Studio at Colton Dedication [Wednesday, October 22]
Studio at Colton School to Showcase New Orleans’ Creative Talent to the World
78 Artists, Designers, Performers and Arts Organizations Moving In
WHEN: Wednesday, October 22, 2008 at 12:00 p.m.
WHERE:The Studio at Colton School - 2300 St. Claude Avenue
WHY: National consultants have all made recommendations to our public officials at the state and local level and our business and civic community that the creative economy should be one of the top targets of our economic development initiatives.
WHAT: The Creative Alliance of New Orleans (CANO) will hold a press conference to dedicate one of this year’s most exciting and important community projects that features 78 local artists, designers, arts organizations, performers, film makers, builders and culinary artists who have signed contracts to utilize free studio and exhibition space granted by CANO in the 100,000 square foot Studio at Colton school.
All of the creative producers are based in New Orleans, many of them living in neighborhoods heavily impacted by Katrina, Rita, Gustav and Ike.
The Studio at Colton School is designed to be a facility that will provide working and exhibition opportunities to artists and students in order to advance their career, education and marketing opportunities and thus contributing to the economic development of the creative sector of our community.
CANO is extremely grateful to the Recovery School District (RSD) and Superintendent Paul Vallas for making the formerly vacant Colton School available for the studio. Colton School is scheduled to become a school again in phase two of the RSD master plan. CANO expects to generate valuable techniques and models for arts education for the RSD school system.
The press conference will feature speakers including CANO president Jeanne Nathan, Chief of Staff for the Recovery School District, Dr. Kelvin Adams, acclaimed singer and Studio at Colton School resident artist Charmaine Neville, CANO vice president Chuck Perkins, Faubourg St. Roch Improvement Association representative Reggie Lawson, St. Claude Avenue Main Street program representative Chris Costello. The celebrity “Mamaw” and “PawPaw” of the events will be announced during the festivities.
Speakers’ remarks will be followed by guided group tours with project manager Sarah Hess, to showcase the locally unprecedented volume and range of diverse, collaborative studio spaces under one roof. All of the artists currently utilizing spaces in the school will be present and many will be available to meet and greet. Attendees will also be among the first to have the opportunity to view the mammoth light sculpture by this year’s Beijing Olympics’ visual arts director and world-renowned artist, Cai Guo-Quiang. The sculpture, named “Fireworks from Heaven,” has been installed in the school’s 1100 seat theater by Prospect 1 and was created with a combination of neon lights, mosquito nets and 9 electric massage chairs. It is 1 of 4 of the Prospect 1 installations at the Studio at Colton School and has been shown only at an elite selection of art venues worldwide, most notably at the Foundation Cartier in Paris.
Over 10 arts venues have opened in St. Claude Avenue over the past two years. The Studio at Colton School will be an anchor for this important emerging arts district.
The Studio at Colton School will demonstrate the importance of this creative work with an eight month program of open houses, exhibitions, theatrical performances, film and video presentations and special arts and design markets, showcasing creative assets of our city to the international visitors expected for Prospect 1 and to our business, government and civic leaders.
Creative Alliance of New Orleans hopes this project will serve as a model for a market and educational program that may become a permanent part of the school system. CANO also hopes to showcase the talents of our creative community to our citizens as well as the thousands of visitors coming to New Orleans for Prospect 1 and throughout the visitor season.
More about Creative Alliance of New Orleans (CANO):
The Creative Alliance of New Orleans, (CANO), is a unique organization formed by the artists, businesses, and citizens of New Orleans to help develop and promote one of the city’s greatest assets - our living community of creative professionals that continue to call New Orleans home. By recognizing and helping the creative sector thrive, CANO assists in the development of the New Orleans economy as well as improving the overall quality of life for its residents and worldwide visitors. CANO also looks to the future by encouraging our younger generations to develop and fully realize the potential of their creative talents, whether those talents are based in the schools of music, performance, theatre, the visual arts, industrial design, film and video production, architectural and landscape design, the culinary arts, or the rapidly evolving realm of Internet Media and game development. Through internships, business partnerships, creative project development, and world class event
coordination, CANO provides students and artisans alike new opportunities to refine their skills, and to learn from other members of the community.