The Southern Review and LSU to hold open forum

On Thursday, April 5th, LSU Press and The Southern Review will host a free presentation and open forum at the Central School Arts & Humanities Center theatre from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Louisiana Bound will be a discussion about Louisiana’s premier academic book publisher and literary journal. Mary Katherine Callaway, Director of LSU Press, will discuss the history and work of these two literary giants. Judy Kahn and Nolde Alexius will also speak about their book, Best of LSU Fiction, which examines the literary history of LSU.

Since 1935, LSU Press, a non-profit organization and the state's premier academic publisher, has dedicated itself to publishing works of the highest intellectual and creative merit and educating readers about the rich cultural assets and achievements of Louisiana. Also founded in 1935, The Southern Review is LSU's distinguished literary journal. Published quarterly, the journal features fiction, poetry, critical essays, interviews, book reviews, and excerpts from novels in progress.

These discussions will be followed by a reception with wine and light hors d'ouevres and a chance for guests to meet the speakers. This event is made possible by Donna & Rick Richard, III / Empire of the Seed Historic Properties, and the Arts & Humanities Council of Southwest Louisiana. For more information or to RSVP, email pblevasseur@lsu.edu or call 225-578-6416.

Arts Funding At Risk!

Dear Friends and Arts Supporters,

Louisiana Citizens for the Arts (formerly Louisiana Partnership for Arts Advocacy) has been mobilizing individual artists, cultural organizations, and widespread arts enthusiasts for more than 19 years. The organization has been key to buildinga strong grassroots network of well-informed arts advocates, who in turn have been successful in persuading Louisiana's legislature to invest in arts funding. We adopted a new name to better portray our mission: Louisiana Citizens for the Arts. The new name correctly identifies the fuel that drives its establishment ─ you, Louisiana's citizens.

Last month, Governor Jindal released the proposed executive budget which reduces this past fiscal year's arts funding by 33%. To have any chance of restoring this funding, we must have the participation of every self-proclaimed arts advocate in the state. Compared with funding levels from fiscal year 2009, the proposed budget slashes arts funding by nearly 60%.

In years past, when we needed you most, you sent more than 40,000 emails to Louisiana legislators. In response, the Senate Finance Committee listened. When you told our legislators that arts funding should be considered an economic development tool and not just a quality of life issue, they heard you and restored funding to the arts industry in Louisiana. This year, we'll need your help again! In addition to writing legislators, you can join us on May 16th for Arts Advocacy Day in the Capitol's rotunda. More information on this lively demonstration of the value of our creative communities will come soon.

If you haven't yet joined as a member, please consider doing so. Visit our website to join or to find out more information about the Louisiana Citizens for the Arts at www.louisianacitizensforthearts.org. Individual membership starts at just $25 per year. Considering how much good comes from this organization, $25 is a steal!

Signed,

Christie Weeks, Chair
Matt Young, Vice Chair for Advocacy
Kevin Hayes, Legislative Lobbyist

The Louisiana Citizens for the Arts is supported solely by donations from citizens, businesses, and organizations who believe the arts are essential to our Louisiana economy, identity, and way of life.

Renowned Artist Alan Flattmann to Conduct Workshop

New Orleans artist Alan Flattmann will conduct a two day oil painting workshop from April 14th and April 15th at the Creative Arts Center located at Associated Louisiana Artists at 106 W. Pryce Street in Lake Charles. Flattmann's career spans over forty years, and he has become one of the most influential and recognizable artists in the country. 

Flattmann's work has been published in numerous art books and magazines, and it has been featured in over sixty solo exhibits and group shows across the world. He is best known for his depictions of New Orleans, and he has led painting tours in Greece, Ireland, and Italy, just to name a few.

The fee for this workshop is $200, and students of all levels and abilities are welcome to participate. To register, call Nancy Czejkowski at (337) 855-9202 or call Gallery by the Lake at (337) 436-1008.

