A different approach behind the area’s newest festival: Ebb & Flow

Festival season is always crowded with events. Every spring, in North Boulevard Town Square, one festival seems to flow into the next. It’s a good problem for us attendees, but it can make it hard for organizers to launch something truly new.

That’s part of the reason why the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge is trying a different approach and moving its newest event—next month’s Ebb & Flow—a little closer to the river. Ebb & Flow is billed as a reimagined version of FestForAll, the arts-focused festival the Arts Council has presented since 1974. President and CEO Renee Chatelain says the long-standing event came about during a time when downtown was in need of a boost and opportunities for artists were scarce in the city. Since then, downtown has seen an explosion of development and activities, including a regular, monthly arts market. That required a second look at FestForAll’s mission.

“[North Boulevard Town Square] has tons of activities, and we’re kind of all clamoring to get in that space,” Chatelain says. “We said let’s take the resources we have, which are limited, and let’s look at what is the need right now. And that started the conversation about the Mississippi River and that we as Baton Rougeans tend to not even think about it. We need to be excited about that again, and that’s the goal [of Ebb & Flow].”

With all manner of art, music, performances, creators, food and more, Ebb & Flow aims to start off the festival season in South Louisiana while being a showcase of the city’s connection to the river, with some events even happening on the city dock. Chatelain refers to the under-construction Water Campus nearby as a sign of how the city is embracing the river and looking to be a coastal restoration research leader. The Rotary Club is also set to unveil a huge sculpture at the Florida Street riverfront in 2018, offering another river-centric focal point.

Chatelain envisions future versions of the festival hosting an international art competition that encourages artists to theme their work around water issues, as well as docked barges serving as a unique form of festival space.

This year, the festival is welcoming Icelandic artist Steinunn Thórarinsdóttir, who is bringing 22 human-like sculptures that will be scattered around an interactive sculpture garden near the riverfront plaza. The sculptures will stay in the city for at least a year. Performers and performance spaces will range from the Old State Capitol and Repentance Park to the city dock and riverfront plaza. An arts market and food vendors will be set up along River Road in front of the River Center and the USS Kidd will serve as a children’s activities center.

The East Baton Rouge Parish Library, local arts groups, LSU’s Coastal Sustainability Studio and the Water Institute of the Gulf will have activities and presentations at the event.

“The real idea of the festival is to give Baton Rouge a cultural brand—a current one,” Chatelain says. “One that is 2017-forward and that puts the Capital City on the map as a hub for culture, design, ecology and industry tied to our very unique place along the river.”

What to expect:

Ebb & Flow will take place April 1-2 downtown. Louisiana blues musician Tab Benoit is scheduled to headline the Saturday music lineup with funk band Cameo—known for the 1980s hit “Word Up”—headlining Sunday. Participant groups include the East Baton Rouge Parish library, USS Kidd, LSU Museum of Art, West Baton Rouge Museum, Forward Arts, Baton Rouge Community College, Baton Rouge Gallery and others. artsbr.org

This article was originally published in the March 2017 issue of 225 Magazine.