As Chief Development Officer, Stephanie Loman's role is to ensure the financial security of the non-profit organization, French Quarter Festivals, Inc.,which annually produces three festivals: French Quarter Festival, Satchmo SummerFest, and Holidays New Orleans Style. Their mission is to promote the Vieux Carré and the City of New Orleans through high quality special events and activities that showcase the culture and heritage of the unique city, contribute to the economic well-being of the community, and instill increased pride in the people of New Orleans. Stephanie and her team work to develop donors, funding, and contributions to the organization, as well as individual musician sponsorships, grants, membership program, general solicitations, advertising and listing sales, merchandise, and ticketed special events.
Before choosing to attend Southeastern, I had spent some time in Hammond and fell in love with the beautiful, small-town nature of the city. In addition, my four siblings attended Southeastern before me and each of them had expressed that they greatly enjoyed the campus and courses. My best girlfriend and I both decided that it seemed like the perfect fit for us and we were excited to enroll. It did not disappoint!
While attending Southeastern, I spent a huge amount of time at the Visual Arts Building. I started out as a Fine Arts Major, and although I switched to a degree in Cultural Resources Management, I continued coursework to complete a minor in Art. I took numerous drawing, painting, sculpture, and photography classes and I loved each one. To me, that building represented unique individuals who were immersed in the creative process and the goal of finetuning artistic skills and visions. That building vibrated; it felt alive.
My fondest Southeastern memory is relaxing on the big green lawn with my best friend, playing music on our jam box while studying and people-watching. Multi-tasking, as college students do!
Gail Hood was one of my art teachers at Southeastern and she inspired me greatly. She was an accomplished painter, knowledgeable about a variety of mediums, articulate, and always approachable. Her dedication to her profession in the arts always struck me as impressive – especially since I was unsure if I was good enough to thrive as a professional artist. Her beautiful landscapes were dreamy and absolutely inspired some of my own landscape drawings. Her enthusiasm and patience with students seemed unending.
I began as a Fine Arts major but switched after year one to work towards a B.A. in Cultural Resources Management, with minors in art, business, and history. Since my graduation in 1995, I’m blessed to say that yes, I’ve successfully carved an interesting career path in the field of “the business of art” with positions held at numerous wonderful cultural organizations. I’m also proud that I was able to put my historic preservation courses to good use during post-Katrina recovery work.
My favorite part of working for French Quarter Festivals, Inc. is when our team is producing our namesake event, French Quarter Fest in April, and I’m able to escape from the urgency of production-mode for a hot second and recognize the happiness surrounding me. After nearly 11 years of working for this festival production organization, it never ceases to amaze me that I can be pushing through crowds of fans, stop for a second to answer a radio call, and all of a sudden realize that there’s just this huge, wide range of diverse people surrounding me that all have one thing in common: they are glowing with joy. It cannot be overstated that music quite simply creates joy. I’m grateful to be able to help promote the arts and share that joy!
I’m surprised that I’ve been able to find consistent, challenging, and engaging work in my field. There were no promises that employment in the arts and cultural sector would happen, and yet it has for me, over and over again, throughout all of these years. I have fond memories from each of the cultural institutions at which I’ve been employed, and I’m preparing to celebrate the completion of 11 years at French Quarter Festivals, Inc. I can honestly say that I’m proud of the work I’ve accomplished, the contributions I’ve made, and the incredible relationships I’ve forged in this field.
Never underestimate the benefits of good communication, a positive attitude, a willingness to help, and putting in extra time to ensure you’ve given it your all. It never hurts to have someone else proofread your work. Tackle debt as early as you can and start your retirement fund early.
I would love to say that I still paint and draw, but I haven’t spent time on my visual arts in a long time, with the rare exception of a craft project here and there. I enjoy spending free time with my loved ones; family is everything. I also enjoy travel, scuba, reading, music, nature, prayer, meditation, and yoga.
I am obsessed with rock and roll history. My ever-growing music, book, and t-shirt collections illustrate that fact.
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