Through the presentation of regional, national and international artists and legendary performers, the Northeast Louisiana Arts Council plays a vital and important role in audience development, with accessible programming as a main priority. Council programs introduce the regional community to new art forms, emerging talent and culturally diverse presentations.

Brown Bag Concerts

Begun in 1983, these delightful concerts are eagerly anticipated by artists and audiences alike. Held in downtown Monroe at the Anna Gray Noe Park each Wednesday during April and October, these noontime breaks feature local artists performing a wide variety of music offering something for young and old, light classical and contemporary palates.

Sponsorships

The NLAC administers Arts funding for the Cities of Monroe and West Monroe by sponsoring cultural events within each city’s boundaries which will impact the greatest number of their citizens and for the state of Louisiana through the Decentralized Arts Funding Program. With additional monies provided by area corporations and through the Arts Council's fund raising activities, these matching grants allow established and emerging groups in Region 8 to expand projects with a goal of reaching a greater cross section of our 11-parish community.

Emerging Artist
Scholarship Program

Because the Louisiana Division of the Arts Fellowships and Artist Mini-grants are geared toward the more established artists, the Board saw a need to provide similar funding to young artists who have displayed talent and the desire to pursue a professional career in the arts.  These scholarship funds are  distributed by the Executive Committee through a non-competitive process to enable a young artist to attend non-degree programs, residencies and workshops sponsored by institutions that have a reputation for excellence, having gained respect in their respective disciplines.

To be considered for a scholarship, these young artists must be recommended by the artistic director of a Region 8 arts organization or by a professor at the college level.  A cash match must be provided by the sponsoring organization or mentor as evidence of their belief in the artist’s ability and the merit of the recommended program. 

Since its inception, seven scholarships have been awarded to enable individuals to attend summer workshops by such respected institutions including the Joffrey Ballet School, the Kirov Ballet School, the Seagle Music Colony and at the ASCAP Film Scoring Seminar at NYU Steinhardt School’s Department of Music and Performing Arts Professions and the UC - Berkley Film and Television School.

ArtsWorks

Many businesses, volunteers, and artists have significantly impacted the cultural landscape of Region 8.  Through these mutually beneficial partnerships, residents of our area enjoy the arts, right in their own back yards through our ballet, symphonies, theatres, choruses, museums and numerous presenter organizations. 

In 1986, in order to acknowledge these contributions, NLAC established awards of merit which are now presented annually at ArtsWorks.  Regional arts organizations submit nominees for Volunteer of the Year, Business of the Year, and Outstanding Artist.  Because of the variance in arts and business infrastructures in Ouachita and the rural parishes, two awards are presented in the volunteer and business categories to bring equality to the perspective of the amount of support in rural areas.

 

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