BusinessReport.com

Katherine Scherer has worked to improve the local cultural scene during her nine years with the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge.

She helped to establish the monthly Baton Rouge Arts Market, which gives people a chance to exhibit and sell their creations.

“There have been some great success stories out of the market,” says Scherer, an Alexandria native. “People have gone from working on art on a part-time basis to having their artwork serve as a substantial part of their livelihood.” Artists regularly come from neighboring states to display their crafts and handiwork, a sign that the downtown event provides a healthy sales opportunity.

The Arts Market isn’t the only event that Scherer has helped introduce. She organized the return of FestForAll, an annual event that features a mixture of artistic forms, from music to demonstrations of sculpture and jewelry-making. Although FestForAll started in the early 1970s, it took a five-year hiatus until Scherer helped revive the event in 2003.

Scherer, a photographer, has held different roles with the Arts Council, including a stint as interim executive director that lasted almost a year. Through her work with the group, supporters say she has turned it into a tool for making Baton Rouge the kind of place where people want to live.

For Scherer, the biggest change is the range and scope of activities now offered in Baton Rouge.

“There are so many activities that community members can take part in on a weekly basis,” she says. “The Shaw Center has turned into an anchor for art activities.”

What is the best advice you ever received?

“Go to Italy, and so I did earlier this year.”