Join with Creative Professionals in Environmental Sustainability, Economic & Social

Join with creative professionals in environmental sustainability, economic & social development, government, education and folk life traditions for presentations and discussions on creative placemaking at NUNU Arts and Culture Collective in Arnaudville.

Through a series of mini-conferences, you, with these professionals, collectively explore how to measure, evaluate and communicate the impact of using arts and culture to build and transform a community.

Attending this year are invited international guests from Port-au-Prince, Haiti, representing music, arts and culture, and including the first assistant to the minister of foreign affairs.

Summit days begin with a light breakfast, networking, presentations, and projects completed and underway. A lunch break is followed by round table discussions, during which presenters are available for the exchange of ideas.

This is where the magic occurs: the brainstorming, the forward-thinking, the creative union of least likely partners, and you - all of you, "tous" as is said en français, are now creators and practitioners of creative placemaking.

There is a $10 per day fee for each day of the summit. You pick and choose which day/days you wish attend - or join us for "tout."

Semaine Francaise d’Arnaudville is produced in partnership with the Consulate General of France in Louisiana and supported by CODOFIL, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism. To register, please visit semaine-francaise-arnaudville.org Following the conference, we invite all participants to attend Le Feu et l'Eau Rural Arts Celebration, which begins the evening of Friday, April 15, and concludes Sunday, April 17.

Environmental Sustainability Day Monday, April 11: Environmental sustainability through innovation and traditional knowledge. Tiny homes, seed keepers, up-cycling, TRAIL bike riders, water protectors, landfills using trash for gas, artists reflecting environmental perspectives and more. Presenters are: ● Monique Michelle Verdin - Director of Land Memory Bank and Seed Exchange ● Tony Adrian - Co-owner/Developer of Les Deux Mondes Guest Houses ● Scott Schilling - President of TRAILS for LA, Cycle Zydeco ● Karlos Knott - President Bayou Teche Brewing, Constructed Wetlands Project ● Chris Adams - Director Cultural Research Institute of Acadiana ● Francine Primeaux-Kennedy – Manager, NUNU Artist-in-Residence Tiny House ● Katry Martin, BioGNC, Executive Director St. Landry Parish Solid Waste

Monique Verdin leads a week-long collaborative activation of the Land Memory Bank and Seed Exchange, an interactive record of site specific history, culture and environment.

Local Development Day Tuesday, April 12 Creatives as GPS for Local Development drives presentations as you meet with an impressive lineup of experts. Panelists address cultural Impact on community development. Aimee Smallwood, CEO Louisiana Cultural Economy Foundation, serves as moderator. Presenters are: ● Jason El Koubi, Director, One Acadiana ● Harry Weiss, VP of Urban Revitalization and Development, One Acadiana ● Alfredo Cruz, Foundation for Louisiana ● Alex Bien-Aimé, Plasticien/Gestionnaire culturel Coordonnateur Général de Promo Art Plus, Port-au-Prince, Haiti ● Dustin Fuqua, Cultural Resource Specialist, Cane River Creole National Historical Park BBR Marketing of Lafayette presents logo and marketing concept for proposed St. Luke French Immersion Center and Ardyn M. Thriffiley & Associates presents center’s business plan. Wednesday, April 13: Benefits of locating a business to St. Martin and/or St. Landry parishes, creation of "Cottage Industries" that can thrive in Acadiana, and Francophone partnerships. The use of arts and culture in community shaping produces not only the product of a more attractive and desirable community in which to live, but the by-product is business.

Presenters are: Panelists/Presenters: ● Beth Guidry, St. Martin Parish Director Economic Development ● Bill Rodier, St. Landry Parish Director Economic Development ● Pete Prados, INNOV8 Acadiana, “Entrepreneurism and Growing your Business” ● Grégor Trumel, Consulat général de France à La Nouvelle-Orléans, "France and French heritage, fuel for growth in Louisiana"

Creative Placemaking Day Thursday, April 14:

Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser and the French Consul General Grégor Trumel welcome attendees to a day of experts and practitioners that seek to put it all together: creative placemaking concepts, practices, processes and results, considered in the context of cultural districts, regionalism, and community. Presenters are:  Gaye Hamilton, Cultural Economy Initiative Program Manager, Office of Cultural Development, Creative Placemaking and Cultural Districts – an Overview  Charles Larroque, Director CODOFIL, Developing and Marketing Louisiana’s French Heritage Tourism  Cultural District Case Studies: Eunice – Candace Reeves; Corridor des Arts – George Marks; Lake Charles Nellie Lutcher – Eric Cormier; New Iberia West End – Envision da Berry, Phanat Xanamane; West End Council of Neighborhood Associations, Krystal Boyance and Robby Bethel  Ray Brassieur, Documenting places, stories and vestiges of Teche Region Pioneers

Youth Education Day Friday, April 15 A day dedicated to area educators seeking partnership opportunities. 120 students of Creole and Louisiana French, from Martinique, Lafayette, Baton Rouge and New Orleans, join us for the day, beginning with the unveiling of panel-murals at the CA Guidry Fresh Market. From there, students gather at NUNU Arts and Culture Collective for participation in various activities including a creative placemaking presentation. Students dance, garden and create art through partnerships bound by language.

Area educators of French language are invited to participate in roundtable conversations and possible partnering with business for work on one of four 2017 projects directed at promoting French language use:  L’Hermione  Immersion and Local Business  Cours du Bois – Bayou Teche Outfitters’ Kayak/Canoe Business  Plants It - Recycling

The day concludes with a special 7 pm, Le Feu et l'Eau Fire Dance and 7:30 pm, Potluck social, marking the start of the 2016 celebration. Dinner begins at 7:30 pm and cost of admission is contribution to communal table. Non-alcohol refreshments will be available for purchase.

Cultural Heritage Day Saturday, April 16 (Open Event/No Registration Required)

Tourism leads in Cultural Heritage and Skypes with counterparts in Manitoba, Canada for partnership project planning. Witness this historic collaboration. Participating are:  Celeste Gomez, Director St. Landry Parish Tourist Commission  Dona Degatur Richard, director St. Martin Parish Tourist Commission

Tourism presentation is followed by introductions to our Haitian guests: Alex Bien-Aimé - Artiste, plasticien, coordinateur général de Promo Art Plus Euvonie Georges Auguste - 1ère assistante au ministère des affaires étrangères Martine Bruno Beaucicault - Spécialiste du patrimoine culturel Widlyne Thermidor - Directrice des relations publiques de Promo Art Plus Jean Rony Beaucicault - Journaliste Ketina Moussignac - Chef cuisinière Jean Jean Roosevelt - Musicien, chanteur Josiah Farah Wilhermine Alexis - Chanteuse Stephanie Bernadette Philippeau - Chanteuse Richarson Dorvil - Photographe, écrivain Ricardo Louis - Artiste, plasticien ------NUNU Arts and Culture Collective is located at 1510 Courtableau Hwy. (La 93), Arnaudville, LA 70512