“Art 6 Feet Apart” — get your arts, culture fix during the pandemic
Kathleen Hilliard
The city of Lake Charles is bringing life and art together and out into the community through their newest series “Art 6 Feet Apart,” which starts Friday, Nov. 13. This cultural series will showcase SWLA art organizations around the community.
“2020 has been really tough on the local Arts community. COVID-19 guidelines prohibited large gatherings, so we had to get creative with planning socially-distant, outdoor events,” explained Matt Young, director of cultural affairs for Historic City Hall Arts and Cultural Center. “So we chose four outdoor spaces in downtown to host these small, pop-up events. The Transit Center’s pavilion is one of them; it’s beautiful—but underutilized. Ten Pin Alley is another one of the locations. I like to refer to it as Lake Charles’ best kept secret.”
A call was put out to local artisans and performance groups across the community, and within a week a wide array of organizations and groups responded. The series will feature different events that are spread out from Nov. 13 through Dec. 13 and will feature a variety of different performances including theater demonstrations, dance performances, concerts, and poetry readings.
A full list of the dates, times and places of each event can be found at www.visitlakecharles.org or on the Historic City Hall Arts and Cultural Center Facebook page. Performances include members of the drama club from Barbe High School, the MSU MFA Program, the LC Community Band, Lake Area Ballet Theatre, and the Fresh Coat Quartet, among others.
“As we continue to rebuild Southwest Louisiana’s infrastructure, it’s important that we also work to rebuild our culture. Our quality of life here is hinged on the abundance of entertainment opportunities, talented artists, and good old family-fun. We believe this series of events will be both uplifting and inspiring for those that are there in person, as well as for those who are streaming the events at home,” enthused Young.
All events in the series are free of charge, but people are encouraged to pre-register online as venues only allow for 50 people for the safety of the crowd and the performers. Pre-registration is available online at www.cityoflakecharles.org or by calling 491-9147.
“Our area is rich in culture, and the arts have the power to bring us together and give us a shared hope for the future, and as we find ourselves preparing to wrap up a year that has brought us a global pandemic and catastrophic damage from two hurricanes, we can all use a little hope,” said Mayor Nic Hunter. “I’m pleased to announce that our local community of musicians, artists and nonprofits are providing some uplifting entertainment, in a safe, socially distant manner. Due to continued health concerns related to COVID-19, we’re being creative and planning these events in some of our underutilized outdoor venues.”
Special to the American Press