For the past five years, Renee Chatelain has served as executive director of Manship Theatre. She beams with pride when talking about her half-decade there, as 225 recently discovered.
“It is inspiring to see the diverse array of talent and ideas that staff members developed,” she tells the magazine in a feature from the August issue.
During her tenure at Manship, Chatelain has seen the venue open its doors to international performers and develop partnerships with local organizations such as New Venture Theatre.
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 of Greater Baton Rouge, 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,” Chatelain says.
As she takes the helm of the Art Council, she’s excited about the future of the organization—as well as the future of Baton Rouge—but she also acknowledges the Arts Council’s biggest challenges. Chief among them is the merging of business and art. 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.”
Read the full story. Send your comments to editor@225batonrouge.com.
