The City of New Orleans greatly values the contributions that artists and the cultural community make to our economy. You will find a step by step explanation of the basic procedures needed to get the first level of permits to run a cultural business. There is also specific direction on doing business in a Cultural Products District which has special tax considerations. Contact information is also included for the departments and staff members who can assist you.

All businesses, whether for-profit or non-profit, require permits to operate. These documents should help clarify that process. The City and the Landrieu administration are committed to growing the cultural economy and providing an infrastructure that supports it. If you have any questions, please contact Scott Hutcheson at 504-658-4258 or cshutcheson@nola.gov , or Alison Gavrell, Cultural Economy Project Coordinator, at 504-658-0907 or aegavrell@nola.gov .

More information below...
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Protecting your intellectual property doesn’t end at Copyright registration. Your copyright is for life, plus 70 years, but what happens when your situation changes?

Recently, the the Arts Council and Elizabeth Meneray, attorney with Meneray Family Law presented our latest webinar, Community Property/Intellectual Property. This webinar is now available for free streaming.

The webinar lasts about 18 minutes and covers:

• What community property means in Louisiana.
• Divorce and intellectual property.
• Estate Planning and intellectual property.
• How to plan ahead to protect yourself.

To view the webinar, please click here.

Like this information? Help keep it free, and put a little something in our tip jar!

These webinars are presented in part with support from the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation, and the Joan Mitchell Foundation.  

One of the exciting new features of the Arts Council's new offices is our expanded meeting facilities. The Arts Council is making our conference room available for use by our clients.

Our conference room seats 28 in board room seating, and can hold up to 40 for workshop seating. Usage is available for free for current Arts Council members during regular business hours from 9 to 5 Monday to Friday. After Hours and weekends require a $100 stipend. For non-members, the cost to rent the conference room is $20 an hour, plus any after hours fees.

To schedule your event, or to come by and tour the conference room, please contact Dolita Brown at 504-523-1465 or via email  

Spirit House and Synchronicity to be renovated by In Sight Builders

The Arts Council of New Orleans, today announced the restoration of two public art landmarks. The sculptures, Spirit House by artists John Scott and Martin Payton, and Synchronicity by artist Thomas Mann, were originally commissioned by the Percent For Art Program funded by the City of New Orleans and administered since its inception in 1986 by the Arts Council.

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How are you sharing your latest news with your audience? With email marketing from Emma, it's easy to create stylish email campaigns and online surveys, send to your audience and track the response in real time. And with Emma's free, unlimited customer service, you've got all of the expertise you'll need for a successful campaign.

Special savings for Arts Council members! When you sign up now, you'll get two months of email service free and enjoy 20% off account setup and ongoing charges.

To sign up for this offer, please email us.  

Foreign bookings are a great way for musicians to expand their audience and revenue, but they can be intimidating. What do you need to know before performing overseas? The Arts Council's latest webinar, Touring Overseas is now available for free streaming from your computer. Presented by Gary Edwards and running roughly 25 minutes, this webinar addresses:

• How to target your market.
• Balance money to exposure and potential.
• How long a trip can be taken?
• Ground rules and tips from the road.
• Merchandise and how to pay the bills.
• Passports, taxes, and international regulations.

To view this webinar, please click here.

Please keep this information Free. Donate what you can today.

This webinar is presented in part with support from the RosaMary Foundation.  

As usual, it's been a busy start to the year for the ELLA Project, and the media is taking notice! Here are some recent examples of ELLA in the news:

• NPR's Melissa Block talks with ELLA Project Supervising Attorney Ashlye Keaton and Chief Howard Miller of the Creole Wild West about Copyright protection for Mardi Gras Indians.
  
• NOLA Defender profiles Ashlye and ELLA.
  
• Offbeat names Ashlye the city's Best Music Attorney for the third year in a row at their Best of the Beat Awards.

Great to see ELLA get this recognition! For attorneys who want to volunteer with ELLA, or anyone interested in helping ensure Louisiana's artists and musicians have continued access to justice, please click here.

The ELLA Project is a partnership of the Arts Council, Tipitina's Foundation, and Tulane Law School. Along with the project partners, ELLA is supported by grants from the Louisiana Bar Foundation and a Community Impact Grant from the Greater New Orleans Foundation.  

St. Joe Lofts is a unique housing opportunity for the New Orleans artist community. Artist affordable pricing and market rate one and two bedroom housing is available. St Joe Lofts is located between St. Joseph Street and Andrew Higgins and runs through the entire length of the block, one block towards the Convention Center from Magazine Street and the WWII Museum in the Warehouse District of New Orleans. 1 Bedrooms starting at $600, 2 Bedrooms starting at $700.

For more information, and an application, please visit www.stjoelofts.com, or call 504-982-5638.

 

With the continued development of the film industry in Louisiana, television shows like Tremé and expanded opportunities in the global marketplace, there are more opportunities than ever for Louisiana musicians to get their music in film and television. What do you need to know to be prepared?

Recently, the Arts Council asked ELLA Project Supervising attorney Ashlye Keaton to present a webinar on this topic. Running about 23 minutes, this webinar is now available for free streaming and covers:

• How music is selected for film and television.
• The role of music supervisors.
• Who controls the copyright?
• What exactly are master use and synchronization licenses?
• Case studies of successful usage of Louisiana music in film and television.

To view this webinar, please click here.

Find this information useful? Then please donate what you can today!

This webinar is made possible by support from the RosaMary Foundation.  

“Aluminum Attitudes,” a public art sculptural work by New Orleans artist, Dr. Arthur J. Silverman is receiving a much needed cleaning. Commissioned in 1993 by the Arts Council of New Orleans through the Percent For Art program, “Aluminum Attitudes,” is installed on the Elysian Fields neutral ground near Leon C. Simon.

“The aluminum sculptures are identical, just posed in different ways – hence, the term attitudes,” Silverman said. Since its installation, the artwork has never required major repairs. This month, a conservation team led by John Buckner of Arthur Silverman Home, LLC, is reversing years of environmental exposure and is also employing conservation measures for future preservation of the artwork. Restoration of this and other public art pieces is part of the Arts Council’s effort to restore the City’s Percent For Art collection for the benefit of the neighborhoods and communities in which they are placed.  Continued »