Youthful Respite
New Roads’ Centre for the Arts doubles as studio and safe haven
In the heart of rural Louisiana in Pointe Coupée Parish, there’s a safe space for young people—a fun, creative haven away from quiet country living, bullying, and a world obsessed with sports, a place where children and young adults are accepted for who they are. For the past decade, this safe haven has been Centre for the Arts in New Roads.
New Roads is a quaint town of four and a half square miles and fewer than two thousand households. It’s a quiet place where some go to retire or relax. Favorite pastimes include fishing, dining out, and attending high school sports. But the arts, as parent volunteer Monique Fuselier said, are in Baton Rouge; and that’s just too far a drive for after-school activities.
So, in 2002 when Tiffany and Michael Phelps’ daughter Regan wanted to take dance classes, the two decided it was time for New Roads to embrace the arts. With twenty-two young girls in tow, Centre for the Arts was born at borrowed gym space inside the First Baptist Church. The Phelpses had not envisioned the program growing into an independent nonprofit agency; but in just ten years, the Centre has become one of the most important places in the city.
Now, providing instruction in more than just dance, the Centre offers classes in painting and drawing, drums, violin, creative writing, pottery, and voice. Unfortunately, this past spring, the Centre reached a precarious point of uncertainty as founders Tiffany and Michael, who spent years nurturing the arts culture in New Roads, made the painful choice to move to New Orleans. Their daughter Regan had been accepted into the prestigious New Orleans Center for Creative Arts in dance, and the Phelpses didn’t want to split their family. Their decision was not made lightly as the program was at a pivotal point in its existence, facing the end of its rental lease, needed renovations to its owned facility, a lack of board members, and a winter fundraiser that was under goal.
Tiffany Phelps suggested to her assistant director/art instructor Courtney Maciasz that the best course of action was to close the Centre. Initially agreeing with Phelps, Maciasz came to prayerfully disagree and transitioned immediately into the role of executive director to continue the Centre’s legacy. Closing only for the summer to begin renovations, the program reopened in September to begin a shortened fall semester in its new location on Main Street, next door to its former rented site.
“It was a spiritual decision,” Maciasz said. “I have a heart for New Roads and felt like the Lord was using the Centre to impact so many children’s lives. Every time I just stuck my toe in the water and moved forward with a decision involving the Centre, the Lord has met me with overwhelming grace.”
With the shortened semester and lack of space due to ongoing renovations, the Centre is mainly providing programming to children twelve and younger as well as private instruction for some adults. Having moved locations, the program has also somewhat absorbed Tesa’s Place, a lounge/coffee shop that was originally created for and by teenagers in remembrance of deceased student Tesa Middlebrook who was bullied to the point of suicide in the spring of 2012.
The teenagers from the Centre worked hard to fundraise for Tesa’s Place with car washes, lemonade stands, and garage sales. They donated time and reeled in monetary and labor donations from the community; and while they have surrendered their haven to the Centre as a whole, they still have its exclusive use on Thursdays from 4:30 pm–6 pm.
“Our teens, after the death of Tesa Middlebrook, really, really wanted a space that they could call their own; and it was also a way for them to honor Tesa’s memory and have something that they can point to and say, ‘Yes, there was something out of all of that pain and horror,’ ” Fuselier said.
Tesa’s Place opened with a huge celebration of her life last August, just in time for what would have been her eighteenth birthday. Middlebrook is honored throughout the building in photos and with her quote painted on the wall: I’m glad there is a safe place where people like me can come.
“I was relatively new to the Centre, but I recognized that this opening was a huge deal,” Maciasz said. “I was blown away to see every race, economic class, religion, and ethnicity of New Roads represented at this event. That night was the perfect picture of what the Centre represents. Everyone has a place, and it might seem a bit random or disjointed; but there is a mutual respect for all of those differences.”
The Centre has long been a place where teenagers interested in the arts have come to learn and find fellowship. Fuselier, her husband, and three daughters have been taking instruction at the Centre for six years; and she knows without the Centre, New Roads may otherwise not have a place for young artists to grow.
“The teens would come here for a class, that was the reason to come. But lots of times they needed to be here outside of classes, because in our town, if you’re not involved in sports, it’s hard to find your niche,” Fuselier said. “It’s hard to find a place where the girl that has the blue hair and the boy who’s not wanting to play football, or the kid who just wants to do something different can find somewhere to do that. This has just been a place—for ten years—that has been a blessing to a lot of children and their parents.”
The Centre garnered international attention in 2011 with its Red String Campaign, a project designed by Tiffany Phelps to show students that people cared about them and the Centre’s work. Bracelets were given in exchange for donations of any amount. The bracelet design, made by volunteers, includes a red string made up of many fibers—representing an intertwined community—and a silver circle—to represent the Centre, a safe place. The campaign sent off over five thousand bracelets and yielded over $50,000 in donations. After Tesa’s death, a black bead was added to the bracelet design in her memory, encouraging a zero tolerance policy on bullying.
“The Centre maintains a high quality arts education, but focuses on the child’s experience rather than the expected outcome,” Maciasz said. “Of course many students are perfecting their talents and skills; but others simply need a safe environment to express what they have experienced. For a hurting child, playing the drums may be the open door to finding healing.”
The fall semester ends this month, and the spring will begin mid-February. Maciasz hopes to have four fully renovated classrooms and increased instructional offerings to once again include piano, guitar, and drum classes. As for the future, the Centre will continue serving its community as a strong reminder of what healing through the arts can do.
Details. Details. Details.
Centre for the Arts
1102 West Main Street
New Roads, La.
(225) 638-1094 • (225) 718-1303