LAFAYETTE, LA – Acadiana Center for the Arts (AcA) is pleased to announce expanded programming for their individual artist grant program, ArtSpark, with increased funding from the Lafayette Economic Development Authority (LEDA) plus a new partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).
The additional funding will contribute to an increased total grant amount plus added outreach efforts with increased office hours around Acadiana’s 8-parish region, ambassadors to aid with identifying and assisting applicants from minority communities and translation of materials into the Spanish language; the fastest growing minority community in Lafayette parish.
ArtSpark, a program that supports artists, musicians and other creative entrepreneurs in the advancement of their careers via project based or professional development opportunities is now seeking proposals via the online application at AcadianaCenterfortheArts.org, submissions will be accepted until Friday February 23rd, 2024. Potential applicants are encouraged to contact staff in the Community Development Department before submitting an application.
The program also develops these artists’ entrepreneurial skills by providing business and marketing training for successful applicants in partnership with Opportunity Machine.
AcA Executive Director Samuel Olvier says, “Our working creatives—our musicians, artists, and storytellers—are the backbone of Acadiana’s cultural identity. When these people grow and thrive, our region thrives. That is the purpose of ArtSpark”
ArtSpark awards support emerging, mid-career, and mature artists across Acadiana, especially those with otherwise limited opportunities. Projects must be completed between April 1, 2024 and December 1, 2024. The grant funds can be used to expand an artist’s body of work for specific, short-term projects, and projects in virtually any creative discipline qualify. New this year, artists qualifying as mature (based on documented experience) will be eligible to apply for grants of up to $10,000. Additionally, the artists are presented with a unique opportunity to engage with the community through sharing their artistic skills.
LEDA’s President and CEO Mandi Mitchell, added, “The expansion of ArtSpark will further grow the region’s creative economy by educating artist entrepreneurs and fostering viable businesses through business training and project-specific grant support. LEDA is committed to supporting diverse artists in the region as a component of our overall economic development and business and talent attraction efforts. We are thrilled to continue and deepen our partnership with the AcA.”
AcA will again be hosting office hours and working sessions around the region for anyone interested in gaining real-time assistance while working on their applications. Prospective applicants can join AcA staff in-person at AcA and Parc Village in Lafayette, NUNU’s in Arnaudville, A&E Studios in New Iberia, Abbeville Cultural Center in Abbeville amongst others, during the submission period. Full dates and times are listed on AcA’s website.
The AcA will be hosting a hybrid online and in-person information session to review guidelines and the application process. This will be followed by a Q&A session with attendees.
Registration for the Information Session on Tuesday, January 16th at 5:30pm is now open. Register Here.
Interested applicants are strongly encouraged to contact AcA staff to discuss their project ideas before submitting an application. Please direct any inquiries to: Anna@AcadianaCenterForTheArts.org
More information, including guidelines and submission portal are available on the AcA’s website at
https://acadianacenterforthearts.org/resources-for-artists/artspark/.
