Professional Development

In celebration of its 30th anniversary, the Children’s Museum of Acadiana will launch a genre-spanning, locally rooted music series that brings Louisiana’s cultural soundtrack to life for the next generation. As the Museum honors three decades of learning through play, “Music Mosaic: A Year of Sound and Place,” reimagines its historic home exhibit (Stuffee’s house) as a stage for heritage, rhythm, and connection deepening children’s sense of place through joyful, monthly encounters with live music. It’s not just a celebration, it’s a legacy project rounding the CMA’s past in Acadiana’s future. Throughout 2026, “Music Mosaic: A Year of Sound and Place,” will occur on the first Saturday of each month from noon to 1:00 p.m. This month features Creole music by Christine Balfa ...

AcA is gearing up for this year’s Student Arts Expo on Saturday, March 14! As part of those festivities, Expo hosts an Arts in Education Roundtable dedicated to having an open community dialogue about important topics related to the arts in our schools. This year’s roundtable is centered around the topic of careers in creative fields. The purpose of this roundtable is to bring together higher education, K-12 education and the arts community to discuss preparing students for post-secondary education in the arts and building a career in a creative field. Not able to join us in person? Zoom Meeting option https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81153475148?pwd=vHbpdah2jGfW0vgGIcO9eIaRdPdOND.1Meeting ID: 811 5347 5148 Passcode: 608894 ...

Kathy Reed, whose artwork is featured in the Main Gallery exhibition 30 Years Dancing with Mind and Matter, will pull from her long-time teaching experience to present exercises and ideas that she has developed to open up students to new possibilities for creativity that are accessible to anyone. Intuition will come into play in this art experience, with exercises like quickly made analog drawings in various media, followed by responses to word prompts that are chosen by “chance” to create small works using a mixed media collage approach. Handouts will be available on design tips, collage ideas, and brainstorming. Supplies will be provided. ...

Celebrate Louisiana’s creative culture by road-tripping through the parishes of Acadiana. This free, all-ages, self-guided tour will once again showcase the inspiring spaces where creativity comes to life. Visitors will meet artists, watch live demonstrations, and experience the rich artistic heritage of Acadiana across multiple parishes. It’s a wonderful opportunity to connect with the members of the arts community, learn about others crafts, and see how our local creatives bring their visions to life! March 21-22, 2026 from 10am to 4pm ...

Join New Orleans gallery owner Matthew Showman as he discusses the ins and outs of gallery representation for visual artists. The gallery owner/artist relationship is just that, a relationship, and it needs to be actively sought out and maintained. This workshop will discuss effective ways to meet and court gallery owners, best practices to make good use of your gallery rep, and the benefits of having a gallery representative on your side. This is a beginner friendly workshop perfect for artists interested in taking the next step in their artistic career. Matthew Showman is the gallery director and co-owner of FERRARA SHOWMAN GALLERY New Orleans and President of the Arts District New Orleans. He serves as a founding board member of fstop504 Collective, assists with exhibitions and educational programming at the Reynolds Ryan Art Gallery at the Isidore Newman School, organizes quarterly incubator sessions for all sects of arts professional with community partners Antenna and Culturalyst, and maintains an independent curatorial and art consultancy practice. ...

In celebration of its 30th anniversary, the Children’s Museum of Acadiana will launcha genre-spanning, locally rooted music series that brings Louisiana’s cultural soundtrack to life for the next generation. As the Museum honors three decades of learning through play, “Music Mosaic: A Year of Sound and Place,” reimagines its historic home exhibit (Stuffee’s house) as a stage for heritage, rhythm, and connection deepening children’s sense of place through joyful, monthly encounters with live music. It’s not just a celebration, it’s a legacy project rounding the CMA’s past in Acadiana’s future. ...

Join AcA Visual Arts Director, Jaik Faulk in conversation with exhibiting artists Steve Breaux and Kathy Reed. Kathy Reed has been an artist and educator for 40+ years in the Lafayette, Louisiana area. She retired as a visual art teacher, having taught the visual art program for the Lafayette Parish High School Arts Academy, and high school classes in the Lafayette Parish School System Talent Program, teaching many teenagers who later pursued arts careers. In addition to her work in the public school system, Kathy has taught numerous workshops, both for young people and adults, in museum and gallery settings. She has strong ties to the local arts community, and was gallery manager for the late Artists’ Alliance, where she also served as president of the board of directors, and on the Programming committee. She and her husband, Steven Breaux were directors of Galerie Lafayette, which was a contemporary art gallery in downtown Lafayette. She is a practicing artist, who shows her artwork locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally. Kathy has been the recipient of grants and awards for her artwork, and written many grants for the Artists’ Alliance, as well as for her teaching programs. In addition to her individual… Read More » ...

