Country Roads Magazine "Analog Issue" by Country Roads magazine

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LOUISIANA’S FINAL FRONTIER You’re invited to commemorate the fascinating heritage of

“No Man’s Land”

by traversing this land of renegades, pirates and pioneers, as we tamed the land and Became Louisiana What is No Man’s Land?

Renegades, pirates and pioneers settled in the neutral strip known as “No Man’s Land” in the 1800s. At the time of the Louisiana Purchase, a large swath of the western edge of what is now Louisiana was essentially a neutral strip between the French and Spanish occupations to the east and west. With no militia, customs officers or regulators of any sort, inhabitants of the area were unprotected, ungoverned and untaxed. This brought a rare breed to settle this area—self-sufficient and self-reliant peoples willing to trade with anyone who had the goods they needed regardless of their past, color or station in life; an area where bandits as well as second and third sons who were not going to inherit their family’s holdings came to make their fortunes.

Turn back the pages of history to soak in this mysterious story of Louisiana’s past.

The culture, history, art and folklore, natural resources, cuisine, attractions, and revelry of these brave trailblazers represent an integral part of Louisiana’s intriguing cultural identity.

Check out VisitNoMansLand.com & revisit the site often as more events are consistently being added.

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Contents

J A N U A RY 2 0 2 1

Events

Features

NEW YEAR’S JAUNTS

Artsy outings to complete your list of resolutions

6 8

VO LU M E 3 8 // I SS U E 1

REFLECTIONS by James Fox-Smith

NEWS & NOTEWORTHIES

26 30 33

Publisher

PROCESSING PERFECTION In a hyper-digital universe of iPhone camera ease, artist-alchemists find satisfaction in film photography. by Alexandra Kennon

ON NEUROAESTHETICS The science behind art’s remarkable healing powers

James Fox-Smith

Associate Publisher

Ashley Fox-Smith

Managing Editor

Jordan LaHaye Fontenot

Arts & Entertainment Editor

Alexandra Kennon

by Elizabeth Chubbuck Weinstein

Creative Director

Kourtney Zimmerman

SCENTS/SENSE Angel biscuits, elementary school bathrooms, Chanel No. 5, and honeysuckle: the nostalgic power of smells by Lauren Heffker

On the Cover

Contributors:

Kathleen Fitzgerald, Lorin Gaudin, Paul Kieu, Ken Kochey, Chris Turner-Neal, Jason Vowell, Elizabeth Chubbuck Weinstein

Cover Artist

ANALOG ARTS

Paul Kieu

Advertising

Cover Photo by Paul Kieu

In Arts & Entertainment Editor Alexandra Kennon’s feature story on page 26, she asks photographer Paul Kieu why—in the digital age, the age of the iPhone’s amateur-friendly portrait mode—why film? “It counts a little bit more,” he said, describing the higher stakes of the process. “Everything, every little thing you do.” Coming out of 2020 exhaustively burnt out on screens—many of us with a few new hands-on skills in our toolbox (anyone else got into the sourdough trend?)—we at Country Roads resolved to use 2021 as a chance to reunite sense to experience, to touch, see, smell the world in all its tangible glory. In our first ever “Analog Issue,” we celebrate the old-school art of film photography, we indulge in the nostalgic and simple luxury of scent, and explore the most recent studies in the field of neuroaesthetics—which suggest clear connections between our health and our engagement with art. With recipes to try, bookstores to visit, and lots of outdoor adventures to plan—we hope that you find plenty of ways to engage your senses inside this issue. Bonus points if you read it in print!

Cuisine

HOW FOOD BLOGGING ALMOST KILLED ME Learning the hard way that foodstagramming has to be healthy too by Jason Vowell

RECIPES Low Carb Lasagna & Low Carb, Low Sugar Cheesecake by Jason Vowell

CHURCH HILL VARIETY The cuisine scene is a-stirrin’ in Natchez by Lorin Gaudin

Culture

BEAUTIFUL ISOLATION Kathryn Keller’s intimate renderings are as universal as ever. by Jordan LaHaye Fontenot

BOOKS & BOOZE Beausoleil Books brings French literature and book-themed cocktails to downtown Lafayette. by Jordan LaHaye Fontenot

MORE TO SAY, MORE TO SING Ann Savoy’s much- awaited anthology on Cajun music arrives. by Jordan LaHaye Fontenot

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Escapes

HAPPY GLAMPERS Sleeping Pontchartrain- side, in style by Alexandra Kennon

46 48

GREAT HEIGHTS Closing out the year on Louisiana’s highest point by Chris Turner-Neal

ZIPLINING WITH GEN Z Teenagers, baby otters, and no signal by Jordan LaHaye Fontenot

PERSPECTIVES Letitia Huckaby: Quilted Legacies by Alexandra Kennon

SALES@COUNTRYROADSMAG.COM

Sales Team

Heather Gammill & Heather Gibbons

Custom Content Coordinator

Lauren Heffker

Advertising Coordinator

Kathryn Kearney

President

Dorcas Woods Brown

Country Roads Magazine 758 Saint Charles Street Baton Rouge, LA 70802 Phone (225) 343-3714 Fax (815) 550-2272 EDITORIAL@COUNTRYROADSMAG.COM WWW.COUNTRYROADSMAG.COM

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ISSN #8756-906X

Copyrighted. All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced without permission of the publisher. The opinions expressed in Country Roads magazine are those of the authors or columnists and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, nor do they constitute an endorsement of products or services herein. Country Roads magazine retains the right to refuse any advertisement. Country Roads cannot be responsible for delays in subscription deliveries due to U.S. Post Office handling of third-class mail.

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Reflections FROM THE PUBLISHER

ixteen years ago I set out to build a barn. It was December 2004. The date is easy to remember because it was the month in which our son was born. My parents were visiting from Australia, and although their visit was ostensibly for the purpose of admiring the newlyarrived grandson, I couldn’t help taking advantage of the extra pair of hands (my father’s, not my infant son’s) to have a go at building a proper barn. This one would be complete with an actual floor and walls to replace the dirt-floored, ratinfested lean-to that had been where stuff had gone to die at our house since time out of mind. So for a couple of weeks that December, my dad and I spent whatever free time we could snatch from the jaws of new parent-/grandparenthood celebrating the passage of the Fox-Smith family name into another generation with a good, oldfashioned barn-raising. Or, we tried Neither of us, you see, is especially good at building things. The original structure from which we were working —it would be an insult to farm structures everywhere to call it a “barn”—consisted of six posts holding up a rusty tin roof. Consequently, it didn’t have a straight line or a right angle to call its own. So, for a couple of spatially-challenged amateurs trying to figure out how to add a raised floor, walls, windows and doors to the structure—all in the era before YouTube “how-to” videos—the obstacles were considerable. When it was time for my folks to go back to Australia, Dad and I had managed to add a floor and three walls to the barn—one wall short of respectable, in other words. Still, this seemed a good start, one that would surely put me in a position to finish the job in all the spare time I would have during the months to come. Sixteen years later that newborn son is six-foot-two, and my barn still only has three walls. But in the spirit of new year’s resolutions, that is about to change. With just days remaining in 2020, the unprecedented amount of additional home time that the year has provided means that for the first time since our son was in diapers, I have made actual progress on barn construction. In fact I feel confident in predicting that, by the time you read this, my barn ought finally to have achieved that holy grail of farm storage construction: full enclosure. This promises many benefits: • Chickens will no longer use my tools and equipment as roosting real estate. • It will be possible to enter the barn between April and October without being savaged by red wasps. • Taking a household object or piece

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of furniture “to the barn” will no longer be a euphemism for sending it away to die. Because for the first time, we will have a place to store things without them being gnawed into sawdust by rats, mice, and carpenter bees. There is also something powerfully attractive about having one’s own space. Call it a “man cave” if you must; the point is that everyone benefits from having a place to call their own—to arrange as they see fit and to decorate according to any whim, no matter how objectionable to other members of the household. I am fortunate to live in my wife’s ancestral home—a modest but lovely old farmhouse in which not only my wife, but also her mother and her grandfather before her, were born and raised. Foolish would be the husband who married into such a circumstance harboring strongly-held opinions about interior decoration. Consequently, as much as I love this old house and the motley assortment of furnishings that came with it, I learned long ago that, in the interests of domestic harmony, all decisions about furnishing and interior design were best left to others. But in my barn, the universe operates by a different set of principles. If I choose that it be festooned with Christmas lights and follow a decorative scheme heavy on power tools and fishing equipment, so be it. Besides the chance to finally put a check mark by this almost two-decadesold task, the time at home offered by 2020 brought something else to light: the deep and lasting sense of satisfaction that comes from building something with your own two hands. I think that during the strange, home-based year just gone, when more and more of our activities necessarily came to be transacted across the digital divide, a lot of us discovered, or rediscovered, the fulfillment that comes with analog, hands-on, creative endeavors. Whether that was gardening or baking or playing an instrument or building a barn, lots of us slowed down long enough to recognize the simple reward of the home-baked loaf or flourishing rose or sturdy miter joint, when it’s the product of your own two hands. The world is a big, noisy, complicated place—too big, probably, to be delivered into our hands via small, glowing screen without adverse consequences. This first-ever “Analog” issue of Country Roads sets out to celebrate the tangible, soul-satisfying benefit of the do-it-yourself, the handson, the here-and-now. And perhaps to inspire all of us to seek more of this sort of nourishment in 2021. After a year spent building things, I’m still not much of a carpenter, but the things built stand proud, their tangible proof of my efforts a reward in themselves. Maybe next year, I’ll build a boat. —James Fox-Smith, publisher james@countryroadsmag.com

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Noteworthy

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N E W S , T I M E LY F A C T S , A N D O T H E R

CURIOSITIES

LO O K C LO S E R

Hell or High Water THE OYSTER BAR RESURFACES

he last time I paid a visit to the Oyster Bar was by kayak. It was April; the Mississippi River was running at around forty-four feet at the Baton Rouge gauge, and the iconic dive bar—which has clung to what passes for high ground along the south bank of St. Francisville’s Bayou Sara since the 1950s—was almost completely submerged. As I paddled the path of Ferdinand Street, which leads to the old ferry landing when the river is within its banks, all that remained visible of the sturdy little building was its red tin roof, onto which I climbed to take a break from fighting the cross-current. Suffice it to say that the Oyster Bar was not open for business. Given that high water events like last spring’s flood have increasingly become a regular event of life along the

lower Mississippi, it might be a surprise to learn that the Oyster Bar is, in fact, soon to re-open—lively as ever. Davis Havard, its latest proprietor, knows exactly what he is getting into. “I’ve drunk more than a few beers up on that roof when the water’s been high,” acknowledged Havard, a St. Francisville native and chef, who took a break from working on the building’s interior one December day to show a visitor around. A long-time patron, Havard estimates he has probably helped the Oyster Bar’s various proprietors move in and out six or seven times over the years. “You’ve got to open up the doors and windows, move everything out that might build up pressure, and just let the water flow through,” he says. “Then, when the water goes down you hose everything down, let it dry out, and start over.” With his renovation, Havard is taking the “dive

bar” concept to new heights (or depths), setting all the Oyster Bar’s equipment on casters for easy removal, tearing out the old, low ceiling to reveal the surprisingly handsome vaulted woodwork above, and fitting electrical and plumbing systems designed to withstand prolonged submersion. Interior surfaces finished with reclaimed oak and cypress will be none the worse for occasional dips. Is it a coincidence that the sturdy front door features a window shaped like a porthole? We think not. In this age of rising tides, Havard might be onto something. One of the Oyster Bar’s main attractions has always been its location: perched on a bluff overlooking a pretty stretch of Bayou Sara (when the river’s running below forty feet, anyway). During recent months a Corps of Engineers project has added significant reinforcement along this stretch of the

Bump on Belonging

bayou, cutting back and leveling the bluff beyond the bar’s covered back porch to create a broad swath of riverbank that cries out for some outdoor seating, a deck, firepit, and maybe a few canoes and kayaks for rent. While these might not all be in place when the Oyster Bar opens in mid-January, they’re all on Havard’s to-do list. In the meantime, returning patrons can look forward to enjoying a couple of cold beers and a limited menu of Southern staples that reflect Havard’s time cooking in local kitchens at Heirloom Cuisine and the St. Francisville Inn. Word has it there might be actual oysters on the menu this time—an Oyster Bar first, so far as we know. And when spring comes, and the river rises, what then? “I look on the bright side,” Havard says. “A month’s vacation each spring doesn’t sound bad.” —James Fox-Smith

Cover image courtesy of the publisher.

GABRIEL BUMP RECEIVES THE 2020 ERNEST J. GAINES AWARD FOR LITERARY EXCELLENCE

“I

f there’s one thing wrong with people, it’s that no one remembers the shit that they should, and everyone remembers the shit that doesn’t matter for shit.” From the very first line of his debut novel, Everywhere You Don’t Belong, author Gabriel Bump establishes his characters’ matter-of-factness about the world around them; they see things exactly for what they are, no more and no less.

