Louisiana Partnership for the Arts


March/April 2005			Vol 1. No. 4

Features: Appetite for Art 2 Kennedy Center names Baton Rouge Plaquemine Grant The Art of Politics Calendar of upcoming events	Lost in Yonkers LPN Membership Campaign Metalsmithing Demo Tatman Group
Appetite for Art 2 Fundraiser for Art in the Justice Center The St. Tammany Arts Commission, in cooperation with St. Tammany Parish Government, will host the second Appetite for Art event on March 12, 2005, in the St. Tammany Justice Center, 701 N. Columbia Street, Covington . The event will take place from 5-7 pm, prior to the Spring Coordinated Art Openings in downtown Covington. The purpose of Appetite for Art 2 is to raise funds to purchase and place additional pieces of juried artwork in the St. Tammany Justice Center. This is the only permanent public collection of artwork exclusively by St. Tammany Parish artists. The event will be an unveiling of new works of art in the Justice Center. Over the past several months, the St. Tammany Arts Commission has sought new work for the public spaces of the Justice Center. Local artists have submitted almost 200 works of art for consideration. The St. Tammany Arts Commission will purchase and place a significant number of pieces to augment the collection of 50 pieces installed in the Justice Center in 2003. Many St. Tammany residents, local businesses, and businessmen and elected officials have sponsored works of art in the Justice Center. The names of those who have already sponsored artwork are engraved on plaques placed below their sponsored piece. March 12th will be another opportunity to view and sponsor additional pieces. Appetite for Art will include live music, fine cuisine from over 20 restaurants and specialty caterers, and the 1st Annual President's Arts Awards. Tickets to the event are $50 per person and will include admission, food, and libations. Chairing the event is Parish President Kevin Davis. Special honorary co-chairs include Lieutenant Governor Mitch Landrieu, District Attorney Walter Reed, Sheriff Jack Strain, Jr., Clerk of Court Malise Prieto, Assessor Patricia Schwarz Core, and Registrar M. Dwayne Wall. Tickets to Appetite for Art 2 are available from the St. Tammany Arts Commission, 21490 Koop Drive, Mandeville (898-3011), and at All in the Frame Gallery, 2596 Front Street, Slidell (643-2596). Back to Newsletter Top
Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge named The Kennedy Center's Partners in Education Program announces the addition of Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge as one of 12 new partnership teams from across the nation Baton Rouge - The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has selected Baton Rouge as one of the 12 teams of arts organizations and school systems from across the nation to participate in the Partners in Education Institute, May 11-14, 2005. The Institute, funded by the U.S. Department of Education, the National Committee for the Performing Arts, the Kennedy Center Corporate Fund, and the Roger S. Firestone Foundation, promotes partnership in communities across the nation between arts organizations and local schools, focusing on the development of education programs for teachers. Genny Nadler Thomas, President & CEO, and Toni Brown, Arts Education Director representing the Arts Council, and Carlos Sam, Director of Magnet Programs, EBRPSS will participate in the Partners in Education Institute. "The partnership between the East Baton Rouge Parish School System and the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge continues to strengthen as we collaborate to offer professional development of teachers in arts integration," says Genny Nadler Thomas, President and CEO of the Arts Council. "The Kennedy Center Partners in Education Program will bring our teachers resources and training opportunities that have never been available in our area." Back to Newsletter Top
Plaquemine Parish Alternative School Awarded Grant Mr. Cole Sisung and Plaquemine Parish Alternative School are honored that the New Orleans Arts Council has again chosen to award them with the Louisiana Decentralized Arts Project Assistance grant of $4,000 for the Jefferson Performing Arts Society's Cultural Crossroads program. They will apply awarded funds to cover projects expenses related to the JPAS Cultural Crossroads program, including outside guest artist fees, art supplies, artist travel costs and program administration. Back to Newsletter Top
The Art of Politics Many thanks to those who took the time to write letters to Governor Blanco thanking her for past arts support and suggesting more in the future. Our constituency is our most valuable weapon since we do not have a Political Action Committee to contribute to the thousands of fundraisers legislators have throughout the year. Okay, that’s unfair. It’s really hundreds – it just seems like thousands. Kind of like Christmas bills – they just keep coming. In point of fact, letters and constituent voices will actually always trump political contributors if they are timely and present a cogent argument. This is not to say that I have ever depended on logic and reason to earn political victories. If logic and reason worked, most lobbyists wouldn't even have a job. The key is to present your case in a logical and reasonable way with votes and voters to back it up. When I represented big industry, the major response I always heard was, "I'll be with you if my people don’t object." The problem is, most people do not have any idea of their potential impact. For those of you who remember, Louisiana languished at the bottom of the list for decades. The best thing that ever happened to the arts community was getting zeroed out in 1993. That aroused the sleeping giant, forced everyone into an alliance, and got results as we went from 56th in arts support – behind all the states and all the territories – and settled into our top twenty niche. I'd like to get in the top ten. And, as economic conditions in the state improve, and I think they will, we will be poised to take our rightful place. Thanks again to those who wrote letters. To those who did not, you can write them on your own. On a final note, those of you in the Orleans-Jefferson area are already aware of the impending fiasco with artists being charged an inventory tax on work in galleries. Some artists have refused to exhibit their works in our state until this tax is repealed. We will be making an effort to do just that in the upcoming session. The law is the law and to get out from under the threat of an inventory tax on art, we must pass a constitutional amendment to include consignment work under the list of exemptions from this tax. The logical reason is that government gets far more from the sales tax of works than it would ever get from an inventory tax –which is zero if the works aren't there to tax and small compared to the sales tax if they are. The political reason is that we can't afford to be the only state in the nation to apply this regressive assessment. The assessor who applied the tax has even agreed to testify for its repeal as he regards it as a burdensome and self defeating item. Please inform your artists and gallery about this problem and they can contact me if they wish to support what must be a statewide effort. See you next issue. Your not so humble servant, Charlie Smith Poet and Arts Advocate P.S. I sincerely appreciate those expressions of condolence for the loss of my dig Bandit – who, as dog people know, was a much loved member of my family. Anyone wishing to get copies of the poems and journal I wrote about my eternal puppy is welcome to them, just email me at artzlobbyist@aol.com. Back to Newsletter Top
