Celebrating artists and advocates who shape the cultural life of Baton Rouge.
Scott Finch
2026 Michael Crespo Visual Artist Fellowship Recipient
Scott Finch's recent work explores comics as a form of drawing and reflection, with a focus on small-run publications that weave together image, memory, and dream. His practice is a testament to the kind of thoughtful, community-rooted artistry this fellowship was created to honor. Congratulations, Scott! We are so proud to celebrate your work.
Scott Finch is an artist based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He is the author of Introverts Illustrated (2025), a 21-part minicomic series, as well as The Domesticated Afterlife (Antenna Press, 2021), Cheer, Charm, Life (Antenna Press, 2020), and A Little World Made Cunningly (Regent Press, 2013).
Michael Crespo Visual Artist Fellowship
His work has received recognition in recent years, with The Domesticated Afterlife named one of The Comics Journal's Best Comics of 2021. Earlier honors include First Prize in Louisiana Contemporary at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art (2014) and the Critic's Choice Award from the Dallas Visual Arts Center (2001). Finch holds an MFA from Tyler School of Art, Temple University, and a BFA from Louisiana State University, and has participated in residencies at Vermont Studio Center and Virginia Center for the Creative Arts.
The Michael Crespo Visual Artist Fellowship was created by former Arts Council CEO, the late Derek Gordon, and is funded by the Saurage family. The $5,000 Fellowship commemorates the life, work, and dedication of Michael Crespo. Crespo is an internationally recognized painter and longtime professor at Louisiana State University. It recognizes the quality and breadth of work by a visual artist who has established their personal and professional life as a long-time contributing member of the Baton Rouge community.
Crespo maintained an exceptional professional career while staying deeply rooted in the Baton Rouge community. A member of the LSU faculty for nearly 40 years, he received the university's Distinguished Faculty Award in 1999 and an endowed Alumni Professorship in 2000. Beloved for putting his students first, he was known for selflessly sharing his advice and expertise. He will always be remembered as someone who brought together interesting, talented, and diverse individuals, helping to weave them into the fabric of the Baton Rouge arts community. Michael Crespo remains a shining example of the kind of artist this Fellowship is intended to support and celebrate.
ABOUT THE FELLOWSHIP
Artists eligible for consideration must be residents of East Baton Rouge Parish and have maintained that residency for a minimum of 20 consecutive years. Candidates must have maintained an active professional career acknowledged locally, nationally, and/or internationally through reviews, awards, exhibitions, and other indicators of artistic excellence.
Candidates must also be active members of the Baton Rouge community and have demonstrated a commitment to improving the quality of life in Baton Rouge.
The Fellowship is awarded annually through nominations made by a group of distinguished cultural advisors designated by the Arts Council. Nominees are unaware they are being considered, and the recipient is announced each January at the Arts Council's Laurel Street Palooza Celebration.
ELIGIBILITY
PAST RECIPIENTS
2025 — Mark Bilnetknoff
2024 — Judy Betts
2023 — Rob Carpenter
2022 — Geeta Dave
2020 — Billie Bourgeois
2019 — Samuel J. Corso
2018 — Malaika Favorite
2017 — Randell Henry
2015 — Stephen Wilson
2014 — Kelli Scott Kelley
2012 — Ed Pramuk
Alvin Batiste Hall of Distinction Award
Recognizing a Lifetime Contribution and Cultivation of Jazz Music in the State of Louisiana
Regarded as one of the major instrumentalists of our time, Alvin Batiste was introduced to the clarinet by his father, who played traditional jazz. With a career spanning more than five decades, he was the first African American to perform as a guest soloist with the New Orleans Philharmonic, and earned a master's degree from Louisiana State University right here in Baton Rouge.
Known affectionately as "Bat," Mr. Batiste largely defined the improvisational role of the clarinet. Alongside Ellis Marsalis, Harold Batiste, drummer Ed Blackwell, and others, he helped establish the modern jazz community in New Orleans. He was instrumental in developing the jazz curriculum at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts and the jazz program at Southern University, and conducted workshops at Harvard, Yale, UCLA, and the University of Paris. He performed throughout West Africa, Europe, and the United States.
During his lifetime, Mr. Batiste received numerous awards, including humanitarian and Lifetime Achievement Awards from across the nation. We are proud to honor his legacy through this award, presented at the conclusion of the final River City Jazz Masters concert of each season.
2025–2026 Recipient: Roland Guerin
Roland Guerin is a New Orleans-based bassist, composer, singer-songwriter, and bandleader whose music blends jazz, blues, zydeco, folk, and rock influences into a distinctly Louisiana sound. A former student of legendary educator Alvin Batiste at Southern University, Guerin has performed and recorded with artists including Marcus Roberts, Allen Toussaint, Dr. John, and George Benson, and has appeared with major orchestras and festivals around the world.
PAST RECIPIENTS
2025 — Troy Davis
2024 — Branford Marsalis
2023 — Mike Esneault
2022 — Donald Harrison
2021 — Herman Jackson
2019 — Johnny Vidacovich
2018 — Zia Tammami