The Northeast Louisiana Arts Council is excited to announce that nominations for the 38th annual Northeast Louisiana Arts Awards are now open. The event is to be held on Thursday, June 8, 2023. Nominated artists, businesses, volunteers and educators in the arts community are recognized during this program. Categories receiving nominations this year include Performing Artist of the Year, Visual Artist of the Year, BART Award, Volunteer of the Year, Emerging Artist, and the Region 8 Arts Educator of the Year.
Recognizing the importance of the performing arts, the Performing Artist of the Year Award was created in 2019 to mirror the Edmund Williamson Visual Artist of the Year. Nominees are professional artists who have excelled in their chosen field and enriched Region 8 through their art form.
The Business Art (BART) Award was the first Award established in 1985. Nominees are businesses that have made significant contributions impacting the success of the cultural programs of organizations in northeast Louisiana.
Established in 1988, the Volunteer of the Year Award recognizes individual personal involvement in the development of the cultural arts in northeast Louisiana.
Introduced in 2022, Region 8 Arts Educator of the Year award recognizes an arts educator who is making a difference in our region through their dedication to Arts Education.
Arts organizations in Region 8 and current members of the Arts Council are eligible to nominate in all categories. The general public is invited to submit nominations for Region 8 Arts Educator of the Year. To nominate an Arts Educator, visit the Arts Council website at https://nelaarts.org/nela-arts-events/arts-awards.html. To submit a nomination for other categories, you must email the Arts Council office at abigail@nelaarts.org and request Arts Awards nomination portal credentials. Nominations close at noon, Thursday, May 4, 2023.
Membership of the Arts Council and invited guests will celebrate the nominees with the winners being announced at the Arts Council’s Annual Arts Awards ceremony and Membership Meeting scheduled for Thursday, June 8, 2023.
The Northeast Louisiana Arts Council seeks to nurture a vibrant regional arts culture through support, promotion, and education. The Northeast Louisiana Arts Council strives to be a transformative force for the community by encouraging a passion for the arts, promoting partnerships and collaboration, and ensuring access to the arts for all. Activities of the Arts Council are supported, in part, by a grant from the Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council. Funding has also been provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, Art Works.
