Louisiana is One of the Most Unique Cultural, Art Regions in America
Acadiana
In addition to the Cajun and Creole traditions, Acadiana offers numerous visual arts galleries, performing arts venues, theater and, of course, music and dance halls.
“There’s always something to do here,” said Jackie Lyle, who’s helmed the Performing Arts Serving Acadiana (PASA) in Lafayette for almost 30 years. “The footprint of Lafayette’s art venue is getting larger and the footprint is more diverse. And within the area of Lafayette Parish, St. Martin Parish and St. Landry Parish there are embers sparking fires, sparking opportunities.
There are new projects popping up that are interesting and inventive. These things are compelling. They call you to come, like a siren call.”
In Lafayette, in addition to PASA’s many offerings, the Acadiana Center for the Arts (ACA) turns 50 this year, a nonprofit venue that contains a theater, several art galleries and educational classrooms. Cité des Arts and Basin Arts serve as arts centers and incubators, the Paul and Lulu Hilliard Art Museum on the University of Louisiana at Lafayette campus features 11,000 square feet of gallery space and the Acadiana Symphony performs throughout the year.
Over in Lake Charles, theater lovers enjoy a variety of shows at the Children’s Theatre Company and the Lake Charles Little Theatre and permanent and rotating art exhibits at several art galleries and museums, including the Black Heritage Gallery and the 1911 Historic City Hall. Need a sample? Visit Lake Charles and the Arts & Humanities Council of Southwest Louisiana have created the SWLA HeARTbeat Tour to highlight some of Acadiana’s best visual artists.
The bayou carried numerous European and Asian immigrants into southeast Louisiana, teaming with the Native American tribe of the United Houma Nation and other tribes. That kaleidoscope of cultures flavors the twin towns of Houma and Thibodaux and surrounding areas. One way to enjoy this unique blending of traditions is the Bayou Arts Festival in downtown Houma, presented by the Bayou Regional Arts Council which supports the arts in Assumption, Lafourche, St. Charles, St. James, St. John the Baptist and Terrebonne parishes. This year, the multicultural festival will be Oct. 11.
Other theatrical venues to consider are the Grand Opera House of the South in Crowley and Le Petit Theatre de Terrebonne in Houma.
Central Louisiana (Cenla)
It’s easy to forget that Louisiana waterways drove commerce, then development, throughout the state. An example is the Red River at Alexandria, which slowly rolls past the Cenla city.
Viewing this magnificent river is lagniappe when visiting the visual arts scene in downtown Alexandria. Striking views can be seen from the Alexandria Museum of Art, for instance, but don’t miss the revolving national exhibits and its diverse collection of Louisiana artwork, much of which includes interpretation of our state’s rivers and bayous.
The River Oaks Square Arts Center lies by the Red River as well, but visitors may focus more on the historic home that comprises the contemporary visual arts and fine craft galleries. The former Bolton Home in the Queen Anne Revival style dates to 1899 and features work by more than 200 artists.
Every year River Oaks hosts the annual Dirty South Cup Call and Competition, a juried exhibition of ceramic drinking vessels.
In the early 1800s, the Red River shifted and created Cane River Lake, which runs through Natchitoches’ historic downtown and down through the plantation district to its south. The Natchitoches Art Guild & Gallery promotes visual art by local members and Northwestern State University offers a vibrant drama department and art galleries.
Down the Cane River lies Melrose Plantation, home to famous folk artist Clementine Hunter. The annual Melrose Arts & Crafts Festival remains Louisiana’s longest-running arts and crafts festival.
New Orleans
The city teems with performing arts venues such as the historic Saenger Theatre which brings in Broadway shows and other top-notch performances; the Orpheum Theater, home to the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, the oldest full-time musician-governed orchestra in the United States; the recently renovated Mahalia Jackson Theater and Le Petit Théâtre du Vieux Carré in the French Quarter that dates to 1916. And there’s so much more.
I always laugh when people tell me they visited my hometown in the depths of summer and couldn’t believe the heat. Yes, weather in our town in the bend of the Mississippi River sometimes makes enjoying the city difficult but one way to beat the steam is to visit the city’s world-class air-conditioned museums such as the New Orleans Museum of Art, the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, the National World War II Museum, the Louisiana Children’s Museum or the numerous galleries along Royal and Magazine streets and the Warehouse Arts District, among other locations. And what’s a visit to the city without a stop at Dr. Bob’s Folk Art in Bywater? These days, we could all use his trademark “Be Nice or Leave” on ordinary objects.
