Acadiana Center For The Arts

FOSTERING ART AND CULTURE IN ACADIANA - THE ACA PROVIDES EDUCATION AND OUTREACH ACTIVITIES TO ALL AGES, GRANT FUNDS AND ASSISTANCE TO NONPROFITS, AND VISUAL ART EXHIBITS AND PERFORMANCES IN A STATE-OF-THE-ART FACILITY.

VISUAL ART EXHIBITS AND PERFORMANCES - ACA EMERGED FULLY FROM THE PANDEMIC LEVELS OF RESTRICTIONS ON IN-PERSON EVENTS AND PROGRAMMING BY JULY OF 2021, AND THE YEAR THAT HAS FOLLOWED HAS DEMONSTRATED THE PUBLIC'S DESIRE TO ENGAGE EAGERLY AND ACTIVELY WITH THE ACA'S OFFERINGS IN PERFORMING AND VISUAL ARTS. ACA HOSTED 10,290 DAYTIME VISITORS FOR 14 ORIGINAL ART EXHIBITIONS IN A WIDE VARIETY OF MEDIA. IN ADDITION TO THIS, ACA HOSTED APPROX. 500 STUDENTS THROUGH SCHOOL GROUP TOURS AND 6,609 VISITORS DURING THE MONTHLY FREE SECOND SATURDAY ARTWALK. THE ACA'S PREMIER EXHIBITION PROGRAM, THE MAIN GALLERY SERIES, PRESENTED STEPHANIE PATTON: COMFORT ZONE (6/1/21 TO 9/30/21), BRANDON BALLENGE: THE AGE OF LONELINESS (10/12/21 TO 1/31/22), EUGENE MARTIN: HETEROCHRONIC COLLAGES, (2/12/22 TO 5/14/22), AND LEROY EVANS: PAINTING RENT, (6/11/22 TO 8/13/22). THESE FOUR EXHIBITIONS EACH FEATURED THE WORK OF A SINGLE ACADIANA-BASED ARTIST WITH THE GOAL OF DEMONSTRATING THE VAST DIVERSITY OF WORK WITHIN EACH SINGLE LIFE'S WORK. BALLANGE AND PATTON'S EXHIBITIONS WERE MID-CAREER RETROSPECTIVES, LOOKING AT WORK THAT SPANNED DECADES FOR TWO ACADIANA ARTISTS, WHO CONTINUE TO CLIMB ON A TRAJECTORY OF INNOVATIVE WORK AND INCREASING NATIONAL RECOGNITION. MARTIN AND EVANS' EXHIBITIONS LOOKED AT THE LIFETIME OF WORK FROM TWO ARTISTS WHO PASSED AWAY IN 2005 AND 2021 RESPECTIVELY BUT WHOSE WORK AND IMPACT WAS UNDER-RECOGNIZED IN THEIR LIFETIMES-MARTIN, A BLACK POSTMODERNIST WHOSE WORK WAS OFTEN SIDELINED IN FAVOR OF HIS WHITE CONTEMPORARIES, AND EVANS, A PROLIFIC LOCAL PAINTER, WRITER, AND MUSICIAN, WHOSE STRUGGLES WITH MENTAL HEALTH AND HOUSING INSTABILITY ARE INSEPARABLE FROM THE SURREAL AND OFTEN DISTURBING IMAGES HE PAINTED IN HIS LIFETIME. OTHER EXHIBITIONS INCLUDED CONTEMPORARY AND EXPERIMENTAL ARTWORK BY UP-AND-COMING ARTISTS: JACOB TODD BROUSSARD & EMILE MAUSNER: FANTASY II IN EXILE (6/1/21 TO 11/30/21), CARRIE FONDER: LITTLE LABORS (12/11/21 TO 3/12/22), AND PAIGE BARNETT: 4-LETTER WORD, (4/25/22 TO 5/28/22). ACA'S HOSTED 5,053 TICKET BUYERS OVER THE COURSE OF THE YEAR THROUGH 21 ORIGINAL PRODUCTIONS, AVERAGING A SOLD CAPACITY OF 78% IN THE 304 SEAT JAMES DEVIN MONCUS THEATER. THIS YEAR WAS A TRIUMPHAL COMEBACK FROM PANDEMIC RESTRICTIONS AND RESCHEDULING, AND ALSO FEATURED ACA CHANGING ITS PERFORMING ARTS SEASON TO A JANUARY TO DECEMBER SCHEDULE. THROUGH THE SILENT SEATS PROGRAM, ACA CONTINUED TO PARTNER WITH AREA SCHOOLS AND SOCIAL SERVICE AGENCIES TO INCREASE ACCESS TO LIFE-CHANGING ART EXPERIENCES BY PROVIDING COMPLIMENTARY TICKETS TO 80 TARGETED INDIVIDUALS. PARTNERS INCLUDED AFFILIATED BLIND OF LOUISIANA, BIG BROTHERS & BIG SISTERS OF ACADIANA,, BOYS & GIRLS CLUB OF ACADIANA, COMEAUX HIGH, AND SLCC.

