Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Nominations Sought for Mayor's Arts Awards 2012
 |
| Sue Zimmermann, Artist of the Year 2011 |
The Arts and Humanities Council of Southwest Louisiana and
the City of Lake Charles are currently accepting nominations from the public
for persons to be honored at the 2012 Mayor’s Arts Awards ceremony which is
scheduled for Friday, October 12th at 6 p.m. in the Benjamin W.
Mount Auditorium at Central School.
Categories include Artist of the Year, Citizen of the Arts,
Citizen of the Humanities, Arts Educator of the Year, Cultural Organization of
the Year, and Business/Corporate Patron of the Year. The Keystone Award is also
given to an individual who works diligently behind the scenes, without whom
programs and performances would not be possible. Abbie Fletcher was selected as
the 2011 Keystone Award recipient for her work with the Louisiana Choral
Foundation.
Mayor Roach, who is an avid
arts supporter, gives out the awards each year. Last year’s winners included
Sue Zimmermann for Artist of the Year, Knight Media Printing for Corporate Patron of the Year,
and McNeese Banners Cultural Series and Lake Charles Civic Ballet who shared
the Arts Organization of the Year.
The Mayor’s Arts Awards offers the public the opportunity
to recognize the individuals, groups, and organizations of Southwest Louisiana
that have invested countless hours and continuous efforts to make our region a
gravitational center for tourism, new businesses, and artists through the
development of local arts and culture.
 |
| Mary Richardson of Banners, Arts Organization of the Year Co-recipient 2011 |
Those who wish to nominate an organization, individual, or
group should send a letter providing the nominator’s name and full contact
information along with the name of the nominee, a statement of why that
person/group/organization is being nominated, and the contact information for
the nominee.
You may mail your nomination to the Arts and Humanities
Council at P.O. Box 1437, Lake Charles, LA, 70602. You may also e-mail your
nomination to director@artsandhumanitiesswla.org
or fax to 439-8009. All nominations must be received in the Arts Council
office no later than Friday, September 14, 2012. For more information
about this year’s Mayor’s Arts Awards, call the Arts Council at 439-2787.
Monday, August 27, 2012
Onxley Returns from Julliard Workshop
Kerry A. Onxley was accepted as a recipient of The Juilliard
School’s Directing Workshop for Theatre Educator’s in New York City. Only 15 participants across the United States
were selected for this prestigious honor.
Onxley attended the school in July.
The program entailed an intense theatre study using workshops and
rehearsal sessions led under the guidance of professional mentors and the
artistic director of The Juilliard School.
The sessions were based on Shakespeare’s language structure and
spontaneity. Using Shakespeare
materials, the study concentrated on preparing to rehearse, research and text
analysis. Unique directing styles were
also reviewed.
Onxley applied for the theatre schooling in February, 2012
and was notified in May, 2012 that he had been accepted.
Participants were also given the opportunity to direct
Juilliard students in a variety of scenes. For 2 days, members directed
Juilliard students in the balcony scene, the fight scene and the lark scene of Romeo and Juliet. Participants were divided into small groups
with a mentor for each group to evaluate every directing decision made by the
participant.
The Juilliard School is
located in the Lincoln Center for the
Performing Arts in New York City and is a performing
arts conservatory which was established during 1905. The
school currently trains about 800 undergraduate and graduate students in dance,
drama, and music. Notable stars as
Kelsey Grammer, Robin Williams, Christopher Reeve and Kevin Spacey have
graduate from this famous institution. Accepting only 18 students
per year with tuition at $55,000.00 per semester, it is the premier school in
theatre training in the world.
According to Onxley, “The Juilliard School was the most
intensive study of any subject matter I have ever encountered. The training was invaluable and will be
everlasting. I will bring home from The
Juilliard School so many innovated ideas and new methodology I can use every
day with my theatre students.”
