Contemporary Arts Center in New Orleans, Louisiana
Dubbed a “multi-disciplinary” arts facility, New Orleans’ Contemporary Arts Center (CAC) was founded in 1976 to “organize, present and tour curated exhibitions, performances and programs by local, regional, national and international artists.” It also provides arts-related educational opportunities for adults and children and encourages collaboration between arts facilities and personnel and other local institutions.
Appropriately located in the city’s Arts District, the center was formed by a group of local visual artists. The building that houses it, which was renovated in 1990, reflects both the traditional style of New Orleans and the contemporary appeal of a newer structure with plenty of open space for displays and exhibits. Today, the Contemporary Arts Center caters not only to the visual arts but also to the performing arts.
About 10,000 square feet of the 4-story building is dedicated to rotating exhibits that profile a wealth of different arts disciplines including painting, theater, photography, performance art, dance, music, video, and sculpture. In addition, there are several artists in residence at CAC including the New Orleans Ballet Theater, Schramel Conservatory of Dance, and The VESTIGES Project, a collection of artists and writers who have their New Orleans-connection as a common thread. CAC is also home to “HOME, New Orleans?”, which is a community-based, arts-focused network of organizations, universities, schools, artists, and neighbors that come together in order to devise ways to evoke positive change within the city.
The Contemporary Arts Center offers a host of educational opportunities for all ages. The center’s “Artist for a Day” program brings elementary, middle, and high school students to CAC where they spend the day learning from New Orleans-based artists who are skilled in music, dance, visual arts, drama, and creative writing, covering topics that can be integrated with other school subjects including math and the sciences.
CAC also has a Teen Board that gets involved in bringing exhibits to the center and organizing them for viewing. This art-focused group of teenagers meets regularly to brainstorm on ways to spread arts education and appreciation throughout the community. It’s open to all area high school students.
The Contemporary Arts Center consistently seeks volunteers to work in a number of different capacities at the facility. There are also internships available and they are offered to those who are interested in learning to develop administration skills for non-profit organizations. They also help with fundraising and development, grant research, membership campaigns, and the organization of the volunteer base.
CAC is available for rent for social and business events and can accommodate up to 250 people for a sit-down, banquet-style dinner or as many as 1,000 for cocktail receptions.
Tickets for any events at CAC that are open to the
general public can be purchased in person at the Contemporary Arts Center or
may be available online from the center’s website.
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