Getting the Arts Council on track

Photo by Collin Richie

Renee Chatelain is ready to lead the organization as its new CEO/president

Renee Chatelain sits in a conference room of Manship Theatre, full of nervous energy.

For the past five years, the venue in the Shaw Center for the Arts has been her domain. At Manship Theatre, she has served as executive director, and she beams with pride when talking about her half-decade there.

“It is inspiring to see the diverse array of talent and ideas that staff members developed,” she says. “They are artists themselves in various areas and are passionate about bringing their ideas to fruition.”

During her tenure, she has seen the venue open its doors to international performers such as comedian Martin Short and singer-songwriter Randy Newman. Manship Theatre has also developed partnerships with local organizations such as New Venture Theatre and the Red Dragon Listening Room. In between, there were film screenings and salsa dancing lessons.

But right down the road is a new challenge.

This month, the Baton Rouge native takes over as CEO and president of the Arts Council, a position formerly held by the likes of Eric Holowacz and the late Derek Gordon.

“I’m standing on the shoulders of people who were great for the city in their own tenures and brought something to the table,” she says.

After a brief synopsis of the two former leaders, Chatelain gathers herself and pauses. The Capital City native has seen the peaks and valleys of the local arts scene. She’s ready for the future.

“I’m excited about what an Arts Council can be for this city,” she says. “I feel like Baton Rouge is on the cusp of moving to a completely different definition as a city with the business that’s coming in and more people moving into the area.”

That merging of business and art will be Chatelain’s biggest challenge. She mentions downtown development as one example where art and business could flourish together. She wants the arts to be an integral part of the city’s economic development.

“Historically, this has been a city where you live in one area and were isolated to that area,” she says. “Now, we have developments like IBM or events like the Blues Festival driving people from multiple parishes into one location. The driving force is our arts, culture, culinary arts and entertainment.”

She has heard the argument her entire life: how artists don’t think like business people and vice versa. She wants to have a different conversation.

“You have to be a creative thinker in business in order for your business to thrive. It’s the same kind of creativity that artists use,” she says. “If you’re an artist, you have to understand how the world operates or have advocates who can negotiate in that business community so you can make a living.”

At the same time, her new role will allow her to interact with all different types of arts organizations. Some of the organizations that received funding last year from the Arts Council include Of Moving Colors, Swine Palace and Baton Rouge Gallery. Those three organizations are just the tip of the iceberg. Last December, the Arts Council awarded $170K in decentralized arts funding from the state to nearly 50 organizations across 11 parishes.

Programming, the very thing she is proud of at Manship, will also be up for debate once she takes the new job. The River City Jazz Series, Fest for All, Arts Market—she will look at all of the events to see what’s best for the biggest audience.

“[The Arts Council] needs to define its mission in 2015,” she says. “We find out our mission by asking all different groups of people what they think the Arts Council can be. Then, we need to examine what’s feasible and meaningful and make an outcome that’s beneficial for the largest number of people.” artsbr.org