Professional Development

Calling all individual creatives! Are you looking for financial support to produce a new creative project? This is an opportunity to learn about or refresh yourself on the program goals for the 2025 cycle of ArtSpark. Presentation will include changes to this years cycle. This session will also cover the guidelines for submission and expectations if you receive the award. There will be an opportunity for you to ask questions about the program and any specific questions you have about the project you’re planning. DUE TO WEATHER, THIS SESSION WILL BE HELD ONLINE ONLY. THIS WILL ALSO BE RECORDED. AcA is committed to making our programming as accessible as possible. This Creative Acadiana session will be in-person, streamed and recorded. If you require your accessibility needs addressed, please contact community@acadianacenterforthearts.org ahead of the session to discuss.  ...

Join 2024 ArtSpark recipients Milton Arceneaux (photography), Yeon Choi (animation), and Jessalyn Newton (mural painting) as they take you through their ArtSpark projects step-by-step. Learn about how they came up with their idea, framed it to fit into the scope of the ArtSpark program, developed their budget, pulled together their teams, and executed their projects. This is a free event. RSVP is appreciated. AcA is committed to making our programming as accessible as possible. This Creative Acadiana session will be in-person, streamed and recorded. If you require your accessibility needs addressed, please contact community@acadianacenterforthearts.org ahead of the session to discuss.  ...

This workshop is an intro for filmmakers and producers interested in making their films accessible to visually impaired audience members by laying out the fundamentals of creating film audio description. The festival world is beginning to wake up to the fact that there are more barriers to the filmic experience than can be accounted for with subtitles and closed captions alone. Netflix as well as many festivals are finally beginning to take the much-needed initiative towards requiring Audio Description for their content. Hosted by filmmaker Abby Waters and composer Alan Kamen, the workshop will provide examples, tips, and best practices on how to not only create audio description for your film, but how to make the experience of listening as full of color, meaning, and nuance for a audio-only audience as it is for a viewing audience. AcA is committed to making our programming as accessible as possible. This Creative Acadiana session will be in-person, streamed and recorded. If you require your accessibility needs addressed, please contact community@acadianacenterforthearts.org ahead of the session to discuss. ...

Join 2024 ArtSpark recipients Denise Gallagher (theater), Nhi Ngo (needle felt sculpture), and Anne Bujold (metalworking) as they take you through their ArtSpark projects step-by-step. Learn how they came up with their idea, framed it to fit into the scope of the ArtSpark program, developed their budget, pulled together their teams, and executed their projects. This is a free event. RSVP is appreciated. AcA is committed to making our programming as accessible as possible. This Creative Acadiana session will be in-person, streamed and recorded. If you require your accessibility needs addressed, please contact community@acadianacenterforthearts.org ahead of the session to discuss.  ...

Have an idea for a new creative project?  Planning to submit an application for ArtSpark funding? Join your fellow artists for some peer-to-peer workshopping to help flesh out your project’s scope. 2023 ArtSpark recipient Rachel Nederveld will be available to give some expert workshopping feedback, so come prepared with a short oral pitch and let us know which areas you’re looking to strengthen. Artist Round Up provides a space for community building through creative endeavors. Community agreements will be in place to allow for participants to freely discuss their ideas in a safe and supportive environment. ...

Join filmmaker Brooke H. Cellars as they teach the ins and outs of crowdfunding, in this beginner-friendly workshop designed for indie filmmakers. We’ll dive into popular platforms like Kickstarter, Seed&Spark, and Indiegogo, sharing strategies to make your campaign stand out in a crowded market. Discover how to effectively leverage social media, craft compelling pages, and engage your audience throughout the campaign. Plus, explore alternative creative funding methods to support your short or feature film. Whether you’re a first-timer or looking to refine your approach, this workshop equips you with practical tools to help fund your independent films. AcA is committed to making our programming as accessible as possible. This Creative Acadiana session will be in-person, streamed and recorded. If you require your accessibility needs addressed, please contact community@acadianacenterforthearts.org ahead of the session to discuss. ...

Interested in figure drawing? Join us for this free session presented in partnership with ARCHIVES Exhibitions. Follow along with artists Jesse Poimboeuf and Lex R Thomas as you practice drawing gesture, human anatomy, and fabric in relation to the body, specifically highlighting the importance of diversity in size, body type, race, gender, and age. Artist Round Up provides a space for community building through creative endeavors. ...

Acadiana’s linguistic heritage is something that sets this region apart from other corners of the United States, and it can help to inspire and enhance your creative endeavors. Whether you’re writing song lyrics, creating dialogue for your novel set in colonial Louisiana, or adding some text to a locally-inspired graphic design, this workshop is for creatives who want to incorporate more French or Creole into their art, but feel less than solid in their language skills. Join Marguerite Justus of CODOFIL as they talk about the importance of accurately representing our heritage languages, discuss opportunities and grants that are available for French and Creole related projects, and share resources that can help artists check their work and gain confidence in the use of French or Creole in their creative process. AcA is committed to making our programming as accessible as possible. This Creative Acadiana session will be in-person, streamed and recorded. If you require your accessibility needs addressed, please contact community@acadianacenterforthearts.org ahead of the session to discuss. ...