The Arts Council, in partnership with the Louisiana Cultural Economy Foundation (LCEF), awarded grants to five graduates of the Arts Council’s Artist as Entrepreneur program, an intensive training course focused on business and career development for visual artists. The grants were part of the LCEF’s Economic Opportunity Fund, which is intended to help cultural workers and organizations create sustainable income through the pursuit of innovative entrepreneurial opportunities. Through the Arts Council of New Orleans, matching funds totaling $10,000 were awarded to grantees of its outstanding Artist as Entrepreneur program.
The artists selected to receive funding clearly demonstrated how they would use their creative energies to pursue new entrepreneurial ventures, expanding their range of cultural products or services beyond what they currently offer. These artist entrepreneurs represent a wide range of mediums, and the grant funds they receive will enable them to take their artistic ambitions to the next level.
Photographer Donovan Fannon, to incorporate HD video footage into his nightlife and street scene photography business
Jewelry Designer Douriean Fletcher, to equip her studio with a professional jewelers bench, vise, and metalsmithing tools in order to produce higher-quality jewelry
Visual artist Christopher Kirsch, to equip his studio with relief and etching presses in order to expand his printmaking capabilities
Designer/sculptor Ross Lunz, to create ergonomic and environmentally sustainable furniture
Visual artist Erin Walters-Bugbee, to upgrade the mobile app she developed for film professionals involved in locations management
Congratulations to all the artists who received funding. We look forward to watching their projects develop and to their continued success as entrepreneurs.
For more information on the artists and their projects
Continued »
The Arts Council’s Arts Business Program is a centralized source of easy, practical business assistance for area artists, arts organizations, and arts businesses. Started in 1991, the Arts Business Program is a place where individuals and organizations can learn, grow their businesses, and exchange ideas and creative energy. In 1999, the Arts Business Program was recognized as a national model when the National Business Incubation Association named it “Business Incubator of the Year."
What is offered through the Arts Business Program?
Arts Business Program: Assistance for Organizations:
Full Arts Council Membership
Group Health Insurance, taking advantage of large group rates, is available to the full-time staff of organizational members.
Credit Union services provided through Riverland Credit Union to our members.
Technical assistance through workshops on subjects such as marketing, fundraising, board development, legal issues, strategic planning, computers and more.
Grant opportunities; the Arts Council administrates the State's Decentralized Arts Funding grant program as well as the City's Community Grant Program.
Arts Business Program: Assistance for Artists of All Disciplines:
Full Arts Council Membership
Entrepreneurial training for performing, media, literary and visual artists.
Group Health Insurance, taking advantage of large group rates, is available to the full-time staff of organizational members.
Credit Union services provided through Riverland Credit Union to our members.
Consultations, Program staff works to review your arts business plan and assist you with resources and networking
Technical assistance through consultation: staff works to review your arts business plan and assist you with resources and networking, marketing, web design, copyright issues, and more.
Who's eligible for services from the Arts Business Program?
Anyone associated with the arts of New Orleans, be it visual, performing, music, film, literary, for-profit or non-profit. Staff is available by appointment to offer consultations and advice to artists seeking to develop their careers. Workshops are open to the public, (though members receive a reduced rate)[story:lvla Louisiana Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts] services are open to Arts Council or Tipitina’s Music Co-Op members. Services such as Group Health Insurance, and Credit Union are available only to members.
How can I become a client of the Arts Business Program?
Photographer Ashley Merlin recently talked to the Arts Council about publishing her new book, Statuesque New Orleans. In this quick interview, Ashley talks about:
The book publishing process.
Publicizing her book.
Online sales.
Working with bookstores.
What artists should know before publishing their book.
At the Arts Council, we often get calls to artists that are specific to certain neighborhoods, arts disciplines, and more, and in this age of email, we may not have all your correct information. If you are not a current
Arts Council member, please take a moment and email us with your mailing address, and arts discipline, webpage, etc.so that we can make sure you're getting all the best artist opportunities.
Americans for the Arts urges all individual artists and arts organizations to register online for a free Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) number—or if they already have a D&B number, to ensure that they are accurately coded as an arts-related business.
Since 2004, Americans for the Arts has produced the Creative Industries: Business & Employment in the Arts report, a study of the nonprofit and for-profit arts-related businesses in America. In 2008, our analysis revealed that roughly 612,095 arts businesses employed 2.98 million people. But we know this is an undercount!
