Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 9, September 20, 2024
A. Believing that public support for the arts
is in the public interest, the Louisiana Legislature has created the Louisiana
State Arts Council (the council) and the Louisiana Division of the Arts (the
division) to administer state arts programs.
B. The Louisiana State Arts Council, composed
of 22 members appointed by the governor, is an advisory body to the division
regarding matters relating to support of the arts in Louisiana. The council is
responsible for making recommendations on cultural policy, for preparing an
annual state plan for the arts, for initiating and coordinating statewide arts
programs, for providing technical assistance to community and state arts
organizations, and for promoting other artistic activities in the state.
Further, the council is responsible for the allocation of arts grant
funds.
C. The Division of the Arts,
the official state arts agency, is in the Office of Cultural Development,
Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism. The division administers state
and federal funds appropriated for arts grants in Louisiana.
D. Philosophy of Assistance. The Louisiana
State Arts Council has formally adopted the following policy statement: The
arts are an essential part of life in Louisiana. Each citizen has the right to
the arts. The Louisiana State Arts Council is a catalyst for participation,
education, development, and promotion of excellence in the arts. It is our
responsibility to support established arts organizations, nurture emerging
organizations, and assist individual artists.
1. The council and division, aware that funds
are not sufficient to address all the needs of the arts in Louisiana, agree
that their resources are best used to:
a.
support organizations which have demonstrated their ability to present or to
sponsor programs of demonstrable quality and professionalism with significant
impact on the community and the state;
b. support quality arts activities which are
the result of community-based effort and planning;
c. support individual artists in their
creative work;
d. promote
consideration for the aesthetic quality of the physical environment;
e. initiate arts activities which are
statewide in scope and impact;
f.
further, the division and council believe that their role is to supplement the
resources of existing arts organizations. Grants are not to serve as the
primary source of funds for an organization.
2. Goals. The council and division have
adopted the following goals as appropriate means of achieving the ends set
forth in their philosophy of assistance:
a.
provide access to quality arts experiences to the people of
Louisiana;
b. promote a variety of
artistic activities within the state and make the arts available to every
segment of the population;
c.
assure the equitable distribution of grants to all of the arts and to all areas
of the state;
d. encourage
private-sector support of arts activities so as to enable the arts and artists
to flourish;
e. develop
partnerships between state and local arts agencies as these bodies determine
arts policy and implement projects;
f. emphasize the importance of the arts as an
integral part of basic education;
g. aid in the identification, conservation,
and presentation of Louisiana folk culture;
h. promote professionalism in the
arts.
3. Each of the
goals established by the council and division is important to the state and its
citizens.
E. Advisory
Panels
1. The council and division have
established advisory panels to assist in administering arts grant programs.
Panelists are experienced artists, arts administrators, and other professionals
knowledgeable in the arts, and are recommended by individuals, organizations,
and division staff. The council approves panelists selected by the division to
represent all geographic areas and differing aesthetic and cultural
perspectives. Appointments are for one year and may be extended to no more than
three consecutive years. Contact the division for instructions on nominating
panelists.
2. The specific
functions of advisory panels are:
a. to advise
the council and division concerning the appropriateness of levels of support
requested in grant applications;
b.
to provide ratings relative to the artistic and administrative merit of
proposed projects; and
c. to
evaluate the work of applicants for fellowships.
3. Panels review proposals in the following
areas: dance, design arts, folklife, literature, media, interdiscipline, music,
theatre, visual arts and crafts, arts in education, local arts agencies, and
major arts institutions.
AUTHORITY NOTE:
Promulgated in accordance with
R.S.
25:894 and
25:896.
