Color Blocks

Streets of downtown Lafayette come to life with art, events, and community

photographs & story by Mary Cormaci

A chalk Dr. Seuss peers out of a white-washed wall with curious eyes. Stenciled birds
perch gracefully along a line of bricks. A spiny blue goblin lurks at the end of an alley in
downtown Lafayette, a little oasis nurtured by artistic minds.
The Cajun encampment of Lafayette thrives on the Universitys energetic population, the
citys diverse heritage, and an all-around love for celebration. The sense of community in
Lafayette is a resonating mood around town. Public gatherings are commonplace year-round,
including festivals and concerts, events for kids, and farmers markets. The newly-developed
River Ranch area has attracted wealthy Lafayette residents to its freshly-painted shops and
restaurants, while the downtown streets across the city teems with life of an eclectic culture.
Community organizers have taken an initiative along Jefferson Street. The scenery has
undergone exciting changes: changes that have created a welcoming and colorful downtown. The

young people working to integrate art into the cityscape have an agenda of not only displaying
beautiful work, but also bringing the community together and improving the street experience.
Downtown Lafayette is an entity working to strengthen the community along Jefferson
street, and uses art as a primary vehicle. They recently commissioned 20 colorful metal
sculptures to hang from street posts. People stop to rest on benches painted by schoolchildren.
Giant letters spelling Lafayette are now a focal point of Parc Sans Souci on Vermilion street.
By organizing events and commissioning new and fresh street art, Downtown Lafayette is
building a different kind of community: one that thrives on not-so-typical means of public
beautification.

Kate Durio is the marketing director for Downtown Lafayette, and has spearheaded the
most recent art installation campaigns downtown. But her mission goes beyond street art.
Durios greatest contribution to Lafayettes art scene has been the development of ArtWalk, a
free monthly evening of open galleries around downtown. A downloadable map helps navigate
the multitude of galleries which are open for free. Of the 24 galleries which participate, the
venues range from Artmosphere Bistro to the Lafayette Science Museum. The kid-friendly

gathering features live music at Parc Sans Souci, beer vendors, and delicious scents wafting from
nearby food trucks. The early evenings spent at ArtWalk reinforce the city-wide sense of
community, and the hope for a busy and beautiful downtown.
Downtown Lafayette is responsible for annual community events like Movies in the Parc
and also Downtown Alive!, a gathering which is the oldest running weekly concert series in the
state. The office also campaigns for urban economic development in the downtown area. A state
cultural district like downtown Lafayette allows retailers within its boundaries to waive both
state and local sales tax on all original art sold in the district, Durio wrote in The Daily
Advertiser. In 2014, that equated to $16 million dollars of original art sold.
The late Griff Blakewood, a founder of Festival International de Louisiane, is
emblazoned on the wall of the Childrens Museum, and smiles at passers-by. The free April
festival brings in over 300,000 people to downtown, and is centered around art from all around
the world. The Marche des Arts of Festival International bustles with people looking for unique
handcrafted items. The sprawling market of tents are full to the brim with beautiful creations of
all kinds. Artists specializing in ceramics, drawing, cloth creations, glasswork, jewelry, painting,
photography, sculpture, and woodwork all have a chance to display and sell their work to an
enthusiastic crowd.

A walk around downtown is an art exhibit in itself. Square stickers spell out LONE
along a railing. A close look around a corner will reveal the graffiti likeness of Edgar Allan Poe.
Droopy sprayed-on orange bubble letters read dont give up. Rogue artists in the Lafayette
area have tagged many corners of downtown, but traditional, anonymous graffiti artists arent the
only ones spicing up the downtown streets. Art in Lafayette is becoming a community
movement: one shaped and nurtured by an enthusiastic population of artistic minds.

Visit these web locations to find out more about art events in Lafayette:
Lafayette Convention & Visitors Commission: lafayettetravel.com
DowntownLafayette.org
Lafayette Art Association & Gallery: lafayetteart.org
Acadiana Center for the Arts: acadianacenterforthearts.org
Paul & Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum: hilliardmuseumorg
UL Lafayette College of the Arts: visualarts.louisiana.edu
The Advertiser: events.theadvertiser.com
Festival Internationale de Louisiane: festivalinternational.org

All photos courtesy of Mary Cormaci / @marycormaciphoto

An artist works on a street portrait of Griff Blakewood, a founder of Festival International de

Louisiane. Today the portrait accompanies Im a festivalarian. Music is my religion, so I love
those holy days. When I go downtown all the cars are gone and all my freaky friends are dancin
in the streets.

A full moon rises during an evening in Parc Internationale with Soul Creole.

Edgar Allan Poe makes a social statement outside of Jefferson Street Pub.

Kids play in Parc Putnam during Festival Internationale de Louisiane.

References:
Durio, Kate. Art becoming a hot topic in Acadiana. The Daily Advertiser. August 24, 2015.
http://www.theadvertiser.com/story/entertainment/events/2015/08/24/art-becoming-hot-topicacadiana/32276461/
Downtown Lafayette official info platform for ArtWalk.
http://www.downtownlafayette.org/events/artwalk.html
Festival Internationale official art vendor information.
http://festivalinternational.org/artists-eats/marche-des-arts/
Lafayette Art Association & Gallery info.
http://www.lafayetteart.org