The twenty-nine-year-old author is the newest recipient of the esteemed Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence. Now in its fourteenth year, the highlylauded award is given to promising young African-American fiction writers and includes a $15,000 prize donated by the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, honoring Louisiana literary legend Ernest Gaines and his contributions to the Black canon. Gaines died last year at the age of eighty-six. The endearing, nearly painfullyrelatable protagonist of Everywhere You Don’t Belong is Claude McKay Love, a young man living with his grandmother on the South Shore during the 1990s. Claude navigates issues of love, family, neighborhood violence, and peer pressure as he tries to figure out how he fits into the world and where he belongs “in the grand scheme of things,” according to Bump. Past recipients of the award include celebrated writers like last year’s Bryan

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Washington, Mitchell S. Jackson, and more. “I personally am just a huge fan of most of the writers who have won it, so being in that company means a lot to me personally,” said Bump. “Probably separate from any award that’s out there, this one means the most to me.” Presented as a coming-of-age love story slash dark comedy, Bump’s prose is simple yet tender, dry without being detached as Claude explores the titular theme of belonging. There’s an element of reality (not realism) in Bump’s narrative structure that seems to reflect his own upbringing on Chicago’s South Side, lending a distinctive legitimacy and veracity to his cast of characters and their dialogue. In one scene, Claude’s neighborhood erupts into a riot after a police shooting occurs, which may feel especially resonant after a tumultuous year for race in America. People like to focus on this scene as being prescient, Bump said, but he wrote that section five years ago, in the wake of the unrest

in Ferguson. For Bump, the Ernest J. Gaines award is particularly meaningful because it not only focuses on plot, as a Black story, but also the craft of fiction itself as the judging committee examines the work on a more granular level, he said. “I think that means a lot to me because I feel that, especially for debut writers like myself, when you enter the world you’re kind of forced to explain yourself as a Black writer, and you’re forced to focus on race and so one of the many things I think is cool about this award is that the storytelling is not necessarily the most important part of the story.” Bump is already at work on his second novel, The New Naturals, expected in 2022. The award will be presented to Bump at 6:30 p.m. on January 28, 2021 during a live virtual presentation. ernestjgainesaward.org. —Lauren Heffker

A Glimpse of America’s Soul “MODERN DAY HUCK FINN” STOPS IN LOUISIANA

people and families and communities really step up, and I’ve been able to witness a lot of that.” After completing the first of three “Acts” mapping his path—a 1,111 mile upstream and uphill journey up the Columbia, Snake, and Fork rivers to MacDonald Pass in Montana, completed in ninety-seven days—Moore headed 3,249 miles down the Missouri and the Mississippi, pointing straight towards our own Big Easy. And in mid-December, so close to the end, he made a stop in the Red Stick. Over the course of five days, he made the obligatory stops: beers in a Spanish Town backyard, three meals at Poor Boy Neal Moore in his home sweet home, his trusty canoe. Photo by Patrick Tenny. Lloyds, breakfast at Louie’s. And hen the Down from his Hilton room downtown, he the Mississippi spent most evenings looking out at the author and river, which he’s come to know quite adventurer Neal well. And as an outsider, he observed Moore set out for the second great that Baton Rougeans know her too: expedition of his lifetime in February “The residents of Baton Rouge have of 2020, he had no idea that his two- relationships, with this river and year, 7,500-mile documentarian with nature, and with each other— trek by canoe would wind up neighbors in Spanish Town who navigating a nation mid-pandemic. are friends and actually know each The original plan was to exercise slow other—you just don’t see that in lots of journalism while covering the distance larger cities.” Just before our press date, Moore of twenty-two rivers and twenty-two states—from Astoria, Oregon to New told me this on his cell phone, York City—all in order to “come face windblown on an island in Old Man to face with America’s soul.” “The idea River and shooting for New Orleans, was to go, from coast to coast, within where he would complete Act II and two years—leading into the national spend the holidays, mostly alone. elections and the aftermath thereof,” “But I’m very excited about it, this said Moore. “What I’m trying to do solitary experience of New Orleans,” is to look for positive stories of what he said. “I’ve learned that traveling solo, you’re open. You’re more open unites us as a country.” And while the onslaught of the to observations, to potential new COVID-19 pandemic has complicated friendships, to stepping out of your some logistical matters of Moore’s comfort zone, seeing things from a trip—and in many ways made it more unique perspective.” —Jordan LaHaye Fontenot solitary—he admits to the value of

E    M. Dine in our courtyard, stroll the gardens, and enjoy croquet or fishing!

being in a position to document this particular America, this particular moment in history. “If anything, this has enhanced the storytelling,” he said. “It’s during hard times when

Keep up with Moore’s journey at 22rivers.com or follow him on Instagram at @riverjournalist.

1358 John A. Quitman Blvd., Natchez 601.442.5852 MonmouthHistoricInn.com // J A N 2 1

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Events

ST A R T F R E S H

IF TAKING IN MORE ART AND MUSIC IS ON YOUR RESOLUTIONS LIST (AS IT S H O U L D B E ) , H E R E A R E O U R S U G G E S T I O N S F O R A C U LT U R A L S T A R T TO 2 0 2 1 . W

Diﬀerent & Unique! (225) 927-0531 2175 Dallas Dr. Baton Rouge, LA

DISCOVER MORE What exactly does a Color Rhapsody look like? New Orleans artist Carol Scott demonstrates in scintillating detail in her innovative exhibition, which incorporates the best of the Op Art style. On display this month at Gallery 600 Julia in New Orleans’ Warehouse District. See event listing on page 16.

UNTIL

JAN 9th

WELLNESS THE HEALTHY ARTIST Lafayette, Louisiana

Following a difficult year for local creatives, the Acadiana Center for the Arts has transformed its Main Gallery into a resource center for artists in the community. Collaborating with organizations like Basin Arts and the Paul and Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum, as well as local businesses, the Center hopes to foster new connections and resources as Acadiana works to sustain and rebuild its creative community. The exhibition will focus on four main criteria for artist health: Professional Practices/Financial Wellbeing, Mindfulness/Mental & Physical Health, Creativity within an Artistic Practice, and Connection to Community. Workshops and participatory exercises will be featured throughout the exhibition’s duration. acadianacenterforthearts.org. k

UNTIL

JAN 10th

ART EXHIBITIONS PASSAGES: AN EXHIBITION OF LOUISIANA MEMORY BY JK LAWSON Baton Rouge, Louisiana

As their name implies, Preserve Louisiana is dedicated to preserving the unique culture of our state. Their efforts include this exhibition of seventeen of John K. Lawson’s oil, collage, and mixed-media paintings on view at the Old Governor’s Mansion; created since Hurricane Katrina, when Lawson lost twenty-five years of artwork due to flooding. Themes of Louisiana’s past and culture will be evident throughout the virtual and in-person exhibit, which includes Lawon’s portrait of Huey P. Long to commemorate the ninetieth anniversary of the construction of the Old Governor’s Mansion. A closing reception featuring a poetry reading and music by DJ Preservation will take place at 3 pm from the artist’s studio. For more information on the exhibit, including a full listing of pieces available for purchase, visit preserve-louisiana.org/passages-anexhibition-of-louisiana-memory-for-sale. k

UNTIL JAN

24th

ART EXHIBITIONS MAKE AMERICA WHAT AMERICA MUST BECOME New Orleans, Louisiana

The Contemporary Arts Center of New Orleans has once again opened to the public with the landmark exhibition Make America What America Must Become. The theme is inspired by a letter written by Philosopher and Commentator James Baldwin to his nephew on the hundredyear-anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation: “Great men have done great things here, and will again, and we can make America what America must become.” The CAC expanded its open call this year to include artists from across the Gulf South including Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, the Indigenous area of Bulbancha, Louisiana, and Texas. Artists were asked to consider and express the manifestation of power in America in our culture, politics, ecology, and economics. The unveiling of a new work by Brandan “BMike” Odums, which was commissioned by the CAC and ACLU of // J A N 2 1

Events

Beginning January 1st

Louisiana, will accompany the exhibition. Audiences outside of the Warehouse District will be able to appreciate the exhibition virtually, along with online programming to better contextualize the works and allow viewers to connect with the artists. Those who view the exhibition in-person should be aware the CAC will adhere to a limited capacity of fifteen visitors every hour and a half, and tickets are available as timed-ticketed reservations between the CAC’s hours of 11 am and 5 pm Wednesday through Monday. The CAC also requires all visitors and staff to wear masks and adhere to social distancing. cacno.org. k

UNTIL JAN

30th

MUSIC CONVERSATIONS TIPITINA’S.TV: THE ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT BROADCAST Online

Direct from Napoleon Avenue, Tipitina’s and Tipitinas.TV deliver The Alright, Alright Broadcast. The broadcast is a new, recurring web series where New Orleans’ favorite musical artists are interviewed casually and personally, directly from the stage at the iconic venue. Each

episode features not just musicians but artists, cultural icons, and other industry professionals doing deep-dive discussions of their stories, journeys, and influences. The series is free to watch and available on demand at Tipitina’s.TV’s new YouTube Channel. Includes interviews with: Stanton Moore (Galactic), Big Sam Williams (Big Sam’s Funky Nation), Samantha Fish, Sam Craft (Sweet Crude) Tarriona “Tank” Ball (Tank & The Bangas), Big Freedia, and Ivan Neville Tipitinas.TV. k

UNTIL JAN

30th

ART EXHIBITIONS DEGAS PASTEL SOCIETY 18TH BIENNIAL NATIONAL EXHIBITION Covington, Louisiana

Join the Degas Pastel Society for its eightteenth Biennial National exhibition, featuring works submitted by artists across the country and selected by juror Lyn Asselta, who is recognized internationally for her work in pastels. The eighty chosen works of art will be displayed in the St. Tammany Art Association’s Art House through the end of January. degaspastelsociety.org. k

esses mattr n! g soo comin in d e raft handc iana. louis

Handcrafted cypress furniture

s e e o u r w e b s i t e fo r w h a t ’ s i n s to ck. s ta t e w i d e d e l i v e ry ava i l a b l e .

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The Alright, Alright Broadcast by Tipitinas.TV sits down for conversations with some of New Orleans’ biggest names (and sounds) in music, such as Samantha Fish. Image courtesy of Tipitina’s.

UNTIL JAN

30th

IMMERSIVE EXHIBITIONS THE ILLUSTRATED CAFÉ

Aileen Bennett at The Illustrated Café, on display in the front windows of the Acadiana Center for the Arts. Both

Lafayette, Louisiana

life-long art lovers and those who have

Leave the boring, three-dimensional world behind and enter a life-sized cartoon universe designed by illustrator

never entered a gallery will take delight in this light-hearted, immersive exhibit, which also makes for an excellent photo-

op. Public gallery hours are 10 am–5 pm Monday to Saturday, and the exhibition is on view during evenings of ACA performances and Second Saturday ArtWalk. k

UNTIL JAN

31st

PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITIONS CURRENTS 2020 New Orleans, Louisiana

The New Orleans Photo Alliance (NOPA), in partnership with the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, presents CURRENTS 2020, its annual showcase that highlights the diverse work being created by NOPA members. Ten featured artists from all around the country are participating this year. The exhibit was curated by art historian, curator, and writer Kilolo Luckett, who is currently serving as the Consulting Curator of Visual Arts at the August Wilson African American Cultural Center, and as the Art Commissioner for the City of Pittsburgh’s Art Commission. She is the recent founder and executive director of ALMAILEWIS, an experimental, contemporary art space for critical thinking, dialogue, and creative expression dedicated to Black culture. ogdenmuseum.org. k

UNTIL JAN

31st

FUNDRAISERS TREES OF LIGHT VIRTUAL FUNDRAISER Online

The Hospice of Baton Rouge lights up the holiday season annually in the form of their Trees of Light fundraiser. This year, they’ve taken their tree virtual, offering the opportunity to purchase lights on it to honor loved ones and support the important mission of the Hospice of Baton during the holiday season. The interactive, online Memorial Lights display is on the hospice’s website, and the funds go directly to the hospice’s Patient Care Fund, which contributes to funding compassionate and quality hospice care to individuals regardless of financial resources. Proceeds will also support patient-related and community outreach programs such as Palliative Care and Camp Conquer, a bereavement camp and grief support group for children. To purchase Memorial Lights or donate, hospicebr.org/giving/trees-of-light. k

UNTIL JAN

31st

ART EXHIBITIONS IT’S NOT TOO LATE Monroe, Louisiana

Ruston-based mixed-media collage artist Christiane Drieling’s whimsical, playful works are currently on display in an exhibition titled It’s Not Too Late online and at the Monroe Regional

Airport, presented by the Mansur Museum of Art. Her artwork touches on important themes such as individual conflict, clashing of cultures, and even issues of a political and societal nature; while her fantasy-like ink illustrations and watercolor additions create an air of playful innocence and surrealism. Free; and first hour of airport parking is always free. 7 am–7 pm at the MLU Airport, or online anytime at masurmuseum.wixsite.com/ christianedrieling. k

UNTIL

JAN 31st

ART EXHIBITIONS MENDING THE SKY New Orleans, Louisiana

In the ancient Chinese fable of the goddess Nüwa, a great storm afflicts the world. Rising winds and bursting clouds, roaring thunder and the crack of lightning bring the trees to burst into flames and the animals to flee in panic. And then, the sky cracks open. From the tear, waters flow and flow, flooding the world and all of the people in it. Seeing the inevitable fate of mankind before her, the goddess, called Mother of the World, began to mend the tear, using beautiful stones, reeds, and fire. Burnt and bedraggled, Nüwa returned to earth to begin a golden age, where all lived in harmony and prospered. In the New Orleans Museum of Art’s first major exhibition since the city’s months-long shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, ten artists work from the premise of this story, inspired by the hope for rebuilding after calamity, and creating something better than before. Premiering new acquisitions from local and international artists, Mending the Sky addresses the complicated state of our world through themes of loss, uncertainty, recovery, healing, and hope through works across the fields of art, animation, and performance. noma.org. k

UNTIL

MAR 15th

ART EXHIBITIONS THIS SAME DUSTY ROAD

5713 Superior Drive, Suite B-1 Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70816

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

The LSU Museum of Art presents work by artist Letitia Huckaby titled This Same Dusty Road. Huckaby’s family, faith, and Louisiana and Mississippi cultural heritage are expressed in the exhibit via her quilted photographic works. Incorporating heirloom fabrics, photographs, and handquilting techniques, Huckaby presents the matriarchal legacy of her family and confronts the inequities they have, and still, face. In addition to family portraits, one series features the Sisters of the Holy Family Motherhouse, one of the earliest convents for African American Women founded by Henriette DeLille in 1842. lsumoa.org. Read more about about Huckaby and her work in our Perspectives column on page 54. k // J A N 2 1

Events

Beginning January 1st - January 9th UNTIL MAR

STIMULUS City of New Roads Presents

Pop Up shop ON MAIN S T REE T

February 6, 2021 Along Main Street In Downtown New Roads 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. e City of New Roads will launch a pop up to assist small businesses during the pandemic, at no cost to vendors. A great place to enjoy a day of shopping and practice social distancing while allowing small businesses a chance to make sales.

