Art Talk Monday...on Tuesday

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever Opens December Fourth

This week's Art Talk Monday is by Hilary Hileman of Ruston Community Theatre. Don't miss this production-- it's a wonderful way to kick off your holiday season! Call the Box Office at a (318)255-1450 to purchase your tickets.  Ruston Community Theatre’s next production is the popular holiday play The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,  written by Barbara Robinson. It is sponsored by The Lewis Family (of Lewis’ Boutique), opens December 4^th at The Dixie Center for the Arts and is being directed by Mitch Dufour.

The young Herdman clan, savvy connoisseurs of juvenile delinquency, show up at church for the first time after hearing that there is a free all-you-can-eat snack buffet. Grace and Bob Bradley are simultaneously attempting to produce the Christmas pageant after the director breaks her leg. In desperation, and despite protests from other church members, they cast the hardened hooligans in starring roles. As a result, the Herdmans reenact the traditional Christmas tale in a rather unconventional fashion.

Director Mitch Dufour says, “Once again, I’ve had the pleasure of being involved with the some of the most wonderful people in North Louisiana. It is always enchanting to watch a script come to life as actors, technicians, costumers, backstage workers and many others lend their talent to a production. The magic of this particular production has been especially sweet. Please come out and see this fun family show. You don’t want to miss the best Christmas pageant ever!”

Ruston Community Theatre is posting individual videos from cast and crew members on Facebook.  Be sure to check out our Facebook page at www.facebook/RustonCommunityTheatre.

The dates for The Best Christmas Pageant Ever are Thursday, December 4^th through Saturday the 6^th at 7:00 p.m. and a Sunday December 7^th matinee at 2:00 p.m. at The Dixie Center for the Arts in Ruston. Tickets at the door are $12 for adults and $6 for students/children. Additionally, Ruston Community Theatre and The Lewis Family are proud to sponsor two sold-out school performances of this play. Visit RCT’s website at www.rctruston.org and Twitter page at Twitter@RustonCoTheatre.

Monroe's Downtown Gallery Crawl, Dec. 4

From our pal-in-art, Ann Bloxam Smith, with the Downtown Arts Alliance in Monroe/West Monroe: Downtown Gallery Crawl, Thursday, December 4, 2014: Holiday Art Party!

The December 4^th Downtown Gallery Crawl will be a free “art party” for all ages! As always, the first Thursday of December will afford all the opportunity to see wonderful art while enjoying party foods and listening to festive music at eleven galleries in downtown Monroe and West Monroe.

Original art will be for sale, too, with no sales taxes charged because the galleries are in an official cultural district. All are invited to the party, 5-9 pm!

Holiday Variety is the theme at The River Gallery. This artist-run gallery hosts twenty-five artists working in all media from paintings to woodturning, pottery, jewelry, glass art and photography. In addition to the exquisite offerings of fine art, the gallery will be featuring gift items for December. These include smaller art, handcrafted wine stoppers, jewelry, unique ornaments, and notecards. Guest musician John Farmer will provide music while Landry’s Vineyard will serve wine, and gallery members will provide great refreshments. This gallery is the oldest and largest co-op gallery in the state and is located at 308 Trenton Street, West Monroe.

Staying in West Monroe, the Crawler can visit new Downtown Arts Alliance member Hamilton House Gallery (318 Trenton Street), which will host self-taught artist John Ramage Adams with his show “CTRL+ART+DELETE.” Adams’ medium is mixed media on canvas, using an amalgamation of found Internet images combined with his own photography and paintings. Adams is from Winnsboro, having studied art history at LSU. He’s worked at such institutions as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, NY, and has been involved with the international “Massurrealism” movement since 2007. He has “a keen interest in the blurring of artistic boundaries with new technology.”

Another new Antique Alley gallery is Sacred Expressions, 314 Trenton, West Monroe, where owner Lori A. Brown will be exhibiting her own work including various media. She is a licensed counselor and art therapist, using art as a method of helping others.

Moving to Monroe’s Art Alley, the Crawler will find MAD Art Gallery, where the featured artist is Doug Duffey. Best known as a singer/songwriter, pianist, and international recording and concert artist (inducted into the Louisiana Hall of Fame and the National Blues Hall of Fame) he is also known as a serious, multi-genre visual artist using collage, drawing, painting, photography, mixed media, digital drawings, digital collage, digital scans and video. His artwork has been exhibited in galleries and museums in Louisiana and Europe in one-man and group shows. He is a member of the 10/20/40 Art Group (along with: Lynda Benglis, Enoch Doyle Jeter, and Sarah Davidson). A native of Louisiana and a long-time resident of New Orleans/Monroe, he has resided and worked in both Louisiana and Europe for the past twenty years. "In my drawings, I am heavily influenced by my Louisiana culture, heritage, traditions, everyday life and scenery,” he explains. Also on display and for sale is “Azalea Blossoms” by Juanita Cochran. Proceeds are for the benefit of local non-profit ARCO. In the foyer will be Cynthia Cloud with her iCyndi Creations, while inside the gallery Gray Matter will provide live music.

The Sugar Gallery, also on Art Alley, is back in December with a fresh new look and new art by its stable of diverse artists. The gallery has gotten an amazing revamp by its own William Holley, with new paint and lots of beautiful touches. Holley will also have new ceramic pieces; Stacy Medaries will have new mixed media pieces that always delight; Melanie Douthit will have rich, colorful mixed-media pieces; Mary Thompson will have her beautiful photorealistic landscapes; Leah Reitzell will be debuting some new colorful, constructed bayou pieces; and Burg Ransom will have some wonderful wildlife photography on the walls. Add some music, food and drink, and the Sugar is sure to please!

The Palace Gallery, 220 DeSiard Street, will be doing its fourth annual Christmas Gifts Show. Works created by several artists make for great Christmas gifts, including jewelry, bags, and accessories from the ladies at the Peace House (www.facebook.com/peacehouserwanda). The Palace is also excited to present Tommy Matthews. He will have his amazing watercolors, artsy illustrated decorations and more for all to share with loved ones.

Down DeSiard Street, Luna Blue Yoga Studio and Gallery (428 DeSiard) will present a show of sculpture by Monroe artist Lacy Mitcham. She will be joined by Baton Rouge writer Collette Keith in a collaboration exploring the feminine roles in today’s society.

ARENDER studio + gallery on Art Alley presents Making/Decisions--art by Joey Slaughter, an art professor at Louisiana Tech University. Slaughter will display colorful sculptures representing themes of communication, choices and technology in today’s world. His work has been displayed in shows around the U.S. and has been an annual favorite at Arender Gallery.