Banners Series Heats Up

The McNeese Banners Cultural Series has, in short, brought an international stage to Lake Charles with a constant cycle of events each Spring that offer renowned musicians, dancers, performers, writers, poets, and historians. This year is no exception, and despite Banners director Mary Richardson retiring, Banners has no plans to lose steam and will continue giving the Lake Area a wider perspective of the world.


On Saturday, March 24th, Banners will present a unique world music performance by Samite in the New Theater at the Shearman Fine Arts Center at 7:30 p.m. Joseph Shabalala, founder and leader of Ladysmith Black Mamabzo, said, "When you hear the music of Samite, the soul of Africa is revealed to you." A refugee from Uganda, Samite sings about his difficult and inspiring tale with grace, warmth, and wit. He sings in a bright, sweet tenor, often accompanied by thumb pianos (kalimba), flute, guitar, marimba, and percussion instruments.


Following this, Banners offers weekly performances and events through May of a fantastic spectrum of entertainment and art forms. For more information, visit www.banners.org or call (337) 475-5123.

Live @ the Lakefront Continues!

Live @ the Lakefront officially opened last Friday at the Arcade Amphitheater, and the Lake Area's newest music festival will continue this Friday, March 23rd, for the second concert in its three-part series with performances by Grammy-nominated Cajun band Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys and local indie band Bobcat.


Live @ the Lakefront is presented by the Arts & Humanities Council of Southwest Louisiana and the City of Lake Charles, and it seeks to celebrate and showcase local talents through a full-fledged music festival for the Lake Area. A third concert with City Heat and Iberville High Life will follow on Friday, March 30th.


This Friday's concert is sponsored by Tobacco Free Living and will be held at the Arcade Amphitheater on the Lakefront Promenade from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. It will also feature Lake Area food vendors, children's entertainment, and beverage sales as well as booths showcasing one-of-a-kind local art from a variety of art mediums. Festival-goers can spread a blanket on the amphitheater's grassy hill and listen to the best live music around with the lakeshore scenery and cool March weather as the perfect backdrop.


Live @ the Lakefront acts as a fundraiser for the arts in Southwest Louisiana with proceeds from all Coke, Budweiser, Miller, and wine sales going directly to the Arts Council's efforts to support area arts and cultural initiatives and endeavors.


Mayor Randy Roach and Patricia Prudhomme, director of Tobacco Free Living, will open the festival with a welcome from the stage at 6 p.m. Local indie band Bobcat will follow. The band rose from the ashes of several area bands including Canvas Red and Silicon Warriors, and despite beginning as a cover band, Bobcat quickly changed directions and has been working hard at composing strong original songs that have been described by Chris Shearman of LakeCharles.com as "rockin' but introspective. Confident, but not too serious." Their efforts have yielded their explosive debut album ATTACK which can be found on iTunes.

With eleven albums created from a cross-pollination of Cajun, zydeco, and swamp pop sounds, Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys easily secured a Grammy nomination for their 2011 album Grand Isle which has been critically acclaimed by The Huffington Post, NPR, The Examiner, and the Chicago Sun-Times, just to list a few. With Riley at the forefront, who is perhaps the most skilled accordion player performing today, the band comes straight out of Mamou and is steeped in an entire history of Cajun music. Riley’s searing, emotional vocals are seamlessly tied to his strong songwriting, onstage charisma, and soulful fiddle solos, and paired with Kevin Wimmer, Sam Broussard, Kevin Dugas, and Brazos Huval, the band has become one of the first thoughts that come to mind when one thinks of Cajun music.

The City of Lake Charles Department of Recreation & Parks will host an extensive children’s entertainment area for each of the three concerts. From 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., parents can bring their children to the Arcade Amphitheater for fun jumps, spin art, lawn connect four, coloring table, Putt Putt Golf, and more.