The Prettiest City on the Water

30th

KID STUFF THE HILLIARD’S PLAY DAY: COZY AT HOME

New Orleans, Louisiana

The Hilliard Museum has launched the second all-virtual play day, Play Day: Cozy at Home! Cozy up on the couch with some artsy activities the whole family can enjoy. The activities will be live online all winter, so your family can choose the ideal time to play. hilliardmuseum.org. k

In conjunction with the release of its newest book, New Orleans Architecture Series Volume IX: Carrollton, the Friends of the Cabildo are introducing its newest neighborhood tour. One of the most iconic Uptown neighborhoods in the Crescent City, the former city of Carrollton holds a rich history and several historic and architectural sites. Tours will be held on January 1 at noon and January 22 at 10 am, starting at La Madeleine French Bakery & Café at 601 S. Carrollton Avenue. $25; $20 for Friends of the Cabildo members. Advance reservations are required, as are face masks. Details at the Louisiana State Museum Facebook Page. Copies of New Orleans Architecture Series Volume IX: Carrollton can be purchased at the 1850 House Museum Store at 523 St. Ann Street or at 1850housestore.com. k

UNTIL

JUL 10th

ART EXHIBITIONS BLACK NATURE Lafayette, Louisiana

Multimedia artist Letitia Huckaby continues to address profound themes of family, history, and legacy in her exhibition at the Hilliard Museum titled Black Nature. The name is born from the historical and contemporary poetry collection titled Black Nature: Four Centuries of African American Nature Poetry, which explores the complicated relationship between African Americans and our country’s vast landscape. Huckaby continues this exploration through hauntingly ethereal landscape photography framed in embroidery hoops, emphasizing how the African American journey toward an American “promised land” in many ways feels circular, and not yet reached. The use of embroidery hoops also create a parallel between the artist’s artistic labor with historical notions of handicraft as a pleasurable hobby, and African American ties to the American agricultural landscape. Open during regular museum hours. hilliardmuseum.org. k

1st

- JAN

17th

LIVE MUSIC LIVE PERFORMANCES AT THE HIDEAWAY ON LEE Lafayette, Louisiana

Downtown Lafayette’s newest hotspot for casual dining is also extending a welcoming hand to some of Acadiana’s best local musicians, hosting frequent outdoor concerts for free. See their schedule for January, here: January 1: Troy Lejeune & Cajun Review, 7 pm. January 2: Julian Primeaux, 7 pm. January 17: Jason Savoy “Great Balls of Fire,” 7 pm. Visit the Hideaway on Lee’s Facebook page for the most updated schedule. k J A N 2 1 // C O U N T R Y R O A D S M A G . C O M

TOUR DU JOUR CARROLLTON NEIGHBORHOOD TOUR

Online

JAN

JAN 1st - JAN 22nd

JAN

2nd - JAN 30th

LIVE MUSIC LIVE PERFORMANCES AT ROCK ’N BOWL DE LAFAYETTE Lafayette, Louisiana

As hard as it can be to find live music these days, Rock ‘n Bowl de Lafayette is still kicking it, promising good times with space for social distancing, and maybe a lucky strike or two, while you’re at it. Here is their schedule for January: January 2: The Molly Ringwalds. 9 pm. $17. January 8: Dustin Sonnier & The Wanted. 9 pm. $12. January 29: The Rouge Krewe. 9 pm. $12. January 30: The Good Dudes. 9 pm. $12. rocknbowl.com/lafayette. k

JAN

2nd

- FEB

28th

CULTURE EXHIBITIONS QUEEN ZULU: ROSE ROCHE OF PORT ALLEN Port Allen, Louisiana

In 1996, West Baton Rouge native and Cohn High School graduate Rose A. Lee Roche was crowned Queen of the Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club of New Orleans. This made Rose the first Queen of Zulu not originally from New Orleans. Now, her costumes, photographs, memorabilia, vintage coconuts and other throws, and more will be on display at the West Baton Rogue Museum. westbatonrougemuseum.org. k

JAN 5th - JAN 26th

CHEERS SAZERAC HOUSE COCKTAIL WORKSHOPS New Orleans, Louisiana

Get your cocktail shaker ready: The Sazerac House Museum in New Orleans is hosting a series of educational happy hours, both onsite and online. Savor a refreshing Southern classic cocktail in one of the most spirited cities in America. Hosted by Drinks Historians, House Distillers, and cocktail experts of the highest degree. All participants must be 21. January 5: Walking with Whiskey. 5 pm. $20. January 12: Drink and Learn: Bitters and Apothecaries. 4 pm. $30 January 20: Virtual Hot Toddy. 5 pm. Free, but cocktail kits available for a fee. January 21: Blend Your Own Rum. 5 pm. $60. January 26: Cocoa and Cocktails: Bourbon. 4 pm. $30. sazerachouse.com. k

JAN 5 - JAN 28 th

ART EXHIBITIONS SURREAL SALON 13

Ernst hopes to pave the way for a career in opera. Here’s your chance to see her before she gets too big for us lowly folk: she’ll be performing a full show of Celine Dion favorites at Cutting Edge Theater for two weekends this month. Performances on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm. Tickets start at $27.50. cuttingedgetheater.com. k

JAN

8th - FEB 12th

ART EXHIBITIONS PAUSE . . . ARTISTS RESPOND TO 2020 Alexandria, Louisiana

In a special six-week exhibition, the Alexandria Museum of Art has offered local artists the opportunity to respond creatively to the social unrest, economic recession, and global pandemic of 2020. Reflecting on the challenges present in our communities, the fifty-seven works exhibited express themes of fear, isolation, and protest, as well as hope and faith. themuseum.org. k

JAN

TOUR DU JOUR CREOLE NEIGHBORHOOD MARIGNY TOUR

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

New Orleans, Louisiana

If you’re a René Magritte maven or a Salvador Dali dabbler, this exhibit’s for you. The thirteenth annual Surreal Salon at the Baton Rouge Gallery, held in partnership with the LSU School of Art, will feature work from artists across the country, shedding light on the lasting effects that surrealism has had on art created in the twenty-first century. With work by dozens of artists, expect a multisensory contemporary art experience with a special focus on the growing quality and popularity of the pop-surrealist/lowbrow movement in American contemporary art. For this year’s exhibition, BRG has enlisted the LA contemporary art gallery, Thinkspace Projects, as a Special Guest Curator. The Thinkspace team will give a free and informal virtual presentation in conjunction with the exhibition, touching on their experiences handling and representing pop-surrealist/lowbrow work, the state of pop-surrealism today, as well as the collection of works featured in Surreal Salon 13. batonrougegallery.org. k

Formerly the Sugarcane plantation owned by “Playboy of New Orleans” Bernard Marigny de Mandeville, New Orleans’ Marigny neighborhood was the Crescent City’s earliest suburb. Learn more about the fascinating history and architecture that make this Creole-cottage dotted neighborhood a historic district on this tour offered by the New Orleans Jazz Museum and Friends of the Cabildo. Departs at 10 am from the gates of the Jazz Museum at the Old U.S. Mint. Advanced registration required and limited to eight guests. $25; $20 for members. friendsofthecabildo.org or (504) 523-3939. k

JAN 8th - JAN 16th

NIGHT AT THE THEATRE JULIA SINGS CELINE DION Slidell, Louisiana

Cutting Edge veteran and New Orleans native Julia Anne Ernst has been performing since she was twelve, and has taken her talents all the way to Europe, where she studied voice with The International Performing Arts Institute. Currently a student at Loyola University and being trained by Irini Kyriakidou,

JAN

WHIMSICAL & FANTASTICAL FINDS FOR THE HOLIDAY SEASON. Bella Notte • Glitterville • Mme.Mink Hazy Mae • Powder U.K. • Dana Gibson L.A. Trading Company • June St. George

411 Franklin Street, Natchez, MS 39120 601.653.0667 info@olivinaboutique.com

LIVE OAK LANDSCAPES

9th - JAN 31st

ART EXHIBITIONS SCOTT’S COLOR RHAPSODY

New Orleans, Louisiana

New Orleans artist Carol Scott presents Scott’s Color Rhapsody—a collection of scintillating crystalline imagery in innovative art that recalls the best of the Op Art style, exhibited at Gallery 600 Julia. Exhibition opens January 9, with a socially-distanced artist reception from 4 pm–7 pm. gallery600julia.com. k

JAN 9th - FEB 27th

ART EXHIBITIONS JANUARY EXHIBITIONS AT LEMIEUX GALLERIES New Orleans, Louisiana

LeMieux Galleries is welcoming 2021 with two exhibitions of new works by

169 Homochitto St Natchez, MS 39120 (601) 445-8203

5064 Hwy 84 West Vidalia, LA 71373 (318) 336-5307

liveoaklandscapesms.com // J A N 2 1

Events

Beginning January 11th - January 23rd Louisiana artists. In Louisiana Now, octogenarian artist Shirley Rabe Masinter presents glimpses of our state’s unique character through architecture, corner stores, bars, and shotguns—all painted and drawn in vivid hyper-realist aesthetic. Kathryn Keller’s Beautiful Isolation features a selection of the prolific artist’s works made on Inglewood Farm in Alexandria, where she has lived in isolation throughout 2020’s pandemic. Keller’s dreamy interiors and landscapes take on new meaning in a world so impacted by distance. LeMieux will host receptions for the two shows on January 9 from 11 am–7 pm. Masks are required. lemieuxgalleries.com.

an exclusive family-friendly open-air performance as part of the Park’s live music series. Lawn chairs, quilts, and blankets encouraged—as well as your own booze. Masks are required when walking around and when social distancing is not possible. Doors open at 6:30 pm; show starts at 7:30 pm. $20. Details at Beauvoir Park’s Facebook Page. k

JAN

- JAN

FUN RUNS THE LOUISIANA MARATHON Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Much more than just a race, the Louisiana

Spanish, and Caribbean inf luences, and gained national recognition for his designs. A traveling exhibit celebrating his life and work, A. Hays Town and the Architectural Image of Louisiana, is coming to the West Baton Rouge Museum courtesy of the Hilliard Museum, and features drawings, photographs, architectural models, and archival records. westbatonrougemuseum.org. k

JAN

18th

ENGAGEMENT THROUGH ART MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. DAY CELEBRATION: IMAGINING A WORLD WITHOUT RACISM New Orleans, Louisiana

In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s work in fighting for civil rights, the Ogden Museum of Southern Art

Read more about Kathryn Keller’s work in our Culture story on page 38. k

JAN

11th

BOOK TALKS IBERIA AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORICAL SOCIETY BOOK TALK Online

For the first event of its 2021 programming, the Iberia African American Historical Society invites all to join in on a virtual discussion on Pulitzer Prize Winner Isabel Wilkerson’s Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents. Over the course of the year, the organization will host five more discussions of books, articles, TED Talks, podcasts, and more—all with an emphasis on African American history. Free. 6 pm. Register for the event at iaahs.org. k

JAN

Good music, the kind that hits chords universal and ranges infinite, is not limited by region, by medium, or by crowd. It reaches all, from the backwoods, to the Grand Ole Opry, to Youtube, and in Del McCoury’s hands, it does so victoriously. The half-century old band continues on with new collaborations, new music, new triumphs. See them live at the James Devin Moncus Theatre at the Acadiana Center for the Arts. 7:30 pm. Tickets start at $45. acadianacenterforthearts.com. k

Marathon is a culturally rich festival complete with food, music, and more. There’s a 5K, a kids’ marathon, and quarter, half, and full marathons, all attracting national and international runners who come for the mild weather, professional course, and the thank-God-it’s-over good times after the races. This year, spectators will not be allowed along the race route, and certain rules will be in place for runners to ensure everyone’s safety. thelouisianamarathon.com. k

LIVE MUSIC JONATHAN “BOOGIE” LONG LIVE AT BEAUVOIR PARK Baton Rouge, Louisiana

In Beauvoir Park, Baton Rouge’s outdoor live music oasis in these strange times, Jonathan “Boogie” Long will perform 16

Online

Throughout 2020, the House of Blues New Orleans has presented several of the city’s finest via livestream performances. To kick of 2021, they bring up-and-coming band Clementine Collective to the stage. Formed in 2018 as the brainchild of saxophonist Scott Clemens, Clementine Collective draws on the sounds of groups like Return to Forever, Snarky Puppy, Brian Blade Fellowship, and Led Zeppelin. Watch the show for free via Facebook Live at 7 pm at the House of Blues New Orleans Facebook Page. k

Online

Lafayette, Louisiana

15th

LIVE MUSIC FOR THE CULTURE: CLEMENTINE COLLECTIVE

ART TALKS SOUTHBOUND ARTIST TALK SERIES

Cellist and composer Helen Gillet is bringing her approach to synthesizing sounds to accompany NOMA’s exhibition Mending the Sky. See listing on page 18. Image courtesy of NOMA.

