2015 Summer Academic Excellence Award Application
Name: __ Student I.D.:
Major/Concentration: Art__ Expected Graduation Date:
Honors Program: Yes
Total Undergraduate Credit Hours completed: 91
email:
One sentence description of project:
This project will aid me in gaining fluency in French as I research both the historic and
contemporary cultural connections between communities in France and South Louisiana with
attention to Creative Placemaking.
References:
Name of St. Edward’s Faculty Reference 1:
Essay:
On a separate sheet of paper, please describe your summer project proposal in 500-700
words. Please address: 1) the specific what, where, and when of the project, 2), the project’s
relevance to your academic work to date and future academic plans at St. Edward’s, 3) how
the project will help you achieve your graduate school or career goals and 4) what national
fellowship you plan to apply for and how summer funding will make you a better candidate.
5) If financial need is a consideration, please briefly describe your circumstances.
Project Budget Estimate:
Airfare:
_$350 (one way ticket to Nova Scotia1 or Quebec2)
_$1,700 (airfare to Paris, France and back to Louisiana)
Lodging:
_$600 (Paris, France- apartment sublease from friend, Emilie Vidrine)
Food:
_$500 (France)
Museum Fees: _$200 (France- includes Chateau de Versailles, Centre Pompidou, Museum
of Modern Art, the Louvre, the Musee Rodin, the RMN-Grand Palais, Le Petit Palais,
Musee du Quai Branly, and Musee d’Orsay)
Transportation: _$200 (France- includes metro ticket in Paris and either a rental car, bus
tickets, or train tickets to travel to various places related to Creative Placemaking/Acadians)
Total:
1
_$3,550
First Choice French Immersion Program: https://www.usainteanne.ca
Second Choice French Immersion Program: Western University in Trois-Pistoles,
Quebec (http://frenchimmersion.uwo.ca/about_us/troispistoles.html) or Third Choice
French Immersion Program: Universite Laval in Quebec City, Quebec
(http://www2.ulaval.ca/accueil.html)
2
The project I propose is a two-part project that will benefit my current studies in
art as well as my plans beyond university. The project will enable me to research Creative
Placemaking, a topic I will explore further for my senior honor thesis. My research will
tie into my current area of study, art, by enabling me to explore the functions of art
centers in France and exposing me to a wide array of European art. Ultimately, this
research will assist with my post graduation plans to apply to Escadrille Louisiane. This
summer will further my progress on the path of artistic and cultural engagement that I
plan to continue on far into the future.
For the first five-weeks of the summer, I have applied for a French immersion
program in Canada from May 17th to June 20th. Because I have Canadian citizenship, I
applied to the Explore program.3 If chosen, this program will provide me with a
scholarship to attend a French immersion program with free tuition, room, and board. I
will find out in early April whether I was chosen for the scholarship as well as whether or
not I can attend my first choice of program, Université Sainte-Anne in Pointe-de-l'Église,
Nova Scotia.4 This part of the summer will also connect to what I have planned for my
time in France.5 If I am not placed in Nova Scotia, I will apply the money from my
budget to fly to either my second or third choice of program.6 Attending a French
Immersion program is essential for me to reach the level of language proficiency I need
to travel to France in July as well as apply for the Escadrille Louisiane post graduation.
The second part of the project is a 5-week trip to France from July 17th to August
24 . The focus of this trip will be conducting research that will assist with my honors
thesis in the spring of 2016. Currently, I plan to research Creative Placemaking.7 George
Marks with NUNU Arts and Culture Collective in Arnaudville, Louisiana employs
Creative Placemaking in his community.8 He established a connection with Articulteurs
in Redon, France, and these two organizations work on Creative Placemaking through
cultural exchanges.9 A comparison between these two centers based on first hand
experience will strengthen my thesis. Working with grass roots cultural centers to
strengthen local arts communities is something I would love to do later in life. This
th
3
Explore is a program offered through the Canadian government to encourage the
development of French among young Canadians. http://www.myexplore.ca/en/
4
https://www.usainteanne.ca/
5
Pointe-de-l’Eglise is an Acadian community with many historically significant sites
relating to the expulsion of the Acadians in and around the town.
http://www.novascotiabackyard.com/explore-our-regions/yarmouth-and-acadianshores/church-point
6
See these in the budget segment above.