Guest artists in Art Alley’s The Big Room are Ghofran Thiga, a student at Louisiana Tech showing photographs; Sara Beth Howard, a ULM student showing works on paper including mono print, silkscreen and collographs; and Alyssa Guidry Posey, a ULM student exhibiting ceramic sculptures and mixed media block prints. ULM sculpture students Ben Bennett and Lacy Mitcham are also exhibiting again in The Big Room, as well as resident artists Jon Aiken, Christen Parker, Ricky Sikes and Victoria Smith with oil, watercolor and acrylic paintings and mixed media work. At UPSTAIRS artists are celebrating five years as a gallery with the OG (Original Gangstas) Show.  Three founding members--Emily Caldwell, Jason Byron Nelson, and Anna Schriefer--are exhibiting their work together.  Together again!  Their works include sculpture, oil painting, collage and mixed media pieces.

DOWNSTAIRS gallery (137 Art Alley) is the final gallery that will be open for the Downtown Gallery Crawl.

Presenting Sponsor Creed and Creed Law Office leads a group of faithful sponsors to support the Downtown Arts Alliance, a non-profit organization dedicated to encouraging the fine arts and developing the downtown areas of Monroe and West Monroe. Other sponsors include Fiesta Nutrition Center, BancorpSouth, The News-Star, Sir Speedy, Monroe-West Monroe CVB, DeltaStyle, KEDM Public Radio, Northeast Louisiana Arts Council, Atmos Energy Corp., Heck Law Firm, Hollis & Company Jewelers, Community Trust Bank, Cross Keys Bank, Val Salomon Law Office, Rawls DeSigns, Marsala Beverage, Restaurant Cotton, Warehouse #1 Restaurant, and Choice Brands.

Celebrating the season, Downtown Monroe and West Monroe will have a holiday ART PARTY complete with original art, food, music, and friends on Thursday, December 4, 5-9 pm—and will celebrate again on the first Thursday in February—Thursday, February 5, 2015.

Holiday Arts Tour Stops: Park Avenue Antiques & Main Street Exchange

Holiday Arts Tour Stop: Park Avenue Antiques, 120 Park Ave.

Park Avenue Antiques is a trove of yesterday’s treasures made new again by their discovery and display. Wall to wall, ceiling to floor, there are all sorts of historic items here to charm the wandering shopper, even more so with the work of Loretta Shadow Owens joining in the mix.

Loretta is a long time local that came to painting later in life, and hasn’t stopped since. Her work is always lively and colorful, full of pattern and meaning. Ask Loretta about her pieces, and as if describing any antique in the store, she can tell you all about their personal history and evolving significance as the work came into being. Usually most admire Loretta’s work though for the narratives they themselves derive from the pieces, so come by and see what tales you can uncover! Loretta will also have her recently published children’s book for sale.

Holiday Arts Tour Stop: Main Street Exchange, 122 S. Trenton St.

Even on an average day Main Street Exchange carries a variety of local artwork among its unique historic finds. The store also rotates the local non-profits and charities its art sales benefit, but you have to come at the right time to find it open. This is the why the Holiday Arts Tour is perfect time to see the store and its current resident artists Maggie Jones Boudreaux, and Shelly Nealy Edgerton.

Maggie and Shelly will be exhibiting mixed media paintings, collages, and sculptural works. Both of these artists are also teachers, Maggie teaches art classes at A.E.Phillips Lab School on Louisiana Tech Campus, and Shelly teaches early childhood classes at Wildflower Montessori School in Ruston.

Also both mothers of small children, Maggie has cited how artists should cherish the daily inspiration young students can offer to their work, in the way that children create freely without censorship, and without the pre-determined rules of design that a fine art training might bear on an artist. Come by and see for yourself, the creativity and freedom these two great artists display!

If you make it by on Saturday, be sure to stop between 2-3pm to hear to local guitarist Cain Budds. While Cain plays many types of music, he will be performing classical guitar during the Tour, a rare treat in Ruston!

Holiday Arts Tour Stop: Re/Max Results Realty and Accent of the East

We have another Tour Stop by NCLAC intern, Jordan Whaley. Holiday Arts Tour begins tomorrow and runs through Sunday, with different activities each day. This page will give you all the details.

Holiday Arts Tour Stop: Re/Max, 201 N. Trenton St.

You definitely don't want to miss the Re/Max building on this year’s Holiday Art’s Tour. Re/Max is a full service real estate office serving all of North Louisiana. Marguerite Hogue and Emily Gautreaux will both have work on display upstairs in the Re/Max building.

Marguerite Hogue is a sculpture and a painter. Her work depicts aged structures and homes that are a direct influence from her experiences as a child. Emily Gautreaux is a painter and illustrator. Her work is mixed media and is influenced by still life, nature, pop culture and illustration.

On Friday evening, there will be a live performance by Elizabeth Vidos outside of the Re/Max building. She is a percussion artists who uses buckets as well as her body to make music. She has even toured with STOMP! This is not a performance you want to miss: 7-8pm Friday.

Holiday Arts Tour Stop: Accent of the East, 122 N. Trenton St. 

Accent of the East is a unique stop on this year’s Holiday Arts Tour. Ruth Yung and her husband  have been operating their business in the same building for 38 years. Year round you can find Chinese tea sets, Asian inspired home decor as well the owner’s Ruth Yung jewelry. Ruth uses unique stones to make beautiful jewelry. Ruth and her husband also offer clock repair.

This weekend the shop will also feature Michele McGehee’s jewelry. Michele enjoys making earrings, necklaces, rings, bracelets, and broaches out of vintage and antique watches for her personal business, Timeless Treasures Originals.

You can view her work at www.etsy.com/shop/TimelessTOriginals

On Saturday afternoon, Meihan Guo will give a special performance. Be sure to stop by Accent of the East to hear the beautiful Chinese harp: 1-2pm Saturday.

Holiday Arts Tour Stop: Frame of Mind & Pastry Moon

17th annual Holiday Arts Tour is this weekend! November 20-23 in downtown Ruston. Check out intern Jordan Whaley's post on the artists featured at Frame of Mind and Pastry Moon.

Holiday Arts Tour Stop: Frame of Mind, 203 W. Alabama Ave

On this year’s Holiday Arts Tour, Peter Hay will be featured at Frame of Mind, a small framing shop located downtown. Peter Hay is a printmaker and a painter who has recently received his Master of Fine Arts from Louisiana Tech University. His work has been described as “environmental realism" as he focuses on the ecological discussions of today. Peter is back in Oklahoma now, and is the Development and Public Relations Director at Living Arts of Tulsa. To find out more about Peter Hay and his work visit http://www.peterhaystudio.com/

Holiday Arts Tour Stop: Pastry Moon, 203 W. Alabama Ave

Pastry Moon will definitely be bustling this weekend for the Tour! Be sure to stop by this quaint vintage and handmade shop to see all they will have to offer. Artist Maureen Hinton’s stained glass will be featured in the shop all weekend. She is a life-long illustrator and painter who recently began working with glass as a medium. Rickey Pittman will hold a special performance on Saturday afternoon; He will be singing traditional folksongs. Pittman is an author, storyteller and a folksinger. Also, as a special treat, Pastry Moon owner, Bonnie Ferguson will be putting on a Sprout Sunday activity with Maureen.

