To foster the creative capacity and vibrancy of the capital region through advocacy, resources, and education.
To inspire the creative spirit, promote cultural diversity, and spotlight the unique history of the region served, encouraging individual and community involvement in the arts.
We serve an 11-parish region that includes Ascension, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberville, Livingston, Pointe Coupee, St. Helena, Tangipahoa, Washington, West Feliciana, and West Baton Rouge.
Arts I.D.E.A.S. (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, Sustainability), an initiative which cultivates, manages , and facilitates arts activities that expand awareness of, increase access to, and grow participation in and across diverse populations. Click HERE to learn more.
Established in 1973, the Arts Council endeavors to promote cultural growth, economic development, and educational enhancement through the arts in and around the 11-parish region that it serves. As the Arts Council of the Capital City, the organization serves as a hub for information and resources benefiting organizations and residents statewide.
Programs include:
Free, accessible events like Ebb & Flow Festival, River City Jazz Masters, Sunday In The Park, AC23 (the Arts Council’s Radio Show/Podcast), and Art Flow (a publicly juried statewide art exhibition virtually and in venues throughout the Baton Rouge downtown area).
Resources and professional development for creative professionals and educators, including the Louisiana Arts Summit, the Connections Visual Art Program, providing curated rotating art exhibits of local artists in local business offices; the Kennedy Center Partners in the Arts Program training educators in arts integration for core curriculum; and Baton Rouge Arts Markets, providing local artists entrepreneurial opportunities.
Arts Education opportunities, including in-school arts residencies, arts camps, art classes for seniors, homeless population, incarcerated populations in prisons and statewide facilitation of Poetry Out Loud.
Re-granting of private, municipal, and state funds for artists & arts organizations.
Arts Council has also taken leading local, state, and national roles in COVID-19 crisis with the Creative Relief program which addresses community need through an artistic lens and employs artists in answer to those needs. Arts Council reaches more than 500,000 people annually through its programs and initiatives, and directly employs or contracts with more than 250 Louisiana artists yearly.
The Abaton Calendar is a resource created for and by voice talent, to help create meaningful connections and forge and maintain professional and personal relationships. (And hopefully, have a hell of a lot of fun in the process).