7
Creative Placemaking is a concept developed by the National Endowments of the Arts
(NEA) to encourage economic development through art and culture. Defining Creative
Placemaking: http://arts.gov/NEARTS/2012v3-arts-and-culture-core/defining-creativeplacemaking ; the NEA Document: http://arts.gov/publications/creative-placemaking
8
http://www.nunucollective.org/
9
http://www.articulteurs.org/
project will provide me with the opportunity to glimpse how Creative Placemaking is
being implemented in communities on a global scale.
In France, my home base will be Paris. Being based in Paris, I can explore the art
Paris has to offer.10 This will support my academic work to date and prepare me for
senior year, a time when I must delve into independent artistic inquiry. Both the
contemporary and historic art I will view in the art mecca that is Paris will provide me
with a wide basis of inspiration. I will also explore how Creative Placemaking is working
on a larger scale in the neighborhoods and on the streets of Paris.11
When I am not researching Articulteurs in Redon or exploring the art scene in
Paris, I plan to travel to several locations around France that connect to my Cajun
heritage.12 In France, I intend to travel to the original communities of the Acadians as
well as the places Acadians returned to after their exile from Canada.13 This research will
provide me context for contemporary connections between France and Louisiana. I will
also look for examples of Creative Placemaking in each community I visit.
Highlights include Anish Kapoor’s exhibition at the Chateau de Versailles
(http://en.chateauversailles.fr/news-/events/exhibitions/forthcoming-exhibitions ) and the
Centre Pompidou’s major exhibition of their collection of art from the 1980s to present
day (https://www.centrepompidou.fr/cpv/ressource.action?param.id=FR_R38c80ed699767388e67e1c6621b7d6&param.idSource=FR_Ebae182224fcc99e9639a4d2eadf21993).
11
Placemaking in Paris: http://www.pps.org/blog/taking-the-next-step-paris-leads-withinnovation-in-the-streets/
12
Cajuns are descendants of the Acadians, the French settlers residing in the Canadian
Maritime Provinces until their expulsion by the British in the mid-1700s. The Acadians
exiled to Louisiana became known as Cajuns.
13
The primary towns I intend to visit are Loudun, France, Nantes, France, and Namur,
Belgium. Loudun was home to many of the original Acadians and features the Maison de
l"Acadie (http://maisondelacadie.com/) , a museum dedicated to Acadian history. Nantes
was the port town many Acadians returned to after their expulsion from Canada and
before being exiled to Louisiana. This town shares a contemporary art connection to
South Louisiana through a large-scale mural depicting the Acadian refugees
(http://www.acadian-cajun.com/acadart.htm) . Robert Dafford, an artist from my
hometown Lafayette, LA, painted the mural. Finally, if funds and time allow, I would
like to travel to Namur, Belgium. This town is the twin city to my hometown Lafayette,
LA (http://www.namur-lafayette.net/wordpress/) . Philip Gustin of the Centre
Internationale in Lafayette, which works to develop commercial ties between Louisiana
and France, established this connection. As a result, Lafayette and Namur have a fruitful
exchange of art and culture that follows the philosophy of Creative Placemaking.
10
Post graduation I plan to apply to the TAPIF Program.14 I will apply through a
CODOFIL program, Escadrille Louisiane.15 This program enables participants to acquire
a Masters of Art in Teaching through a joint program between University Bretagne
Occidentale in Rennes, France and Centenary College of Louisiana, tuition free, while
working as a TAPIF assistant. In return, I will be required to teach for three years in
Louisiana’s French immersion schools. Without the project I have proposed for this
summer, it is doubtful that my French proficiency will be at the level I need to apply to
the TAPIF/CODOFIL program. In summary, through the acquisition of French language,
immersion in French culture, and research of Creative Placemaking, art, and Acadian
cultural connections, this project will jump-start my future goals of empowering
communities through art and culture.
14
TAPIF (Teaching Assistant Program in France), offered through the French
government, seeks English speakers to be an English teaching assistant for a year in
France. http://highereducation.frenchculture.org/teach-in-france
15
CODOFIL’s (Council for the Development of French in Louisiana) Escadrille
Program: (http://www.crt.state.la.us/cultural-development/codofil/programs/escadrillelouisiane/index)