Holiday Arts Tour Stops: House of Flowers, Beau Monde, and Rumo's

Holiday Arts Tour Stop: House of Flowers & Cake Shoppe, 100 N. Vienna St.

House of Flowers and The Cake Shoppe is a lovely (and tasty!) stop on the tour. Winner of the 2013 Holiday Arts Tour  Judge's Choice Award, artist Julie Crews' oil paintings beautifully capture simple moments and familiar scenes.  Leigh Buffington's paintings, prints and boxes offer serene embellishments for the home.

Julie says of her work, "When I paint... I am also excited to push the limitations of my current skill level and challenge the tendencies of my past work, like rendering all my subject matter too tightly. Sometimes I paint from observation, documenting life as it happens, and other times I use study sketches and photo references. Sometimes I paint and ask myself, “What rule can I break? Will I be successful?”, and I measure my success through my experience of the process and product." To view more of Julie's work, check out her website at juliecrews.com. 

An artist of various mediums, Leigh focuses on the "duality of flesh and spirit" to guide and unify her symbolic and ornamental work. Leigh says, "I am drawn to the ever present reality of the spirit world," and our experiences in the flesh are "vital to our process of learning" in this life. When you view the sense of balance of her carefully composed jewelry and art works you may sense your own spiritual awareness heightened.  

Holiday Arts Tour Stop: Rumo's Barber Shop, 203 W. Alabama Ste.3

The charming barber shop known as Rumo's will be hosting Todd Maggio during the Holiday Art Tour. Todd Maggio screen prints objects that people use in their everyday lives such as journals, cards and CD covers, infusing these mass-produced objects with the vitality and spirit of the artist's hand. 

Todd will be screen printing tattoos on Saturday, be sure to stop by and get yourself a (nonpermanent) fun tattoo work the weekend!

Holiday Arts Tour Stop: Beau Monde, 206 N. Trenton St.

Fiber artist Rachel Johnston will have a variety of work for sale at Beau Monde, one of Ruston's newest boutiques. While Beau Monde has its own variety of must-have scarfs and leggings, you may also have to take home one of Rachel's fabric creations as well! 

Rachel's offerings include handspun yarn and cold-process soap. She admires that what to her is a craft of joy, was once a craft of necessity to past generations. In Rachel's own words, " I need to be involved in this process of turning a raw fleece into something beautiful, something useful, or both. At the end of the day, my hands might be blistered. They might be rough and calloused. And I am okay with that because it means it means I’ve done something. It means these hands have created something that I can be proud of."

Rachel will demonstrate with her spinning wheel on Saturday. Don't worry Cinderella's, she'll be careful not to stick anyone! To view more of Rachel's work, check out her Etsy page at nomadnaturals.etsy.com. 

Holiday Arts Tour Stops: The Frame Up & Lewis Boutique

Holiday Arts Tour Stop: The Frame Up, 102 N Vienna St.

Winner of the Holiday Arts Tour 2013 People's Choice Award, awarded to Tour attendees’ favorite artist and artwork display, Hooshang Khorasani has been supporting NCLAC as a professional artist and promoting local opportunities for artists to have chances to display their work, like they do with on the Tour, for over 20 years. It was our pleasure to reward his long history as a working artist last year as Hooshang showcased a new turn in his colorful body of art.

Regardless of whether you recognize Hooshang more from his dynamic flower still-lives, or one of his racing horse images he is nationally known for, all of his work vibrates with his vigorous color palette and mark making. If you haven't seen Hooshang’s work before, be sure to stop by the Frame Up to see if all on display! To view Hooshang’s work online, check out absolutearts.com/hooshang.

The Frame Up is a professional framing shop that carries a wide variety of metal and wooded frames, archival framing, and more. The Frame Up also carries popular LA Tech Football prints, and other items that make great holiday gifts.

Holiday Arts Tour Stop: Lewis Boutique, 110 N Vienna St.

Lewis Boutique is an inviting upscale fashion and cosmetic store that normally carries a number of great gift items, like Vera Bradley accessories and stylish scarfs, and during the Tour this year it once again host German artist Christiane Drieling.

Christiane’s love of her homeland’s story-telling traditions is evident in all of her work, from her classical “Kaspar” hand puppets, her traditional toy Christmas ornaments, to her jewelry and small boxes that feature the story line’s of her family’s favorite children’s books. 

Christiane says "The aesthetics I am drawn to and the way how I use materials is clearly rooted in my childhood. My family was not particularly artistic but quite resourceful, as they inspired me to pick up the empty match boxes from our gas stove and make them into little houses; I kept the red wax that sealed the cheese loafs and shaped it into tiny people.

'Small worlds' has been my constant theme in both my life and my art: the small worlds of the fairytales I grew up with, and the “real” small worlds I found myself in as a child and young adult. The “real” world felt rather limiting to me with all those cultural, social, and socioeconomic barriers that prevent free choice of which way to go.  The fairytale world, on the other side, fascinated and inspired me because anything could happen and everything was possible there."

In addition to her Swirling Swirls line of art-objects, Christiane also teaches. She is the art education teacher at Montessori School of Ruston, and also leads art  classes for children and adults at her Brush Hour Studio.

Christiane is also one of our Sprout Sunday artists. She will be leading children in a frog prince folded paper project. She's a great teacher-- be sure to bring your kids! (Sunday, 1:30-3:30, 202 N Vienna)

Lewis Boutique will also host the “a cappella harmony” of the delightful all-women Rhapsody Quartet on Thursday from 6-7pm, and an amazing magical performance by Michael Savage on Saturday afternoon.

Holiday Arts Tour Stop: Carriage House

Holiday Arts Tour Stop: Carriage House 101 E. Maryland Ave.

The Carriage House of Ruston was founded by Patricia Tait Jones, and other local like-minded artists that wanted a place to come together to practice, teach, and celebrate making art. The charming historic building was in fact a carriage house at one time, and the resident artists revel in its authentic surfaces and details. Classes and shows regularly encompass many mediums, including drawings, paintings, collages, and 3-dimensional art.

The artists that will be on display during the Holiday Artist Tour are Becky Bennett, Nan Cole, Beth Holland, Laura White Lewis, Patricia Jones, Catherine McVea, and Annie Richardson. Seeing how the styles of each of these women overlaps one another’s as they learn from each other, and then how they differ as each widens their practice, is part of the joy of seeing group shows at the Carriage House.

Be sure not to miss this stop on the Tour, even if you have to walk a few extra blocks down Bonner Street to get there. Perhaps the rich artistic and historic environment might inspire you as well to sign up for a future art class at the Carriage House!

carriagehouseart.org

5th Annual ARToberfest!

Tickets available now--

NCLAC's beer-tasting fundraiser is Friday!

Beer tasting fundraiser?! Yes, that's what happening! Celebrate the craft of beer brewing this weekend--- Trust us: it's the best night out in Ruston!

