July 27, 2017
MEDIA CONTACT:
Bridget Stanga
Attacheé de Presse at the Consulate General of France in Louisiana.
bridget.stanga@diplomatie.gouv.fr
504.569.2873
"Because of your participation at a prominent level for the promotion and enhancement of French culture and history in New Orleans, and as you are a friend of the art and culture in this beautiful city, because you are a magnetic and dynamic leader, a partner of the consulate and a friend of my country, you deserve to be awarded as a Knight in the Order of the Arts and Letters," stated Monsieur Trumel before presenting the medal to Mrs. Kirk-Duvoisin.
Prior to moving to New Orleans, Kirk-Duvoisin worked as a playwright and teacher in Providence, Rhode Island, where she earned a prestigious New Works grant from the Rhode Island Foundation in 2003 to research, write and produce a play about local nonviolence activists. She has lived in Boston and San Francisco, where she worked as a writer and performer, community organizer, and fundraiser for various non-profits. She earned her Masters in English (Playwrighting) from San Francisco State University in 2002; her plays have been staged in San Francisco, New York, Providence, and Chicago.
Madame Kirk-Duvoisin moved to New Orleans in 2004, and soon became involved with cultural organizations in the city. She joined the board of the Tennessee Williams New Orleans Literary Festival and was hired as promotions manager by local publishing company Pelican Publishing Company.
In 2007 she became a talk radio producer for "The New Voice of New Orleans", a local Clear Channel station dedicated to post-Katrina community matters. In addition to producing four talk shows and filling in on-air when needed, she held weekly community forums designed to collect relevant local content.
In 2008 she founded the Joan of Arc Project, LLC, dedicated to promoting the story of Joan of Arc and French culture. The first Joan of Arc Parade walked in 2009 on Joan of Arc's birthday, January 6, Twelfth Night, supported in part by a community arts grant awarded by the Arts Council of New Orleans.
Since 2009, the Joan of Arc Parade has involved local French organizations and New Orleans artists, historians, teachers, and culture enthusiasts of all ages and backgrounds, in the producing of the Joan of Arc Parade, the annual Salon de Jeanne d'Arc conference, and other related cultural events coordinated by the Joan of Arc Project..
In her role as Marketing Development Coordinator for the French Market New Orleans from 2009-2017, Kirk-Duvoisin produced special events, festivals and educational series', and developed numerous partnerships and projects with local organizations, bringing the French Market to a heightened level of visibilityand relevancy for the local and tourist communities. In 2016, she left the French Market to become Education Director for the Louisiana Children's Museum, as part of their transition team working towards the opening of the new museum opening in City Park in 2019.
"New Orleans believed in me--and so did Grégor Trumel," said Kirk-Duvoisin. "I am eternally grateful for the partnerships with local French organizations and French citizens, who welcomed me and my new ideas, and continue to be incredible partners in celebrating and promoting the joi de vivre of New Orleans. Thank you for encouraging me to continue to create opportunities that bring people together and honor the rich heritages that make New Orleans such an evocative place to live and work. This honorable award deeply inspires me to continue to make my creative and collaborative dreams a reality."
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