The Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge expects to be in their new offices at One Eleven next to the Shaw Center by mid-May, council CEO Derek Gordon says. The new digs will have more usable office space than the current location on Laurel Street, but it won’t have a room to house the community gallery. Gordon says the Arts Council is looking for another gallery space, preferably on Third Street. Ten of One Eleven’s 12 residential units have been rented.
Gordon says the Arts Council is on track financially for the current fiscal year, but fundraising for next year might be more difficult. The council gets some money from the state, which Gordon expects to be reduced, and some donors are less comfortable giving than they might have been in past years. The Stanford Group typically gave $40,000 annually: $5,000 to the general fund, and $35,000 in grants to two member organizations.—David Jacobs
