Community Partnerships and Sponsoring Agencies

The Center for Louisiana Studies maintains healthy ties to several local, regional and state organizations as part of its mission to foster scholarly inquiry and active preservation of Louisiana traditions and folkways.

Projects we're excited about include:

• Atchafalaya National Heritage Area
  In 2022, the Center for Louisiana Studies received a grant from the Atchafalaya National Heritage Area to work with a consultant to develop a strategic plan for the future of our organization. 
  
   
• In Your Own Backyard Monthly Series
  The Center for Louisiana Studies hosts a free monthly workshop series on folklife, environmental issues, music, traditions, and community organizations. These workshops are usually held on the third or fourth Thursday of each month, and take place in the Roy House. See our social media pages and our upcoming events page for more information. If you have an idea for a workshop, demonstration, or discussion, contact Dr. Rachel Doherty. From 2009-2013, the Center produced 60 installments of discussion and exploration into our own traditions, beliefs, crafts and environmental resources. Each program was recorded and can be accessed within the Center's archival collections, viewed on Acadiana Open Channel and YouTube, and personal copies are available upon request.

• Bayou Teche Paddle Trail
  Partnering with local volunteer organizations, including the TECHE Project and Acadiana RC&D and under the guidance of the National Park Service's Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program, we developed a comprehensive plan for a new paddle trail for the full length of the Bayou Teche, issued in October 2012. This 130-mile-plus waterway winds through four parishes and numerous small towns, providing access for locals and visitors alike to explore outdoor recreation, Main Street communities, restaurants and businesses. Currently, we are administering a Federal Highway Administration grant to improve and increase access for non-motorized recreation on the Bayou Teche.
   
• Louisiana Creative Communities Initiative
  In 2013, Louisiana's Office of Cultural Development and the Louisiana Cultural Economy Foundation launched a pilot program to provide ten communities with creative placemaking coaches for a 6-month planning process resulting in a versatile plan incorporating the arts, economic development and community planning. The center had the pleasure of working with two very different communities which yielded equally diverse and impactful plans for shaping local engagement and civic development.
  • Communities Linkined in Culture, Minden
  • Corridor des Arts, St. Landry and St. Martin parishes
     
• Save the Southern Club Initiative
  While out on a September 2012 fieldwork trip to St. Landry Parish, center staff John Sharp and Jennifer Ritter Guidry unwittingly became part of an initiative to preserve the 50-year-old dancehall on the outskirts of Opelousas. Working with family members and community leaders, their collaboration led to a series of public meetings to generate support, the formation of a group to begin fundraising for repairs to the Southern Club and new information for the center's ongoing Dancehalls of Louisiana project. The center prepared a National Register of Historic Places application for the Southern Club, which is scheduled for review.
   
• Encore Radio Show on KRVS
  Local musician Megan Brown began broadcasting her show, Encore, in April 2011, with an emphasis on recordings from the Center's holdings in the Archives of Cajun and Creole Folklore. Center staff help identify audio content and show theme development.