JAN

JAN 19th

JAN 19th - JAN 28th

14th

LIVE MUSIC THE DEL MCCOURY BAND

word cloud inspired by Dr. King, or create art with artist Kara Crowley, who is featured in Louisiana Contemporary. Mikhayla Harrell will lead a guided meditation for peace, and educator Andrea Heard will offer a presentation titled “10 Fun Facts on Dr. King”. And finally, pick up your free Ogden Museum MLK Day Celebration Art Box, which contains various art activities exploring the life of Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement, step-by-step instructions, and supplies. Details at ogdenmuseum.org. k

JAN

16th

- MAR

7th

ARCHITECTURE EXHIBITIONS A. HAYS TOWN AND THE ARCHITECTURAL IMAGE OF LOUISIANA Port Allen, Louisiana

Prolific Louisiana architect A. Hays Town incorporated French,

J A N 2 1 // C O U N T R Y R O A D S M A G . C O M

presents a day that uses art to imagine a world without racism, to be experienced at the museum or at home virtually. At the museum, explore with a scavenger hunt based on displayed works in the galleries. From home, engage in activities such as watching a performance by Dancing Grounds or listening to a Spotify Playlist curated by Ogden Museum Teen Interns. Take a virtual tour of the museum exploring the Civil Rights Movement through the work of photographer Ernest C. Withers, led by Museum Educator Sara Echaniz. Listen to a MLK Day-themed book read by Early Literacy Librarian Christine McCourtney from the New Orleans Public Library, or be inspired by spoken word performances by poets of the Bard Early College Poetry Club. Bring your ideas forth through a virtual community

Join the LSU Museum of Art for its Southbound Virtual Artist Talk series featuring artists from Southbound: Photographs of and about the New South, LSU faculty, and LSU MOA staff. Tune in to listen and learn more about these artists’ creative processes as they discuss their work. Sign up at lsumoa.org to receive free Zoom invites to each segment of the series. See the schedule below. January 19: Conversation with Aaron Sheehan-Dean, department chair and history professor at Louisiana State University, and Southbound photographers Sheila Pree Bright and Jessica Ingram. 5:30 pm. January 21: Conversation with Johanna Warwick, assistant professor of photography at Louisiana State University, and Southbound photographer Mark Steinmetz. 5:30 pm. January 26: Conversation with Joyce Jackson, Professor of Geography & Anthropology and Former Director of African & African American Studies at LSU, and Southbound photographers Keith Calhoun and Chandra McCormick. 5:30 pm.

January 28: Conversation with LSU MOA Curator Courtney Taylor and Southbound photographers McNair Evans and Susan Worsham. 5:30 pm. lsumoa.org/southbound k

JAN 20th - JAN 27th

SILVER SCREEN 16TH CINEMA ON THE BAYOU FILM FESTIVAL Online

Located in the heart of Cajun country, the annual eight-day Cinema on the Bayou Film Festival, now in its sixteenth year, is Louisiana’s second-oldest film festival. Cinema on the Bayou is dedicated to presenting internationally acclaimed narrative, documentary, experimental, and animated films from across the United States and around the world. Each year, the festival screens some two hundred films with as many filmmakers, actors, producers, and other industry professionals in attendance for film screenings, expert panel discussions, and nightly parties with music by regional musicians. The festival is also unique among film festivals in the country in that it regularly presents a large number of French-language independent films and filmmakers, and has become known around the world as a center of Francophone film in America. Details on this year’s festival, which will be held

virtually with some in-person events, can be found at cinemaonthebayou.com. k

JAN 22nd - FEB 19th

JAN

BEHIND THE CURTAIN BEYOND THE PROSCENIUM

23rd

WEDDING BELLS BATON ROUGE BRIDAL SHOW

Hammond, Louisiana

An entire world of artistry and craftsmanship goes into theatrical stage productions, which will be showcased in Hammond Regional Arts Center’s Beyond the Proscenium exhibition, in partnership with Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts. Renderings of set and lighting design, puppetry, playbills, and costuming will all be displayed to give viewers an idea of what happens before the curtain opens. Opening reception in the Arts Center’s main gallery from 4 pm–8 pm. hammondarts.org . k

JAN

a scavenger hunt, and more. Native trees will be on sale. 9 am–1 pm. Free admission. discoverburden.com. k

23rd

TREE HUGGERS ARBOR DAY AT THE BURDEN CENTER Baton Rouge, Louisiana

The Botanic Gardens at Burden hosts Arbor Day celebrations annually in Louisiana, when we reaffirm our commitment to green. Visitors are invited to celebrate the day by planting a tree in the Burden woods, taking part in the effort to reforest trees lost to Hurricane Gustav. Scale a Louisiana live oak, meet Smokey the Bear, participate in

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Have you started planning the big day yet? Dive into this sea of lace, white, and tulle at the semi-annual Baton Rouge Bridal Show. L’Auberge Casino’s Event Center will be awash with tons of local wedding vendors, wedding inspiration, and plenty of door prizes to be won, including an all-expenses-paid honeymoon. Worry about your somethings old, borrowed, and blue later. It’s time for something new. To promote safe distancing measures and disinfection practices, tickets will be broken up into two time sessions: 11 am–1 pm and 1:30 pm–3:30 pm. Masks required. $15. batonrougebridalshow.com. k

JAN 23rd

LIVE MUSIC SWEET CRUDE LIVE AT BEAUVOIR PARK Baton Rouge, Louisiana

In the cozy, twinkling corner that is Beauvoir Park, our favorite Frenchspeaking pop ensemble will perform an exclusive family-friendly open-air

performance as part of the Park’s live music series. Lawn chairs, quilts, and blankets encouraged—as well as your own booze. Masks are required when walking around and when social distancing is not possible. Doors open at 6:30 pm; show starts at 7:30 pm. $25. Details at Beauvoir Park’s Facebook Page. k

JAN 23rd

SPECIAL OCCASIONS GRAND OPENING FOR THE EVENT CENTER AT THE BLUFFS Saint Francisville, Louisiana

After much anticipation, The Bluffs on Thompson Creek is reopening their Event Center this month. Check out the newly-updated facilities and enjoy a lively celebration from 5 pm–7 pm. k

JAN

23rd

LIVE MUSIC PERFORMING ARTS SERIES: MICHAEL MCDOWELL New Roads, Louisiana

Esteemed pianist Michael McDowell will delight an audience at the Poydras Center in New Roads with a concert as part of The Arts Council of Point Coupee’s Performing Arts Series, made possible by a grant from the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation and Festival. To purchase tickets, print

How to Prep Your Trees for Winter Prune trees now for winter storms. Seasonal pruning of trees involves both removal of dead or diseased branches as well as careful selection of limbs that have heavy growth on the branch tips, also known as exterior canopy weight reduction. This type of growth is often caused by either a period of excess rainfall or sometimes from overuse of synthetic fertilizers, which promote rapid growth that is susceptible to breakage during storms and high winds. Criss-crossed, overlapping, and other growth not conducive to a strong tree canopy should also be eliminated. An experienced and certified arborist will be able to identify these weak branches that are more likely to fall and cause property damage or injury, not to mention destroying the appearance of your beautiful trees.

SCOTT, LA • 888-620-TREE (8733) CHURCH POINT, LA • 337-684-5431 WWW.BOBSTREE.COM // J A N 2 1

Events

Beginning January 28th - January 31st the PAS/Membership brochure and mail with check; contact Gail Roy at roygaleb@bellsouth.net or (225) 6386049. Individual tickets will be available at Roy’s Jewelry or The Therapy Center two weeks prior to the performance date. 7 pm. artscouncilofpointecoupee.org. k

JAN

28th

LITERARY AWARDS 14TH ANNUAL ERNEST J. GAINES AWARD CEREMONY Online

Join Baton Rouge’s literati in celebrating Chicago author Gabriel Bump, who has been selected as the winner of the 2020 Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence for his debut book, Everywhere You Don’t Belong. The Ernest J. Gaines Award is given each year to rising African-American fiction writers. The award will be presented to Bump at 6:30 pm during a live virtual presentation. A link and invitation will be available at ernestjgainesaward.org. Read more about Bump and his work on page 8. k

JAN

28th

- MAR

16th

PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITIONS HOW THE OTHER HALF LIVES Baton Rouge, Louisiana

One of the most important American pioneers in the field of photojournalism, Jacob A. Riis was one of the first to use the power of photography as a tool to forward the efforts of social reform, documenting how the poor in New York City worked and lived. His work led to increased awareness of the impoverished living conditions for children and adults in early twentieth century America. In an exhibition titled Jacob A. Riis: How the Other Half Lives, Riis’s photos, handwritten journals, and presentations will be on display at Louisiana’s Old State Capitol. Free. louisianaoldstatecapitol.org. k

JAN

29th

TOUR DU JOUR SOUTH MARKET DISTRICT RENAISSANCE TOUR New Orleans, Louisiana

Join the Friends of the Cabildo for another illuminating neighborhood

J A N 2 1 // C O U N T R Y R O A D S M A G . C O M

tour, this time focusing on the booming area of revitalization taking place in the Central Business District, Medical District, and the sports/ entertainment corridor of downtown— all encompassed in the South Market District. One of the most up-andcoming areas in New Orleans, the South Market area holds a fascinating history of adaptive reuse, historic preservation, and general resurrection. Tour begins at 10 am at the Pythian Market (234 Loyola Avenue). Face masks are required. $25; $20 for Friends of the Cabildo members. Details at the Louisiana State Museum Facebook Page. k

JAN

30th

GOOD EATS COURIR DE MARDI GRAS & GUMBO COOKOFF AT ACADIAN VILLAGE Lafayette, Louisiana

LARC’s Acadian Village is opening its doors once again for its annual Courir de Mardi Gras and Gumbo Cookoff celebration, featuring local craft vendors, children’s chicken chasing, and—of course—a good old fashioned gumbo cook-off. Gumbo at 11 am; chicken chase at 1 pm. Admission is $10 for ages thirteen and older; $5 for children ages four to twelve; free for

children younger than three. Cook-off participants can enter for $50 per team by contacting Rusty Noel at (337) 257-0237. Details at LARC’s Acadian Village Facebook page. k

JAN

31st

LIVE MUSIC HELEN GILLET IN CONCERT New Orleans & Online

Acclaimed New Orleans cellist, composer, and improviser Helen Gillet is bringing her surrealist-archaeologist approach to synthesizing sounds and textures to accompany the New Orleans Museum of Art’s exhibition Mending the Sky. Weaving together a soundscape of cello, drum machine, sounds in nature, loop pedal, poetry, and storytelling, she will explore the vibrations of sonic disturbance: the tipping points where swollen rivers of human tension and natural imbalances f lood the banks of an unsustainable society. Across a series of three solo performances, Gillet responds to quarantine, friction, and trauma in a search for homeostasis. Perrformances will take place within the NOMA exhibition galleries for Mending the Sky, and will stream virtually for free across NOMA’s social media channels. 6 pm. noma.org. k

Focusing on health and wellness at the outset of a new year is nothing new. But this January, taking the time to turn inward and focus on our physical and mental health is perhaps more crucial than ever before. We don't need surveys and statistics to tell us that 2020 was rough on all of usâ&#x20AC;&#x201C; though the data certainly confirms that is the case. Rather than harping on the ways last year took a toll, we at Country Roads have found hope and excitement in discovering the healing powers of gifts like art, the outdoors, and nourishing food. In the pages ahead, our friend Jason shares his story about how 2020 nearly claimed his life, and how he seized the opportunity to become healthier and stronger than beforeâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;without leaving behind the comforts of lasagna and cheesecake.

//J A N 2 1

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Health & Wellness H E A LT H Y S U B S T I T U T E S

How Food Blogging Almost Killed Me LEARNING THE HARD WAY THAT INSTA-WORTHY FOOD CAN ALSO BE HEALTHY By Jason Vowell

n May 28, 2020, I had just finished posting a picture of a gargantuan cheeseburger I devoured on Instagram when I started feeling a pain in my chest—a nagging, dull weight that I shrugged off as indigestion. I was anxiously watching my iPhone screen for an onslaught of new likes, followers, and shares to prop up my quicklygrowing social media account. See, for better or worse, I had become “that guy” who goes out and orders up all the crazy, photo-worthy foodie trends in order to get the shot best poised to send my followers into a slobbering frenzy. Sometimes I ate two, or three, or even four of these typically-unhealthy food trends in one day. Compound that over a handful of years, and I found myself 20

adding more pounds to my gut than followers to my Instagram account. So there I was, pushing three hundred pounds, sitting on the couch refreshing my browser, when that dull ache in my chest spread to my stomach. Then the dull ache became a sharp roar. By the time my wife came home from work, I was doubled over, incapacitated, and she rushed me to the emergency room. What came next was a blur of words in a haze of semi-sedation. Pancreatitis. Untreated Diabetes. Ketoacidosis. Immeasurable triglycerides. Blood transfusion. Long story short? Instead of eating my way to Internet stardom, I almost ate myself into an early grave. Fourteen days in the hospital amounted to a very, very scary wake up call. How would I, the guy whose life revolved

J A N 2 1 // C O U N T R Y R O A D S M A G . C O M

around eating, photographing, and writing about food, completely reverse my lifestyle and get healthy? Easy. I’d eat, photograph, and write about it. Instead of moping about and focusing on what foods I had to steer clear from, I learned very quickly that almost any dish could be “hacked” in order to fit into my new low-carb, lowsugar lifestyle. And in just six months I have, much to my doctor’s surprise, lost nearly one hundred pounds and essentially turned my terrifying diagnosis around—thanks to healthy eating, moderate exercise, and the unwavering support of family and friends. Let's face it, diets are scary, but with a few substitutions, you really can eat healthier and not miss out on the foods you love. In the following pages, I offer one of

my of my favorite comfort food hacks: lasagna. By subbing out the noodles for hearts of palm sheets, you cut the carbs and calories in half. You can find heart of palm pasta substitutes in most grocery stores now, or you can order them online. And loading up a lowsugar sauce with a mirepoix adds extra flavor and nutrition! This can be made vegetarian as well by omitting the bacon and subbing the Italian sausage for a “beyond meat” brand. Then, continue on for a dessert I bet you never thought could be (succesfully) healthified. I'll gladly prove you wrong. h

Follow along with Jason's journey in healthy foodhacking on Instagram @skillet_pop_up.