Tickets are on sale for the North Central Louisiana Arts Council’s 5^th Annual ARToberfest, which will take place at The Norton Building on Friday, Oct. 24. This event celebrates a variety of styles of beer, from the finest commercial bottles to our region’s unique home brews.

There are still General Admission tickets available for $20. These include 6:30pm entry,live music, bar snacks and unlimited beer tastings. Food trucks will be selling food on site. The night ends at 10pm.

Tickets are available at the Dixie Center for the Arts and Fine Line Art Supply.  Call (318)255-1450 for more information.  No one under the age of 21 will be allowed at the event. The Norton Building is located at 207 West Mississippi in Ruston.

Tickets will also be available at the door.

This year's Title Sponsors are Marsala Beverage and Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco-Free Living. Additional sponsorship provided by The Norton Building, Fine Line Art Supply & Print Lab, Devine Wines & Spirits Plus, and Sundown Tavern, with support from Super One Foods and Raising Cane’s.

We appreciate our sponsors who help make this night a success!

Home brews are a highlight! Devine Wines and Spirits is back again with the Devine Home Brewer Awards. Be sure to vote for the People's Choice Brewer.

We will have four raffle baskets with exciting prizes, and food trucks will be on site to sell tasty food. Be sure to bring some cash!

ARToberfest supports NCLAC’s Holiday Arts Tour that is set for November 20-23 in downtown Ruston.    

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Shared Earth: The Ancient Mounds Project - Oct. 30

Event: Opening Reception (FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC)Details: This reception is in support of Shared Earth: The Ancient Mounds Project featuring photography by Jenny Ellerbe. Ellerbe will speak at 6:30 pm Date: Thursday, October, 30th Time: 6:00 - 8:00 pm Location: Masur Museum of Art, 1400 South Grand Street, Monroe, LA 71202 Cost: FREE Contact: 318.329.2237 or like the Masur on Facebook

Please join us at the Masur Museum of Art on Thursday, October, 30 from 6:00 – 8:00 pm for a reception celebrating the opening of Shared Earth: The Ancient Mounds Project. This reception is FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. Jenny Ellerbe will speak at 6:30 pm. The Masur always has free admission and Shared Earth is on view from October 29, 2014 – February 14, 2015. The Masur is located at 1400 South Grand Street, Monroe, LA 71202. This exhibition is supported by a grant from the Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council as administered by the Northeast Louisiana Arts Council.

This exhibition features photographs by Jenny Ellerbe. It deals with the landscape of Northeast Louisiana as a cultural object whose layers heap one on top of another. Some are forgotten, others not. Specifically, Ellerbe’s subject matter is the ancient mounds scattered throughout Northeast Louisiana. Some of the mounds were constructed as early as 5000 BCE, but the largest and most complex mounds, located in the Poverty Point State Historic Site, were constructed from 1700 to 1100 BCE. Built by hunter-fisher-gatherers, the Poverty Point design has not been duplicated anywhere in the world. The site includes a variety of earthen constructions including five mounds ranging between two and twenty-two meters tall and six low lying concentric rings, the longest of which is over one kilometer long. One factor that likely contributed to the mounds’ successful construction was a highly developed trading network that accounted for great deposits of non-local building and tool materials found there. These materials include quartz crystals, steatite, copper, galena, and iron oxide: materials that are found as far afield as Iowa, the Ozark and Appalachian Mountains, and western Georgia. The mounds at Poverty Point are also unique in North America for their age, the proliferation of new styles of tools and cultural objects, their size, and the fact these infrastructure intense projects were completed by hunter-fisher-gatherers. The civilization that occupied Poverty Point from 1700 to 1100 BCE marked a high water point for cultural achievement that was not surpassed for several hundred years. This degree of achievement makes Poverty Point truly noteworthy in the history of humankind. The Poverty Point mounds were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List* earlier this year. The mound building tradition continued in Louisiana and throughout the Southeast at varying scales until contact with European cultures disrupted it.

The manner in which Ellerbe photographs the mounds positions them as monuments to humans’ fleeting existence and a testament to the power of a nearly forgotten culture’s achievements. She often uses long dramatic shadows to indicate the passage of time and portrays contemporary human objects as though they are detritus. From image to image the mounds may be depicted as monumental or as hidden, virtually forgotten things. This contrast parallels inconsistent general awareness of the mound tradition in Northeast Louisiana. Ellerbe uses dramatic Louisiana cloud formations as a critical foil to this issue. Their regular appearance points, as it does in many art historical traditions, to the importance, majesty, and timeless nature of a thing. The Shared Earth exhibition will pair photographs with a selection of archaeological artifacts from Poverty Point. This element of the exhibition is intended to contextualize the historic nature and importance of the developments at mound sites in Northeast Louisiana within the overall story of human civilization. The artifacts speak to what we know of a moment in time as well as the human condition itself by illustrating how all human endeavors, artistic and otherwise, drive and shape our environment, ensuring our survival and giving our lives’ meaning. This is the unavoidable nature of the human condition.

Shared Earth: The Ancient Mounds Project exhibition is a collaboration between the Poverty Point Station Archaeology Program and the Masur Museum of Art. It will feature fine art photography and archaeological artifacts. Free lectures and educational activities will take place at the Masur and Poverty Point State Historic Site during the exhibition. Call the Masur at 318.329.2237 or like us on Facebook for more information.

*To be included on the World Heritage List, sites must be of outstanding universal value and meet at least one out of ten selection criteria. Please visit http://whc.unesco.org/en/criteria/ for more information.

from Benjamin M. Hickey Curator of Collections and Exhibitions

Masur Museum of Art 1400 South Grand Street Monroe, LA 71202

The Cancer Journal Project

Yesterday I met Kenan Irving, who shared with me his Make-a-Wish campaign titled The Cancer Journal Project. This is a personal project, in tribute to his wife who passed away from stomach cancer last winter. Kenan will be posting Ashley's journal entries and his photographs that document their story. All funds raised through The Cancer Journal Project are donated to the Make-a-Wish Foundation, and 90% of Make-a-Wish donations go directly to grant wishes for children diagnosed with life-threatening medical conditions. Make-a-Wish grants the wish of a child in the US and its territories, on average, every 38 minutes. Take a moment to read Kenan's guest post, and then head over to The Cancer Journal Project's  page and follow their journey to make wishes come true.

"When I was 14 years old, I met Ashley. Four years later, we were married. Nine years

after that, she died.

On May 8, 2013, our 9th wedding anniversary, we found out that the lymphoma we

thought Ashley had was actually stage 4 stomach cancer. The two of us responded to

the news quite differently. She cried and almost immediately accepted the possibility

that she might die. I just stood there. I was unable to process and deal with that

information. I felt that if I ignored it long enough, I could somehow bend the world to my

will.

Ashley’s sister had given her a journal the day before the full diagnosis and Ashley

started writing in it. The ability to write down exactly what she was feeling at any given

moment, was comforting. It helped her cope. I never could have written in a journal

because I never accepted any of it. In fact writing this now and admitting that it

happened is probably one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. !

