The LSU Museum of Art opens Cherished: The Art of Clementine Hunter on July 11, 2024

Baton Rouge, Louisiana–The LSU Museum of Art (LSUMOA) presents Cherished: The Art of Clementine Hunter, on exhibit July 11–October 13, 2024, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The show includes paintings and objects from the collections of the LSU Museum of Art, the LSU Rural Life Museum, the Alexandria Museum of Art, The Graves Family, private collectors, and Hunter’s descendants.

Clementine Hunter was born in 1886 on the Melrose Plantation near Natchitoches, Louisiana. She was completely self-taught and began painting in her fifties, rendering her first composition on an old window blind using art supplies left by a plantation visitor. Painting in the evenings after work, Hunter was prolific, producing vibrant and expressive scenes drawn from her memories of plantation life, celebrations, religious events, and everyday activities. Well-known throughout the region for her art, Louisiana State University (LSU) hosted an exhibition of her work at the campus library in 1971, when the artist was in her eighties. National recognition was to follow, with additional museum shows and significant awards, including an invitation to the White House from President Jimmy Carter, an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from Northwestern State University of Louisiana, and the designation as a Louisiana honorary colonel and aide-de-camp. After her passing in 1988, Hunter’s work and life continued to surge in popularity, being collected by museums across the nation.

With over forty objects on view, visitors will get a glimpse into the life of one of Louisiana’s most renowned artists. Hunter used painting as a visual diary—her art was a vehicle to preserve her memories. Cherished explores some of her most repeated patterns, subjects, and motifs, including brightly colored zinnias, church scenes, and women picking cotton, bringing together multiple examples to highlight the subtle variations found in individual objects. The show also explores generational memories, with oral histories collected from Hunter’s direct descendants, those who knew and loved the artist throughout the end of her lifetime. Learn more about the LSU Museum of Art at www.lsumoa.org

This exhibition is sponsored by Taylor Porter Law Firm and the Traditional Fine Arts Organization. A special thank you to the Graves Family for generously loaning their collection. The LSU Museum of Art Clementine Hunter Oral History Project is made possible through a grant from the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation, Inc.

PROGRAMS

Visit LSU Museum of Art’s Facebook and Instagram pages @lsumoa regularly for program announcements and exhibition updates.

ABOUT LSU MUSEUM OF ART

LSU Museum of Art is supported by a grant from the Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, Recreation & Tourism, in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council. LSU Museum of Art is supported in part by a grant from the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge, funded by the East Baton Rouge Parish Mayor-President & Metro Council. Funded in part by a grant from South Arts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts. Funding for the 2023 Emergency Planning Grant has been provided by the State of Louisiana and administered by the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities. Additional support is provided by generous donors to the LSU Museum of Art Annual Exhibition Fund. Free admission for Toddler Thursday is sponsored by the Junior League of Baton Rouge. Generous support provided by Art Bridges Foundation’s Access for All program.

VISITOR INFORMATION

The museum is located in downtown Baton Rouge at 100 Lafayette Street on the Fifth Floor of the Shaw Center for the Arts. General admission is $5 each for adults and children age 13 and over. Admission is free to university faculty and students with ID, children age 12 and under, and museum members. Active-duty military and veterans, first responders, and their families receive free admission with ID as part of the Blue Star Museums program. Show your EBT card and photo ID at the admissions desk and receive free admission for up to 4 individuals as part of the Museums for All initiative. Museum Hours of operation are Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Thursday and Friday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; Sunday 1-5 p.m.; and closed on Mondays and major holidays. Free admission occurs on the first Sunday of each month and every Friday night from 5-8 p.m. For more information: visit www.lsumoa.org, call 225-578-3000, and follow the museum on social media @lsumoa for exhibition and program updates.