225BatonRouge.com - Blogs

One of the first stories I wrote in college was about slam poetry night at Richoux's downtown. This place, on Third and Florida, is currently a hollow shell of a very schizophrenic past. I wrote a story about how in the middle of the desolate, eerily quiet downtown Baton Rouge the local urban literati had set up shop. This native group of poets took it upon themselves to create an outlet for their artistic expression. In this dusty restaurant with bladeless ceiling fans there was no high-powered art financier, no prominent last name affixed to the entrance, and the engine of our precious cultural economy was busy booking Three Doors Down at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. It was just a group of artists and their audience experiencing art without pretense or overblown homage. It was this experience that fueled many of the other endeavors I became involved with in Baton Rouge.

By day I'm in charge of marketing and public relations at the Louisiana State Museum- Baton Rouge. By night, I'm executive director of Culture Candy, a nonprofit arts organization that provides resources and support for grassroots programming. I also co-host a twice-yearly tour of collector's homes and artist studios through a program called Looking at Art. In addition, I'm the project director of the Uncommon Thread Wearable Art Show, and the new arts criticism periodical, Sweet Tooth. It's a passion of mine to expose the artistic talent native to Baton Rouge. In this blog I will shed much-deserved attention on the worthwhile corners of the local art scene, share artists' insights and reveal ways to nurture our cultural resources.

An important part in all this is that you get to offer your two cents as well. I could be completely off the mark or you might just want to give me a high five via Internet, either way let me know. Share your opinion on the Baton Rouge art community. Contact me at erin.rolfs@gmail.com.