For Ashley though, that journal was calming. It went with her everywhere. Through

diagnosis, treatment, vomiting, pills and pain she could write whatever she wanted. I

would notice her at times while she was writing. Sometimes she would smile.

Sometimes she would cry. No matter the emotion though, I knew it helped. As soon as

an event happened, she would write in the journal. It became almost a stream of

consciousness. What she has left is an incredibly intimate and honest portrayal of what

life is like for someone dying of cancer.

Ashley and I made a deal that no one would read the journal until she died. The hope

of course was that she would get better and no one would EVER be able to read it.

That’s not what happened though. On the last page of the journal, Ashley wrote a list of

the things she wanted to do when she beat cancer. Among the list was start a charity.

That is what The Cancer Journal Project is.

I wanted the journal itself to be part of the charity. I wanted this amazing historical

document to be shared with the world. We will release excerpts from the journal and

artwork designed around what Ashley wrote. This will happen on our website and social

media accounts. It’s the hope that these words will help others to cope and understand

what can be accomplished in the face of tremendous adversity.

Cancer completely consumes your life. Not only is this disease mutating through your

cells but it robs you of time. There are doctors’ visits, tests, procedures, trips to the

pharmacy, chemo and that’s not even counting the time your body needs to heal.

Cancer treatment leaves no time for anything else. Especially not a vacation.

Ashley and I loved going to Walt Disney World. We went there on our honeymoon. We

also went back every year that we were married. She even ran the Disney Marathon

four months before she was diagnosed. I guess we never really grew up...

What’s sad is that so many kids are forced to deal with things they were never

intended to have to. Cancer is robbing them of their childhoods and forcing them to

grow up way too fast. We want to help. We want to be able to send these children and

their families on a trip. We want to give them a break from the doctors and pills. A break

from their homes that have become extended hospital rooms. We want to send them to

Walt Disney World.

This is how you can help. 100% of your donations go directly to the Make-A-Wish

foundation. The Cancer Journal Project is completely self funded. We don’t keep a dime

of your donation. Make-A-Wish will use the money to help kids and their families get a

much needed break. To forget for a while that they’re sick. To make as many memories

as possible. It takes approximately $6500 to sponsor a wish and send a family to Disney

World. We want to be able to send as many families as possible. We need your help to

make this happen. Please donate whatever you can.

What else can you do? Tell everyone you know about The Cancer Journal Project.

Visit our site often. Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Tumblr.

Like our posts and pictures. Share and retweet. The more people that know about

Ashley and The Project, the more families we can help.

Ashley and I had several trips planned while she was sick. We only got to take one of

them. We kept waiting for one more chemo round or one more procedure. We were

always waiting for the next week, when surely she would feel better. Time just ran out.

Please help these families take the time while they still can.

Ashley would have liked knowing that this journal, this coping mechanism, helped

others to cope."

www.thecancerjournalproject.com

www.facebook.com/thecancerjournalproject

www.instagram.com/thecancerjournalproject

www.twitter.com/cjournalproject

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Calls for Entry....Artists take heed!

Happy Friday to you! Today we are bringing you 4 Calls for Entry for Visual Artists. Take a look at these and shoot for the stars! CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

The Jackson Parish Museum & Fine Arts Association is currently booking solo and group exhibits for the Winter/Spring 2015 season. We are a small museum but do have specific criteria and guidelines so potential artists must apply before being approved for a show. Artists who are residents or natives of Louisiana will be considered first, with Jackson Parish artists getting priority. This is a family-oriented arts association so artists with adult themes need not apply. Spots are limited. For more information please contact museum manager Leah Beth Johnston at jacksonparishmuseum@gmail.com.

DEADLINE APPROACHING

45th Annual River Road Show deadline is fast approaching!!!  Submissions for this prestigious national juried exhibition will be accepted up to September 1, 2014 (postmark or email).  The exhibition will take place at the Louisiana State Archive Building from December 3-December 29, 2014. We are honored to have as our judge this year Morten E. Solberg an acknowledged Master Artist who is versatile in all mediums.  Louisiana Art and Artists’ Guild is also sponsoring a workshop given by Mr. Solberg in conjunction with the exhibit. For more information on the River Road Show and the River Road Show Prospectus visit www.laag-site.org/river-road-show .  For information on the Morten Solberg workshop visit  www.laag-site.org/workshops .

ARTS TOUR TIME

We, the North Central Louisiana Arts Council, are now accepting applications from visual artists to participate in our 17th annual Holiday Arts Tour. The event is a celebration of the arts in Louisiana, featuring visual artists, musicians, writers, and other performing artists. NCLAC will place artists from its five parish region of Lincoln, Jackson, Claiborne, Bienville, and Union parishes first, but if enough host sites are available, artists from elsewhere in the state may participate. Applications will be accepted through September 22^nd.

This page will give you more information about the Tour, and and this page is where you can download an Artist Application. For assistance or questions about the Holiday Arts Tour and the application process, please contact the NCLAC office at (318)255-1450, Monday-Friday, 9am-3pm.

Visual artists who participate will have work reproduced in the full-color brochure, as well as featured posts on the NCLAC site. The Tour weekend, November 20-23, will promote visual, literary, and performing artists, and will draw visitors from around the state. NCLAC wishes to receive entries from artists in: ceramics, painting, photography, printmaking, jewelry, fiber arts, mixed media, fine woodworking, etc.

NCLAC’s Holiday Arts Tour is supported by a grant from the Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts council and administered by the Shreveport Regional Arts Council.

DIGITAL ARTS FESTIVAL

DigiFest South, presented by Bossier Arts Council, is an annual digital technology expo and arts festival, scheduled this year for Sep 16th-18th. DigiFest South celebrates how digital technology combined with artistic creativity shapes modern society.

DigiFest South seeks the most innovative and progressive companies, organizations, and educational institution to showcase their contribution to the digital age and inspire young minds to seek careers in the digital media industry. So, pretty much any concept of combining art and technology to influence our culture and/or way of life. DigiFest South 2014 will feature:

• Technology Expo Floor Show • Digital Industry Workshops and Panels • Video Game Design Competition • Digital Media Presentations • Digital Art Exhibition • Digital Music Concert • Talks on Creativity & Technologyaccepting entries for its art competition.

DigiFest South includes a digital art exhibit and competition by independent artists. The exhibit will showcase  digital art genres made possible by the latest technologies.

Categories Include:

•Art Film – Please keep submissions between 2^1/2 to 3 minutes. High Resolution file will be required. •Animation – Please keep submissions between 2^1/2 to 3 minutes. High Resolution file will be required. •Interactive/Webiste/App: Please describe logistics for user interaction. •Digital Photography- Must be printed, framed, mounted and wired to hang. •Architectural/Drafting- Must be printed, framed, mounted and wired to hang. •Graphics- Must be printed, framed, mounted and wired to hang. •High School Students- Student work will be judged separately from all other submissions •College/University Students- Student work will be judged separately from all other submissions

 $15.00 per submission, limit of 2 submissions per artistic category

All applications & entry fees must be received by TUESDAY, SEP. 3rd by 5:00PM to Bossier Arts Council (630 Barksdale Blvd. Bossier City,LA)  via email at bossierarts@bossierarts.org    Here is a link with more details and an application.

