T H E W I D E W O R L D O F C R A F T
Arts Intensive, a program that introduces
kids ages ii to 14 to Mardi Gras Indian
masking and costuming, a custom dating
back to the 1880s. “I realize that if these
are not taught to the kids, there’s a great
possibility that we could lose the tradi-
tion,” he explains.
Despite craft’s ingrained traits in the
culture of the Crescent City, its disappear-
ance is something many local artisans fear.
For all New Orleans craft artists, the chal-
lenges of making and selling their work
have multiplied in the post-Hurricane Ka-
trina environment, as Elijah Sproles, a
sculptor who oversees the metal shop at
Louisiana A rtw orks, can attest. Like
many local artists who had works or entire
studios destroyed when the levees broke
after the storm, he sought assistance from
a state business grant program to get back
on his feet. “One of the frustrations was
that it was hard to get the state to recognize
art as a business,” Sproles says.
W ith a new, accelerated push from
Lieutenant Governor Mitch Landrieu to
promote Louisiana’s cultural economy,
such blinders may be falling away. Also,
a state law enacted in July 2008 provides
for tax-free sales of artworks and tax cred-
its on certain expenses for rehabilitating
art galleries and other buildings within des-
ignated “ Cultural Products Districts”
throughout the city.
What the state seems to be realizing
is the importance of arts in revitalizing
anjf city’s economy, but especially one
with such a rich heritage. “The arts are>
Bottom left: Ceramics
is not a leading craft
in the city, but it has
a strong history. New-
comb Pottery at the
Woldenberg A rt Cen-
ter displays such work
as this 1929 piece by
Jonathan Brown Hunt
that was decorated by
Anna Frances Simpson.
Below: Metal sculptor
Elija Sproles lost, like
many artists, his studio
space in Hurricane
Katrina. He turned to
the state for a business
grant, but was met
with resistance. New
legislation, however,
may help artists get the
assistance they need.
apr/may 09
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