Experience the brilliant colors, the inspirational creations, and the cacophony of jubilant sound that make up the largest showcase of student art programs in the South—Shreveport Regional Arts Council’s ArtBreak. Approximately one hundred thousand square feet of rainbow-like color will stream overhead in the Shreveport Convention Center. Three thousand prize-winning works of visual, literary, film, culinary, performance, light, and fashion art will cover every surface and fill every space. And by the end of the week, more than eighty thousand students, teachers, families, and community visitors will have drawn, performed, written, cooked, designed, filmed, and been changed by the power of art. Since 1986, no event celebrates the arts of all students in Northwest Louisiana bigger or better than the ArtBreak Festival. 

“Throughout the week of April 28 to May 4, ArtBreak 39 will celebrate the creativity in everyone and will award more than $25,000 in awards to hundreds of students,” said Shreveport Regional Arts Council (SRAC) Executive Director Rebecca Bonnevier. “We’re committed to the idea that art enhances the quality of life and know the importance of nurturing and recognizing the vital role of arts education for students. The ArtBreak festival is deliberately socially, economically, and culturally inclusive and provides something special for everyone, including those with disabilities and exceptionalities.”  

The Very Special Arts Festival, started by the Kennedy Family and now celebrated in cities all across the country including Los Angeles, Fairbanks, and Knoxville, has been an integral part of the annual SRAC celebration for thirty-three of ArtBreak’s thirty-nine years. 

In 2025, ArtBreak also features a special partnership between SRAC and Louisiana Association for the Blind (L.A.B.), emphasizing that art plays a primary role in the movement for disability justice throughout the United States. In memoirs, paintings and drawings, sculptures, installations, videos, and live performances, and in venues ranging from small galleries to movie theaters to professional sports arenas, disabled artists have shared their myriad perspectives on life. With persistence, these works have begun to chip away at the beliefs that structure disability oppression. 

“L.A.B. is very excited to be a part of the upcoming ArtBreak. We provide services for people of all ages with vision impairments, including school age children,” said Alison Young, Vice President of Development for L.A.B. “We want our clients to know that they are neither defined nor limited by their vision impairment. They can enjoy sensory art and imagining the work by simply touching or painting the art they have seen in their mind.” 

During ArtBreak 39, L.A.B. will be conducting a master class in several Caddo Parish schools highlighting the use of different materials and textures to create sensory art (art that is experienced by touch rather than simply seen). This class is open to Caddo Parish students of all abilities in grades 5 to 12 on Wednesday, April 30, from 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. During ArtBreak’s public festival weekend, Friday, May 2, to Sunday, May 4, L.A.B. will have a hands-on activity station. 

New in 2025, SRAC will also feature a Sensory Room to serve as a serene space within ArtBreak. Although the color, activities, sounds, and groups of art lovers create exciting energy, to some it can be momentarily overwhelming, especially to those experiencing PTSD, anxiety, or general sensory overload. Featuring soft lighting, tranquil sounds, noise canceling headphones, and comfortable seating, guests can experience calmness while also exploring tactile toys and varying textures on the walls.  

Being intentionally inclusive is not new to ArtBreak. Throughout the festival’s history, there has always been a focus on the talent of exceptional artists throughout our country. Northwest Louisiana artist Derris Gardner, who is a paraplegic, teaches families how to paint with a brush in your mouth and with your feet. Gardner says he loves ArtBreak and seeing the kids’ genuine interest in watching him draw and paint. Artist Larry “TAZ” Sanchez, who was declared legally blind because of a disease that impaired his vision, has brought his program “Do You See What I See” to ArtBreak through the years. Eliza Redmann, sculptor, architect, and founder of Folded Poetry design studio, who was forced to redesign herself after a traumatic brain injury, brought her creativity to ArtBreak 38. Redman attributes the function and aesthetic of her work to her experience of disability. For ArtBreak 37, Los Angeles dance team Straight Up Abilities provided professional performance art training to students of all abilities at several Caddo Parish schools throughout the week, and performed during the weekend family festival. 

Generous grantors and community sponsors enable ArtBreak to be the all-inclusive celebration of student art that it has continued to be for thirty-nine years. These sponsors include McDonald’s – Gilley Enterprises, Inc., owners of forty McDonald’s across Louisiana, Texas, and Arkansas, who keep the golden arches shining over ArtBreak; the Alta and John Franks Foundation, Bonvenu Bank, The Community Foundation of North Louisiana, Community Network, Inc., Verizon, BOM Bank, Union Pacific, The Leonard W. and Betty Phillips Foundation, Michael Acurio, KTAL NBC 6, Sign It, and Shreveport Regional Airport, to name a few. These supporters believe strongly in the mission of ArtBreak to showcase the arts programs and artistic achievements of all students in Caddo Parish and other regional schools, and they make this free weeklong celebration and weekend festival continue to happen. To find out more, visit artbreaksb.com.