|
Home Of Northshore Musicians & Artists
Home Of Northshore Musicians & Artists
|
|
2008 Event Sponsors
Children's Art Stage Sponsor Poster Sponsored By Electricity Work donated by Organizational and Financial Support donated by the Ponchatoula Chamber of Commerce Publicity is made possible by a grant from the Tangipahoa Parish Tourism Commission
Restrooms Provided By Pot-O-Gold Printed Materials Provided By Premier Printing & Norman Falk The Northshore Regional Endowment For The Arts Board would like to thank Deborah Anderson and Anderson Small Business Solutions for chairing this year's event! |
The Northshore Regional Endowment For The Arts The Northshore Regional Endowment For The Arts is an organization that was formed in June 2001 by Ted J. Hudspeth, Sr., MD. He is a family practice physician at Ochsner Clinic in Hammond, LA and practices medicine in the same hospital that he was born in, North Oaks Medical Center. Having grown up in Tangipahoa Parish and having once been a music teacher in the area at Hayden's Music Company, he felt that the children of the area could use more music and art exposure and a chance to learn those as talents. He also believed that young aspiring musicians and artists of the region should have more support for their talents in the way of fostering refinement and promotion. With this as his base, an opportunity was afforded him in May 2001 when working closely with the Ponchatoula Chamber of Commerce, he was able to form one of the region’s newest festivals. Called “The Strawberry Jam’n Toast To The Arts”, it hosted 40 bands and performers on 6 different stages and 26 artists on the streets of Historic Downtown Ponchatoula. As a festival, it was a wonderful venue that provided regional musicians and artists an opportunity to be seen and heard. As an offshoot of his yet-to-be-formed Northshore Regional Endowment For The Arts, he saw it as a potential financial supporter to accomplish the goals of what he dreamed The Endowment could do. After having a successful event on May 26, 2001, he worked with childhood friend and fellow musician, Douglas Brown, who is now the assistant attorney of Hammond, LA. Together, they worked to register the organization with the State of Louisiana and later assembled a very strong board. These people include the Dean of the Music & Arts Dept at Southeastern Louisiana University, Dr. David Evenson, an art professor at Southeastern Louisiana University, Don Marshall, a grant writer for Tulane College, Crystal Rock, an LSU graduate of music, Becky Eymard O.T., the assistant Hammond City Attorney, Douglas Brown, a local musician who knew many of the local groups in the Northshore music scene, Diana Buras, LPN, and the founder of the organization, Ted J. Hudspeth, Sr., MD. They have come together with very similar dreams of what this organization could become. As an organization, it has three written purposes. First, the Endowment will promote music and art education for the children of the Northshore Region. Secondly, musicians and artists will be promoted in the Region. Thirdly, the Endowment will raise the level of awareness of music and art amongst the residents of the region. This will be accomplished by sponsoring children in music and art programs in this area. Increasing the venues where musicians and artists can be seen and heard will be the main way that the endowment will help musicians and by pooling marketing and promotional energies, more can be recognized for what they do. The endowment has sponsored and completed a compilation CD entitled "Funky Jambalaya" of 14 of the regions most popular bands and plans to use this as a tool to promote these musicians with promoters and marketers. Providing free web pages for all of these musicians and artists is also a way for these guys to be seen by folks who may never have seen them before. As the organization moves forward, plans are in the works for making a “museum without walls” out of the downtown Ponchatoula area. Once it is working, this is an idea that he would like to expand to other downtowns in the region. It is Dr. Hudspeth’s plan to put items of interest in each business in the downtown area with respect to the musical and artistic history of the region. He plans to call this the Northshore Museum of Music & Arts. A walking tour of this will be published and will be one more attraction to lure tourists to the downtown antique area. As this grows, it is hoped that one day, an actual building to house all of the artifacts will be built. It is hoped that this will have an outdoor ampitheatre so that bands can play in the downtown area and also a recording studio that will allow many bands from the region to record their music. Also, this will provide the Northshore Regional Endowment For The Arts a home. Mrs. Irma Thomas, the queen of soul, will be the first inductee into the Hall of Fame and will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Northshore Regional Endowment For The Arts on March 23, 2002. This will be during the ceremony which will start the festival at 9:30. If you would like to become a "Friend of the Endowment", you can do so for a $20.00 donation. This will help us in achieving our goals. If you would like to sponsor a student in music lessons, the rate is $150.00 per semester and will provide for then to take lessons through the SLU Community Music School. Donations of music, instruments, paint, brushes, teaching, etc. are also needed so if you have anything that you think would be of value to students or the community, you can contact us at thudspeth@i-55.com or you can send information/donations to:
Please specify what you would like your donation to go to and we will give you updates on what your donation has gone towards.
|
Copyright or other proprietary statement goes here.
|
.jpg)
