Louisiana Art & Science Museum Announces Grand Opening of “The Seed,” A New STEAM-Focused Hands-On Gallery

BATON ROUGE, La (press release) – The Louisiana Art & Science Museum (LASM) announces the grand opening of the museum’s newly renovated hands-on gallery, “The Seed,” on Saturday, Jan. 27, at 10 AM. From 8:30 a.m. – 10 a.m., LASM Members are invited for an exclusive preview of the new space before the official grand opening to the public during the museum’s regular operating hours from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

In 2022, LASM began a four-phase capital improvement campaign to renovate the museum’s hands-on areas into four interactive, STEAM-based spaces, beginning with Science Station’s transformation into “The Seed” gallery.

In “The Seed,” young artists and scientists will be able to explore Earth’s 118 elements with LASM’s Interactive Periodic Table, sponsored by BASF; solve engineering challenges with LASM’s Rube Goldberg Machine Wall, sponsored by Canadian National Railway; engage in hands-on activities inspired by the wide array of items in the museum’s permanent collection in “The Seed’s” Curiosity Zone, sponsored by the Dudley W. Coates Family; and much more.

“STEAM is the future of our workforce, and LASM’s newest hands-on gallery represents the ultimate convergence of STEAM with hands-on education,” states LASM Board Chair Elizabeth Canfield. “LASM will ‘plant the seeds of STEAM’ by providing our community with new opportunities to engage with interactive exhibits and hands-on activities that will encourage critical thinking, collaboration, and creativity.”

Updates to the STEAM Lab (Phase 2), Discovery Depot Workshop (Phase 3), and Discovery Depot (Phase 4) will follow the opening of “The Seed” to complete a renovated area of LASM called “The STEAM Station.”

“We are so grateful to the many generous donors, community partners, and Gala supporters who have made these renovations possible,” continues Canfield. “We are already looking forward to our next phases of upgrades and are eager to complete ‘The STEAM Station.’”

All funds raised by LASM’s annual Galas in 2022 and 2023 directly supported this four-phase capital project. The final Gala raising funds to complete “The STEAM Station” will be LASM’s 39th Annual Gala on Friday, Oct. 4.

Generous sponsors of “The Seed” include:

• Named Exhibit Sponsors: BASF, Canadian National Railway, and The Dudley W. Coates Family
• Gallery Sponsors: State of Louisiana, Baton Rouge Coca-Cola Bottling Company, The Charles Lamar Family Foundation, Entergy, Marcella Hackney, Irene W. and C.B. Pennington Foundation, Jones Walker LLP, Queen of Sparkles, Diamond & Rome Sherrod, Tara & Darryl Cooper, EMR Metal Recycling, Haley & Jared Jones, Healthy Blue and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana, Louisiana Lottery Corporation, MAPP Built, NK Boutique, Nugent Steel & Supply Co., Ochsner Health, Relief Windows, Republic Finance, Union Pacific, and the William Edwin Montan Charitable Trust of Hancock Whitney
• Art In-Kind Sponsors: Ann Connelly Fine Art, Jackie Haxthausen Fine Art, and Jeannie Frey Rhodes Photography
• “Diamonds Are Forever” Host Committee Members: Kim & Ty Bromell, Elizabeth & Blake Canfield, Bonnie & Robert Dial, Melissa & Anderson Dotson III, Jason Dupree, Gwen & Todd Graves, Erin & Parker Kilgore, Whitney & Matthew J. LaNasa II, Alex & Beau Layfield, Margaret & Beau Michel, Sally & Palmer Rinehart, Alli & David Roberts, Alaina & Paul Saltaformaggio, Diamond & Rome Sherrod, Katie & Matt Shoriak, and Melissa Thompson.

To learn more, visit lasm.org.