Louisiana adopts community coaching to promote creative placemaking

By the Office of the Lieutenant Governor of the State of Louisiana and Leonardo Vazquez

Lt. Governor Jay Dardenne is announcing the Louisiana Creative Communities Initiative, a program created to assist communities in reaching cultural and economic development goals. Civic leaders in the ten selected communities have been paired with an experienced coach to participate in a six-month training and planning process, after which the communities are eligible to receive a small grant to help implement their plans.

The 10 communities’ proposed projects include creating arts markets, transforming bus stops into public art and creating local arts organizations.  Each community is working with at least one coach for six months through a program called community coaching.  The coaches were trained by The National Consortium for Creative Placemaking, which also created the community coaching program.

“The arts and culture contribute significantly to our communities, our citizens and our cultural economy. We are pleased to support this new concept of community coaching to enhance the economies and create jobs in several communities throughout the state,” Lt. Governor Dardenne said.

The program is designed to assist communities in developing strategy to promote cultural tourism, taking advantage of the growing creative economy and becoming more welcoming to the arts.

The 10 communities selected are as follows:

·         Mid City Baton Rouge

·         Lake Charles/Southwest Louisiana

·         Minden

·         Mandeville

·         Washington

·         Houma Downtown Cultural District

·         Corridor des Arts (Sunset, Grand Coteau and Arnaudville)

·         Monroe Riverside Cultural District

·         Monroe Chamber of Commerce

·         Plaquemine

The Louisiana Creative Communities Initiative is made possible through a partnership between the Louisiana Office of Cultural Development and the Louisiana Cultural Economy Foundation. For more information on the Creative Communities Initiative, visit www.crt.state.la.us/culture.

For more information on community coaching, please contact Leonardo Vazquez, Executive Director, The National Consortium for Creative Placemaking, at leo@artsbuildcommunities.com or 973-763-6352