2023
VISUAL ARTS COORDINATORS
DeBose Visual Arts Coordinator
paigencolwell@gmail.com
Paige N. Colwell
Artist, Activist, Educator, and Cat Lady
Paige Colwell is a nationally recognized and awarded arts educator. She serves on the board of the Louisiana Association of Art Educators. Paige has been an arts educator since 2014. She taught in EBR public schools for 5 years before turning her attention to art education beyond school walls. During her tenure as a public school teacher she was awarded teacher of the year, recognized twice by the EBR school board for her community work, and contracted to train art teachers in the district. She specializes in drawing, painting, and design. Her goal as an artist and educator is to advocate for access to art education for all. She believes art is integral to healthy child development. 
DeBose Visual Arts Coordinator
Pulling Arts & Education Together to Shape Community
C. Aliah James was born in Houston, TX and attended Glassell School of Art (MFAH), High school for Performing and Visual Arts, Folber Pottery, & Community Artist’s Collective. She started creating art early on, and as soon as she could, her mother (the cellist) started taking advantage of community based art programs. She was fortunate to have direct conversation with these programs, not only through her mother, but also her Pulitzer prized nominated poetic grandmother, who subsequently started Houston’s first African American Museum of Art - Adept.
James’s work pays homage to those things that have influenced her creativity; cowboys, music, Louisiana living, religion, children, and intentional details. She’s inspired by antique photographs, Jazz, Christian Orthodox iconography, rural life, creole culture, personal struggles, and the history and lives of artists past.
DeBose Visual Arts Coordinator
nparandian@ebrschools.org
Neda Parandian is a Persian American graduate from Louisiana State University A & M. She graduated in 2004 with a B.S. in Fine Arts specializing in Painting and Drawing. She spent two years at N the Art space in 2013 and she is published in Louisiana Magazine for her honorable mention in the competition called “Dirt.” Parandian became involved with over a dozen non-profits including The Walls Project, Arthritis Foundation, and LIFF. She helped co-create “The Splatter Effect,” an art bazaar for over 20 artists.
In 2015 under the mentorship of Henry Turner Jr., Parandian participated in over 100 events under the brand “NedaArt” in and around Baton Rouge. She later changed it to “iheartnedaART by Neda Parandian. She became involved in Public Relations due to her involvement in the artistic community and was interviewed by 225, Advocate, Reveille, Tiger TV, Jim Engster, and Dig after creating the interactive art and technology festival called “Pop! Smart Show.” The show was an extraordinary success in the media as well as being a launching platform for creatives to launch and sustain longevity with their art brand. Pop! ended after three series of events in 2017, successfully highlighting over 150 artists, musicians, dancers, comedians, digital artists, ComiCon artists, poets, photographers, video gamers and developers, animations, and video gamers and much more.
Parandian spent time in the corporate doing marketing for Allbrands, Harley Davidson, Mayor Broome, MyScene TV, Yelp! American Idol prior to COVID.
In 2021, Parandian was nominated to teach Pre-K to 5th grade Art at Melrose Elementary School at EBR Schools. In 2022, she began working under the Gifted and Talented Program teaching Talented Visual Art at Baton Rouge Magnet High, Woodlawn High, and Westdale Middle School. Neda Parandian’s fine art is currently on display at Bluebonnet Regional Library, Live After Five, and Brass by Circa 1857.