New Season of Shows Announced at the Dixie Center

This week has seen a flurry of activity here in the Dixie Center for the Arts, and it gets me excited for fall when the new “season” of programs will begin. One of the best things about having our NCLAC office inside the Dixie Center is that we are able to stay abreast of so many cultural activities that take place here. This historic theatre gets a lot of use throughout the year, and if you have never been to an event at the Dixie, you’re missing out! Ruston Community Theatre, who last night opened their summer musical, The Sound of Music, has set its lineup for the upcoming year.  In October, they’ll hit the stage with Till Beth Do Us Part, a comedy about the ins-outs-ups-and-downs of marriage, directed by Satish Bharadvaj. The Christmas production this year will be everyone’s favorite The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, directed by Mitch Dufour. This one will have children’s roles, so be on the lookout for audition dates. Spring will bring the classic To Kill a Mockingbird, with director Nancy Wallace. Personally, I’m really looking forward to seeing on the Dixie Center stage! The season will end a year from now, with Bye Bye Birdie in July, directed by Dee Alexander. Who won’t want to see this one for some good old-fashioned fun.

The Dixie Center for the Arts itself has its new lineup of shows, and these will begin with Chinese Acrobats on September 27. Won’t this be fun!? Other musical performances scheduled are Jason Coleman in November, who will dazzle with the Piano Magic of Floyd Kramer; Jason Petty and the Swinging Cowboys in March; and Albanie Falletta and Thrift Set in April, who will entertain us with jazz of the ‘20s –‘40s.

Troupe Dixie, whose mission is to introduce new generations to the majesty of the Dixie Center, has set its schedule as well. September will bring back the Loud and Live concert series, with ‘90s music on tap for this year. October will feature the showing of a Reels and Chills Halloween movie, and their Merry Movie in December is always a fun night. Live events are wonderful here in this building, but there’s still something magical about seeing a movie in this space. If you haven’t done so, make plans see one here this year!

Our organization, the North Central Louisiana Arts Council, holds art exhibitions in the lobby throughout the year, featuring artwork by regional artists. September will be the Fall Crawl, where we’ll participate with other arts-businesses downtown in a walk-able art crawl. We also have Holiday Arts Tour activities here, including our Community Variety Show, which packed the house last year. In October, we’ll have opera singer Brenda Wimberly perform for Lincoln Parish 6^th graders.

In addition to the activities I’ve already listed, the Dixie Center for the Arts hosts the Russtown Band for its Christmas and Peach Festival Concerts. The community always looks forward to the annual Joe Woods Wildwood Express, as well as the March of Dimes Talent Show and the Dixie Horizon Talent Search.  Several schools hold events here, such as AE Phillips 8^th Grade Musical and Montessori School of Ruston’s Christmas Story Evening. For dates and other details, visit our website, nclarts.org, where we have a comprehensive community arts calendar. We do our best to include art activities throughout the region, so that it’s a one-stop source of information of places to go and things to see.

The next time you think there’s “nothing to do in Ruston,” take a peek at what’s happening at the Dixie Center for the Arts. It should be your destination for a variety of entertainment.

On tap this weekend...

Looking to make it an art-full weekend? Here's a list of happenings: VISUAL ART - Friday (tonight!)

BFA opening reception, Construct, at Rawle Enterprise Center, 6-8pm, 509 West Alabama. Annual show featuring graduating students in LA Tech's Photography program. Featured artists: Whitney Caskey, Austin Elgin, Morgan Kee, Hannah Merritt, Charles C. Rhea, Kevin H. Reddic Jr., Shradha Sharma-Bhandari, Cecily A. Stevenson

Ruston's Spring Gallery Crawl, on and near West Alabama in downtown Ruston, 6-9pm. Featured locations/artists: Makers Union- featuring the works of Mary Boothe Dunn; Percussive Arts Institute of Ruston (PAIR) - a student showcase performance followed by a talk about upcoming events, activities and class offerings; PAIR Gallery- presenting The Art of Music, an exhibition showcasing local art based on the concept and process of music; Fine Line Art Supply - featuring the intaglio work of Hillary Clary; Pastry Moon - showcasing the work of Whitney Caskey; Frame of Mind - presenting the cooperative works of the Artist Alliance from Louisiana Tech University.

THEATRE - Tonight (and beyond...at least for a couple more days)

All Because of Agatha, Ruston Community Theatre's spring production, directed by Billy Chandler. 7pm Friday and Saturday, 2pm Sunday. $12 for adults, $6 for students, at the Dixie Center for the Arts. In All Because of Agatha, set in 1974, Duff and Joan O’Hara relocate from California to Salem, Massachusetts. The historical property the real estate agent shows them has a suspiciously low price. They learn that in 1692 Agatha Forbes, accused of witchcraft, was burned to death right where the house sits, but before she died she swore she would come back every year on that date and terrorize the occupants right out the front door. In short, the house was haunted. Joan, a big fan of the occult, thinks that a resident witch is a great, challenging addition to the house and she persuades Duff that this is the perfect place for them. So of course Joan plans a party for the September date when Agatha will allegedly appear.

The cast includes actors Anna Alexander, Debbie Allen, Kevin Cuccia, Dusty Hampton, Hilary Hileman, Brenda Mitchell, Dixie Mitchell, Heather Peterson, Terry Stepp and Michael Tannerhill.

25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, LA Tech Department of Theatre's spring musical, directed by Cherrie Sciro, at Howard Auditorium on the LA Tech campus. Tonight and Saturday at 7:30. General Admission $20, Students with ID $10, Youth & Seniors $15, Groups (10 persons or more) $10/person. Winner of 2005 Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical, The 25th Annual Putnam Spelling Bee follows six students of Putnam Valley Middle School as they compete in the annual spelling bee. However, this is not the average contest as audience members will be selected to participate in the bee. With the competition on, it is a fight to the finish as only one student can be v-i-c-t-o-r-i-o-u-s!

Coming up Friday! in this week's Art Talk Monday

This week's Art Talk Monday is written by Jessica Slaughter, NCLAC Executive Director Friday night there will be several facets of our artistic community on display simultaneously, which will make for a wonderful weekend. We have such a rich artistic environment in our region, with a wealth of professional artists as well as student artists.  We are lucky to be a “university town” with such great programs in the arts. Theatre, music, visual arts, architecture, and literature each add considerable depth, beauty and warmth to our cultural landscape. In addition, we have many professional artists living in our region who create music, paintings, quilts, sculpture, photographs and more. Some of these artists travel and exhibit worldwide. It’s easy to take one’s home turf for granted, and to miss opportunities for experiencing the wealth of talent we have in our own backyard.  Next Friday is an opportunity not to miss this talent.