EDUCATION AND OUTREACH - ACA SERVED 24,078 STUDENTS IN 79 SCHOOLS THROUGH EIGHT DISTINCT PROGRAMS IN 2021-2022. THIS SERVICE CAME IN THE FORM OF 5,256 SESSIONS IN VISUAL ART AND CREATIVE MOVEMENT LED BY ACA TEACHING ARTISTS IN THE PRIMARY ACADEMIC AND CREATIVE EXPERIENCES (PACE) PROGRAM IN LAFAYETTE PARISH, 3,570 ARTS ENRICHMENT CLASSES IN VERMILION PARISH, 63 UNIQUE IN-SCHOOL PERFORMANCES, AND 303 SESSIONS IN THE TEACHING ARTIST PROGRAM IN BOTH LAFAYETTE AND ST. LANDRY PARISH SCHOOLS. SIX THOUSAND ATTENDEES VISITED DURING STUDENT ARTS EXPO 2022, WHICH FEATURED 30 PERFORMANCES AND 30 EXHIBITIONS, AND ACA HOSTED 20 SCHOOL FIELD TRIPS, (ART EXPERIENCES), AND 15 WEEK-LONG SUMMER CAMPS WITH A VARIETY OF CREATIVE AND ARTS FOCUSES, INCLUDING TWO WEEKS OF TRAUMA-INFORMED CREATIVE MOVEMENT FOR YOUNG PEOPLE FROM MIGRANT, HOMELESS, AND FOSTER FAMILIES. ACA HAS CONTINUED ITS VIRTUAL ART STUDIO CREATING 32 NEW, FREE ARTS- INTEGRATED VIDEO LESSONS. THIS PROGRAM WAS ORIGINALLY CREATED AS AN ONLINE CLASS FOR PANDEMIC-ERA EDUCATION BUT HAS FOUND CONTINUED SUCCESS AND SUPPORT AND HAS EXPANDED THE AWARENESS AND IMPACT OF ACA'S HIGH QUALITY EDUCATIONAL OFFERINGS. ADDITIONALLY 15 SCHOOLS WERE SERVED THROUGH THE ACA'S PLAY IT AGAIN PROGRAM, WHICH RECYCLES LIGHTLY USED INSTRUMENTS AND PLACES THEM IN THE HANDS OF STUDENTS WHO COULD OTHERWISE NOT AFFORD THEM. ACA ADDED 23 NEW INSTRUMENTS TO ITS INVENTORY THIS YEAR, WHICH CURRENTLY MAKES MUSIC EDUCATION POSSIBLE FOR 470 STUDENTS EACH YEAR.

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT - ACA PROVIDED 29 DIRECT GRANTS TO AREA ARTISTS AND NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS THROUGH FIVE GRANT PROGRAMS, WHICH AWARDED A COMBINED TOTAL OF 148,066 FOR LOCAL PROJECTS. THESE GRANT PROGRAMS INCLUDED ARTSPARK, CREATIVE ENTREPRENEUR INVESTMENT PROGRAM IN PARTNERSHIP WITH LAFAYETTE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY, THE JEAN BREAUX AWARD, A PRIVATELY FUNDED SCHOLARSHIP FOR HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE STUDENTS, THE LOUISIANA PROJECT GRANT, A FUND FOR AREA NONPROFITS CONDUCTING ARTS ACTIVITIES IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE LT. GOVERNOR'S OFFICE, AND THE LAFAYETTE ART & CULTURE OPERATIONS AND PROJECT GRANTS, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH LAFAYETTE CONSOLIDATED GOVERNMENT. PUBLIC FUNDING AND SUPPORT FOR THESE PROGRAMS HAS BEEN REDUCED DURING THE PANDEMIC AND STILL LAGS AT HISTORICALLY LOW LEVELS. ACA IS PRESSING ADVOCACY ON ALL FRONTS TO INCREASE THE FUNDING AVAILABLE FOR THESE EFFECTIVE AND MUCH NEEDED PROGRAMS. IN 2022, ACA LAUNCHED CREATIVE ACADIANA, A NEW PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM, WHICH SERVED 127 ARTISTS AND CREATIVE ENTREPRENEURS THROUGH 10 WORKSHOPS FOCUSED ON CORE BUSINESS AND ENTREPRENEURIAL SKILLS. THESE ACTIVITIES INCLUDED ARTIST FINANCES: MINDSET & MONEY (2/1/22), ARTIST FINANCES: FINANCIAL LITERACY (2/15/22), ARTIST FINANCES: TAX PLANNING (2/22/22), INSTAGRAM FOR ARTISTS (3/3/22), RELATIONSHIPS AND ECOSYSTEMS PART I (3/7/22) AND PART II (3/14/22), COMMUNITY AND OPPORTUNITIES PART I (4/4/22) AND PART II (4/11/22, SOCIAL MEDIA FOR SOCIAL PRACTICE ARTISTS (5/4/22), AND THE FUTURE OF DIGITAL STORYTELLING FORUM (6/29/22).

GENERAL PROGRAMMING