The Dewey Balfa Cajun & Creole Heritage Week is scheduled for April 13th-17th, 2026, in the picturesque Lakeview Park in Eunice, Louisiana. Building on the core purpose, existing activities, and participant feedback from Balfa Week 2024-2025, this proposed new Culinary Creativity (Créativité Culinaire) component in 2026 will blend Louisiana food recipes, techniques and music history, sprinkled with Cajun and Creole Louisiana French language dialects. Louisiana’s traditional music, such as Cajun, Zydeco, and Swamp-pop genres, often features song lyrics that describe food and beverages within Cajun and Creole cultures. Songs like “Jambalaya” and “Chanson du Limonade” and “Lache pas la Patate” and “Cornbread” reflect cuisine in Louisiana culture. This project will emphasize the food and music connection. ...

Festival International de Louisiane (FIL) will celebrate our 40th anniversary April 22-26, 2026. As part of this milestone, we will present Krewe de Canailles (KDC) to bring street animation, theatrical performance and visual spectacle to downtown Lafayette. The project will echo the energy and scale of the earliest festival years when street animation played a much larger role. While KDC will stay true to its “canailles” (“rascal” or “riffraff”) founding principles by presenting pop-up performances as roving street acts, this project also directly responds to community feedback asking for more vibrant, visible and scheduled street performances. During festival week, Krewe De Canailles will perform at scheduled times throughout downtown, starting simultaneously at locations like Acadiana Center for the Arts, the Lafayette Science Museum and Garfield Street. These performances will take place between Thursday, April 23, and Sunday, April 26, 2026. ...

In celebration of its 30th anniversary, the Children’s Museum of Acadiana will launcha genre-spanning, locally rooted music series that brings Louisiana’s cultural soundtrack to life for the next generation. As the Museum honors three decades of learning through play, “Music Mosaic: A Year of Sound and Place,” reimagines its historic home exhibit (Stuffee’s house) as a stage for heritage, rhythm, and connection deepening children’s sense of place through joyful, monthly encounters with live music. It’s not just a celebration, it’s a legacy project rounding the CMA’s past in Acadiana’s future. Throughout 2026, “Music Mosaic: A Year of Sound and Place,” will occur on the first Saturday of each month from noon to 1:00 p.m. This month features Indie music by Mia Montero ...

CineBites is an innovative program designed to empower young filmmakers and foster creativity by providing accessible media arts education to teens. This initiative equips students with technical filmmaking skills, encourages collaboration, and provides a platform for creative expression, helping to shape the next generation of storytellers. Through hands-on workshops and mentorship, teens will gain experience in screenwriting, cinematography, editing, voice acting, lighting, and sound design—all essential skills that contribute to their artistic and career development. By engaging with local professionals and peers, participants will build industry connections, enhancing their media literacy and collaborative abilities. Participants, teens ages 12 – 17, will create 3-minute short films exploring diverse themes, genres, and styles, refining both their technical expertise and storytelling abilities. They will do this by attending one of two, week-long summer camps, each running Monday through Friday, from 9 AM to 4 PM, with a maximum of 12 students per session. Campers may choose to attend either the week of June 1, 2026, or the week of June 8, 2026. The program will conclude with a movie premiere for friends, family, and AOC Members at Cité des Arts. ...

The Vermilion Arts Experience, presented by Vermilion Reach Group, is a free, two-week, community-based fine arts summer camp designed to provide creative, educational, and enriching opportunities for youth in Abbeville, Louisiana, and surrounding rural areas. This project addresses the critical need for accessible summer programming for children and teens in Vermilion Parish, where many families face significant financial challenges and live below the poverty line. The Vermilion Arts Experience will offer classes in dance, vocal music, and visual arts, taught by experienced teaching artists from the Acadiana region. The camp will run in two sessions to provide age-appropriate instruction. ...

