NEW ORLEANS — The Mayor’s Office of Cultural Economy announced it will host a Carousel of Culture event on Oct. 16 – 17 in City Park at the Goldring/Woldenberg Great Lawn and Tricentennial Area. The cultural event will feature approximately 50 plus artists, musicians, food truck vendors, artisans, and more. Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“Our culture bearers are the foundation of what makes New Orleans special and helping them find ways to survive and even to thrive in the face of a challenging environment is absolutely critical,” said Mayor LaToya Cantrell in a press release. “Throughout the pandemic we stood up a virtual concert series that gave artists economic opportunities, made grants available, and tried to connect them with funding wherever we could. We will continue to do that and to support the essence of our community.”
“We are committed to activate opportunities that directly support economic growth to our artists and artisans,” said Lisa Alexis, director of the Office of Cultural Economy. “The basis of the Office of Cultural Economy is to leverage the innovative and entrepreneurial nature of cultural economy development to achieve deeper outcomes across City projects and priorities. One of the main drivers of our economy is the cultural economy and it behooves us to put as many dollars and resources into it as possible. The people that make that economy possible need to be supported just as much as our other tourism industry sectors.”
This will serve as a time to spur some economic growth for our culture bearers who otherwise don’t have as many opportunities, as festivals have been shut down due to the rise in COVID-19.
“As stewards of 1,300 acres of public space in the heart of New Orleans, we recognize our role and importance in cultivating cultural accessibility,” said Cara Lambright, CEO of New Orleans City Park. “Urban parks have always been an important setting for arts and cultural programs and working collaboratively with the City of New Orleans to support the cultural community that makes up the fabric of our city is an essential ingredient to how City Park serves the region.”
The Mayor’s Office of Cultural Economy will continue to organize and host opportunities like this one to elevate and gain economic opportunities for our culture bearers. The Office of Cultural Economy launched several programs that benefit these artists, including the New Orleans Tourism and Cultural Fund. Recently, several grant opportunities have been announced. Applications are currently being excepted for the Open NOLA Grant, which funds a maximum of $6,000 and is designed to support the re-opening and on-going efforts of entertainment venues. Grant funds can be used for PPE and personnel costs to ensure compliance with recent COVID-19 protocols of checking vaccination status and negative COVID tests and $4,000 of the $6,000 towards booking live entertainment.
Culture bearers and venue owners can apply for this grant by visiting notcf.com.
