Noteworthy
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Introducing: Brass by Circa 1857 GARRETT KEMP AND LUKE LOGNION OEPN UP THEIR NEWEST VENTURE, A LOCALLY-SOURCED GIFT SHOP, DOWNTOWN BATON ROUGE
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he only supply chain issue we’ll face is if there is a wreck on the bridge,” said Luke Lognion, co-owner with his husband Garrett Kemp of Downtown Baton Rouge’s newest treasure-trove, Brass by Circa 1857. “That’s the great thing about sourcing everything locally.” Owners of the Mid City antique mecca The Market at Circa 1857, Lognion and Kemp signed the lease on the former Big Squeezy space on North Boulevard in October and have been busy getting the new gift shop up and running in time for the holidays. Kemp explained that while some of the eclectic furniture and décor signature of Circa 1857 will be featured in the Downtown space, “Brass is going to focus mostly on locally-made gifts and souvenirs for tourists and residents alike.” Some of the featured products include
mixed media pieces for the home by Denise Cone of Meraki Handmade Goods, pottery by Therese Knowles, and mixed media collages by Jessica Roy of madeNEW studio. Influential figures in Mid City’s creative community as hosts of the monthly Mid City Makers Market, Lognion and Kemp are eager to offer a permanent space for local artists to feature their work, especially in a part of town that is lacking in retail options. “We felt that there was a hole in the market Downtown that we could fill,” said Kemp. “We are pretty excited to branch out, and also to try and bridge the two communities and have some overlap there.” Lognion noted that while the couple is new to business in the downtown area, they actually live in Spanish Town. “So, we are familiar with the area, and we are excited to finally have a business there as well.”
Photo courtesy of Garrett Kemp and Luke Lognion.
With an official opening date of December 1, Brass will also celebrate a grand opening celebration on Saturday, December 4—as well as a “soft open-
ing” in conjunction with the downtown Festival of Lights on December 3. circa1857br.com —Jordan LaHaye Fontenot
DepARTures
BATON ROUGE GALLERY PARTNERS WITH THE BATON ROUGE METROPOLITAN AIRPORT AND VISIT BATON ROUGE TO DISPLAY LOCAL ART IN THE CONCOURSES
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here’s no denying that beyond the food and the people, Louisiana’s art—music, visual, and beyond—plays a vital role in drawing tourism. Now, visitors who fly into Baton Rouge will have a chance to take in local art and culture before even stepping outside of the air-
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Photo courtesy of Baton Rouge Gallery.
port. This is thanks to a new partnership between Baton Rouge Gallery and the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport sponsored by Visit Baton Rouge, which is snappily named “BRG@BTR”. “BRG@BTR is a celebration of art in Louisiana and a recognition of the vital role culture plays in tourism for our city
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and our state,” explained President/CEO of Baton Rouge Gallery Jason Andreasen at a ribbon cutting for the new airport gallery spaces on November 16. “It is our hope that this program introduces visitors to the wealth of creative talent in our area while reminding locals using the airport of how much artists bring to the community.” Artworks by around two dozen visual artists are already on display, with plans in store to rotate the displays out regularly with art in a variety of mediums from Baton Rouge Gallery’s roster of more than seventy local artists. The hope is that the rotation will allow repeat visitors to continually enjoy the exhibitions, and thereby deepen their appreciation for the art and culture of Baton Rouge. In addition to viewing the artwork, travelers will be provided with information on the artists, and how to purchase the works featured in the program. As of now, the artists whose work is
slated for inclusion are John Alleyne, Jamie Baldridge, Danielle Burns, Mary Ann Caffery, Rob Carpenter, Samuel J. Corso, Mary Lee Eggart, Leslie Elliottsmith, James Flynn, Rosemary Goodell, Randell Henry, Theresa Herrera, Michael W. Howes, Kathryn Hunter, Ross Jahnke, Brad Jensen, Kelli Scott Kelley, Brian Kelly, Eleanor Owen Kerr, Leslie Koptcho, Phyllis Lear, Kathleen Lemoine, Matt Morris, Kelly A. Mueller, Thomas Neff, Nonney Oddlokken, Isoko Onodera, Jacqueline Dee Parker, and Van Wade-Day. “It’s been an honor to work alongside the Baton Rouge Metro Airport and Visit Baton Rouge—not to mention our incredible team at BRG—to bring this special project to life inside the state’s second largest airport,” Andreasen said. batonrougegallery.org. —Alexandra Kennon