Live @ the Lakefront is co-presented by the Arts Council and the City of Lake Charles and is made possible by Deep South Productions and generous sponsorships from Isle of Capri Casino Hotel, JPMorgan Chase, and Tobacco Free Living. Event partners include Townsquare Media, Gator 99.5, Coca-Cola, 107 JAMZ, Cajun Radio, KISSFM, 92.9 The Lake, the Porch Coffee House & Café, American Press, Lake Charles Convention & Visitors Bureau, Knight Media Printing, Southwest Daily News, the Jambalaya News, Lagniappe, Thrive Magazine, KPLC, Beverage Sales, Southwest Beverage, and Redfish Rental.


The festival is free to the public, and no outside food or ice chests are allowed. For more information, contact the Arts Council at 337-439-ARTS or visit www.artsandhumanitiesswla.org.

Live @ the Lakefront is Here!

The music event that everyone has been talking about is finally here! Live @ the Lakefront hits the Arcade Amphitheater stage tomorrow night from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. with a great array of live music with local ties. Starting at 6 p.m., New Wave band Certain Satellites will take the stage followed by SWLA native Wendy Colonna at 7 p.m. Country-infused Southern rock band Twangsters Union will headline the night at 8 p.m.

Isle of Capri Casino is sponsoring our first concert, so be sure to give them much love when you come tomorrow! Spread a blanket on the grassy hill at sunset and let the cool March breeze and the live music ease away the stresses from the work week. Don't forget, Live @ the Lakefront is a FREE music festival with family friendly activities for kids from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. provided by the Lake Charles Department of Recreation & Parks.

Live @ the Lakefront acts as a fundraiser for the Arts Council, so all beverage sales go directly toward benefiting the arts in Southwest Louisiana!

Explosion of Poetry at Stellar Beans

This week and weekend, Stellar Beans will offer quite literally an explosion of literary events to entice even the homebody in us all to get off the couch and experience downtown Lake Charles. On Thursday, March 15th, the coffee house's monthly poetry night will feature a reading by Chris Shipman at 7 p.m.


Shipman is the author of Human-Carrying Flight Technology (Blaze VOX), Romeo’s Ugly Nose (forthcoming from Allography Press), and co-author of Super Poems (forthcoming from Kattywompus Press). Shipman was a finalist for the 2011 De Novo Award, the 2010 Akron Poetry Prize, and the 2010 Copperdome Prize. His poems appear in Cimarron Review, Exquisite Corpse, La Fovea, Salt Hill, and The Offending Adam, among many others. Shipman has been featured on Verse Daily and has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. He is the poetry editor for Dig Magazine of Baton Rouge and teaches at Baton Rouge Community College.


On Saturday, March 17th, Stellar Beans will continue with a reading by Arthur Pfister at 1 p.m. Also known as Professor Arturo, he is from New Orleans and is a Spoken Word artist, educator, performer, editor, speechwriter and recipient of the Asante Award. He received a Master of Arts degree in Writing from Johns Hopkins University and a B.A. degree in English/Journalism from the State University of New York-College at New Paltz. Pfister, one of the original Broadside Press poets of the 1960s, has collaborated on a medley of projects with a mélange of artists including painters, musicians, photographers, dancers, singers, fire eaters, waiters, cab drivers, and other members of the Great Miscellaneous. 


He has performed his poetry, fiction, toasts and “jazz poems” on a solo basis or with musical accompaniment at Ebony Square, Vincent’s City Club, Louisiana Music Factory, the Contemporary Arts Center, the Louisiana Folklife Festival, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, the Urban League’s Annual Golden Gala, Ashe Cultural Arts Center, among many others.


Also on Saturday, Stellar Beans will be the site of another Rumble in the Chuck poetry slam competition with poets from Louisiana and Texas competing for top honors at 7 p.m.


All of these events are free and the public is invited to attend. Poetry is not censored. For more information, contact Stellar Beans at (337) 564-5739.