Holowacz launches Creative Development Bureau

Photo courtesy of Eric Holowacz

Former Arts Council president and CEO Eric Holowacz will team up with the region’s creative minds for a free resource called the Creative Development Bureau.

Holowacz made the announcement in April. With the new initiative, he plans to team up with local arts organizations including The Walls Project and Elevator Projects to support project development and citywide arts collaboration.

The bureau will begin as a temporary effort, “but could grow into an ongoing service to the Baton Rouge arts community,” according to a press release.

Holowacz, whose split from the Arts Council in late February made headlines, is considering a move back to his home state of South Carolina over the summer. However, he says in an e-mail that he has already met with some potential candidates to take over the efforts.

“There is no guarantee of continuity, but I do expect to move away one day, and it would be nice if things kept going,” he says.

The space is located within The Walls Project’s Art & Design Center on the ground floor of the Chase Towers in downtown Baton Rouge.

Raina Wirta, founder and director of Elevator Projects, which is also based in the center, says the bureau will assist startup nonprofit arts organizations with writing bylaws, incorporation and “learning the mechanics of proper board governance.”

“Eric [Holowacz] has assisted us so much already and has expertise across the board,” Wirta says. “He has a wide understanding of the issues we face and the problems we need solved.”

For more information on the Creative Development Bureau, call 571-9497.