Meraux Foundation Celebrates Opening of St. Claude Arts Park
Meraux Foundation board members, artists, officials, and community members gathered Friday for a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of the St. Claude Arts Park (6619 St. Claude Ave., Arabi, La. 70032). The new outdoor venue is the latest addition to St. Claude Arts, a public interest project undertaken by the Meraux Foundation to leverage the arts and culture as a driver for economic development and enhanced livability in St. Bernard Parish.
"We are excited to build on the momentum started with the creation of the St. Claude Arts campus with the addition of the new Arts Park," said Rita Gue, president of the Meraux Foundation. "The Arts Park enriches the state-certified Old Arabi Cultural District and provides a perfect outdoor setting for cultural events as well as a way for local nonprofits to raise funds.”
Since 2016, the private family foundation has invested millions of dollars to develop vacant and underused properties in the area into an “arts campus” that includes St. Claude Arts, a collection of studios and galleries; Art Conscious; Zeitgeist Multi-Disciplinary Arts Center; St. Claude Arts Park; and a series of murals by area artists sponsored by the Meraux Foundation and organized by the NOLA Mural Project.
The St. Claude Arts Park is nestled between Art Conscious and Zeitgeist and provides a stage, amenities, and a beautifully landscaped space for events. In addition to making the park available at no cost for select charitable events, the Meraux Foundation tapped the nonprofit Zeitgeist to program the space and leverage it to raise funds for itself.
“We’re excited to host movie screenings, performances, art markets, small festivals, and other art and cultural events in the space,” said Rene Broussard, the executive director of Zeitgeist. “I’m grateful to the Meraux Foundation for entrusting me with this space and, I commend them for having the vision to create st. Claude Arts.”
For more information on St. Claude Arts, a schedule of events, and information on booking the Arts Park, visit stclaudearts.org.