The New Orleans Center for Creative Arts received a $7,500 grant from AT&T to support several initiatives including The NOCCA Institute’s Financial Aid program for students, an Artists-in-Residence Program which brings 150+ artists into NOCCA’s classrooms every year, and several series that enable visiting artists to share their work with the public, including the CENTER STAGE concert series, the On the Edge gallery series and the Creative Reading series.
“NOCCA offers New Orleans-area high school students a unique educational opportunity,” said State Senator J.P. Morrell. “Many talented young people – who have since made their mark in the professional worlds of music, theatre, dance and other creative arts – are graduates of NOCCA.”
Wynton and Branford Marsalis, Harry Connick, Jr., Terence Blanchard, Nicholas Payton, Jeanne-Michele Charbonnet, Wendell Pierce, and Saints former cornerback Ashley Ambrose, who are all NOCCA graduates, have all made a significant impact in their respective fields.
“It is rewarding to know that schools with a special focus such as NOCCA have not only come back after Hurricane Katrina, but have come back even stronger,” said State Representative Jared Brossett. “I applaud the dedication and efforts of the administration and faculty of NOCCA to continue to meet the ever-changing needs of Louisiana’s young people.”
The NOCCA Institute, NOCCA’s nonprofit community support and advocacy organization, also funds professional development opportunities for NOCCA’s faculty of artists as well as oversees third-party usage of the campus, making it available to other arts and nonprofit organizations.
“NOCCA is grateful for the ongoing support of Senator Morrell and Representative Brossett, who truly believe that providing unique educational opportunities for our young people is critical to the future of our city,” said Sally Perry, Executive Director, the NOCCA Institute. “We also appreciate the financial contributions of corporations such as AT&T.”
“AT&T strongly believes that investing in the education of our children is one of our highest priorities,” said Leo Marsh, Regional Director of AT&T Louisiana. “They are the leaders of tomorrow.”