The Fine Arts Academy of Central Louisiana's vision is to develop creative spaces where youth can discover art visually, musically, theatrically, poetically, and through dance/movement.
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Area master teaching artists/educators/professional performers will be recruited for instruction. The program will be open citywide and take place in a variety of locations. Classes will be offered in dance, drama, music, visual arts, and creative writing during the Summer, initially. Essentially, the program will be free with high-quality instruction for youth providing structure and nurturing in efforts to prepare youth to compete/audition for admissions in pre-professional tuition free higher level programs within the State of Louisiana (i.e., NOCCA, Louisiana School for Arts, Math and Science, etc.).
The Academy will present FAACL's "Living on the Edge" highlighting film series, concerts, public art, and youth performance programs to connect people and arts institutions to the Red River waterfront. Local merchants will be invited to market their products to the audiences gathered spurring micro-economic activity.
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The President/Executive Director, Stephanie R. Bookman-Gaston prototyped the vision through her nonprofit work with a local iconic museum (Arna Bontemps African American Museum and Cultural Arts Center) in the Downtown Cultural District serving numerous youth over a 5-year period focused on fine arts genre concepts targeting ages 9-11. More specifically, Stephanie produced a community concert delivering entertainment from professional performance artists alongside local youth, known as "Jazz on the River." The demand for this learning opportunity and community engagement far exceeded the expectations due to its need and popularity among the residents within the City of Alexandria and surrounding areas.
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