Hurricane Relief Update

Hurricane Katrina: how to contribute to arts and culture relief efforts

Over the course of recent weeks, a great number of Louisiana's artists have been displaced throughout the country as a result of the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina. An Artist Relocation form has been created to help the Louisiana Division of the Arts keep the channels of communication open and provide assistance when possible or where needed.

The information provided on this form will greatly assist in locating displaced Louisiana artists.

Here is a link to the form in both Word and PDF formats: http://www.crt.state.la.us/arts/katrinaform.htm

Your assistance in this area is greatly appreciated. All completed forms should be forwarded to the Louisiana Division of the arts by either:

Conventional mail:
Louisiana Division of the Arts
PO Box 44247
Baton Rouge, LA 70804-4247

Email:
arts@crt.state.la.us

FAX:
(225) 342-8173

The Lt. Governor of the State of Louisiana, Mitch Landrieu, under which the Louisiana Division of the Arts operates, unveiled his Four-Point Plan for Louisiana's Rebirth.
Download the Louisiana Rebirth plan PDF document (616 Kb)

HELP ASKED FOR NEW ORLEANS MUSICIANS

Save Our Brass is a collaborative project designed to reunite the brass bands of New Orleans, many of whom have been dispersed during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. These bands, which earn their bread and butter playing the Second Line parades that wind through inner-city New Orleans each Sunday, are essential to the city's culture. Yet outside New Orleans, many of them do not have the resources to continue playing their music; indeed, many of them lost their instruments during the storm and evacuation. Save Our Brass aims to bring these bands together; arrange gigs for them in cities throughout the Gulf Coast region; organize shows for New Orleanians currently living at shelters; and ultimately raise money toward the post-hurricane relief and rebuilding effort.

Project personnel:
Lee Arnold, the principal organizer for the Save Our Brass project, is a New Orleans resident with many years' experience in Events Production. Since graduating from Columbia University in 1994 Lee has helped to bring about such events as the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City; the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston; and the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards in Miami. Following Hurricane Katrina, he decided to take a hiatus from his career in order to contribute to the cause by putting his talents to work for the brass bands he loves and which he knows are so important to New Orleans. leeboarnold@yahoo.com
Stella Baty Landis is the Social Aid Director of the New Orleans Bayou Steppers Social Aid and Pleasure Club. She is also a Visiting Assistant Professor of Music at Tulane University, currently volunteer teaching at LSU while Tulane is closed. stellabaty@yahoo.com
The New Orleans Bayou Steppers are a New Orleans-based 501C-3 organization dedicated to preserving, promoting, and perpetuating the music and culture of New Orleans. To this end, the club takes on social aid projects ranging from sponsorship of a Ninth Ward family with 14 children to the rehabilitation of musicians' homes and a music mentorship program for underpriviledged youth. In addition, the Bayou Steppers host an annual Second Line parade, featuring one of New Orleans' brass bands. The Bayou Steppers are participating in the Save Our Brass project by facilitating all finances, including tax-deductible donations. www.neworleansbayousteppers.com
The Hot 8 Brass Band have been playing New Orleans Second Line parades and clubs for ten years. Following Hurricane Katrina, the band members were dispersed from Atlanta to Baton Rouge to Houston and beyond. On September 15, 2005, they were reunited as Phase I of the Save Our Brass project was realized. They played a gig at SoGo Live in Baton Rouge, and they played the Red Cross shelter at the Baton Rouge Rivercenter to the delight of evacuees staying at the shelter. As a result of these two events, they have now been booked at clubs across the country...and Phase II of Save Our Brass, which involves permanently replacing lost instruments and facilitating a tour to Texas shelters, then to Alabama and Georgia, is underway! www.hot8brassband.com

From the Louisiana Division of the Arts:

Louisiana Partnership for the Arts Organization Location Database - http://www.lparts.org/KatrinaInfo1.cfm
The Louisiana Partnership for the Arts Katrina Displacement Contact Database has been added to the LPA website.  Its purpose is to provide the best current contact information we have for Louisiana arts organizations that have been displaced by Hurricane Katrina.

Americans for the Arts Emergency Relief Fund - http://www.AmericansfortheArts.org/EmergencyRelief
Americans for the Arts announces the establishment of the Americans for the Arts Emergency Relief Fund, a permanent fund developed to provide timely financial assistance to victims of a major disaster for the purpose of helping them rebuild the arts in their community. One hundred percent of relief funds will be distributed directly to local arts agencies for the purpose of assisting with their own recovery and their provision of needed services and funding to nonprofit arts organizations and individual artists, as well as to other cultural relief efforts. Americans for the Arts is initiating this fund with a $100,000 contribution from our reserves to immediately help those assisting with the recovery of their local arts agency or providing needed services and funding to local nonprofit arts groups and individual artists affected in the Gulf Coast states. To make a contribution to the Emergency Relief Fund or to learn more about how to apply for financial assistance, visit our website or contact us toll-free at 866.471.2787 and ask for the Americans for the Arts Emergency Relief Fund.

THE ACTORS' FUND - http://www.actorsfund.org/
The Actors' Fund has assisted dozens of our colleagues in the entertainment community who were affected by Hurricane Katrina by providing assistance for shelter, food, clothing, travel, and initial resettlement support as well as additional critical services as requested.   If you are a professional in the entertainment industry in need of emergency assistance due to Hurricane Katrina, please call The Actors' Fund at 800.221.7303. Please identify where you are calling from and ask to have an intake worker paged. If you call and get the voicemail system, dial extension 119.  Your support of The Actors' Fund helps those in the entertainment industry in times of need. You can help make this possible by donating to The Emergency Assistance Fund. Please send your check to The Actors' Fund of America, 729 Seventh Avenue, 10th Floor, New York, NY 10019 or call 800.221.7303 x127. Thank you.

If you would like to subscribe to the Katrina: Relief, Recovery, Rebuild Special Updates, please send an email to arts@crt.state.la.us and type SUBSCRIBE KATRINA in the subject line. 
The Division of the Arts will be regularly updating our arts community on the relief, recovery, and rebuilding efforts for Louisiana's arts industry. A special update will be sent out every 48 -72 hours with archives located on our homepage.

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Last updated: October 4, 2005