Lost in Yonkers Mark your calendars for March 3-March 19 Thursday- Sunday for Lost in Yonkers, by Neil Simon. It is 1942. Eddie, a widower, is panic stricken when he has to persuade iron-clad Grandma Kurnitz to take in his two young sons Jay and Artie so he can travel to a new Defense job to earn money for his family. There we also meet Aunt Bella, slightly simple in the head, Uncle Louie, a small-time gangster, and Aunt Gert, so tyrannized that she forgets to stop talking whenever she breathes in. The varied characters of Lost in Yonkers exhibit various forms of survival techniques: Uncle Louie's "moxie," the boys' refuge in a mixture of one-liners and late-night forays to the candy store for ice cream, Bella's constant search for unconditional love and acceptance, and Gert, locked in the past with all it's dysfunctionalism. Grandma Kurnitz, however, is made of steel, born out of a resolve to survive and live through the pain of survival. It is precisely this conflict that brings humor to the play, as each member of the family struggles to survive old wounds from their childhood in Yonkers. At the core of it, Lost in Yonkers is a play about finding one's way through the tangled webs of familial relationships and attempting to survive life without losing the sense of self. For more information please call 291-1122 or email citelafayette@aol.com. Back to Newsletter Top
LPN Membership Campaign The Louisiana Presenters Network (LPN), the organization which will connect you to each venue in the state of Louisiana, and could connect you to the world. The LPN would like to be a familiar organization to all of you who are presenters. The LPN List-serve, the state-wide-Calendar and the XML connection are most beneficial tools that are included in your membership. Membership Dues for presenters are based solely on the "performing-artists fees" paid in the latest fiscal year. However, if an artist would like to be a member, that fee is based on "in-state and out-of-state," or an affiliate (artist management, service organization, council, etc.), would like to be a member, it too is based on "in-state and out-of-state;" but these two categories are "non-voting" members. Your Membership Fees are due in January of each year, and they are good through December 31 of that same year. If you have any questions, please call Naomi Cordill at 1-888-338-1501. Back to Newsletter Top
Husband and Wife Artists Provide Metalsmithing Demo at March Arts Market Visit the Baton Rouge Arts Market on Saturday, March 5 from 8 a.m. – 12 noon at 5th at Main Street to see distinctive and original work created by talented artists from throughout south Louisiana and Mississippi. In March, see demonstrations by husband and wife Arts Market artists Pat and Suzanne Juneau of Scott, Louisiana. Suzanne creates jewelry in bronze, silver and copper and says, "My favorite technique when making jewelry is brazing, in which I can draw using fire and metal. There is nothing more amazing than looking into the cone of an acetylene and oxygen flame and watch the metal become ductile and then flow in a bright line as if drawn by a brush. Color is added to the repertoire by using different combinations of copper, bronze, and silver. Gems and enamel can be added to the piece and the palette is expanded further." Pat Juneau is a contemporary American folk artist currently working in painted steel. Works include hanging & standing sculpture and furniture. "I have been working in metal for 30 years. For a good deal of this time I made jewelry, I also cast large bronze sculptures and worked on perfecting my blacksmithing skills. For the past 10 years I have worked in constructed steel doing several large outdoor public sculptures. I work alone and consider this to be the only way to true artistic freedom and expression." See Suzanne and Pat and 40 other artists with who will have jewelry, pottery, metal sculpture, birdhouses, wind chimes, hand knit garments, photography, hand-made soaps, and lots more for sale! The Arts Market regularly features free children's art activities from 9:00 am until 12:00 noon at the Arts Market's Kids Booth. The Baton Rouge Arts Market is held in conjunction with the weekly Red Stick Farmers' Market and the Main Street Market. During inclement weather, the markets are held in the Galvez Parking Garage at 500 Main Street. For more information, call Katherine Scherer at the Arts Council at 225/344-8558. Back to Newsletter Top
Calendar of Upcoming Events
Monday, March 21, 2005 Executive Committee Meeting 4:00 pm Best Western Richmond Suites Tuesday, March 22, 2005 Partnership Meeting 10:00 am The Bankers Center Tuesday, May 17, 2005 Executive Committee Meeting 9:00 am Location to be Announced Tuesday, May 17, 2005 Partnership Meeting 1:00 pm Location to be Announced	Tuesday, May 17, 2005 Legislative Event 5:30 pm Location to be Announced Wednesday, May 18, 2005 Louisiana Arts Conference 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Location to be Announced Wednesday, May 18, 2005 Governor's Arts Awards 5:30 p.m. Location to be Announced
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The Tatman Group The Tatman Group is here to meet your association’s needs. Please contact Paula Laird, your association management specialist, with any questions or suggestions you may have to better serve you. Our contact information is below:
The Tatman Group 4707 Bluebonnet Blvd., Suite B Baton Rouge, LA 70809 P.O. Box 82531 Baton Rouge, LA 70884 Phone: (225) 767-7640 Fax: (225) 767-7648	DavidTatman david@tatmangroup.com Ashley Mendoza ashley@tatmangroup.com Nicole Hidalgo nicole@tatmangroup.com Keli Ourso keli@tatmangroup.com Randi Viloria randi@tatmangroup.com Debbie Bliek debbie@tatmangroup.com
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