In celebration of its 30th anniversary, the Children’s Museum of Acadiana will launcha genre-spanning, locally rooted music series that brings Louisiana’s cultural soundtrack to life for the next generation. As the Museum honors three decades of learning through play, “Music Mosaic: A Year of Sound and Place,” reimagines its historic home exhibit (Stuffee’s house) as a stage for heritage, rhythm, and connection deepening children’s sense of place through joyful, monthly encounters with live music. It’s not just a celebration, it’s a legacy project rounding the CMA’s past in Acadiana’s future. ...

CineBites is an innovative program designed to empower young filmmakers and foster creativity by providing accessible media arts education to teens. This initiative equips students with technical filmmaking skills, encourages collaboration, and provides a platform for creative expression, helping to shape the next generation of storytellers. Through hands-on workshops and mentorship, teens will gain experience in screenwriting, cinematography, editing, voice acting, lighting, and sound design—all essential skills that contribute to their artistic and career development. By engaging with local professionals and peers, participants will build industry connections, enhancing their media literacy and collaborative abilities. Participants, teens ages 12 – 17, will create 3-minute short films exploring diverse themes, genres, and styles, refining both their technical expertise and storytelling abilities. They will do this by attending one of two, week-long summer camps, each running Monday through Friday, from 9 AM to 4 PM, with a maximum of 12 students per session. Campers may choose to attend either the week of June 1, 2026, or the week of June 8, 2026. The program will conclude with a movie premiere for friends, family, and AOC Members at Cité des Arts. ...

The Vermilion Arts Experience, presented by Vermilion Reach Group, is a free, two-week, community-based fine arts summer camp designed to provide creative, educational, and enriching opportunities for youth in Abbeville, Louisiana, and surrounding rural areas. This project addresses the critical need for accessible summer programming for children and teens in Vermilion Parish, where many families face significant financial challenges and live below the poverty line. The Vermilion Arts Experience will offer classes in dance, vocal music, and visual arts, taught by experienced teaching artists from the Acadiana region. The camp will run in two sessions to provide age-appropriate instruction. ...

In celebration of its 30th anniversary, the Children’s Museum of Acadiana will launcha genre-spanning, locally rooted music series that brings Louisiana’s cultural soundtrack to life for the next generation. As the Museum honors three decades of learning through play, “Music Mosaic: A Year of Sound and Place,” reimagines its historic home exhibit (Stuffee’s house) as a stage for heritage, rhythm, and connection deepening children’s sense of place through joyful, monthly encounters with live music. It’s not just a celebration, it’s a legacy project rounding the CMA’s past in Acadiana’s future. Throughout 2026, “Music Mosaic: A Year of Sound and Place,” will occur on the first Saturday of each month from noon to 1:00 p.m. This month features Hip Hop Music by TMM Project ...

In celebration of its 30th anniversary, the Children’s Museum of Acadiana will launcha genre-spanning, locally rooted music series that brings Louisiana’s cultural soundtrack to life for the next generation. As the Museum honors three decades of learning through play, “Music Mosaic: A Year of Sound and Place,” reimagines its historic home exhibit (Stuffee’s house) as a stage for heritage, rhythm, and connection deepening children’s sense of place through joyful, monthly encounters with live music. It’s not just a celebration, it’s a legacy project rounding the CMA’s past in Acadiana’s future. Throughout 2026, “Music Mosaic: A Year of Sound and Place,” will occur on the first Saturday of each month from noon to 1:00 p.m. This month features Singer/Songwriter Music by Mary Broussard ...

In celebration of its 30th anniversary, the Children’s Museum of Acadiana will launcha genre-spanning, locally rooted music series that brings Louisiana’s cultural soundtrack to life for the next generation. As the Museum honors three decades of learning through play, “Music Mosaic: A Year of Sound and Place,” reimagines its historic home exhibit (Stuffee’s house) as a stage for heritage, rhythm, and connection deepening children’s sense of place through joyful, monthly encounters with live music. It’s not just a celebration, it’s a legacy project rounding the CMA’s past in Acadiana’s future. Throughout 2026, “Music Mosaic: A Year of Sound and Place,” will occur on the first Saturday of each month from noon to 1:00 p.m. This month features Rock Music by Specklers ...