The Creative Industries research uses D&B data to document the number of arts-related businesses and employees in any geographical region or political jurisdiction. If you don’t have a D&B number, then you are not represented in the data. Do your part to help advance the arts in America—SIGN UP AND BE COUNTED.
Americans for the Arts has compiled step-by-step directions that will guide you through the process of registering with Dun & Bradstreet using their website. The application process takes less than 10 minutes. It’s fast and it’s free.
To take the next step, click below to obtain more information:
To Preserve the City’s Culture with Government as a Partner
Study after study has proven that at least 85% of artists are active in their community and VOTE! The Arts Council of New Orleans represents our unique community of artists. The cultural economy is the
2nd largest employer in Louisiana, and the culture of New Orleans is known worldwide.
The Arts Council of New Orleans encourages the creation of a Cultural Policy for the City of New Orleans to preserve, encourage, support and promote the cultural traditions of New Orleans. The Cultural Policy should provide culture stature and credibility, and act as a guide for city officials, artists of all mediums and for the public at large. The Arts Council recommends that the new Mayor and City administration acknowledge and undertake the following:
The National Arts Index is a highly-distilled annual measure of the health and vitality of arts in the U.S. using 76 national-level indicators of arts and culture activity. This report covers an 11-year period, from 1998 to 2008. This National Arts Index encompasses one of the largest collections of data on arts and culture in the
U.S. ever assembled. The information has been gathered from reputable government and private sector sources and covering multiple industries--nonprofit and for-profit arts organizations, artists, funding and investment, employment, attendance and personal creation, and much more.
Click here to download the pdf.
New from the Wallace Foundation, "The Qualities of Quality: Understanding Excellence in Arts Education". Harvard researchers at Project Zero explore what first-rate arts education entails and offer tools to help educators and others make smart choices about arts education in schools and communities.
To learn more about filing for tax exempt sales of original works of art within a defined Louisiana Cultural Disrict, please see
these instructions
from the Department of Culture, Recreation, and Tourism.
For the Original Works of Art form from the Dept of Revenue, please
click here.
For City of New Orleans Sales Tax Information
click here.
The Arts Council, in partnership with the Louisiana Cultural Economy Foundation (LCEF), awarded grants to five graduates of the Arts Council’s Artist as Entrepreneur program, an intensive training course focused on business and career development for visual artists. The grants were part of the LCEF’s Economic Opportunity Fund, which is intended to help cultural workers and organizations create sustainable income through the pursuit of innovative entrepreneurial opportunities. Through the Arts Council of New Orleans, matching funds totaling $10,000 were awarded to grantees of its outstanding Artist as Entrepreneur program.
The artists selected to receive funding clearly demonstrated how they would use their creative energies to pursue new entrepreneurial ventures, expanding their range of cultural products or services beyond what they currently offer. These artist entrepreneurs represent a wide range of mediums, and the grant funds they receive will enable them to take their artistic ambitions to the next level.
The Arts Council’s Arts Business Program is a centralized source of easy, practical business assistance for area artists, arts organizations, and arts businesses. Started in 1991, the Arts Business Program is a place where individuals and organizations can learn, grow their businesses, and exchange ideas and creative energy. In 1999, the Arts Business Program was recognized as a national model when the National Business Incubation Association named it “Business Incubator of the Year."
What is offered through the Arts Business Program?
Arts Business Program: Assistance for Organizations:
Anyone associated with the arts of New Orleans, be it visual, performing, music, film, literary, for-profit or non-profit. Staff is available by appointment to offer consultations and advice to artists seeking to develop their careers. Workshops are open to the public, (though members receive a reduced rate)
At the Arts Council, we often get calls to artists that are specific to certain neighborhoods, arts disciplines, and more, and in this age of email, we may not have all your correct information. If you are not a current 
To Preserve the City’s Culture with Government as a Partner
The National Arts Index is a highly-distilled annual measure of the health and vitality of arts in the U.S. using 76 national-level indicators of arts and culture activity. This report covers an 11-year period, from 1998 to 2008. This National Arts Index encompasses one of the largest collections of data on arts and culture in the
U.S. ever assembled. The information has been gathered from reputable government and private sector sources and covering multiple industries--nonprofit and for-profit arts organizations, artists, funding and investment, employment, attendance and personal creation, and much more.
