Louisiana:Where Culture MeansBy Mt. Auburn Business Associates s rt A e u h rie f t and o l J. L on tchel ism isi or Mi our iv Offi ce of Lieutenant Govern d T D n an na reatio isia ure, Rec ou Department of Cult t—L men evelop Offi ce of Cultural D Louisiana:ana: Where Culture Means Business Prepared by: Mt. Auburn Associates Beth Siegel Michael Kane Beate Becker with Ralitsa Dimitrova Jonathan Latner Gene Meneray and Jeanne Nathan and Zopari Kristjanson of Creative Industry July 31, 2005 This report was funded by the National Endowment for the Arts – A Great Nation Deserves Great Art— and the State of Louisiana, Offi ce of the Lt. Governor, Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, Offi ce of Cultural Development, Louisiana Division of the Arts. Cover design by: Chuck Sanchez, Stun Design & Advertising Cover Art: “The New South” by Terrance Osborne Lieutenant Governor Mitch Landrieu and the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism commissioned Terrance Osborne to create the piece of art found on the cover of this program. Osborne has captured the special feel of Louisianaʼs cultural economy with this colorful and festive portrayal of our architecture, our music, our people and our great outdoors. The artwork communicates the true nature of our people enjoying Louisianaʼs culture throughout the piece. The original artwork is acrylic on wood, pieced together to form a three-dimensional 9-foot collage relief. Published 2005 by the State of Louisiana, Offi ce of the Lt. Governor, Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, Offi ce of Cultural Development, Louisiana Division of the Arts P.O. Box 44247, 1051 North 3rd Street, Room 420, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 70804-4247 url: http://www.crt.state.la.us/culturaleconomy/ To obtain a copy of Louisiana: Where Culture Means Business or to obtain additional information, Telephone: 225.342.8180, Fax:225.342.8173, email: [email protected] August 2005 Louisiana is unique among places and cultures of the world, and through our cultural economy initiative, we are working to create avenues of prosperity for our arts and culture communities. The Louisiana cultural economy is an idea whose time has come, and I welcome your interest and involvement as we move this important sector forward. Throughout the pages of this report, you will discover Louisiana’s tremendous potential in positioning her arts and culture as a viable sector of the state’s overall economy. One year ago, my administration embarked upon an effort to study this cultural economy. We engaged the economists of Mt. Auburn Associates for cutting edge economic research and evaluation of arts and culture in our state. And as you’ll see, culture generates economic value, and a vibrant cultural economy is a critical component of our diversified economy. This report defines and evaluates Louisiana’s cultural economy. Most importantly, it recommends strategic objectives and action for developing our arts and culture. It indeed creates a foundation for adding value to our native talent and intellectual capital, and my administration is committed to transforming these words into action. I invite you to join us as we use this data to inform the process of building a strong and vibrant cultural economy to make Louisiana a great place to live, work and play. It is incumbent on all of us to address the challenges and the potential identified in this groundbreaking report and dedicate ourselves to strategic implementation plans. And finally, I am pleased to thank the National Endowment for the Arts for their significant contribution to this effort. Sincerely, Mitchell Landrieu Lieutenant Governor State of Louisiana ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Mt Auburn Associates wishes to thank all of the individuals in Louisiana who took time out to meet with us and to provide us with the relevant information needed to understand the economic challenges and opportunities of Louisiana’s Cultural Economy. We also want to thank the members of the Steering Committee who provided important insights and feedback throughout the process. In particular, Pam Breaux, Assistant Secretary, Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism (CRT), provided ongoing feedback and support. Gaye Hamilton, also of the CRT, provided guidance throughout the development of the entire process. We are also grateful to Ken Conner, Michael Sartisky, Cynthia Simien, and Martha Little for providing a constant link to the important information and data, setting up meetings, and keeping us excited about this unique place. Finally, this project could not have occurred without the vision and leadership of Lieutenant Governor Mitchell Landrieu and CRT Secretary Angéle Davis. Cutting Edge Economic Research & Evaluation Mt. Auburn Associates 408 Highland Avenue Somerville, Massachusetts 02144 617.625.7770 www.mtauburnassociates.com 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter One: Introduction..........................................................................................3 Chapter Two: The Economic Importance of Louisiana’s Cultural Economy......... 