Louisiana Bicentennial
2012 is a big year for the Arts Council! We are working with the Lake Charles / SWLA Convention & Visitors Bureau to present the Lake Area’s role in Louisiana’s upcoming statewide Bicentennial Celebration. Our distinct cultural identity is 200 years in the making, and in partnership with the Imperial Calcasieu Museum we will present a series of programs and events to celebrate our history in Southwest Louisiana.
Julie Kane Poetry Reading: Saturday, May 12th, 4 p.m. under the Sallier Oak at the Imperial Calcasieu Museum
Southwest Louisiana will be immortalized in the award-winning verse of our state’s Poet Laureate, Julie Kane, in 2012. During a special poetry reading on Saturday, May 12th, Kane will present a series of poems specifically commissioned to illustrate our Southwest Louisiana identity and way of life. The reading will be held under the arms of the historic 375 year-old Sallier Oak at the Imperial Calcasieu Museum in Lake Charles. Kane’s series will celebrate the intersection between landscape and identity while uniting both the raw and the rapturous images and symbols of Southwest Louisiana. Kane is also a non-fiction writer, editor, and translator and is the author of three books of poetry with many of her poems appearing widely in anthologies. She has lived in Louisiana for over thirty years and has lived in Natchitoches since 1999. View the YouTube clip below by Karen Wink of the American Press to hear the commissioned poems!
Bicentennial Mural Reveal: Thursday, May 17th, 2 p.m., 411 Ryan St. (Sweets & Treats)
The Arts Council and the Convention & Visitors Bureau will unveil downtown’s newest public art display on Thursday, May 17, at 2 p.m. Local artist Fred Stark was contracted by the Arts Council to create a bicentennial mural on the south side of locally-operated dessert shop Sweets & Treats. Local artist Fred Stark’s murals appear in sixteen states, and this large scale bicentennial-themed mural will illustrate our Southwest Louisiana connection to Louisiana’s statehood. Composed in three different layers and timelines, the mural will show the visual history of Louisiana from 1812 to 2012.
Louisiana Public Broadcasting Screening of Louisiana: 200 Years of Statehood, Thursday, May 17th, 7 p.m., Benjamin W. Mount Auditorium, Central School
Louisiana Public Broadcasting will present a screening for Louisiana: 200 Years of Statehood on May 17th at 7 p.m. in Central School Arts and Humanities Center theatre. The documentary is narrated by Harry Connick, Jr. and is approximately 56 minutes in length. The documentary is planned in conjunction with the Arts Council of SWLA and the Louisiana Bicentennial Commission, and special presentation by Lake Charles/SWLA Convention & Visitors Bureau director Shelley Johnson; Bicentennial muralist Fred Stark; and Beth Courtney of LPB.
George Rodrigue 200 Years: The Faces & Places of Louisiana, Opening Reception: September 14th, Imperial Calcasieu Museum
The Imperial Calcasieu Museum will host a special George Rodrigue art exhibition titled 200 Years: The Faces & Places of Louisiana which will exhibit Rodrigue’s famous prints and paintings of significant Louisiana figures steeped in over 200 years of both history and folklore. This comprehensive collection of the people and landscapes of our state collectively makes up the expanse of our own history and identity. Rodrigue will be on hand during the exhibit’s September 14th opening reception for a discussion of the featured pieces and his ties to both art and Louisiana history. In collaboration with the exhibit, the Museum will also host a Bicentennial Art Contest, and the winner’s Bicentennial-themed artwork will become the official poster for Louisiana’s Bicentennial.
Please join us all year long in celebrating our heritage, our arts, and our culture!