Onxley is the Director of Theatre
at the Westlake High School Theatre Department and has worked as a theatre
specialist for the Calcasieu Parish School System for 26 years. His acting
student Joshua Ledet recently was a finalist for American Idol. He co-wrote the theatre arts curriculum for
the Louisiana State Department of Education and serves as an evaluator for the
Talented Arts Program for the state. He
has been involved in the leadership tier with the Educational Theatre
Association, an organization dedicated to the high school thespians, for over
20 years. Additionally, Onxley is artistic director for
The Children’s Theatre Company.
Friday, August 24, 2012
Gold Key Quest Winners Announced!
The Arts and
Humanities Council of Southwest Louisiana would like to congratulate the ten
winners of its annual Gold Key Quest raffle drawing which was held on Saturday,
August 18th during the council’s third annual Arts & Crabs Fest
at the Lake Charles Civic Center. Each event has proven to be a wild success;
Arts & Crabs Fest was a sold out event and featured local artists and area
restaurants through an interactive art walk and an extensive crab dish and
Abita beer tasting.
Gold Key Quest winners
and prizes include: Knight Media Printing - $10,000 Cash Grand Prize, provided in part
by Bolton Ford; Carla Broussard - Golf Getaway for two, provided by L’Auberge
Lake Charles Casino Resort. Mary Richardson - $1,000 Visa gift card provided by
First Federal Bank of Louisiana. May Gray - original Marilyn Cox Oil Painting
provided by Marilyn Cox. Sally and Fred
Cappel - Crawfish Farm Excursion and Boil for Six provided by Burt Tietje of
Tallgrass Farms; Deborah Lebeau -
Rejuvenating Getaway for Two provided by L’Auberge Lake Charles Casino
Resort. M.G. Stream - Customized
Bracelet by Bijoux Fine Jewelers.
Senator Dan Morrish - A “Gator on the Geaux” provided by Margaret
Benoit. Randy Robb - Toshiba Satellite
Dual-Core Laptop provided by Walmart on the Bayou. Billy Blake - Guided Fishing Tour and Overnight
Stay with Dinner for Two at Grosse Savanne Lodge provided by the Sweet Lake
Land & Oil Company.
The Arts Council of Southwest Louisiana would like to thank everyone who participated in this years Gold Key Quest drawing. For more information about Gold Key Quest or
Arts & Crabs Fest, contact the Council office at (337) 439-ARTS or visit us at www.artsandhumanitiesswla.org
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
September Calls For Artists!
Chaos Theory 2012, The Art of Video Games - Deadline September 1st 2012
The Henning Cultural Center in Sulphur is seeking talented artits to feature in its 2012 Chaos Theory Exhibit. Each year tattoo artists, illustrators, photographers, graphic designers and comic book illustrators gather under one roof to create an art show unlike any in the area. Dealine for submissions: September 1st 2012. For more information contact Manuel@BrimstoneMuseum.org or call
337-527-0357.
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Gift of Sight - Deadline September 22, 2012
The Southern Eye Bank (SEB) is now accepting submissions for its 65th anniversary celebration. Submissions will express your creative individuality as you share what the Gift of Sight, as given through transplantation, means to you.
First prize will be awarded to the piece that best conveys the meaning of the Gift of Sight as judged by Southern Eye Bank personnel and board members. All art should be two dimensional wall art, any medium or mixed media. The three winning entries will become the property of Southern Eye Bank and SEB will retain copyright for public relation purposes. First place will be a $500 cash prize, Second and Third place will be a $250 cash prize.
For additional information please contact Joy Fragola at 337-781-8302 or jfragola@southerneye.net
Adress: Southern Eye Bank, 850 Kaiste Saloom Road, Suite 109 Lafayette, LA 70508.
Monday, August 6, 2012
Arts & Crabs Fest Menu and Pairings Announced!
Expect to experience the best of SWLA with an exclusive crab tasting featuring ten of your favorite Lake Area restaurants with each of the crab dishes paired with an Abita beer to complement its local flavors. To top things off, zydeco legend Terrance Simien & the Zydeco Experience will perform at 6 p.m. with Skipper Drost & the Six Dollars a Day Band opening up the fest at 4 p.m. We will have over a dozen local artists displaying their work as well as many artisanal vendors selling handmade jewelry, Scentsy candles, and other crafts.
