『George Marks – Director of International Trade and Cultural Development for LCG』のカバーアート

George Marks – Director of International Trade and Cultural Development for LCG

George Marks – Director of International Trade and Cultural Development for LCG

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George Marks, Director of International Trade and Cultural Development for Lafayette Consolidated Government, joined Discover Lafayette to discuss his vision for connecting Lafayette to the world by building upon one of our region’s greatest assets: our culture. George stepped into his new role in April 2026, but in many ways, he has been preparing for it for the past two decades. An artist and native of Arnaudville, George is the founder of NuNu Arts and Culture Collective, the remarkable cultural gathering place that helped demonstrate how art, music, language, food and simple human connection can breathe new life into a small community. “I will tell you that I feel NuNu’s has been preparing me for this role for the past 20 years.” From Arnaudville to LSU and Back Home George grew up in Arnaudville and eventually attended LSU, where he initially planned to study business. An art professor saw things differently. George recalled the professor asking what he was majoring in. When George answered “business,” the professor responded, “No, no, you need to switch.” He did. After graduating from LSU in fine arts, George remained in Baton Rouge for approximately 15 years, building his career as an artist. He began selling his work while still in college and became associated with Anne Connelly Fine Art. He also spent three years working at LSU in programming, managing a frame shop, gallery and craft center, experience that in retrospect foreshadowed what he would later create in Arnaudville. George describes his art as expressive, spontaneous and deeply influenced by his surroundings. Power lines, landscapes, cotton, family stories and the visual memories of rural Louisiana repeatedly find their way into his paintings. When his father became ill, George returned home to Arnaudville. After his father died, George began recognizing just how much his hometown had shaped his artistic vocabulary. “I realized that a lot of the symbols that were in my art were actually from Arnaudville.” Creating a Place Where People Wanted to Be Arnaudville was very different when George returned. He remembers approximately nine empty storefronts, a stark contrast to the thriving small town of his childhood. George knew that if he was going to remain there, something needed to change. “We knew that we wanted to create a place that people would want to come, and where we wanted to live first.” At the time, George didn’t know the term “creative placemaking.” He simply understood that art, activity and people could bring spaces back to life. The community began programming events and activating vacant or underused buildings. One space became Tom’s Fiddle & Bow. Another eventually became a guest house. A space that would become The Little Big Cup was temporarily activated as an art gallery, in part to show what was possible and encourage others to invest in the community. That philosophy ultimately grew into NuNu Arts and Culture Collective. Today, NuNu’s occupies approximately 7,500 square feet in a former hardware store and lumberyard. It includes gallery spaces, a market, café, makerspace, technology studio and work areas for artists. George says the organization benefits from an extraordinary amount of volunteer support, with approximately $550,000 in volunteer value contributed annually. NuNu’s has become much more than an art gallery. It is a place to gather, make things, exchange ideas, celebrate Louisiana French culture and welcome people from around the world. And now George is bringing that philosophy to Lafayette. “NuNu-fying” Lafayette The Lafayette International Center was established in 1989 to connect Lafayette with international opportunities and relationships. George is building upon the trade and economic development foundation established under longtime director Philippe Gustin while greatly expanding the Center’s emphasis on culture and Lafayette’s creative economy. George jokes that they are “NuNu-fying Lafayette.” But there is a serious economic development philosophy behind the phrase. The International Center is being transformed into a place where people can learn, work, meet, collaborate and create. The first floor is envisioned as a public-facing convening space, something George describes almost as “everyone’s living room.” “You can come in, grab a coffee across the street. Come and sit. Pull out your laptop, do some work within a space that displays original art, but also examples of some of the projects that we’ve worked on with some of our international partners.” Alliance Française will become more visible within the building and expand access to its French library. A new Co-Lab space will provide desks to cultural nonprofit organizations, allowing groups to work in proximity to one another and share ideas, equipment, expertise and resources. George calls it creating “positive tension” among organizations. “One might own a stage, ...
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