Cultural Tourism

Recently, Offbeat Magazine interviewed Louisiana Lt. Governor Mitch Landrieu regarding efforts to encourage the re-vitalization of the arts in Louisiana. In large part, these efforts are geared toward creating a base product (music, art, film, etc.) for consumption by tourists.

In essence, cultural tourism has been a growing market in Louisiana ever since the oil market bust of the mid 1980s. Now, however, the need to financially support the arts has become even more critical after Hurricanes Rita and Katrina. The diaspora resulting from these cataclysmic storms has endangered the art community, and Lt. Governor Landrieu hopes that state support will turn the tide.

The idea of art being dependent upon the state is not always warmly-embraced, of course. Many artists and art patrons would rather live in a world divorced from politics. Indeed, some prefer to view their activities as protests against the world of finance and business. Even more troubling, many people wonder whether state intervention will transform legitimate artistic enterprise into a mere souvenir trade.

Needless to say, there are difficulties that must be addressed when government decides to become a player in the art community.