Health & Wellness

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WE CARRY EACH OTHER It’s how we do things in Louisiana during times of challenge. We’re stronger together and we know our strength lies in the helping hands of our neighbors. So let’s wear a mask and protect one another. And protect the life we love.

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RECIPE

Low-Carb Lasagna Recipe and photo by Jason Vowell

asagna. It’s the dish, without fail, that I requested my mom make me on every single one of my birthdays. And for the rest of my life, it felt like that was generally the only time I ate it. There is something so decadent, so gluttonous, about a properly-made lasagna. I’ve never met one I didn’t eat a second helping of. This lasagna recipe drops the shameful stereotype of this practicallypornographic dish. Instead of high-carb pasta sheets, I used Palmini brand hearts of palm sheets. And to “healthy it up” a little more, I loaded the sauce up with a colorful and flavorful mirepoix.

Ingredients: 14 oz. Palmini hearts of palm lasagna sheets 24 oz. low sugar marinara sauce ( like RAO’S brand) 1 tsp. olive oil 2 cups diced carrot 2 cups diced celery 2 cups diced red peppers 4 slices of smokey bacon 1/2 lb. Italian sausage

1/4 cup diced garlic 1 cup diced onion 2 cups cooked spinach 24 oz. cottage cheese (lower in carbs and calories than ricotta) 2 cups shredded mozzarella 1 cup grated parmesan 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves

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Method: 1. Preheat the oven to 400°.

if you want to be fancy.)

2. Toss the carrot, celery, and red peppers into a food processor and pulse until shredded. Dice the onion and garlic. Cube the bacon to 1/2 inch chunks.

5. Drain the Palmini sheets and layer the lasagna in a casserole pan. Sauce, palmini, cottage cheese/spinach, mozzarella. Repeat until pan is full, or you run out of ingredients.

3. Cook the bacon in a heavy-bottomed pan with the sausage. Add the onion and cook until translucent. Add the carrot, celery, and red pepper mixture, and cook until soft. Add garlic, marinara sauce, and Italian seasoning. Simmer for at least one hour. Season to taste.

6. Top with a heavy hand of shredded mozzarella and bake, uncovered, for twenty minutes. Continue baking until cheese is gooey and slightly browned. Set oven to broil, and cook until the edges are crispy.

4. Mix the cooked spinach into the cottage cheese. (You can use ricotta

7. Top with grated parmesan, red pepper flakes, and fresh basil. EAT.

230 ROBERTS DR., STE I NEW ROADS, LA 70760

(225) 638-4585 BATONROUGECLINIC.COM //J A N 2 1

Health & Wellness

Special Advertising Section

RECIPE

Low-Carb Low-Sugar Cheesecake Recipe and photo by Jason Vowell

Method:

Ingredients: Crust: 1 1/2 cups almond flour 2/3 cup shredded coconut 3 1/5 tablespoon melted butter 1/2 cup Swerve or monk fruit sweetener A pinch of salt

Filling: 32 ounces of cream cheese 3 eggs 1 1/4 cups of powdered Swerve or monk fruit sweetener 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Southside Gardens

New Year, New“ABeginnings wonderful experience with wonderful people" at the Next Best Place to Home

Michelle Cave, resident. Also pictured, Judy Johnson, Team Member

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Crust: 1. Preheat oven to 350º 2. In a bowl, mix the almond flour, coconut, and salt. 3. Add the melted butter and sweetener. 4. Mix until a crumbly dough forms. 5. Press the mixture into an even layer in an oven safe dish or springform pan. 6. Bake at 350º for ten to fifteen minutes until the crust begins to turn brown around the edges. 7. Remove from the oven and let cool before adding cheesecake mixture. Filling: 1. In a large mixing bowl, blend the cream cheese and powdered sweetener until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Add the lemon

juice and vanilla extract, and beat until incorporated. 2. Pour the filling onto the cooled crust. 3. Bake for forty-five minutes to an hour until the top begins to brown. Remove and allow to cool. 4. Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight until set. Topping: 1. Place seasonal fruit, lemon juice, a little water, and Swerve or monk fruit sweetener in a small sauté pan, and stir until the fruit breaks down and mixes with the other ingredients. Let cool. Pour over your cheesecake, and garnish with fresh fruit.

Chamber Hosts Annual Uncorked Food & Wine Showcase

nce a year the West Feliciana Chamber of Commerce brings together over a dozen local restaurants from the West Feliciana Parish to highlight their talented chefs, creative dishes, craft cocktails, and wine selections. This event is set for Sunday, January 31 from 5-7 pm at the renowned Restaurant 1796 at the Myrtles. Each restaurant sets up their own station to showcase one of their unique dishes and

fabulous cocktails or wine. Guests are invited to mingle with friends and sample these treats. This year’s event will include the addition of outside tents on the beautiful grounds of The Myrtles, to keep COVID compliant. “We love how this event showcases all that our local restaurants have to offer,” said Chamber president, Ranee Rogers Voorhies. “We live in such a special parish filled with so much culinary talent, and we want to share that!”

Restaurant owners are ready to showcase what they have to offer this year as well. "Last year it was an amazing event and amazing venue! We are proud to be a part of our Chamber and this great event. We can't wait until next time," said Jason Jackson, general manager, the Francis Southern Table and Bar. Tickets are $60 each and are available for purchase at bit.ly/Uncorked21.

Get youthful skin, all over again! Sunday, January 31 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. Restaurant 1796 at the Myrtles

This wonderful event showcases amazing food, wine, liqueurs & craft cocktails from over a dozen local restaurants, grocers & bars!

Correct your aesthetic challenges with the most effective, non-surgical treatments & technology delivered by certified medical experts. Diminish and Correct: Fine Lines & Wrinkles Skin Discoloration Stretch Marks Scarring Age & Sun Spots Skin Tightening Botox & Dysport

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Schedule your appointment TODAY!

(225) 635-4422 | 5436 Commerce Street, St. Francisville, LA | SullivanDental.com //J A N 2 1

Features

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26 WHAT DID

THEY DO BEFORE

PORTRAIT MODE?

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ART AS

MEDICINE

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More Than a Thousand Words THE ALCHEMIST-PHOTOGRAPHERS KEEPING FILM ALIVE IN 2021 By Alexandra Kennon

Kenwood Kennon, a long-time film enthusiast, looking at 35-millimeter slides he took in the 1970s. Photos by Alexandra Kennon.

y iPhone currently contains 33,157 images. The primary subjects are myself and my friends, my cat and dog, and an embarrassing number of food photographs. These days, amassing such a quantity of photos is all too easy. To immortalize anything, after all, requires only that one pulls a handheld rectangle from their pocket and clicks a button. But the human impulse to preserve our memories—or lives—is hardly a new phenomenon. Far from it. The concept of photography—a term that comes from the Greek words “photo” meaning “light” and “graphy” meaning “to capture or record”—has existed in some form since around the fifth century B.C.E. Even then, it was not until sometime in the eleventh century that an Iraqi scientist invented the camera obscura, the modern photographic camera’s earliest ancestor, which allowed an image to be projected upside-down through a small hole into a darkened area. Photography as we know it today—well, something more

akin to it, anyway—did not exist until daguerrotypes were developed in the 1800s, which had to be exposed to light for nearly fifteen minutes to create an image. Still, capturing a photograph was limited to the very wealthy, a far cry from the universality of today’s cell phone cameras; that is, until the 1880s, when George Eastman started a company known as Kodak. By manufacturing a roll of flexible film rather than the solid plates previously required, Eastman was able to develop a self-contained box camera with a small single lens. By the late 1940s, 35-millimeter film was inexpensive enough for the average person to afford. The advancements thereafter were more rapid: with the 1950s came the Nikon F, an SLR-style camera that could accommodate interchangeable lenses; in the 1960s Polaroid was marketing relatively affordable instant cameras; the 1970s and ‘80s brought the first “smart cameras” that automatically calculated focus, aperture, and shutter speed. By the 1990s, multiple manufacturers had

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released digital cameras that stored images electronically rather than on film. This of course has escalated to today’s cell phone cameras, allowing us to upload any of our more than 33,000 impulsivelycaptured food photos to Instagram faster than one could have even configured shutter speed only a few decades prior. My personal predisposition toward hoarding my memories, both substantial and minute, is something I get from my father, Kenwood. As a young adult in the 1960s and ‘70s, he was a devotee of film; seldom seen without his Minolta any time after 1964. Today, his old gutted and renovated schoolbus, which he once traveled the country in, sits in his yard. Inside live boxes, upon boxes, upon boxes of 35-millimeter slides—much less compact than my preferred hoarding method inside a pocket-sized electronic rectangle, and admittedly, way cooler. Rather than braving Black Friday shopping crowds in a pandemic, the day after Thanksgiving I asked if he would go through some of these slides with me. “This is a monumental task we’re looking

at,” he warned me that morning. “There’s roughly a bajillion of them.” And while we didn’t make it through all bajillion slides—not yet, anyway— he did set up a light box and show me quite a few. Not unlike the memories most often captured by today’s digital and cell phone cameras, slide upon slide revealed his friends, his dog, his travels. The physical film struck me as so much more tangible and intentional than digital images, and got me thinking— respecting—the countless photographers who still, in this fresh year of 2021, choose to capture photographs on film, despite the countless more convenient options available. I spoke with a few of the photographers who elect for the tangible work of a darkroom over simply uploading images to a computer. Here is the wisdom they shared on an art that by all practicality could be obsolete, if not for reverent alchemists such as these, keeping it alive.

Photos courtesy of Paul Kieu.

Paul Kieu Lafayette, Louisiana Years of Experience: I’ve been taking photos since I was about seven or eight years old, and I’m about to turn thirty-one. Yeah, it's just been something that I've done my entire life. Preferred film camera: Nikon F for 35-millimeter; Hasselblad for medium format

Favorite subjects to photograph: I'm trying to shoot more people, but in general, it still falls in line with my general style of shooting, which is just exploring the world around me and showing it to people on the Internet.

Why film?: My objective with shooting and developing my own film hasn't been about results just yet; there are plenty of much better film photographers in Louisiana and even in Lafayette alone. For me, it's more about the feel and the process: learning about how chemicals and timings affect results and how different equipment affects the efficiency of my workflow and the final product. I learn just as much from the rolls I process incorrectly as I do from the ones that come out right. It makes me pay more attention to what I'm doing while both shooting and developing. To me that's the beauty of working with a lesser margin of error than I would normally have shooting digital cameras professionally.

On the process: With an analog process, not everything is super precise. Essentially, until you develop, you’re not going to know

whether you did something right or wrong. Anybody who has developed film, either professionally or at home or at school, knows that you’re gonna mess up some rolls sometimes. Eventually, you get better and better at it. But, even though I've developed a few hundred rolls at this point, if there are like little difficulties that pop up, like you didn't mix the chemicals in the right temperature, or the chemicals that you need to heat up didn’t heat up, it just prolongs the whole process. Every small little thing counts a lot more. With Photoshop for digital pictures, I can go back and readjust something that I edited ten years ago, without any loss of quality. But with film, if I make a small mistake, it could have bigger repercussions for the final product. So, it goes back to me saying that it counts a little bit more. Everything, every little thing that you do.

paulkieu.com Instagram: @paulvkieu_film

Photo courtesy of Thomas Neff.

Thomas Neff Baton Rouge, Louisiana Years of Experience: I’ve been using film since the late sixties, maybe ’69. And I never stopped.

Preferred film camera: Deardorff for five by seven format Favorite subjects to photograph: Architecture, landscapes, people

Why film?: Well, I started in film so many years ago, and it took me a lifetime to develop my style and the printing I do. I love the darkroom. It’s a lot of work, but I love it. Photography aside, I don't like working on a computer all the time. And moreover, it took a lifetime to develop my style for film, and it would take me two lifetimes to develop my skill for digital. Anybody who wants to get into film, or wants to start photography— even if they shoot digital in the end—they should start with film. Film gets the immediacy that digital doesn’t, but you can’t see it unless you develop it.

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On the developing process: I have proof sheets to look at, and you decide which ones to print based on which are the best ones. You know the best one when you see them. Most people that shoot film, and 35-millimeter especially, are lucky to have one picture per roll that is a keeper. When I get a good one in the darkroom, and it comes up in the developer, I start dancing, I get so excited. Advice for shooting on film: Get closer than you think you should be. Don’t put anything in the middle. So many people center their subjects all the time, so I try to tell them, “You focus on the edges as much as you do the center.” I seldom crop in the darkroom, almost never. I try to get what I want to have in the camera itself—nothing more than you must have, but nothing less than you need. And shoot a lot of film. The best photographers are lucky to have one print per roll. Oh, and many early photographers photograph their subjects only one time. I say, if you’re shooting a landscape, explore it more, and shoot many angles. Especially doing what I call ‘street photography’, sometimes the best shots are one-off.

thomasneffphotographer.com Photos courtesy of Thomas Neff.

