SWLA Arts & Humanities Calcasieu Parish Police Jury Grants $50k

By Bill Krull
Spinnaker Communications, Inc.
www.spinncomm.com


One of the judges choosing the top students in Calcasieu Parish, Hal McMillin, found that students by a huge consensus believe funding the arts takes priority over even athletics. The Calcasieu Parish Police Jury President agrees with them.

 McMillan, along with CPPJ Special Programs and Cultural Affairs Coordinator Jason Barnes and Irene Vandever, Executive Director of the Arts and Humanities Council of Southwest Louisiana, announced a $50,000 grant program to enhance and build this vital aspect of Southwest Louisiana life.

“This grant is about Calcasieu Parish and what we can do to support this critically important part of our community,” McMillin said. “The Police Jury so believes in the arts’ value that we passed this (grant) with no discussion. It needed no discussion. The money comes from riverboat gaming revenues. That’s money going right back to help Calcasieu Parish.”

The grant funds are available to all sectors of the arts community, Barnes said. “One of the greatest strengths of our corner of Louisiana is our culture. It defines who we are,” he said. “The arts and humanities sector is our super-secret economic weapon. It’s the life of our area. You know, cooking here is an art in and of itself and grant money is available for it.”

The Arts and Humanities Council will administer the funds, Vandever said. The grant monies will fund arts organizations and provide the impetus for art professionals and non-profit groups to expand and enhance their cultural activities in the parish.

While the arts may be one of those warm and fuzzies, they have a very real impact on Louisiana’s economy. The state’s cultural economy generates nearly $700 million annually, with nearly $14 in return for every dollar invested. Then, too, its contribution to the region’s quality helps retain its best and brightest people and lures new investment. Visitors to the state spend close to $6 billion each year, 3.8 percent of the State Gross Product.

“The cultural economy of Louisiana has an enormous impact on the overall economy of the state, accounting for 144,000 jobs or 7.6 percent of the employment base. Cultural economy jobs were growing over twice as fast as job growth statewide before the Katrina and Rita,” said Dabne Whitemore, representing Lieutenant Governor Mitch Landrieu and executive director of the Louisiana Cultural Economy Initiative.

The Arts and Humanities Council of Southwest Louisiana is the umbrella organization for the Arts and Humanities in the five-parish Imperial Calcasieu region. It strives to be at the “heart” of what matters with respect to the area’s cultural foundation. It is dedicated to supporting, developing and enriching all forms of cultural expression for the region. It strives to be a clearinghouse of information for artists, art organizations and the community in the region.

The Council publishes a Cultural Resource Directory with information about the artists and organizations that contribute to Southwest Louisiana’s cultural life. For more information about the grant program or the Council, call (337) 439-2787 or visit their Web site at www.artsandhumanitiesswla.org. The deadline to apply for the grant is March 2 at 5 p.m.