Semaine de la Francophonie (Francophonie Week) Formerly known as La Semaine Francaise or French Week, this creative traveling placemaking summit takes place in Arnaudville and other communities in the Acadiana region with a series of mini-conferences. Presentations include a range of subjects including tourism, environmental sustainability, economic and social development, government, education, and folklife traditions. The summit brings together the expertise of respected scholars, artists, scientists, cultural citizens, and organizations, and each day takes place in a different community. Attendees represent Louisiana and the Brittany region of France for the purpose of critical discourse on creativity imperatives and processes. Each day brings a new experience, and with each, a deeper understanding of purpose, benefits, and methods for job creation within a cultural economy. Semaine de la Francophonie also includes an educational component geared toward high school students.
Day 1 - Dimanche
Summit begins at NUNU Arts and Culture Collective, one of 14 nationally selected examples of successful Creative Placemaking and included within the 2010 “White Paper for The Mayors' Institute on City Design,” a leadership initiative funded by the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the United States Conference of Mayors and American Architectural Foundation. The Keynote speaker is Ann Markusen, Director of the Arts Economy Initiative and the Project on Regional and Industrial Economics at the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs, and Principal of Markusen Economic Research.
Day 2 - Lundi Malcolm White , who leads the Mississippi Arts Commission (MAC) as Executive Director.
Day 3 - Mardi
A tradition of great oyster bars runs deep in the history of Abbeville thanks to the first 19th century oystermen who used the Vermillion River flowing through town as an avenue to sell their fresh harvest. Abbeville remains a destination for oyster lovers who satisfy their cravings at a cluster of modern mollusk emporiums. The Keynote speaker will be announced soon.
Wednesday in Washington at the St. John Episcopal Church
The third-oldest settlement in Louisiana, Washington is a former French trading post that flourished thanks to waters of Bayou Courtableau that run through it. The town was founded in 1720 and eventually rose in prominence as a steamboat port that brought cattle, sugar and other farm goods to markets in New Orleans. The Keynote speaker is Maria Rosario Jackson , senior advisor to the Arts & Culture Program at The Kresge Foundation, and an Institute Professor at Arizona State University where she holds appointments at the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, and also in the College of Public Service and Community Solutions.
Day 5 - Jeudi
Concluding Day takes place in the Hub of Acadiana and home of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and Acadiana Center for the Arts, the Louisiana Division of the Arts Region 4 Arts Council. The Keynote speaker is Anne Gadwa Nicodemus, a choreographer/arts administrator turned urban planner. Gadwa Nicodemus leads Metris’ work. Recent Metris projects range from a Zimbabwean-focused case study of how creative spaces foster activism in repressive regimes (for Hivos, 2015) to an arts and culture plan for the small city of Grand Rapids, MN (GRMN Creates, 2015).
Admission charged
337-453-3307
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