Amy James Baton Rouge, Louisiana Years of Experience I was my yearbook photographer in high school. So, I would say, since about the age of fifteen. Preferred film camera: Nikon F3 for 35-millimeter; Mamiya 6 for medium format

Favorite subjects to photograph: Probably children and dogs

Why film?: I majored in painting and drawing at LSU and minored in photography. Not until college did I realize that the darkroom could be just as fun as a canvas, you know, when you're going in there blind. To me, the darkroom and the creative part of it is as fun as the photoshoot. I didn't find that, with digital, sitting at a computer and tweaking your images was a creative process that interested me, although I've realized it serves a great purpose. I feel like there are two different mediums, just like watercolor and oil painting. I also like that when you're creating film photographs, never will you have two that are exactly the same. There's no way that could happen. The temperature of the water and every little thing you do is never going to be . . . everything you do is one-of-a-kind. I also like the surprise element of, once I've got the shoot, I don't know if I really got the shoot. You have to wait, and then you find out if you did or you didn't. I love that aspect of it too, instead of [with digital] just looking at it immediately going “Oops,” or “Let's do that over.”

On finding the light: I like to look for the perfect light

when I get to the shoot, and find it, and [the subject is] like “Why are we shooting over here?” And then they look at the photo and they’re like “Oh, that’s why.” People always ask, “How did you do that lighting?” and I’m like, “You just need to find it everywhere you go. You just have to look for it.”

amyjames.photography Instagram: @amy.james.filmphotographer

Photos courtesy of Amy James.

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Camille Delaune Fayetteville, Arkansas Years of Experience: I've been photographing since I was in early high school—I would guess around 2012.

Preferred film camera: Hasselblad 500CM for medium format; Portra 400 for 35-millimeter

Favorite subjects to photograph: My favorite subjects are those willing to be vulnerable. Being photographed requires a tremendous amount of vulnerability unless you’re an incredible actor, so the most interesting portraits are consistently those in which its subject let their guard down.

On the developing process: My process of developing film looks like me in my studio, preferably all alone, preferably in the evening, listening to soft music. The process feels kin to entering some sort of womb space, even down to the fact that for a large portion, you’re in total darkness. It’s such a profoundly personal and even spiritual ritual full of this dance between fear and peace. The atmosphere is so important for that reason: my studio is a really cozy space lit by lamps and full of things I love, and there’s always relaxing music playing— something instrumental or feminine. Why film?: As I could write a novel on this, I’ll go ahead and pick one thing. The thing that keeps me coming back to film is its process. Film demands patience, slowness, gentleness, even tenderness—all things I’m on an endless quest of cultivating. Film is the opposite of gluttony. There is no step of the film process that can be done quickly. Not loading, not metering, not shooting, not unloading, not processing— certainly not processing. You must meet it with your fullest attention and intention, and in turn, it rewards you with its art. Film is a life teacher in so many ways. camilledelaune.com Instagram: @camilledelaune

Photos courtesy of Camille Delaune.

Raegan Labat Baton Rouge, Louisiana Years of Experience: I have been taking and making photos for as long as I can

Photos courtesy of Raegan Labat.

remember. Though, I have a very vivid memory of a moment that felt like I really made my ‘first’ photograph. I was fifteen and a freshman in high school.

Preferred film camera: Canon AE-1 or Yashica T4 point and shoot for 35-millimeter; Polaroid SX70 for instant Favorite subjects to photograph: I have always shot music and portraits. I think those things appear on film the most in my work.

Why film?: Film was just how I started and what I was attached to. The process is really, really easy to get attached to and fall in love with. The waiting, developing, discovering, editing ... Film just has a quality to it. I know—it’s indescribable! In all of the more creative shoots I do for clients and friends, I always vouch for film. I always tell people to trust film. I enjoy the process, the waiting, the actual process of scanning in your negatives and looking them over, choosing your best frame, deciding whether to leave the dust that got into your scans or not. Ha! There is this magic and mystery even when you have the practice and skill. Sometimes good or unexpected things happen, and it is always always worth seeing what happens. With this instant camera, I started shooting and offering Polaroid Portrait Sessions in hopes to bring people on board with this thing I enjoy doing. That really slow process is really interesting to share with another person. Collaborating with artists, musicians, and friends for these portraits has been a lot of fun. Working with other creatives is bliss. raeganlabatphoto.pixieset.com Instagram: @raeganlabat

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P O W E R S T H AT B E

Just What the Doctor Ordered

NEW STUDIES REVEAL ART’S SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON HUMAN HEALTH AND WELLNESS By Elizabeth Chubbuck Weinstein Jordan LaHaye • Photos by Olivia Perillo abuse, and serious thoughts of suicide.” During a so-called “normal” year, anxiety levels for many of us tend to increase during the holiday season, affecting even the calmest of temperaments. Now that a new year has dawned, perhaps creativity offers a path towards a healthier 2021. Our unique capacity to imagine something and make it real is what sets us humans apart from other living beings. One need only look back at history to find a veritable list of ingenious and creative accomplishments: from the 20,000 year-old cave paintings in Lascaux, France to the 1851 opera Rigoletto to 2020’s SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, our creations originate within our minds. Humans are hardwired with the instinct to create. So, it should come as no surprise that our brains automatically respond positively when encountering aesthetic stimuli. When we engage in creative activities or simply have aesthetic experiences, we stimulate the vagus nerve, the main component of the parasympathetic nervous The study of neuroaesthetics explores the impact of artistic beauty on the human psyche and biological well-being. Various entities, including museums, hospitals, and arts-based nonprofits, are engaging in the interaction of the arts system, which is responsible for and wellness. Photo courtesy of the LSU Museum of Art. all bodily activities that occur magine visiting your doctor, dose of “happy”. The prolonged stresses when we are at rest. Sometimes referred and instead of prescribing you of the COVID-19 pandemic are taking to as the “rest and digest” system, it some sterile unpronounceable a toll on all of us, affecting not just the is the opposite of the sympathetic bottle of pills, he or she said health of our bodies but also the state nervous system which controls our simply: “Visit your local art museum.” of our mental and spiritual wellbeing. “flight or fight” reaction to dangerous or A group of physicians in Toronto are According to a Household Pulse Survey threatening situations. The vagus nerve doing just that, as part of a community conducted by the National Center is the longest cranial nerve in our bodies access program begun two years ago by for Health Statistics (NCHS) and the and carries an extensive range of signals Census Bureau, around thirty percent between the brain and many important the Royal Ontario Museum. Seems far-fetched? Increasingly, of the country is experiencing symptoms organs, including the intestines, research is showing that having an of clinical depression, compared to stomach, heart, and lungs. This means aesthetic experience such as gazing at around seven percent reported last year. the vagus nerve helps control mood, a painting or listening to music—or In addition, the survey showed that immune response, digestion, and heart better yet, engaging in a creative activity around thirty-six percent of people are rate, all of which have an impact upon like singing or drawing—provides a feeling more anxious about life right now mental health. The expanding field of study host of therapeutic benefits, ranging compared to around eight percent last from lowering stress and healing mental year. The Centers for Disease, Control examining the effects of art on our health anguish to improving memory and and Prevention (CDC) reported on a is called neuroaesthetics. This study fostering empathy. In fact, when we similar study performed last June which is at the intersection of psychological perform art-related activities, studies concluded that adults are struggling aesthetics, biological mechanisms, show that the pleasure centers in our with “considerably elevated adverse and human evolution. Scientists in brains actually “light up,” meaning that mental health conditions associated with this field are studying what happens to serotonin, better known as “the happy COVID-19,” ranging from “anxiety/ our biological circuitry when people depression symptoms, trauma/stressor- experience or create art, using mobile chemical,” is released. These days we could all use an extra related disorder symptoms, substance devices and “smart” wearable sensors

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to measure the amount of change that occurs in respiration, temperature, heart rate, and skin responses. Susan Magsamen is the founder and executive director of the International Arts + Mind Lab, an initiative of the Brain Science Institute at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. In an article titled “Your Brain on Art: The Case of Neuroaesthetics” for the journal Cerebrum, she states: “The field of neuroaesthetics offers research-based evidence that a variety of arts-based approaches may work to improve quality of life, mobility, mental health, speech, memory, pain, learning, and more. Such interventions could potentially lower the cost and burden of chronic disease, neurological disorders, and mental health issues for millions of people.” These alternative practices are catching on. Mikhayla Harrell, Museum Educator at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, advocates for routinely stimulating the vagus nerve as an effective means to achieve a healthy work/life balance. Harrell is also a longtime instructor of yoga, which utilizes mindfulness, meditation, and breathwork techniques to help promote the “relaxation response” produced by the vagus nerve. Harrell says, “When we look at art, listen to music, or move our bodies in an artful way, we soothe the nervous system and then we are able to respond rather than react. People can program themselves [to relax]. It’s called ‘toning’ the vagus nerve.” When this nerve is toned, we manage stress better, have less anxiety, get more sleep, and generally attain all the good things that come from being more relaxed. Harrell brought a holistic mind-body approach to her work at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art in New Orleans, which since last March has been offering free virtual wellness programs such as “Art & Zen” and yoga. In November, Harrell and her museum colleagues staged a Virtual Wellness Summit in conjunction with the exhibition Entwined Ritual Wrapping and Binding in Contemporary Southern Art. Tagged as “A Soothing and Uplifting Day of Free Art and Mindfulness Programming,” the presentation of virtual talks, tours, and guided art-making activities explores the connections between art and healing. In addition to art museums, cultural organizations representing a wide array of artistic disciplines offer wellness programs, often in partnership with

Visual arts are not the only form of creative practice that have proven to have an impact on health. Programs like Dance for Parkinsons—offered through local dance companies the New Orleans Ballet Association and Of Moving Colors—have found much success in offering creative movement classes to disabled populations (pictured left, courtesy of Of Moving Colors). Through the Arts in Medicine program at Baton Rouge General, patients with lung problems are encouraged to practice breath-enhancing exercises associated with music (pictured right, courtesy of Baton Rouge General).

healthcare facilities as part of their community outreach efforts. Some programs are available to anyone who signs up and others target specific health issues. Dance for Parkinson’s, founded in New York in 2001, is now a global program with local affiliates, among them the New Orleans Ballet Association (NOBA) and Baton Rouge’s Of Moving Colors Productions. Similarly, NOBA and the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System collaborate to produce “Freedom of

Movement” currently offered virtually. Set to music by local musicians, this creative movement class is designed for mobile as well as seated and wheelchairbased veterans. A growing trend, many hospitals have started to incorporate aesthetic approaches to therapy within their clinical practice. Music therapy is one of several options offered by Arts in Medicine at Baton Rouge General. According to their website, “Breath-enhancing exercises allow

patients to develop a self-management plan while strengthening their pulmonary capabilities, increasing their motivation and improving the results of rehabilitation.” Our Lady of the Lake, also in Baton Rouge, offers patients opportunities to create art as well as to behold works of art on permanent display in both the Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center as part of their ongoing Healing Arts program and, more recently, within the newlybuilt Children’s Hospital. Taking their

program a step further, Children’s Hospital in New Orleans recently expanded their patient offerings by establishing a dedicated art therapy suite inside their new Behavioral Health Center. According to the hospital’s website, “With a dedicated room and art therapist, each child and adolescent benefits from one to two expressive therapy groups per day, including music and art, which is at the core of the inpatient behavioral health program at Children’s Hospital.”

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Join us for virtual and hybrid presentations The 32nd Annual Natchez Literary and Cinema

exploring Ecocriticism in Southern Studies, Nature Writing, Environmental Justice, Nature as a character, Southern Social Environments, and so much more!

Southern Environments ∑

Natasha Trethewey • Aimee Nezhukumatathil Richard Grant • R.J. Lee • W. Ralph Eubanks J. Drew Lanham • Jay Watson • Zaire Love Tammy Greer • Ralph Didlake • G. Mark LaFrancis Melanie Addington • Keith Beauchamp • James William Mark Brockway • Carter Burns

Celebration

PRESENTATIONS BY:

SPONSORED BY

February 22-27, 2021

The Ogden Museum of Southern Art is one of many museums across the country incorporating wellness programming into its offerings. Pictured is an instructor leading an online yoga class in the galleries. Photo courtesy of the Ogden Museum of Southern Art.

Photo “Floodwaters in the Fog” (2019) by Ben Hillyer | willbhill.com

For more information call 601.446.1104 or email nlcc@colin.edu

www.colin.edu/nlcc

Connect with Louisiana newsmakers Join the conversation weekdays at 9 a.m. and 9 p.m.