A $25 wristband allows you access to the festival and its crab/beer tasting, and only a limited number will be sold, so buy yours before we sell out! Wristbands can be purchased in person at the Arts Council office at Central School, over the phone at 439-ARTS, or online at www.artsandhumanitiesswla.org.
Arts & Crabs Fest Menu and Abita Beer Pairings
121 Artisan Bistro
Mona Lisa Pasta
paired with Abita Light
Cajun Café
Crab-Stuffed Mushrooms
paired with Abita S.O.S.® (Save Our Shore)
Coyote Blues
Crab, Corn & Poblano Soup
paired with Abita Jockamo IPA®
Dairy Barn
Crab & Shrimp Étouffée
paired with Abita Turbodog®
David Janca, Personal Chef
Lac des Allemands Crab Stew
paired with Abita Amber
The Harlequin Steaks & Seafood
Crab Ceviche
paired with Abita Purple Haze®
The Pioneer Club
Mini Crab Cakes with Smoked Paprika Aioli
paired with Abita 25th Anniversary Double Dog
The Porch Coffee House & Café
Crab Casserole
paired with Abita Abbey Ale
Pronia's Deli
Assorted Cakes
paired with Abita Andygator®
Street Breads
Crab Bisque
paired with Abita Golden
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
The Film Making Renaissance of Southwest Louisiana
Last week the Arts Council of Southwest Louisiana's monthly board meeting featured Clay Hebert making a presentation on behalf of Lake Charles' own John Veron of Sternwood & MacGuffin, a Los Angeles-based film production company, in its cultural spotlight segment. Clay enlightened the board on all things Sternwood & MacGuffin including the upcoming release of East Stackton, as well as many exciting ideas regarding the up and coming film industry in Louisiana.
East Stackton is a short horror film shot primarily in the Southwest Louisiana area. According to Veron, a founder of Sternwood & MacGuffin and the producer of East Stackton, the film cost roughly $50,000 to produce and looks like it cost three times as much thanks mostly to the production value of our local atmosphere. Along with the great scenery and colorful local businesses, John commented on the immense local talent here in the Lake Area, reporting that every part but one in East Stackton was filled by a local actor.
John and Clay both agree that the potential for growth in the film industry here in Southwest Louisiana is vast. Veron commented that it seems every time he is speaking with a producer in L.A., they talk about some new project they are shooting in New Orleans or Shreveport, and that there is absolutely no reason why this cannot be the case with Southwest Louisiana. The reason we are such fertile ground for film production has to do partly with our tax environment, which according to John, "is the most favorable tax environment for filmmakers in the country." John went on to tell us that if he spends over 1 million dollars on a film, he receives 30% of that money back in the form of tax breaks.
The second reason for the burgeoning film industry here in Southwest Louisiana is the incredible number of eager young professionals in this state who are willing to do great work on set. John had this to say on the matter; "When I show people our movie out in L.A., they all say the same thing: our locations look great, and we're incredibly lucky we got that many background actors. Other than some big-city, skyscraper stuff that you'd have to shoot in New Orleans, the Lake Area offers everything you'd need to put together a great looking low-budget production."
The film industry has an incredible amount to offer our area in artistic terms, as well as monetarily. It was so inspiring to hear John and Clay rave about the quality and abundance of local talent here in our town, and to let us in on all the current film projects that are happening all around us at this very moment. To me, however, the most exciting aspect of their presentation was the potential for monetary benefit to our community through the production of film here in Southwest Louisiana. It seems to me that just as film making is arguably the most expensive form of artistic expression, it also yields arguably the highest return on investment in our community. There term "Cultural Economy" is one that you will be hearing much of in the near future if you haven't already. Don't be surprised if the film industry plays a key role in the re-emergence of art as a viable and reliable form of economic advancement in and throughout Southwest Louisiana.
To learn more about East Stackton visit their website at www.eaststackton.com
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