In the absolute apex of summer, the Warehouse District comes alive every August to celebrate its art with the annual Hancock Whitney White Linen Night block party on Julia Street. The French Quarter retaliates to promote its art galleries with its Dirty Linen Night, also in August.
Other festivals not to be missed are the light and vibrant LUNA Fête in the fall, the nation’s longest-running projection mapping festival, and the 36th New Orleans Film Festival to be held Oct. 23-28.
And that’s just the tip of the city’s many artistic festivals and events.
Regardless of weather, it’s important to get outside and enjoy the city’s many sculptures and murals, including the impressive Besthoff Sculpture Garden at City Park. But street art may be found almost everywhere, from music legends Louis Armstrong on the side of the Ashé Cultural Arts Center to two Banksy originals, one at the International House hotel and one at the corner of Kerlerec and North Rampart streets. For more information and a helpful map of the city’s murals, visit nolamuralproject.org.
Capitol City
Baton Rouge is fortunate to have two major universities within its city limits and both Southern and LSU provide numerous opportunities for art enthusiasts.
Southern’s Museum of Art includes galleries that showcase African American art, Louisiana pieces and artwork from Southern’s visual arts faculty. The Shaw Center for the Arts downtown is a nonprofit multi-art facility, home to the LSU Museum of Art and the LSU School of Art Gallery. The LSU Student Union Theater offers a 1,269-seat theater that features a variety of performances.
In addition to the value of our state universities, The Manship Theatre at the Shaw Center screens films and hosts theatrical and musical performances and the Baton Rouge Symphony and Baton Rouge Ballet perform at the 2,000-seat River Center Theatre for Performing Arts. But there’s so much more. The city offers comedy clubs, live music venues, several outstanding art galleries and community theater.
North Louisiana
The Shreveport Municipal Auditorium, dating to 1929 and displaying a unique Art Deco design, brings a variety of modern entertainment to the stage that once showcased Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Tex Ritter, Doug Kershaw, George Jones and Elvis Presley. The Robinson Film Center not only screens first-run and independent films, but hosts special events such as the Louisiana Film Prize. And then there’s The Strand in the heart of downtown Shreveport, the official state theater of Louisiana.
“These three — the Strand, the Municipal Auditorium and the Robinson — stood the test of time,” said Katy Larsen, owner of Agora Borealis, a local artisan marketplace in Shreveport. “They always bring in winners.”
Universities are part of the lure in northern Louisiana, such as the Southern University Museum of Art, which displays African and American art and rotating artwork, and the gallery spaces at Louisiana Tech’s School of Design.
Thinking outside the art box is a collection of street art that has appeared throughout the north half of Louisiana. Mural artists such as KaDavien Baylor have added color everywhere. He honors NBA legend Bill Russell in Monroe, the spirit of learning with “Lakes of Knowledge” in Mooringsport and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Shreveport.
“The mural art is a huge movement here,” Larsen said. “There’s a resurgence of street art.”
One of Larsen’s favorite Baylor murals is the transformation of a highway underpass in Shreveport, where each column highlights Shreveport’s culture while welcoming visitors to the city.
Literari
Acadiana
Literary lovers may follow in the footsteps of bestselling and award-winning author James Lee Burke’s mystery characters in and around New Iberia. Sites to follow detective Dave Robicheaux include the Iberia Parish Courthouse, Clementine on Main restaurant and the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, all part of the “James Lee Burke’s Iberia” trail.
Central LA
Mid-20th century Melrose Plantation owner Carmelite (Cammie) Garrett Henry welcomed many writers to her home, including Lyle Saxon and William Faulkner. Their presence may be seen on a tour of the plantation house.
New Orleans
Every spring, the Tennessee Williams & New Orleans Literary Festival is held in March to honor the famous playwright who called New Orleans home for a time. The organization also hosts the annual Saints & Sinners LGBTQ+ Literary Festival. The New Orleans Book Festival also happens in the spring.
North LA
On Mondays in Shreveport, writers, spoken word artists, comedians and singers converge to the literary showcase Words over Lattes at 618 Commerce St. For information, visit facebook.com/WordsOverLattes.
Capitol City
The Louisiana Book Festival moves into its third decade this fall, bringing a wide variety of writers, booksellers and children’s literary-inspired events to downtown Baton Rouge. “Golden Legacy: Original Art from 80 Years of Golden Books” will be on exhibit until May 25 at the LSU Museum of Art.
