In conjunction with Artober!,  a month-long event to celebrate downtown Beaumont being named a Cultural Arts District by the Texas Commission on the Arts, a National Endowment for the Arts Grants Workshop will be presented. This workshop will be held at 10 a.m. on Friday, October 25, at the Art Museum of Southeast Texas (AMSET).  Tony Chauveaux, deputy chairman of programs & partnerships at the NEA, will be presenting. In addition, Dr. Gary Gibbs, executive director of the Texas Commission on the Arts, will present on state granting opportunities. Co-sponsored by Lamar University’s College of Fine Arts and Communication, the workshop is free and open to the public.

"Historically, downtown Beaumont has been a place for the arts. Now with state designation as a cultural arts district, DBCAD (Downtown Beaumont Cultural Arts District) will be able to promote Beaumont arts and culture to the next level," said Donna M Meeks, chair of the Department of Art & Design at Lamar University. “This NEA workshop will provide an overview of the funding available to promote the arts.”

The NEA is an independent federal agency that funds, promotes and strengthens the creative capacity of our communities by providing all Americans with diverse opportunities for arts participation. The NEA works with other federal agencies, state and local governments, state and regional arts agencies, and private nonprofits on projects that provide opportunities for thousands of Americans to experience quality arts programming throughout the country.

The NEA Grants Workshop will be held in conjunction with other Artober! events that weekend including “Eat-A-Bug!” Family Arts Day at AMSET, Dinosaur Days at the Texas Energy Museum, Cops and Kids Halloween at the Civic Center, Classic Movie Night at the Jefferson showing “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” and “Zack Williams: The Rescue Story Tour” at the Julie Rogers Theatre.

For more information about the Department of Art & Design, please visit lamar.edu/art.