinson and her husband, Claude, have three children — Dorian, 16, and Damani, 6 and eight-month-old Devin. Robinson was hired by the arts center in February 2014.
"I have a new baby. I have a kindergartner, and my son will be going to college. So I just decided to dial things back," Robinson said.
Shellee Frazee, the artistic director of Beverly Arts Center, said Robinson will be missed and recognized her for raising the profile of the 40,000-square-foot facility throughout the city. Frazee will handle the day-to-day operations of the arts center in the wake of Robinson's departure.
Indeed, Robinson pointed to her appointment to the mayor's Cultural Advisory Council and to the board of the Illinois Arts Alliance. She also said the arts center increased its grant funding 20 percent last year.
"I was also very happy to bring more diverse programming and staffing to the arts center," she said.
Robinson was given the job amid the BAC Challenge, a major fundraiser that sought to pay down the crushing mortgage debt of the facility at 2407 W. 111th St. in Morgan Park. She said most of the donations came from within the neighborhood.
"We raised all the money that we planned to. And that's nearly million dollars," she said. "It really showed how powerful this neighborhood can be."
She also was behind a move to reduce staff of the arts center, which also included eliminating fitness classes.
"I think overall when you are trying to create a viable organization, there are hard decisions that need to be made," Robinson said.
Going forward, she believes the art center needs to continue to work to keep the neighborhood engaged in its programs and also carry on the effort to make the 400-seat theater a destination.
In the meantime, she plans to take time to attend her children's basketball games and other activities.
"This gives me a chance to press pause on my career," she said. "Not press stop, just press pause."
