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| Heather Ryan Kelley |
Recently
two Lake Area artists, visual artist Heather Ryan Kelley and Cajun musician
Ganey Arsement, were awarded funds from the Artist Career Advancement grant with
the Office of Cultural Development in Baton Rouge. The grant, which funds up to
$3,000 per application, is designed to assist practicing Louisiana artists in a
variety of disciplines by funding projects and opportunities that propel
creative and professional growth.
Out
of over 200 applications received by the state, only 26 were awarded funding
with the total amount allocated at $68,452, and Kelley and Arsement represent
the two funded applications from Southwest Louisiana.
Kelley, an art professor
at McNeese, received a grant for a project that will focus on James Joyce’s Finnegans Wake. Kelley will create a
collage for each page of the comic novel which will collectively act as a
meditation on the novel’s motifs and symbols. Kelley was born in Connecticut
and holds a BFA in printmaking from Southern Methodist University and an MA in
painting from Northwestern State University.
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| Ganey Arsement |
Arsement,
an accordionist and vocalist for the local Cajun band the LakeSide Gamblers, received
a grant to record a sophomore CD in order to increase his exposure outside of
Louisiana. Arsement has been working in the Cajun music industry for nearly 20
years, and his music stays true to the traditional styles of Cajun music. He
has toured the world with the Grammy-nominated Basin Brothers, and the world renowned
Balfa Toujours. He teaches at Barbe High School and holds a Master of Education
from McNeese State University.
Additional
grants are offered annually for arts initiatives and projects in Southwest
Louisiana through the Arts Council, and guidelines and deadlines can be found
at www.artsandhumanitiesswla.org.
For details on other grants offered through the Office of Cultural Development,
visit www.crt.state.la.us.
For more information, contact the Arts Council office at (337) 439-2787.
