Fat City Friends and Mural Selection Committee have chosen the Arts Council of New Orleans to coordinate the murals that will be painted in the neighborhood. These organizations believe the murals will attract visitors and businesses to the area which have consequently benefited the local economy. Fat City Friends, Jefferson Chamber of Commerce and the Jefferson Parish Council want to support and celebrate this inspired energy by continuing to promote the arts locally and beyond. The project is being funded by Council District Tourism Funds from Councilwoman Cynthia Lee-Sheng.The murals will be located on the highly visible walls of restaurants, retail stores, residential locations and various other Fat City businesses spread throughout the community. The murals, though not related by a common theme, will create a visual identity that unifies the neighborhood, catches the attention of residents and visitors, and inspires creative thought.
The Arts Council is currently compiling a list of potential mural artists from our Visual Artist Registry and from the proposals already submitted to Fat City Friends through the initial RFQ process. If you would like to be added to the list please contact Morgana King via email by August 15, 2014: mking@artscouncilofneworleans.org
Dirty Linen is presented by the Arts Council of New Orleans with support from IBERIABANK and Hendrick’s Gin. On Saturday, August 9th from 6 – 10 p.m. nine blocks of Royal Street galleries and boutiques will be open their doors for revelers to experience the best of French Quarter art.
After Royal Street shops close, the Lux Lounge at Latrobe's offers the perfect way to turn up the heat. The official Dirty Linen after party organized by the Arts Council and hosted at the iconic French Quarter landmark, the Lux Lounge at Latrobe’s (403 Royal Street) opens from 9pm-midnight.
Arts Council of New Orleans and Circus Now, a national organization dedicated to promoting and progressing the circus arts in America, are proud to announce “circus arts” as a new form of artistic eligibility on the upcoming Arts Council 2014 New Orleans artist grant applications. The Arts Council of New Orleans will be the first US arts council to adopt such a category, which signals New Orleans interest in becoming a nationwide leader in circus performance and practice.
According to grant documentation, circus artists will now be eligible to apply for project support through the City of New Orleans’ Community Arts Grants program, wherein the circus arts are defined as “a form of performing art in which the instrument of artistic expression is the body's precise movement, which is based on circus technique and is combined with objects or instruments from a circus discipline.” Other countries, including Finland and France, as well as the province of Quebec, have made similar funding adjustments to recognize the validity of the circus as a performing art and support the creation of emerging artistic circus.
"For forty years now, the circus in America has been booming as an art and a social practice. The decision by the Arts Council marks a new stage in legitimacy for the art," Duncan Wall, Circus Now National Director said. "It's concrete proof that America is waking up to the idea that circus isn't dance, and it isn't theater, that there are completely unique possibilities for it as an art form."
The announcement comes in the midst of a surge in circus practice and performance, both in America and abroad. Around the country, over 1,000 programs now offer circus arts training. Prestigious venues, including BAM and the Spoleto Festival, have added creative circus programming.
This program is supported in part by funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Arts Council of New Orleans today names E. Tiffany Adler as Chair of the Board of Directors. In this position Adler will support the Arts Council’s work to facilitate awareness and investment in the role that arts and culture play in advancing civic life.
A member of the Arts Council board since 2011, Adler has played a leading role in the Arts Council’s most public community events. She has served as Chair of the 2012 Community Arts Awards, an annual celebration honoring lifetime and exceptional achievement in the arts, in addition to developing Lux Lounge, which premiered in 2013 as the official Dirty Linen, One Hot Night after party.
“Tiffany brings a transformative vision to Art Council, recognizing the community-wide benefit of public art in the new proposed airport and as part of a healthy environment in our new hospitals,” Arts Council President and CEO Kim Cook said. “She is equally committed to grassroots cultural activities, which she demonstrates through her passion for Hollygrove Market and participation as a musician in New Orleans Concert Band.” 
Hello folks, meet Dolita Brown. You may recognize Dolita’s welcoming smile from the Arts Market information tent or, up until a few weeks ago, from her post at the front of the Arts Council office. You may have thought Dolita was our receptionist— but she is so much more to the Arts Council.
As Membership Manager, Dolita has revamped our membership program and boldly set a goal to DOUBLE ARTS COUNCIL MEMBERSHIP BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR.
Why this year? We have a new CEO and lots of ideas for enhancing the local arts community so we think there’s no better time to welcome new friends into the Arts Council. And besides, as patient and sweet as Dolita is, she’s a real go-getter and thinks it’s about time that folks realized how cool the Arts Council really is.
We need your help to reach Dolita’s goal. Over the next few weeks we will introduce you to our newly expanded staff, let you know what we’re up to and share our reasons to gain your support. So whether you’ve lapsed in membership or never signed up before, we hope you plan to join the Arts Council as an official member in 2014. After all, who couldn’t use a few more friends?
