After fifty years of transformative creativity, robust support of the arts hand humanities, and vibrant community engagement, the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge is celebrating its legacy with a book about its origins, recounted in the words of its founders and luminaries over the decades.
Why Not? The First Fifty Years of the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge (September 2025) chronicles the arts council’s journey from an up-and-coming organization in the 1970s to the cultural powerhouse it is today. Founded in 1973, the Arts Council continues to sustain and support arts infrastructure across a ten-parish region, comprising Ascension, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberville, Livingston, Pointe Coupée, St. Helena, Tangipahoa, West Feliciana, and West Baton Rouge parishes.
“For the 50th anniversary, my predecessor, Renee Chatelain, [and I] were talking about, ‘What do we do to celebrate fifty years?’” recalled Jonathan Grimes, president and CEO of the Arts Council. “And so during that time, there was the conversation of, well, let's write a book. Let's have a coffee table-style book, which is kind of a trip down memory lane.”
Chatelain and Robin Palmer Blanche, a writer and arts advocate, began to compile a list of past presidents, board members, and influential people who had shaped the fledgling council. Blanche then set out on an extensive interview process, and after rounding up some historic photos that showcase the council’s most iconic programs and personalities, the book became a reality.
“We had the idea that it was just going to be short stories,” Grimes said. “It kind of jumps back and forth between historic events. So whether that be the formation of Sunday in the Park, the River City Jazz master series—we talk about all of the people that have kind of come before us.”
Rather than a traditional table of contents, the book contains subheads detailing the perspectives of different artists, teachers, partners, visionaries, and volunteers that contributed to the arts council’s growth. There are tales of the board’s leadership coming into their own, the artists looking to branch out in their fields, and the arts educators eager to pass on their passion.
“The capturing and the archiving of those memories, and just having that institutional knowledge in paper form, is really great,” Grimes said.
All proceeds from Why Not’s sales go to support the arts council. artsbr.org.
