LSU Museum of Art Presents Southern Reflections, Celebration Sept. 12

BATON ROUGE, La (press release) – The LSU Museum of Art announced the upcoming exhibition Southern Reflections: Art by Kathryn Keller and Shirley Rabé Masinter, on view from Sept. 12 to Nov. 17. This exhibition will run alongside the already open Cherished: The Art of Clementine Hunter. Together, these exhibitions highlight the vibrant and diverse artistry of Louisiana painters Kathryn Keller, Shirley Rabé Masinter, and the renowned Clementine Hunter, offering a rich visual journey through Southern landscapes and culture.

Southern Reflections: Art by Kathryn Keller and Shirley Rabé Masinter
on view Sept. 12–Nov. 17

The showcase Southern Reflections pairs Louisiana painters Kathryn Keller and Shirley Rabé Masinter, two female artists, both working in wet media, with a passion for rendering landscapes. Keller’s quiet, diminutive scenes focus on pastoral environments, rendered in an impressionistic style. Using loose, quick brushstrokes and muted, earthy colors, Keller highlights the splendor of nature, often setting up her easel to work en plein air, creating within the landscape itself. In contrast, Masinter focuses on cityscapes, crafting realistic urban tableaux. Her tightly detailed, photorealistic canvases explore the beauty in the manmade, highlighting the grit and authenticity of inner-city New Orleans.

Cherished: The Art of Clementine Hunter
now on view until Oct. 23

Clementine Hunter, an iconic Louisiana artist, lived and worked on Melrose Plantation near Natchitoches, Louisiana. Hunter’s life and art were deeply intertwined with the plantation’s people, activities, and culture. Starting her artistic journey in her fifties using discarded art supplies, Hunter created vibrant and expressive paintings that chronicled Southern life—celebrations, religious events, and daily activities. Her works, often created on found materials like cardboard and wood, are visual diaries that preserve her personal memories and the evolving life on the plantation.

The exhibition features over forty objects from the Graves Family private collection and three LSU entities: the LSU Museum of Art, the LSU Rural Life Museum, and the Alexandria Museum of Art. Hunter’s artworks celebrate community, tradition, faith, and family, reflecting her unique style and deep love for her Southern heritage.

The LSU Museum of Art extends gratitude to the Graves family, of Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers, for generously loaning paintings to this exhibition, and to Taylor Porter Law Firm for their sponsorship. Additional research, including an oral history project collecting stories and memories from Hunter’s descendants and close friends, has been supported by grants from the Traditional Fine Arts Organization (TFAO), the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation, and the Louisiana Division of the Arts through a Louisiana Project Grant.

Fall Reception

Save the Date: Fall Reception
Thursday, Sept. 12, from 6–8 p.m. / FREE

Join for an evening celebrating the fall exhibitions featuring Louisiana women artists Kathryn Keller and Shirley Rabé Masinter, from Southern Reflections, and Clementine Hunter of the Cherished exhibition. The event is free and open to the public.

Clementine Hunter Programs

Lecture at the museum: Is this a real Hunter? How the FBI Solved a Clementine Hunter Forgery Case
Sunday, Sept. 8, from 2–4 p.m.

Retired FBI Special Agent Randy Deaton will speak about the process of identifying and successfully catching Clementine Hunter art forgers. Don’t miss this fascinating talk! *Please note, artwork appraisal or authentication services are not available during this program, and attendees should not bring artwork to the museum for this purpose.

Lecture at Main Library at Goodwood about Cherished: The Art of Clementine Hunter

Wednesday, Sept. 18, at 6 p.m. (Off-site at Main Library, 7771 Goodwood Blvd)

Want to learn more about Clementine Hunter’s life and artwork? Meet at the Main Library on 7771 Goodwood Blvd for a lecture by LSU Museum of Art Educator Callie Smith as part of the library’s Special Collections Lecture Series.