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The notion of art being therapeutic itself is not new. Art has served as a form of communication from the very beginning. Art therapy as a discipline and practice that dates back to the 1940s. The American Art Therapy Association was founded in 1969, and the profession of art therapy has grown rapidly since that time. To practice art therapy, one must obtain a master’s or PhD in the field and receive board certification. Art therapists work with people who are challenged with medical and mental health problems as well as individuals seeking emotional, creative, and spiritual growth. Tiffanie Brumfield, for instance, teaches Art Therapy at Louisiana State University and manages her own private practice, Prescriptive Arts. She is also a consultant for Jefferson Oaks Behavioral Health in Baton Rouge. As Brumfield aptly states, “People don’t always have the words to express feelings, especially when in distress.” In her practice, she encourages patients to create an image related to the issue that is troubling them. “When we take something that is internal and then externalize it in the form of an image, we are able to become more objective because we can then quite literally ‘see’ it. This concrete form [which is now outside of us] allows us to act upon it, to look at it and address the problem.” Not only do images facilitate our ability to talk about sensitive subjects, but they also enable us to share our experiences with others in a way that only a visual language can impart, as in the popular saying: “A picture paints a thousand words.” As Brumfield points out, “Creating a visual representation makes the issue less threatening and provides a sense of empowerment. When the image is shared with others, people feel calmer. Art can promote a sense of mastery [over the problem], providing a release and allowing us to connect with others. Creating requires action, and when we act on a problem, we change.” Living in a time where human interaction and stimulation is so limited, many people feel a sense of disconnect

and loneliness. To combat such feelings, Brumfield encourages people to take up some form of creative practice, and makes it a point to differentiate between the concepts of “solitude” and “isolation.” “When we engage ourselves in creative activity, we don’t feel alone,” she says. “Instead, we become engrossed in the act of making, which engages the senses and focuses our attention, creating calm.” Over time, perhaps, we may enjoy ourselves and become invested enough in the creative activity to attain “flow,” the mental state of being completely present and fully immersed in a task, so much so that our creativity seems to “flow” out of us. According to Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, one of the cofounders of Positive Psychology and author of several books, including Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, people who can achieve and control “flow” are significantly happier. “Flow” just may be the secret to achieving happiness—or at least attaining a more satisfying life. The data is clear: Art is good for our health. No prescription is required to receive the boost in mental and physical wellbeing that may be gained from a museum visit or a symphony performance. Better still, such benefits are enhanced when embracing one’s own creativity by painting a picture, singing a song, or learning a dance. An artful life makes for a happier existence, and, as it turns out, a healthier life, too. h

Elizabeth Chubbuck Weinstein is an independent curator, writer, and creative consultant based in Baton Rouge. Ogden Museum of Southern Art New Orleans Virtual Wellness Seminar: ogdenmuseum. org/ogden-museum-virtualwellness-summit/ Dance for Parkinsons: danceforparkinsons.org Prescriptive Arts: prescriptivearts.com

very other Sunday from around ages eight to eighteen my sisters and I would awake at our dad’s house to breakfast of a dozen glazed donuts, usually polishing off the box in its entirety before the battle over who’d get the hot shower water even began. The three of us would try our best to tame our tangly heads of hair and dress in our respective church outfits, packed specifically for the occasion, in order to get out the door before noon. Our church of choice alternated depending on which side of the Causeway he called home at the time, but during the years on the Northshore, occasionally we’d make the trip out to Saint Joseph Abbey in Covington. Of all the churches we attended, the Abbey was the oldest, the biggest, and the most beautiful. Once we made it inside, dad would usher us all the way to the front of the rows of pews, right next to the altar. Younger me didn’t pay much attention during Mass, squirming to find a comfortable seat on the hard wooden bench, and more interested in observing the murals within the dome ceiling. Although I haven’t been back in years, I can still recall the pungent, musky aroma of incense as it permeated the air, tracing the smoke’s path from the altar server’s swinging thurible upward, all the way up to the group of meticulouslyrendered winged angels above. Historically, incense has been used in houses of worship as a symbol of prayer ascending to heaven. These days, I burn incense just about every morning. Since our Country Roads editorial team is working from our respective home screens, it helps my brain shift into writing mode, my own small offering to the legends of the literary past. There’s an aspect of ritual to it that I like as I sit down and attempt to put words to paper (or Google Doc, if we’re being literal), creating something from nothing--a divine process in its own right. Scents are powerful, visceral forces; they can conjure long-forgotten memories in the brain. This sort of time travel is what makes the ensuing nostalgia so immediate, intimate, and intense. The olfactory bulb— the structure that sends information from the nose to the brain—is directly

SCENTSCAPES

The Spell of Smell

A TRIBUTE TO THE EVOCATIVE AND EPHEMERAL BEAUTY OF SCENT Story by Lauren Heffker • Photos by Kathleen Fitzgerald

connected to the limbic system, where the brain processes memory and emotion. It’s why specific smells can trigger a detailed memory or feeling without warning. It’s why my mom can vividly recall the smell of her Nanny B’s // J A N 2 1

Model: Emily Soileau

“SCENTS ARE POWERFUL, VISCERAL FORCES; THEY CAN CONJURE LONGFORGOTTEN MEMORIES IN THE BRAIN. THIS SORT OF TIME TRAVEL IS WHAT MAKES THE ENSUING NOSTALGIA SO IMMEDIATE, INTIMATE, AND INTENSE.” homemade angel biscuits even though she died thirty-six years ago, or how my younger sister remembers the stale, soapy smell of the bathrooms at our elementary school even though a decade has passed since the youngest of us walked those halls. It’s why long ago, lovers often sent letters spritzed with fragrance to their beaus; so their beloved could smell their essence lingering on the page, as if the scent alone would be enough to close the gap between them, or at least make it seem less cavernous. The same allure also drew me to my grandmother’s vanity as a little girl, where a fancy mirrored tray displayed her perfume collection of elegant, easily breakable glass bottles in an array of shapes and sizes and colors. To this day, I feel like a child again in her bathroom, eyeing my Nana’s 34

signature Chanel No. 5 and wondering if wearing it would transform me into a more mature and sophisticated version of myself. In college, I spent a semester studying abroad in Italy. I arrived in the dead of winter clad in my favorite denim jacket, wildly and hilariously unprepared for the icy sleet and biting cold of Milan in early February, and drank enough two euro boxed wine to forget the cold entirely. When the warmth of spring finally came, it covered the concrete city in a blanket of bright green, seemingly in bloom for the first time (to my eyes, at least). I still remember how a fence draped in honeysuckle stopped me in my tracks along the sidewalk, instantly transported back to childhood summers spent below sea level. I thought I could taste the nectar of the flower that

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Local scent brands you should try: Candles: Wicks NOLA Candle Co. and Hazletine Scent Co. Soaps: Cake Face Soaping Room Spray: Wicks NOLA Candle Co. Aroma Roller: Cake Face Soaping

appeared every year in Louisiana, sweet on the tongue. It made me ache for home. Thanks to this olfactory shortcut in the brain, the same oils and herbs that supply certain scents can also contain healing properties, calming one both mentally and physically. The simple act of lighting scented candles or using bath salts and soaps can yield drastic results, and no one understands the healing power of scents better than the following three local South Louisiana business owners, featured in our accompanying visual photo story. When Kelsey Conner, owner of Cake Face Soaping in Mandeville, started her business ten years ago, it was out of necessity; a chronic illness diagnosis forced her to search for alternative natural soap and skincare products that would soothe her

sensitive skin, and when she couldn’t find any, she decided to make them herself. For Conner, the scent itself isn’t as important as what it does for the wearer, from improving your sleep to producing hormones like dopamine and serotonin. For Wicks NOLA Candle Company owner and resident candle maker Tiffany Brown, scented candles and room and linen sprays provide mental health benefits like aiding anxiety, reducing stress levels, and boosting one’s mood. The power of scent can also be harnessed to better connect to the past. Historians and olfactory researchers (yep, the field of smell research is a thing) are even finding ways to preserve scents that are disappearing from modern memory, as well as recreating lost scents from historic happenings,

such as what Napoleon’s retreat from the Battle of Waterloo would have smelled like in 1815 (apparently, sweat, wet grass, and cologne). This massive archival effort also recognizes that these reconstructions are merely interpretations; scent is perhaps our most subjective sense, and there’s no way to really know what Napoleon would have smelled on the fateful day of his defeat by British forces. Because the beauty of scent lies in its evanescence; it’s always fleeting, ensuring we notice when it’s gone. h

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Cuisine

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FOOD

TOURS OF THE FUTURE

RENAISSANCE

BIG THINGS A COMIN’

Taken to Church

IN NATCHEZ AND BEYOND, GOOD THINGS COME TO THOSE WHO WAIT.

Story by Lorin Gaudin • Photos by Ken Kochey

In Natchez, Chef Ashley Allen, pictured, is helping to head up several new culinary hotspots in the new year.

’ve always loved Natchez for its slightly sleepy, faded belle vibe, woven with deep history, culture, food, and drink. Going into the new year there is new life, a reinvigoration. It’s exciting to watch the evolution of Church Hill Variety Group (“CHV” is partnered by Chef Nick Wallace with filmmakers Tate Taylor and John Norris) enlivening Natchez hospitality—a revitalization filled with community spirit, legacy, and delicious food. At the helm of their extensive culinary project is Chef Ashley Allen, a transplant to Natchez from the Virgin Islands. Chef Wallace tapped Chef Allen to join the project: “I’ve known Chef Ashley a long time,” he said. “We worked together about twenty years ago, and I remembered his incredible skills, art, and nurturing ability. I called him about the project and asked if he’d be interested in coming to Mississippi to make the vision a reality—to create a dynamic restaurant group of diverse people and kitchens with a goal to educate, employ, and provide the foundation for entrepreneurship.” After giving an emphatic “Yes,” Chef Allen now leads the CHV culinary team, all hard at work putting together menus and the many details that go into the restaurants: Smoot’s Grocery, Little Easy Bistro, and Church Hill Variety Restaurant and Farm Store, affectionately referred to as “the mothership.”

Smoot’s Grocery The Smoot’s Grocery reboot looks to put itself on the map, literally, by connecting its rollicking music-food venue to the existing Mississippi Blues Trail. Meanwhile, the live music lives on and there are simple, sophisticated foods like lush brown sugar and coffeerubbed brisket tacos with a tart cranberry slaw, CHV farm microgreens, and Chef Ashley’s heady bourbon BBQ sauce; smokey, meaty nachos; and crisp-tender chicken wings.

Little Easy Bistro

Opening this month, Little Easy Bistro is an elevated coffee shop serving breakfast, lunch, and afternoon snacks, including a charcuterie Happy Hour from 3 pm–5 pm. Chef Allen’s food here draws on Mississippi staples with a touch of island vibes. There are standards like eggs, pastries, muffins, and cinnamon rolls, of course, but specials built The Church Hill Variety Restaurant and Farm, considered CHV’s “mothership,” promises to bring fresh-fromthe-farm fine dining to the community of Church Hill and surrounding areas in 2021. Chef Allen’s way turn into 36

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dishes like jerk-spiced waffles topped with pecan-crusted fried chicken, a sticky bourbon-laced syrup, and vanilla bean butter; or smoked brisket with a collard greens chimichurri, avocado butter, and caramelized onions. As a brunch option, Chef’s twist on lox and bagels includes a crisp flatbread topped with smoked salmon, sun-dried olive tapenade, lemon, capers, and greens. Late afternoon happy hour brings more choices: charcuterie and other savories, homemade tater tots, and a trendy fried chicken sandwich with Kool-Aid pickles and jalapeño aioli that is all about that salt-fat-acid-heat.

Church Hill Variety Restaurant and Farm Opening in February 2021, the “mothership,” Church Hill Variety Restaurant and Farm in Church Hill (Tate Taylor’s birthplace), is eight miles east of the Mississippi River and about twenty minutes north of Natchez. The restaurant boasts an open kitchen with indoor and outdoor seating, combined with a farm store stocked with grab-andgo meals, homemade preserves, produce, farm eggs, and ice cream. For this

restaurant, Chef Allen’s menu is more pinkies-up refined, using some swanky culinary techniques, while retaining approachability and incorporating Mississippi-grown products. The farm that is part of Tate Taylor’s property in Church Hill is a work-in-progress. Currently run by present in-house staff, there are expansion and education plans afoot. Meantime, the chickens are producing eggs and there is a wild field of herbs and spices that wind up in many dishes. At CHV, dining is meant to be an extraordinary experience, with dishes like sous vide farm-raised chicken thigh roulade nestled on rich, roasted garlic whipped yukon gold potatoes, served with andouille-spiked sautéed green beans, frizzled collard greens chiffonade, and Creole beurre blanc; or this stunner: smoked jerk catfish atop a cassava-herb cracker, dehydrated lemon zest dust, and a drizzle of scotch bonnet chili gastrique.

The Depot As if that weren’t enough, the CHV team is also planning to operate The Depot, a venue with enormous potential for local events and tourism. The focus, again, is about creating community and blending the area’s rich music and food history for events of any size. Opening bit-by-bit, delayed by the pandemic, CHV’s projects not only look good, they aim to do good too. The group’s mission to create high quality restaurants and an exceptional farm store are all rooted in providing education, employment, and entrepreneurship. It’s a plan for culinary legacy that encourages gathering, celebrating heritage, lending a hand, and creating a lasting legacy to help revitalize a beautiful city. It’s thrilling to watch as Church Hill Variety Group’s places put on finishing touches, finalize menus, and rampup hiring. This is the Natchez worth waiting for, the one I can’t wait to visit and feast on, time and time again. h Thanks to a partnership with Nick Wallace Culinary (Wallace pictured top right, photo courtesy of Nick Wallace Culinary) and Natchez filmmakers Tate Taylor and John Norris, the Mississippi town is cookin’ up several exciting new culinary concepts, headed by Chef Ashley Allen, pictured on bottom. One of Chef Allen’s first endeavors to open is a new barbecue venture to accompany the good old blues at Smoot’s Grocery, where his brisket tacos (pictured top left) have already landed happily with the locals.

nickwallaceculinary.com Visit Church Hill Variety on Facebook.

Happy New Year!

