The Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism Under the jurisdiction of Lt. Governor Mitch Landrieu, the Louisiana State Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism (CRT) works to preserve and enhance the state’s rich heritage and natural landscape. The Department’s five Offices — Cultural Development, State Parks, State Museums, State Libraries, and Tourism —work together to make educational resources available, conserve and interpret our history, support the arts and develop recreational opportunities, and promote the use of these resources by our diverse citizens and visitors. The Department also fuels economic growth through tourism, operates programs which generate state and local tax revenues, and provides a stable, non-polluting source of outside income for the state.

For more information on the Department, please visit www.crt.state.la.us or call 225.342.7009

The Office of Cultural Development Louisiana’s Office of Cultural Development seeks to preserve the state’s unique and authentic culture and heritage. To this end, the Office of Cultural Development encompasses these divisions:

• The Arts. The Division of Arts is responsible for the development and promotion of the arts for the benefit of all citizens of Louisiana. This agency awards grants to Louisiana artists and nonprofit organizations to help provide arts activities statewide. For more information on the Division of the Arts, visit www.crt.state.la.us/arts or call 225.842.8180

• Historic Preservation. The Division of Historic Preservation encourages the preservation of Louisiana’s significant historic sites and buildings, such as plantation homes, lighthouses, log cabins and battlefields. These structures and sites are vital to maintaining the visual, historic and architectural legacy of the state. These significant historic sites bring millions of tourists to Louisiana and further preserve the story of Louisiana for future generations. For more information on the Division of Historic Preservation, visit www.crt.state.la.us/hp or call 225.342.8180

• Archaeology.  Operating under three mandates—the federal Natural Historic Preservation Act, the state Archaeological Resources Act and the state Unmarked Burial Sites Act, the Division of Archeology seeks to preserve the archeological legacy of the state. These responsibilities relate to recovering, protecting and distributing information about the state’s archeological resources. Each fragment recovered and preserved is another piece of the puzzle of this great state’s past. For more information on the Division of Archaeology, please visit www.crt.state.la.us/archaeology or call 225.342.8170.

• CODOFIL, The Council on the Development of French in Louisiana.  Created in 1968 by Act 409 of the Louisiana State Legislature, CODOFIL is Louisiana’s official link to its French heritage. Its primary goal is to do any and all things necessary to accomplish the development, utilization and preservation of the French language as found in Louisiana for cultural, economic and tourist benefit of the state. Through its website (written in both English and French), CODOFIL lists all French restaurants, language schools, religious services, festivals and music venues in the state. It also provides scholarships to Louisiana and French students and exchange programs available in Louisiana and France. For more information on CODOFIL visit: www.codofil.org or call 800.259.5810.

The Louisiana Cultural Economy Initiative The Cultural Economy Initiative began in 2004 as an effort of the Office of Lt. Governor Mitchell J. Landrieu and the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, Office of Cultural Development. It supports the development of the cultural industries as a viable sector of Louisiana’s economy. Specifically, it seeks to grow the cultural economy by sustaining the people who create and preserve artistic and cultural products and assets, enhancing capacity for production, developing new markets for their creations. In 2005, the ground-breaking report Louisiana: Where Culture Means Business demonstrated for the first time that the cultural economy generates more jobs than any other industry except health care. The cultural economy of Louisiana has an enormous impact on the overall economy of the state, accounting for 144,000 jobs or 7.6% of the employment base.

The following is a sampling of Louisiana Cultural Economy Initiatives:

Arts in Education Legislation:  Act 175 will put music and the arts in every Louisiana public school by the 2010-11 school year. The program will help build a creative workforce for the future and develop audiences and consumers for Louisiana artists and cultural products.

Cultural Districts Legislation:  Act 298 provides tax incentives for investing in Cultural Districts. It allows local governments to designate Cultural Districts for the purpose of revitalizing communities by creating hubs of cultural activity. One-of-a-kind artworks are sold free of sales tax within cultural districts, and the rehabilitation of historic properties is encouraged with income tax exemptions.

Film Industry:  These tax incentive programs have made Louisiana the third largest film production hub in the United States and the leading state in the buildup of infrastructure. To compliment the industry, new legislation grants refundable income tax credits related to musical and theatrical productions as well as musical and theatrical facility infrastructure projects.

Louisiana Historic Building Recovery Grants:  Aims to preserve the distinctive culture and history built into communities through the state’s iconic architecture. $20 million has been invested in 546 historic properties, enabling families and small business to return home after the hurricanes of 2005.

Louisiana Main Street:   A comprehensive revitalization program designed to promote the historic and economic redevelopment of traditional commercial areas in rural and urban Louisiana. The Main Street program improves all aspects downtown, producing both tangible and intangible benefits. Its structure improves economic management, strengthens public participation, and makes downtown a great place to visit. The program invests in 28 Louisiana Main Street communities. Since January 2004, the program has created 438 new businesses, 1,856 new jobs, and $45.5 million in private investments.

Louisiana Historic Preservation Rehabilitation Tax Credit Program:  The program has generated more than $1.7 billion in private investments in Louisiana’s historic properties since its inception. Louisiana ranks in the top ten states for investments leveraged and jobs created using this program, which allows historic architecture to help fuel commerce.

Louisiana Cultural Economy Foundation:  A major force and partner in growing Louisiana’s cultural industries, the Louisiana Cultural Economy Foundation is a private, not-for-profit foundation set up to forge public/private partnerships that provide critical relief and investment for Louisiana’s artists and cultural organizations. The Foundation’s three-year strategic plan concentrates on the economic health and quality of life of the state’s entire cultural economy workforce, and services, and fostering a support system that enables arts and culture to flourish.

For more information visit, www.crt.state.la.us/culturaleconomy or call 225.342.8180.