Live! Casino & Hotel Louisiana Seeks Local Artists to Showcase Their Work at Bossier City Resort

Posted on: August 15, 2024, 08:09h. 

Last updated on: August 15, 2024, 11:22h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.

Live! Casino & Hotel Louisiana in Bossier City is seeking artists’ submissions of artwork for display in the forthcoming resort property.

Live! Casino & Hotel Louisiana Bossier City
Live! Casino & Hotel Louisiana is slated to open in early 2025. The casino is calling on local artists to submit submissions for commissioned art pieces that will be displayed inside the forthcoming resort in Bossier City. (Image: KTVE)

Baltimore-based Cordish Companies is investing $270 million to overhaul the former Diamond Jacks riverboat into a land-based casino and resort. The former Diamond Jacks hotel is being renovated and upgraded to a more lavish environment, and Cordish wants the interior to vibe with Louisianans.

To assist in that mission, Cordish is calling on local artists to submit their artwork for consideration of placement inside the resort. The open call runs until 4 pm on September 13.

The casino is fielding concept submissions for original works. A release encouraged artists to present ideas that “convey the culture of the state.”

An anonymous Cordish-appointed panel will determine which 12 submissions are selected. The 12 winners will then be tasked with completing their concept in a 36″ x 36″ frameable arrangement. Each artist will be compensated $1,000 for their original piece.

Cordish currently operates three casinos — Live! Casino & Hotel Maryland in Hanover, Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia, and Live! Casino Pittsburg in Greensburg. Live! Louisiana is slated to open in the first quarter of 2025.

Local Partner?

Live! Casino & Hotel Louisiana is Cordish’s first renovation of a former casino. Diamond Jacks closed during the COVID-19 pandemic and fell into disrepair in the subsequent years as an array of entities mulled relocation and renovation plans.

Cordish acquired the property in April 2023 from Foundation Gaming, a Mississippi-based riverboat operator. Cordish’s $270 million investment includes fully renovating the 550-room hotel, overhauling the outdoor pool, and bringing a fitness center to the destination.

The new land-based casino spans 47,000 square feet and will have more than 1,000 slot machines, 40 live dealer table games, and a sportsbook. The casino will be located east of the hotel just inland from where the Diamond Jacks riverboat rested in the Red River.

Cordish has pledged to embed its company and casino into the Bossier City community. Its call for artists’ work is a first step.

Live! Casino & Hotel Louisiana is dedicated to supporting the local community in the Shreveport-Bossier market,” said John Chaszar, executive vice president and general manager of Live! “This region has an impressive roster of talented artists, and we are excited to see how they convey the culture of the state and personify the essence of Live! Casino & Hotel Louisiana through their craft.”

To qualify to submit, artists must be located in Northwest Louisiana and have an active Region 7 account on Culturalyst, an online platform that connects artists and curators in Louisiana.

Live! Art Gallery?

Another component of Live! Casino & Hotel Louisiana is a 25,000-square-foot Event Center. The facility, Cordish says, will be a “state-of-the-art, multipurpose venue for top-name entertainment, meetings, conventions, and nonprofit and social gatherings.”

The Live! Louisiana Event Center is where the 12 commissioned artists’ pieces will hang. The artwork will be displayed in the lobby area of the Event Center.