Introducing Paige Krause
Paige Krause currently resides in Lafayette, Louisiana with her wife Marla, their two pups Juno & Cap’n P-nut, and a very cute cat named Yuki. She is an art consultant working in career development for individual artists and strategic planning and program development for the nonprofit and for-profit sectors. In addition to working closely with artists and organizations, Paige has worked extensively in community development, arts programming, and stage production. She has worked with organizations such as Acadiana Center for the Arts, Acting Up, Basin Arts, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, New Orleans Ballet Association, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, and the Performing Arts Society of Acadiana.
Creatively, Paige is a dancer, choreographer, and teaching artist. She received her BFA from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Her choreographic work has been presented at Acadiana Center for the Arts, Conduit Dance Space, Festival International de Louisiane, Manship Theater, Montreal Fringe Festival, and New York Fringe Festival.
Who makes up your art circle?
It’s ever-expanding and I hope that’s how it always is! It’s a mix of artists from all disciplines and artists in all locations. Some I know, some I don’t. Some have passed away, some are still alive. Some I collaborate with, and some I show up to support. I’ve been nurturing mine since I was a child and there is no way could I name them all, but I know I’d be lost without it!
How do you expand your art circle?
Curiosity. Continuing to be curious about others’ approach and perspective is vital to growth. When we can lead with the lens of curiosity you almost always learn something new, and isn’t it exciting to learn new things? I love digging into the artistic process. I love hearing ideas and looking at new projects like they are puzzle pieces. In my own artform I’m a dancer and choreographer, but I’ve worked in arts administration for nearly 20 years and I feel really grateful to have worked with so many artists through the years. Supporting their work continues to expand my art circle!
What value do you see in having a creative community?
The value of different perspectives. It’s just always the most exciting journey to process things through an artform. Arriving at a different perspective all through the eyes of an artist is just so fulfilling for me. Standing in a gallery, listening to live music, reading poetry – whatever the medium is, and whatever the subject is, it challenges you to see something in a completely different light. Advocating for artists and for arts in education has always been a constant in my career. I think the way that community cares for arts and for artists says so much about the community that we decide to live and invest in. It’s not always the easiest journey in South Louisiana, but it’s a dedication that I see daily and I’m grateful for that.
How does your artistic approach contribute to your community?
As an arts administrator, I like to think that my work in supporting artists and developing artistic programming is impactful to the community. Training in dance teaches you so much about patience, dedication, listening, and collaboration. I think that created a foundation for how I work professionally in the arts and how I contribute to this community.
As an artist, I really love working as a choreographer and setting movement on bodies. We are all natural movers in the world and I love working with people that are trained in dance, and I love working with people that arrive at dance for the very first time. There is something beautiful about how people interpret movement on their own body. I like to think that when people watch my work they have this moment of “I can do that” and that’s a beautiful moment because it’s true, we can all do that!
Our weekly Art Circle series profiles artists throughout the community and is sponsored in part by Lafayette Visitor Enterprise Fund managed by Lafayette Travel
