$48,000-plus awarded to area arts programs

The Louisiana Decentralized Arts Funding Program has awarded more than $48,000 to Terrebonne Parish, and more than $53,000 to Lafourche Parish in support of arts and cultural programs.

The grants require programs to be held between October 2007 and September 2008. The money was awarded to non-profit organizations for financial support for arts and cultural events that are open to the public.

According to Houma Regional Arts Council spokeswoman Angela Dupree-Cenac, the LDAF program is supported by funds from the state’s Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development and the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council.

“The main focus of the grant is to award money to schools that lack a cultural arts program,” Dupree-Cenac said. “Not only do the schools rely on the funds, but the small organizations do as well. They use the money to fund small projects and programs for the public.”

The funds are administered through the Houma Regional Arts Council for all of Region 3, which includes Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes.

The Terrebonne Parish Library received a total of $6,834 for its spring programs, which include the “Musical Meters: A Celebration of the Arts” seminar for local elementary schools and the community Jambalaya Writer’s Conference.

“This grant gives us the opportunity to open our service up to the public at no cost to them,” said Library Assistant Director Amy Whipple.

Library Adult Service Coordinator Lauren Ledet said the Musical Meters seminar will be held three times this spring.

“The students will enjoy the poetic styles of Allen Wolfe, Lafayette native Ashleigh D’Anoy during the month of January, and Peter Fletcher during March,” she said.

The following is a list of organizations awarded monies for cultural arts programs.

In Terrebonne:

• St. Francis de Sales School, $2,949 – for its “Art of Illustration” program.

• Friends of the Terrebonne Public Library, $4,100 – for the facets of music, dance, storytelling and puppetry program.

•South Louisiana Community Orchestra, $7,618 – for the Take Five Big Band/Swing Concert and the Houma Fiddle fest.

•South Louisiana Center for the Arts, $5,207 – for its “Around the World in Six Weeks” program.

•Le Petit Theatre de Terrebonne, $7,027 – for organizational support and to help fund the 2007-2008 spring season.

•Houma-Terrebonne Community Band, $4,724 – for organizational support.

•Terrebonne Fine Arts Guild Inc., $6,224 – for organizational support and the “Exploring the Arts with Children” program.

•Mulberry Elementary School, $3,925 – for its “Multiculturalism for Child-ren” program.

In Lafourche:

• St. John Episcopal Church, $3,100 – for its Music at St. John’s Concert Series.

• Nicholls State University, $15,621 – for its French Film and Latin American festivals and Cajun/Zydeco music and dance exhibit.

• Bayou Community Band, $6,078 – for its “Music of French Composers” and rich musical heritage programs.

• Lafourche Parish Library, $7,000 – for its “Be a Star – Read!” program.

•Chauvin Sculpture Garden, in care of the NSU Foundation, $11,440 – for organizational support and the CSG archive’s long-term preservation of the sculptural site.

• Les Artiste du Bayou, $3,750 – for furthering art education in rural south Lafourche Parish.