Greetings fellow Partners and Citizens — or, as we like to abbreviate, greetings LPA and LCA members. Welcome to the “ARTS SEASON!” An incredible year filled with challenging opportunities awaits.
But first things first: it is with heavy heart that we announce that Glenda Toups has resigned her position as Chairman of the LPA due to her health status. I know that you all join me, the board of LPA, and the Louisiana Division of the Arts team in hoping for her quick and thorough recovery.
In the interim, we have tried to make a “logical” decision about how to move the organization forward, especially during this upcoming year of challenging opportunities. The LPA “Immediate Past Chairman” is Tommy Usrey; we would appreciate your support in voting him in as the Interim Chairman of the LPA, effective immediately. Tommy will bring us much needed tried-and-true leadership along with the depth and breadth of his many legislative relationships. Additionally, Tommy is highly committed to mentoring the next leaders for LPA and hopes to build upon Glenda’s development of the “Emerging Leaders” program, encouraging and equipping many of you (please express an interest) in taking up the “LPA gauntlet” in the near future.
This sudden change requires a wee bit of time to work out schedules and kinks. We are requesting that you change your calendar to reflect a new date for the LPA/LCA Meetings in October in Baton Rouge as follows:
LPA and LCA Board of Directors Meeting
Monday, October 21: 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm (Capitol Annex)
Dinner for all in town: 7:00 pm (Pam Breaux “curates” the evening!)
LPA, LCA, and Affinity Meetings
Tuesday, October 22: 9:00 am – 4:00 pm (Capitol Welcome Center)
You won’t want to miss this meeting. We will focus on the ‘FIELD REPORTS’ from the Louisiana Creative Placemaking Initiatives. You’ll learn about “Best Practices” and “Best Booboos” right here among us. We will also launch our Louisiana Citizens for the Arts “Advocacy Plan” for 2013/2014 and beyond. Please contact Naomi Cordill to make hotel and dinner reservations; we stay at the Best Western Richmond Suites.
Please take this October meeting opportunity to make your contribution or pledge to the Advocacy fund through the Louisiana Citizens for the Arts (LCA). Everyone who has made a commitment or makes one during the meeting will be eligible for a drawing to win a George Rodrigue artwork, through the Rodrigue Foundation, courtesy of Bethany France. This is a terrific time to become an “Arts Citizen!”
By this time in the life of your relationship with the LPA/LCA, you know that we need you to pay your fair share of the dues that support our professional lobbyist, Kevin Hayes; and before December 30, 2013.
Please get ready to pARTicipate in the meetings and gatherings that will prepare and unite us to reposition the Arts as critical to the identity and success of Louisiana during the coming 2014 state elections. Ultimately, this vision for greater visibility and appreciation for the Arts in Louisiana will be manifested in significant increases in state funding to the Louisiana Division of the Arts, and subsequently, to US!
The Louisiana Citizens for the Arts and its sister advocacy organization, the Louisiana Partnership for the Arts, have created strategies to strengthen the capacity of all Louisiana Arts organizations, unite the diverse field of the Arts and dramatically increase the visibility and viability of the Arts. A core value of the Strategic Plans is the expansion of the participation in the LPA/LCA to include all Artists and Arts Organizations. It is our goal to see the Arts Organizations represented by both the Executive Director/CEO and the Chairman/President of the Board during key LPA/LCA meetings. As a means of strengthening our Advocacy efforts, we will have special programming for your Board Chairman to help equip him/her to carry the message forward to your local and our State and National leadership!
Please note:
1. In order to accommodate a more aggressive agenda and populate the afternoon Affinity Group Meetings, we will serve a complimentary light lunch at each meeting. Since we are ordering & paying, we will need a specific RSVP about your attendance.
2. In order to encourage your participation in ALL LPA/LCA meetings, we will reimburse mileage at $0.28 per mile for those who attend at least three meetings. If you attend less than three meetings, we do not reimburse mileage; after three meetings, we will reimburse all meetings that you attend, retro-active to your first meeting.
3. If you need a hotel room, our LPA Administrator, Naomi Cordill, is happy to make a reservation within a block of rooms at the “best bargain price” she can muster! We usually stay at the Best Western Richmond Suites. Please let Naomi know your needs for hotel and dinner reservations: she can be reached at 318-435-0029, 318-498-0094, or lparts1@aol.com .
Tommy Usrey, Chairman
Louisiana Partnership for the Arts
Pam Atchison, Chairman
Louisiana Citizens for the Arts
Louisiana Citizens for Culture 