This week's Art Talk is written by NCLAC Executive Director Jessica Slaughter
Serving the region through the North Central Louisiana Arts Council, I have the privilege each day of working inside the Dixie Center for the Arts. This historic theatre is located in downtown Ruston, and is easy to spot with its neon star out front on Vienna, and Intermission Park on the corner of Alabama. The space is truly a hub for community arts activities. The NCLAC office is located inside, of course, and several other nonprofits use the space for their activities as well: Ruston Civic Symphony Society, Ruston Community Theatre, Troupe Dixie, and the Dixie Center for the Arts itself. The theatre is also used each year for seasonal school programs, such as Bearcats on Broadway with Ruston High, and the AE Phillips annual 8th grade musical. Other annual favorites include Russ-Town Band concerts, the VFW Memorial Day Tribute, and the Dixie Gem Peach Pageant.
The Dixie Center for the Arts is a wonderful space that is accommodating to so many types of programs. We here at NCLAC appreciate the support of the DCA. We work as partners to bring visitors through the doors, both old and new, to experience the variety of programs that are offered here, from Troupe Dixie’s movie events to RCT’s Christmas plays, with so much in between.
One of the upcoming shows at the Dixie Center later this month is a film created by Louisiana Tech University’s Michael Williams, Assistant Professor of Architecture. This short film, 13 minutes, 13 seconds to be exact, is titled Case: 030860, and concerns a middle-aged man who discovers a secret about his life. Williams says, “My wife Tara, my son Samuel Haskins, and his girlfriend Ora helped me convert the second floor gallery at Hale Hall into a green screen studio over the mardis gras break. My wife worked the camera and my son and his girlfriend worked as grips. We also shot some footage inside the Lincoln Motel one night for the conclusion of the film. It was a real cottage industry-like experience.” The film has been submitted to several film festivals, and so far has been accepted to the 2013 Phenom Film Fest in Shreveport. The showing at the Dixie will begin with a reception at 6:30 in the lobby, followed by the film at 7pm. Williams created art objects for the film, and these will be displayed for the evening as well. This unique event is free to the public.
Before closing, I’d like to mention the Dixie Center’s own season programming for this year. Season tickets are being sold now, and those shows include: Dancing at the Dixie, a night made for dancing with the Harmon Drew Super Group; Lakota, ballads of the Old West with singer/songwriter/visual artist Bobby Bridger and master guitarist John Inman; Grassfire, a wonderful bluegrass experience; Krewe of Swing, with toe-tapping, finger-snapping jazz; and Classics Recovered, with Travis Woods and his group of talented musicians. Ms. Libby in the Box Office will be happy to give you more information about each of these performances (and to sell you great seats while she’s at it!) Give her a call at (318)255-1450.
Be sure to take a look at NCLAC’s online calendar at nclarts.org, where we keep a list of many of the area’s arts activities, including music, theatre, movie showings and art exhibitions. You can go ahead and plan your date nights for the year.