On Wednesday, October 30, 2013, the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts and The NOCCA Institute broke ground on the NOCCA Forum, a 60,000 square-foot renovation of an historic warehouse that will expand NOCCA’s campus and create a host of new offerings for the public.
When complete, the NOCCA Forum will house labs, kitchens, and classrooms, many of which will be used for NOCCA’s hugely successful Academic Studio program and its Culinary Arts program. Each week, the NOCCA Forum will serve up to 700 students from across the region and the state.
The NOCCA Forum will also include a public art gallery and a cafe open to the community. Tenant space will also be available. The renovation is expected to be completed in the fall/winter of 2014.
More generally, the NOCCA Forum will:
- Become a model environment for 21st-century learning;
- Support workforce training for Louisiana’s multi-billion dollar cultural, creative, and digital economies; and,
- Support the region’s economic development, especially in four historic nearby neighborhoods (Bywater, Marigny, St. Claude, and St. Roch).
The $26.6 million NOCCA Forum project is led by NOCCA’s nonprofit partner, The NOCCA Institute. The Institute partnered with MCC‘s real estate team to implement the overall financial structure created by Crescent Growth Capital. First NBC and Whitney National Bank are providing the majority of project funding. The project’s design-build team is led by The McDonnel Group, with John C. Williams Architects as the design leader.
The majority of the project is funded through federal and state tax credit programs and a Quality Zone Academy Bond. Major donors to the $11.6 million private capital campaign include Becky & Joe Jaeger, Chevron, and Trafigura Foundation. Guests and participants at the groundbreaking included Joe Jaeger; Mr. Warner Williams, Vice President Gulf of Mexico Business Unit, Chevron; Sarah Jackson, Corporate Affairs Manager – Americas, Trafigura Foundation; Joel Vilmenay, president of The NOCCA Institute’s board of directors; Joseph Bruno, president of NOCCA’s board of directors; Sally Perry, executive director of The NOCCA Institute; Kyle Wedberg, president and CEO of NOCCA; and Troy “Trombone Short” Andrews, musician and NOCCA alum.
JUST THE FACTS
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The NOCCA Forum will add 60,000 square feet to the campus of the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, Louisiana’s arts conservatory for high school students.
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The NOCCA Forum will house classrooms, labs, and Culinary Arts kitchens, plus a public cafe and art gallery, where the community can experience NOCCA’s creative spirit on a daily basis. Tenant space will also be available.
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The $26.6 million NOCCA Forum project is spearheaded by The NOCCA Institute, NOCCA’s nonprofit support and advocacy partner. The Institute partnered with MCC‘s real estate team to implement the overall financial structure created by Crescent Growth Capital. First NBC and Whitney National Bank are providing the majority of the project funding. The project’s design-build team is led by The McDonnel Group, with John C. Williams Architects as the design leader.
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The majority of the project is funded through federal and state tax credit programs and a Quality Zone Academy Bond. Major donors to the $11.6 million private capital campaign include Becky & Joe Jaeger, Chevron, and Trafigura Foundation.
KEY QUOTES
“The NOCCA Forum is a fitting symbol of the bold and ambitious vision NOCCA and its many friends and partners have for inspiring and training young artists for enriching and impactful careers here and beyond.” – Kyle Wedberg, President & CEO, New Orleans Center for Creative Arts
“The NOCCA Institute, its board, staff, and thousands of our donors around the globe strongly believe that the arts sit at the core of human identity. We also believe that all children, when valued, respected and challenged, can develop a lifelong love of learning and accomplish great things. The $11.6 million in private contributions to the NOCCA Forum project show our community’s longstanding support for and investment in our creative young people.” – Sally Perry, Executive Director, The NOCCA Institute
“Chevron is committed to supporting the communities where we live and operate. That means investing in programs and partnerships that support education as well as employment, business development, the environment and health. By promoting STEAM – Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Math – Chevron is working to give our children the foundation they need for a better future, which in turn, contributes to the community as a whole. We’re proud to support the expansion of the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts.” – Warner Williams, Vice President, Chevron North America Gulf of Mexico
“We are very excited to once again support NOCCA, one of the first organizations funded by the Trafigura Foundation when it was established back in 2007. NOCCA’s current revenue-generating activities are based on a social business model which we deeply believe in, and we take pride in the fact that these initiatives represent a source of sustainable financing towards NOCCA’s programs and operations.” – Vincent Faber, Executive Director, Trafigura Foundation
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