The annual BFA Photography Exhibition will be having its opening reception at the Rawle Enterprise Center, 509 West Alabama Avenue, from 6 till 8pm. The show, titled Construct, features work by: Whitney Caskey, Austin Elgin, Morgan Kee, Hannah Merritt, Charles C. Rhea, Kevin H Reddic Jr., Shradha Sharma-Bhandari and Cecila A. Stevenson. The exhibition will be on display through May 23^rd, weekdays from 8am till 5pm. More information about this can be found by emailing Dorene Kordal at dorene@latech.edu  This reception and exhibition are free to the public.

Drive down West Alabama into downtown Ruston for a Spring Gallery Crawl, from 6-9pm. The public is invited to view new work from local artists, live performances, and enjoy tasty snacks and beverages. Each of the galleries and arts businesses is nestled conveniently on or near West Alabama Avenue, so visitors can park, walk and enjoy the spring evening. The following locations will be participating: Makers Union- featuring the works of Mary Boothe Dunn; Percussive Arts Institute of Ruston (PAIR) - a student showcase performance followed by a talk about upcoming events, activities and class offerings; PAIR Gallery- presenting The Art of Music, an exhibition showcasing local art based on the concept and process of music; Fine Line Art Supply - featuring the intaglio work of Hillary Clary; Pastry Moon - showcasing the work of Whitney Caskey; and Frame of Mind - presenting the cooperative works of the Artist Alliance from Louisiana Tech University. For more information about the Spring Gallery Crawl, email shop owner Bonnie Ferguson at pastrymoonsoaps@yahoo.com or visit any of the galleries during normal business hours. This gallery crawl event is free to the public.

In addition to the visual arts and music that have been mentioned, NCLAC’s partner, Ruston Community Theatre, will be holding its spring production, All Because of Agatha. The comedy, which tells the story of a couple, a haunting, and a bewitching party, begins at 7pm. The performance will also be held on Thursday, May 1, Saturday, May 3, and Sunday (matinee performance.) Tickets are $6 for students, $12 for adults, and they are available at the Dixie Box Office, (318)255-1450,as well as at the door the night of the show. While in the Dixie Lobby waiting on the performance, be sure to note the artwork on display, as it is a collection of works from the Bienville Parish Talented Art Students, taught by Caleb Clark. NCLAC coordinates with the Dixie Center for the Arts to display artwork from regional art groups.

All too soon it will be hot and steamy, and we won’t want to be out and about. Enjoy the Louisiana springtime, enjoy the fun happenings that are scheduled, and enjoy what our special town has to offer.

Art Talk Monday: The King and I

This week's Art Talk Monday is written by Tracy Calloway, Board President of Ruston  Community Theatre. Read below for the scoop on this week's performance of The King and I.

Starting July 11^th, Ruston Community Theatre will present the Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musical, The King and I.  This musical has proven to be RCT’s largest production to date with no less than 70 cast and crew participating in the production.  Due to the success of our last two musicals, Annie in 2011 and Annie Get Your Gun in 2012, and due to the demand for more performances, we have decided to have six performances of The King and I instead of our normal four.  Production dates will be July 11, 12, and 13 at 7:00pm, a 2:00pm matinee on July 14, and two more performances on July 18 and 19 at 7:00pm.

This will be RCT’s third annual musical as part of the Gale and Lucy Chumley Classical Musical Theatre Series.  In 2010, the Chumley daughters, Barbara Chumley and Audrey Chumley-Sullivan, presented RCT with a monetary gift in memory of their parents.  This gift allows RCT to produce an annual musical for the next 10-15 years.  RCT is grateful to the Chumley family for their contributions to theatre and the arts in Ruston.

Dee Alexander will, once again, handle directorial duties with musical help from Jeanne Patterson, John Mitchell, Matt Cardenas, and Sandy Lassiter.  Jane Petrus and Jane Wallace are partnering as stage managers.  Jim Young will be the sound director while Don Stevens will handle light design.  Also, enough cannot be said about Karen Pittman and her team, who are responsible for the almost one hundred costumes needed.

The scale of this production has highlighted the word “Community” in Ruston Community Theatre.  There are the over seventy cast and crew from the community, nearly half of which are RCT first-timers.  The Episcopal Church of the Redeemer provided RCT with rehearsal space for most of June.  Also, countless people have loaned costume pieces, set pieces, and props.

I encourage everyone to come enjoy the sights and sounds of The King and I at the Dixie Center for the Arts starting next week.  See you there!

Art Talk Monday: Jolis Jardins

This week's Art Talk Monday is written by Jennifer Downs, NCLAC technical writing intern and English Master's Candidate from Louisiana Tech University.   Spring is finally here! The North Central Louisiana Arts Council is happy to announce that the Ruston Garden Club will be presenting the Jolis Jardins garden tour again this year from 9:30-2:30 on Saturday, April 27. ­The tour will feature lovely gardens at three area homes, as well as vendors with hand-crafted jewelry and other trinkets, repurposed items, and specialty herbs. You are invited to roam as you please from garden to garden, and we encourage you to visit our artisans’ displays as well!

Artisans will be displaying their work at Ruston Convention Center and the Lincoln Parish Visitors Bureau. We are pleased to introduce the following artisans from across the north central Louisiana region whose work will be on sale during the tour: Christine Drieling, Swirling Swirls, with her handmade ornaments; Carolyn Broome, Celebrations, with her collectible dolls; Wanda Anglin and Mary Jane Van Zandt, Potting Shed Art, with repurposed glass mosaic windows; Allen Tuten with custom birdhouses, John Adam McWilliams, The Iron Scotsman, with furniture and decor of repurposed wood and iron; Kathy and Paul Smith, Garden Delights, with imaginative garden art and metalwork; and Rachel Johnston, Woolgypsy Fiber Arts/Gypsy Soapworks, with knitted/felt wool items and skincare products like homemade soaps. Buford Shively of Gainsville Herb Co. in Dodson will also be selling a variety of herb plants from his own farm and offering advice on how to start your own herb garden! This is a wonderful opportunity for local crafters and artists to share their work and celebrate the spring season.

In addition, regional Master Gardeners will be showing their amazing work to the public, and they will have a huge sale of some of the rare and beautiful plants that they have cultivated.  The Louisiana Master Gardener program is an educational outreach program by the LSU AgCenter. Whether you are a beginner or a gifted gardener with a “green thumb,” this showcase is truly a unique opportunity for local growers to learn from the masters.     

Tickets may be purchased in advance at three locations in Ruston: the Lincoln Parish Visitors Bureau at 2111 N Trenton St, Twin Oaks at 630 E Georgia St, and the Townsend House at 410 N Bonner St. You can also purchase a ticket at any of the garden locations during the tour. Proceeds will help fund future projects and activities to enrich our community, including the Ruston Garden Club’s yearly scholarship offered to a well-deserving Louisiana Tech University student who is majoring in plant sciences. Come and join us as we celebrate our local gardens, gardeners, and talented artisans!