14 Chapter Three: Regional Characteristics of the Cultural Economy........................ 39 Chapter Four: Themes and Issues in Building the Cultural Economy..................... 52 Chapter Five: A Call To Action— Strategic Initiatives To Advance the Cultural Economy ........................................... 87 Louisiana Interviews................................................................................................. 104 Case Studies............................................................................................................... 110 Food and Culinary Arts Case Study .......................................................... 111 Literary Arts Case Study ........................................................................... 129 Music in Lafayette Case Study................................................................... 152 Historic Assets and Preservation Industry Case Study............................. 168 REPORT APPENDICES AVAILABLE ONLINE AT WWW.CRT.STATE.LA.US/CULTURALECONOMY/ 2 CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION Mention Louisiana to people from outside the state and they will likely say, “Oh, I’ve been to New Orleans . or Mardi Gras . or Jazz Fest.” Louisiana’s identity is inextricably tied to the port city that each year promises over six million visitors a good time, good music, and good food. If you have been to New Orleans, you know Louisiana. Or so most people think. What the typical tourist does not see is the rich diversity of Louisiana culture that lies off the beaten path and beyond the limits of the Crescent City. Next to its famous jazz brass bands and New Orleans rhythm and blues, Louisiana may be best known for the Cajun and zydeco music of the francophone region surrounding Lafayette. The northern parishes are home to bluegrass and rockabilly music popularized by the Dixie Jamboree and Louisiana Hayride radio show, while the southeast gave rise to Louisiana’s distinctive swamp pop. Gospel and Delta blues grew out of the African-American experience, while contemporary black urban culture finds voice in a growing hip-hop scene. Once the opera capital of the New World, New Orleans staged the world premiere of its latest opera commission earlier this year. Louisiana’s culture lives in clubs and concert halls, on restaurant dance floors, and in backroom jam sessions. And that’s just the music. Louisiana culture is rooted in the French, Spanish, and Afro-Caribbean influence that predates the 1803 Louisiana Purchase. Subsequent waves of Anglo-Saxon and European immigrants joined indigenous Indians, African slaves, Acadian exiles, and free people of color in a complex racial, linguistic, and social mix that laid the foundation for today’s diverse culture. While the inevitable mixing of people led to a melding of cultural expressions, strong geographic, racial, and linguistic boundaries preserved distinct cultures that survive to this day. Louisiana’s many cultures are on show at the more than 500 festivals held throughout the state each year. Some Louisianans claim that the cultural festivals are really just an elaborate excuse to partake of crawfish, andouille, cochon, Natchitoches meat pies, jambalaya, and gumbo. Rice, fishing, farming, and trade in coffee feed a world famous culinary tradition that has produced celebrity chefs like Paul Prudhomme, Emeril Lagasse, Susan Spicer, and John Folse who, in turn, commit their culinary insights to a library of cookbooks. Louisiana’s tradition of spoken word lives on in traditional storytelling and contemporary coffee house poetry gatherings. The history of literary publications includes the 18th century Les Cenelles, published by Louisiana’s free people of color. Louisiana continues 3 to produce and attract writers whose work is celebrated at festivals named after William Faulkner, Tennessee Williams, or just, The Book. Literature, in turn, underwrites a film industry that has produced nearly 500 films in Louisiana. Recent tax credits have boosted film production, but filmmakers have always been drawn to Louisiana’s unique historical architecture landscape and stories that simply could not take place anywhere else. Louisiana’s high-tech sound and media production facilities at University of New Orleans, Louisiana State University, Southern Louisiana Community College, and the University of Louisiana Lafayette service the growing film industry and provide hands-on training for the next generation of media artists and technicians. More than 100 state, university, and private museums