In the spring of 2016, the LSU Museum of Art unveiled the reinstallation of its permanent collection. The museum has devoted over 6,000 square feet to the finest examples of its collection of Louisiana fine and decorative arts from the 1700s to the present. Many works that have not been on display in over a decade are showcased in the reinstallation. A new education space provides children and families a place to explore the ideas presented in the galleries.
Five guest curators offer five views into the strengths of the museum’s collections. Together, these windows into the collection provide an overview of Art in Louisiana, as the reinstallation’s title suggests. Claudia Kheel provides an introduction to the history, culture, and art of Louisiana with examples of paintings and furniture from the 18th century to the present day. Charles C. Cage, in-house specialist on Silver and Books, Documents & Manuscripts at New Orleans Auction Galleries, brings life to the Museum’s collection of silver made in New Orleans and beyond. William Keyse Rudolph, Andrew W. Mellon Chief Curator and The Marie and Hugh Halff Curator of American Art at the San Antonio Museum of Art, places 19th- and 20th-century Louisiana landscapes and portraiture in a global context. Sally Main, curator emerita of the Newcomb Art Gallery, tells the story of arts and crafts at Newcomb College and Newcomb Pottery’s place in the national and international Arts and Crafts movement. Sarah Anita Clunis, Assistant Professor of Art History Arts of Africa and the African Diaspora at Xavier University, connects art by LSU faculty and modern and contemporary Louisiana artists with the major artistic movements of the 20th and 21st centuries.
LECTURES & PROGRAMS
Come see our new exhibition of antique furniture from our permanent collection. Learn about the charming mini furniture used by traveling salesmen in the 19th century and design your own fancy mini chair! Generous support provided by Art Bridges Foundation’s Access for All program.
Celebrate Black History Month with inspiring artwork by Black artists! Enjoy hands-on art activities and performances. Generous support provided by Art Bridges Foundation’s Access for All program.
Santa has a fun-filled day planned just for you! Join us for a creative afternoon of making mini-masterpiece ornaments, designing Rudolph’s new sled, and discovering festive surprises! Free to attend and open to all ages. Generous support provided by Art Bridges Foundation’s Access for All program.
In honor of the museum’s extensive ceramics collection, watch live demonstrations and sculpt your own special artwork at the LSU Museum of Art! Come hangout with us and two special LSU artists! From 1:00-4:00 PM, Pete Froehlich will give a pottery wheel demo and Richard Boehnke will lead a sculpting activity where you can explore and create with clay. Generous support provided by Art Bridges Foundation’s Access for All program.
Celebrate the great artist Clementine Hunter with a mixed-media art experience! Free admission from 1–5 PM.
Take our fun Alexa Podesta themed animal mask, jump in our child friendly photo booth, and make memories of your visit to the museum. Free admission from 1–5 PM.
Throughout the LSU Museum of Art, you will find a treasure of mixed-media works. Enjoy a free mixed-media art making activity after exploring the museum. Free admission from 1–5 PM.
PRESS
LSU Museum of Art recently acquired a quilt by Mary Lee Bendolph, one of the foremost strip quilters associated with Gee’s Bend, Alabama. Bendolph’s striking compositions reject traditional methods of symmetry and uniformity, instead embracing abstraction through the improvisational use of geometry. Learn more about it in this closer look by LSU MOA Graduate Assistant Kirsten Campbell and view it today in our Art in Louisiana Intro Gallery!
LSU Museum of Art (LSU MOA) in Baton Rouge, LA is pleased to open on July 8, 2021, Form & Fire: American Studio Ceramics from the E. John Bullard Collection, featuring a group of over 100 American studio ceramic works on long-term loan and are a promised gift by bequest to the LSU Museum of Art from E. John Bullard. Read the full press release to learn more.
LSU Museum of Art is pleased to open a special permanent collection exhibition spotlighting recent acquisitions of works by Black artists on March 28. On view for the first time at LSU MOA will be works by Radcliffe Bailey, Whitfield Lovell, Madelyn Sneed-Grays, Mario Moore, and Gordon Parks, among other recently acquired works. Read the full press release to learn more.
LSU Museum of Art is pleased to announce The Winifred and Kevin P. Reilly Initiative for Underrepresented Artists, which supports the growth of LSU Museum of Art’s permanent collection by funding acquisitions of works by Black, Indigenous, and Latinx artists, including those of marginalized sexualities, gender identities, and marginalized communities. Read the full press release to learn more.
Now on view in LSU MOA’s Art in Louisiana: Views into the Collection landscape gallery is Mark Messersmith’s Summer 2010, a sculptural painting based on the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010. Learn more about this work’s symbolic imagery in this closer look blog post by LSU MOA Graduate Assistant Kirsten Campbell.