Art Talk Monday: Louisiana Purchase Exhibition

This week's Art Talk Monday is written by Jes Schrom, Assistant Professor of Photography at Louisiana Tech University Louisiana Tech University School of Art Galleries

Louisiana Purchase: 2nd Biennial National Juried Exhibition          

January 15 - February 19, 2013

Louisiana Purchase is the School of Art’s second national juried exhibition. This is a multi-media show for two and three dimensional works exploring any theme. The School of Art received over 165 submissions for a total of over 800 artworks, many of which were from our region. The overwhelming response reflects a continued commitment and passion for the arts in our communities. We hope that the exhibition not only highlights regional artists, but also exposes all of us to contemporary works created around the country.

After a difficult deliberation, juror Dr. Paul Manoguerra chose 49 artists to share their work in the exhibition. The School of Art would like to thank all of the artists that submitted to the show and encourage all to apply again in 2015.

Statement from juror, Dr. Paul Manoguerra, Chief Curator and Curator of American Art at the Georgia Museum of Art, University of Georgia, "As juror for this exhibition, and given the types of art entered via the submission process, I elected to make use of the title and its reference to the early-19th-century land deal negotiated by Thomas Jefferson, and to focus on a single exhibition theme: landscape and the human presence within the landscape. Artists accepted for the biennial display made excellent, contemporary visual use of landscape imagery and environmental motifs: beauty, sublimity, history, maps, agriculture, flora, fauna, shelter, and industry, among others. And, although the call for entries was open to all media, a majority of the works submitted were photographs. As such, photographs of landscapes and the human impact on landscapes compose a significant portion  of Louisiana Purchase.

Dr. Paul Manoguerra is the Chief Curator and Curator of American Art at the Georgia Museum of Art, University of Georgia. During his decade of service to the museum, he has worked as curator on several award-winning exhibitions, including Classic Ground: Mid-Nineteenth-Century American Painting and the Italian Encounter, The American Scene on Paper: Prints and Drawings from the Schoen Collection and Amazing Grace: Self-Taught Artists from the Mullis Collection. Before coming to the University of Georgia, he previously worked in curatorial roles at the Kresge Art Museum, the Paine Art Center & Gardens, and the Corcoran Gallery of Art, and taught arts appreciation, art history, and humanities courses at Kalamazoo College, Western Michigan University, and Lansing Community College. The author of the Georgia Museum of Art’s catalogue, One Hundred American Paintings, Dr. Manoguerra earned his PhD in American Studies from Michigan State University in 2002.

The School of Art at Louisiana Tech University has two gallery spaces available to artists working in all media, including: painting, drawing, video, printmaking, installation, sculpture, photography, ceramics, fiber, and digital works. The mission of the galleries at The School of Art at Louisiana Tech University is to contribute to student and community learning through exposure to the work and philosophy of nationally recognized contemporary artists working in the visual arts.

The gallery committee is a fully volunteer group made up of dedicated Tech faculty, responsible for all exhibitions at the School of Art: Mary Louise Carter, Nicole Duet, Frank Hamrick, Patrick Miller, Jes Schrom, and Joey Slaughter.

Additional info can be found at www.art.latech.edu

Big weekend for the Arts

Hello there, arts enthusiasts. There are three exciting art events taking place in our area right now, beginning tonight, November 8. This is a weekend ripe with viewing pleasure. The following descriptions are taken from the Lincoln Parish Library, Masur Museum of Art, and Louisiana Tech Enterprise Center. The first is the opening reception for artist Stephan Wanger at Lincoln Parish Library tonight from 5-7pm. German-born artist Stephan Wanger lives in New Orleans and channels his energy into assembling dazzling mosaics working in recycled Mardi Gras beads. Working in a photo-realistic style, Wanger recreates scenes, images and icons of Louisiana to help bring awareness to the world of the innate beauty and wonder of Louisiana's rich culture and varied communities.

Next, head to Monroe tomorrow to the Masur Museum to view the new Shaye Dark exhibit, titled Human|Nature. Shayne Dark lives and works in Ontario, Canada.  His art examines the difference between spaces directly created and administered by mankind as well as those that exist separately or on their margins. Dark’s work exists in both realms by using materials such as natural looking wood and boldly colored paint with an industrial feel.  This is also seen in the way Dark's sculptures, which are often recognizable sections from trees, seem to sprout from gallery walls and floors. The dialog created between viewers of his sculptures and the spaces they occupy is meant to prompt a thoughtful investigation of man's existence within nature. In addition to work inside the museum, Shayne has been in residence all week working on a sculpture created from a tree that was cut on the museum's grounds.

Finally, head to Louisiana Tech's Enterprise Center tomorrow evening, November 9, from 6-8pm, for the opening reception of artist Nicole Duet's paintings, titled Ghost Cycles. Nicole is a faculty member of Louisiana Tech's School of Art. Her use of color and light show mastery of the tools, and make for an exceptional viewing experience. In this body of work, Duet has taken poignant moments or encounters and has frozen them in space and time. The subjects in the painting are at times blurred giving the definite feeling that what is being captured is active and in motion. The work strongly conveys the idea of transition and the need to define one’s sense of self.

So, no complaining about this weekend--go out and see some art!

Sharing Great News!

Students recognized for excellent work in LA Tech University Theatre’s production of KAB Man Ruston, LA. 31 October 2012.

The Louisiana Tech University Theatre’s production of KAB Man was entered in the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KC/ACTF). The show was responded to by Don Hooper and Emily Heugatter on Friday, October 26th.

Several students were recognized for excellence in their specific areas. This included Irene Ryan Nominations for Rowan Johnson, Jacob D. Guinn, and Rachael Pace for their roles as BP, KAB Man, and KeeLABelle, respectively. Additionally, recognized for meritorious achievement in design were Molly Page as Costume Supervisor and Sarah Flanagan as Properties Designer.

Finally, the entire production of KAB Man was “held for consideration” to be part of the KC/ACTF Region VI Festival. Under this designation, the Department’s production moves on to the next step, taking place the weekend of December 7th, in which a committee of theatre professionals will consider shows to be included in the Festival in February. This year’s Region VI Festival will be held in Shreveport, LA, at the historic Strand Theatre.

KC/ACTF is a national theatre education program which aims to “identify and promote quality in college-level theater production.” To this end, selected students and faculty are invited to participate in KC/ACTF programs involving scholarships, internships, grants, and awards for actors, directors, dramaturgs, playwrights, designers, stage managers, and critics at both the regional and national levels.

“Last year more than 1,300 productions were entered in the KC/ACTF involving more than 200,000 students nationwide. By entering this production, our theater department is sharing in the KC/ACTF goals to recognize, reward, and celebrate the exemplary work produced in college and university theaters across the nation.”

For more information on the Louisiana Tech University Department of Theatre, visit www.latechuniversitytheatre.com. For more information on the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, visit http://www.kcactf.org/ KCACTF.ORG_NATIONAL/Sponsorship.html

Congratulations, and best wishes for the next step!