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3-V Tourist Courts •1940’s Motor Hotel • Reservations: 225-721-7003 // J A N 2 1

Culture

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MOMENTS AT INGLEWOOD

MUSIC

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BOOZY BOOKSHOP

LAFAYETTE

EMERGING // 4 1

CHRONICLES OF CAJUN

ON EXHIBIT

Beautiful Isolation

KATHRYN KELLER’S INTIMATE RENDERINGS ARE AS UNIVERSAL AS EVER By Jordan LaHaye Fontenot

Top right: “Lake Fausse Point 3.10.2020” (2020), watercolor on paper, 16x12 inches. Top left: “Bleak House 2.19.2020,” watercolor on paper, 12x9 inches. Bottom: “Bleak House 11.17.19,” watercolor on paper, 20x14 inches. All by Kathryn Keller.

t’s difficult to pinpoint what it is about Kathryn Keller’s paintings that so echo the real. Far from photorealist works, her paintings—cozy corners by the fireplace, peeks through doorways, expansive bayous shrouded by oaks and reflected into a passing stream—live very definitely in the realm of the second dimension, and upon a closer look might even be considered in some sense abstract with their wispy, conspicuous brushstrokes. And yet, Keller’s visions possess an inherent quality of materiality, of truth. Perhaps it is her use of color— shading an entire room with a satsuma gleam you don’t have to

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be told is not the wallpaper, but instead sunlight pouring through the windowpanes. Maybe it’s Keller’s clever, perhaps even playful, use of reflection: in tepid bathwater, against the gloss of the dining table or the baby grand. It could be the human essences secreted into her anywhere, anytime interiors: blankets crumpled in the corners, books left opened on her ottomans, paintings you can barely make out on every wall, and the January 23, 2017 issue of the New Yorker, with Barry Blitt’s rendering of America’s fortyfifth president in a car smaller than his head, left on a countertop. But more likely, it is the familiarity emanating from Kathryn Keller’s paintings that gives them life—the sense that I, the viewer, have been here before. This universality speaks perhaps more deeply to Keller’s ability to evoke a shared experience than it does to her (albeit masterful) representational skills. In a 2017 interview with her daughter, multimedia artist Hannah Timmons, Keller said that she is not motivated by the mission of accurate

representation: “When I’m painting the landscape or interiors, it’s because I’m painting where I am. It’s as simple as that for me. Hopefully by capturing the uniqueness of the place, by describing a specific place well, it will begin to resonate and feel universal.” “There is the artist who is conceptually thinking about what they are creating,” explained Keller’s godson David Gunderson Weissman. “Then there is the artist who just creates because they need to do so everyday. Like eating or sleeping, it’s what they need to do. There is no set agenda behind why the create. Kathryn wakes up and tackles whatever surrounds her,” he said. “She paints, every single day, because she must.” “Kathryn paints all the time,” said Catherine Pears at the Alexandria Museum of Art, which displayed the artist’s debut exhibition The View From Within in 2017. “She doesn’t fly, takes the train to visit her family members, and she paints on the train. Everywhere, all the time, she paints.” Always painting from life, Keller’s body of work includes her varied travels. But it most prominently features Inglewood, the 1836 Alexandria farm purchased by her grandfather in 1926, where she spent much of her childhood. Today, Inglewood operates as the largest organic farm in Louisiana, run by Keller’s sister Elisabeth. It also serves as Kathryn’s full-time home these days, and her site of quarantine throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

“WHEN I BEGIN A PAINTING, HOW IMPOSSIBLE IT SEEMS. HOW DAUNTING A TASK. HOW AUDACIOUS THE ATTEMPT. I MUSTER MY COURAGE AND MY PATIENCE AND BEGIN THE ADVENTURE.” —KATHRYN KELLER

Isolation is a theme that has always been reflected in Keller’s work, with her empty rooms and vast people-less landscapes. Even her portraits, which characteristically capture the essence of specific life, are lonesome. “She’s always painted this,” said Christy Wood of Lemieux Galleries in New Orleans, which represents Keller’s work. “But now, over the past year, it seems to have taken on more meaning.” Meditating on the nature of her work in 2020, Keller quoted Orson Wells, who said: “The enemy of art is the absence of limitations.” In a world so vast, she said, how difficult it can be to select a subject. “The pandemic has restricted my movement,” she said. “But what more profoundly confines me are my personal limitations, my handicaps: my fears and anxieties which include a reluctance to leave my nest. These limits make my work unique to me. They form the lens through which I view the reality, the world, that I put to paper and canvas.” In January, LeMieux will show Keller’s first major exhibition in the gallery, titled Beautiful Isolation. The selection of contemplative interiors and quiet landscapes captured in the solitude of 2020 lends a serene, notquite-lucid memory to a difficult year. And the inhabitable nature of her works is emphasized by the now common experience of isolation, shared by an entire population. Now, we have all been here before. h

Along with this nuanced contemplation of the year’s quiet, Beautiful Isolation features a single corner of drama, of destruction, in Keller’s documentation of the wreckage left behind after Louisiana’s worst hurricane season to date. “Hurricane Laura blew through [Inglewood], and blew trees down and mangled the ones still standing,” Keller said. “At first, I saw only destruction, but as I began to paint, I found a beautiful order in the chaos.”

Kathryn Keller’s “Aftermath Hurricane Laura” series. Bottom left: 10.27.20, oil on canvas, 20x24 inches. Bottom right: 10.2.20, oil on canvas, 24x30 inches. Top right: 10.15.20. oil on canvas, 16x19 inches.

Beautiful Isolation opens at LeMieux Galleries on January 9, and will remain on display until February 27, with a virtual opening event to be announced.

Life is a journey

LEARN MORE AT VISITIBERVILLE.COM //J A N 2 1

BOO KS & BOOZE

Turning a Page BEAUSOLEIL BOOKS BRINGS SENSORY OVERLOAD TO DOWNTOWN LAFAYETTE Story amd photos by Jordan LaHaye Fontenot

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tep into Downtown Lafayette’s newest retail space with your mind an open book—“I want to read something new, but I don’t know what”—and you’ll find the staff at Beausoleil Bookstore well-read on the subject. What genres do you like? Something old or something new? Paperback? The room—purple floors, wooden bookshelves, antique sofa and all—is a conglomeration of the four owners’ expertise and passions. James curated the sci-fi section and is an expert on historical nonfiction. Blaire’s got your romance novels under wraps. India unapologetically loves young adult novels in between her more serious reading on today’s social issues. And Bryan, well, he keeps tabs on the local interest section—which, naturally, extends into French literature. For Bryan Dupree, the opportunity to help promote French literacy in Acadiana was a huge part of the draw to open up Beausoleil, which he did with three friends in October 2020. But it was also a chance to bring new retail activity to Lafayette’s more restaurant-laden downtown area, as well as to offer a daytime gathering space for locals and visitors alike. “I felt that we really needed a place that exuded our French-ness downtown,” said Dupree, who is a direct descendant of the bookstore’s namesake, the Cajun folk hero Joseph “Beausoleil” Broussard. “Upon researching, we realized that Lafayette is the largest city in South Louisiana without an independent bookstore.” And in a city like Lafayette, which Dupree describes as especially enthusiastic about supporting small businesses, the very human and regionally-specific experience of a boutique bookstore fits right in. “There are real people choosing each book in the store,” he said. “There is this customization and attention to detail that can only be provided in a small shop. We literally hand pick books for our customers.” Not only this, but with eight attuned ears, Beausoleil’s owners intentionally

work to provide a selection that suits Lafayette’s specific tastes, offering forms for customers to submit their requests. “For instance, we’ve recently expanded our books on the subject of design,” explained Dupree. “Local design consultants would come in and say, ‘You know, you should really carry this author!’ So, the books we carry are chosen for the community, but they are also very much chosen by the community.” Opening up a brick-and-mortar, page-and-cover bookstore in the age of screens and scrolling (and in a pandemic, no less) is an act of faith in the power of the tangible, the sensory, the analog. “It’s the feeling of turning pages,” said Dupree. “Turning them yourself. . . making the discovery yourself. You’ve got to have a customer base that appreciates the written word on paper, as it was originally intended.” Indulging even deeper into that sensory element of reading, Beausoleil’s book club currently includes—alongside its “Book du Mois” selection—a Candle of the Month. “So December’s book was Christina Lauren’s Christmas romance, In a Holidaze,” said Dupree. “So local candlemakers Jules and Esther made a limited edition, custom candle called Holidaze, which is meant to evoke the cozy smells of the book’s cabin setting while you read.” In 2021, once conditions allow for a safe opening, Beausoleil Books will also introduce its own wine bar, called The Whisper Room—where book club members can purchase a cocktail of the month to complement their Book du Mois, bringing the experience from the imagination to the nose to the tongue (and maybe even, after enough imbibing, back to the imagination). The Whisper Room will offer a space for enjoying a selection of French and Spanish wines, cocktails, and small bites—either as a stylish accompaniment to your romance novel or as fuel for much-missed conversations in cozy community spaces. h

beausoleilbooks.com

FA I S D O D O

Photo by Gabrielle Savoy

Volume II

THIRTY SEVEN YEARS LATER, ANN SAVOY RELEASES VOLUME TWO OF HER ACCLAIMED CAJUN MUSIC ANTHOLOGY By Jordan LaHaye Fontenot

n 1985, a journalist at the Washington Post described Ann Savoy’s 445-page anthology of Cajun music and musicians as: “perhaps the most comprehensive and stunning portrait of this music ever written.” Part of a tradition in which transplants become so transfixed by Louisiana culture that they become its bearers, the Richmond, Virginia native has spent the last forty-plus years fully immersed in its music, language, and traditions. Taking up music herself as part of her husband Marc’s Savoy Doucet Cajun Band and jamming away with the region’s best inside his Eunice music store—boudin in hand—Savoy’s fresh eyes and ears have absorbed the most intimate and intricate parts of this world. And she felt the calling, the compulsion, to share it. Published in 1984, Cajun Music: A Reflection of a People held stories of and interviews with twenty-two of the most iconic Cajun and Creole musicians of the twentieth century, along with treasured and often-rare photographs and over one hundred songs—French lyrics, phonetic guides, chords, English translations, and all. The book won the Botkin Book Award from the American Folklore Society, as well as

acclaim across the nation. But it wasn’t even finished. “Before I finished Book One, I had already started on Book Two,” said Savoy. “The book was already massive. There was no way I could fit everything I had into it.” But, between raising her family and touring with her music—“I was just so burnt out. I put it all in a big box, thought, ‘Maybe my children will complete this.’” Her children didn’t do it for her, but they and their friends—part of a new generation of Cajun musicians—got the ball rolling. “They said, ‘If you get it out of the boxes, we’ll help you finish it.’” This month, thirty-seven years after Volume I was published, Cajun Music: A Reflection of a People Volume II will be released into the world, completing Savoy’s vital contribution to the memory of “a past world that in part no longer exists,” as she puts it in the book’s introduction. Picking up where she left off, Savoy’s Volume II dives in among the bare bones of our regional musicology, starting with the Cajun accordion, with its early iterations in China and its official birth in Germany, crossing the ocean to the Louisiana prairies where it joined the fiddle in creating a new, distinctly American sound for the Acadian people.

This chapter ends in Savoy’s husband Marc’s hands, where Cajun accordions have been formed in Louisiana for over fifty years now, and are today exported to Germany, where German folks are learning to play Cajun music. The book includes one of the earliest Acadian accounts of Cajun dancing by fiddler Dennis McGee, who describes the contradances, waltzes, galops, valsouviennes, two-steps, and marche de la noces of the early Cajun balls. And then there are the interviews. In conversations transcribed in French and translated to English, song collector Edius Naquin tells of his grandfather who, goblet in hand, would sing “Ca case la guile a quinze pas” : “I am gray, hurry and fill my glass, then the more I see and the more I drink the more this wine alters me.” Naquin’s songs, passed down from his grandmother and preserved in his own musical abilities, are published in the pages to follow. Dewey Segura recalls his first accordion, which was actually his sister’s—purchased by his mother with the money she earned picking cotton—and sings “Jolie Blonde” and “Les maringouins a tout mange ma belle” (“The Mosquitos Ate My Sweetheart”). Preston Frank tells of the days when his son, the now-popular

zydeco musician Keith Frank, would sleep on the table during gigs. Interviews with family and friends paint a picture of the turbulent life of fiddler Douglas Bellard, the first African American to record a Creole French 78 record in 1929, beating Amédé Ardoin by three months. Speaking of Amédé—an extremely rare photo of the legendary accordion player is included in the tome, given to Savoy by Ardoin’s muse, the supposed subject of songs like “Valse Des Opelousas,” Mazie Broussard. Holding so very much, these pages use the power of oral and written histories to engage their readers in memories both quiet and monumental, building our culture’s musical icons into know-able people. And though so many of them are gone now, we can still know their music. h

Cajun Music: A Reflection of a People, Volume II is available for $45 at annsavoy.com and savoymusiccenter.com. A special edition run of two hundred first edition hardcover books will be available for $70.

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Escapes

J A N U A RY 2 0 2 1 42 WALDEN CAME

MEETS THE SIMPLE

LIFE ON

LAKE

LOUISIANA’S NEWEST HIGHPOINTER

PONTCHARTRAIN

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I N TO T H E W I L D HOW A

TEENAGE

FLIP-FLOPPED WRITER

BOYS

AND

BABY OTTERS

BEW

LAP OF LUXURY

Happy Glampers

TENTRR ELEVATES THE CAMPING EXPERIENCE IN LOUISIANA Story and photos by Alexandra Kennon

’ve got to be honest: When I was first asked if I wanted to go “glamping,” I practically rolled my eyes. A portmanteau of “glamour” and “camping,” the two concepts seemed entirely mutually exclusive. Glamour conjures visions of fashion models, YouTube makeup artists, and Instagram influencers. As someone whose childhood was heavily peppered with camping trips along the secluded banks of the Mississippi River, I can confidently say that while the excursions make up some of my fondest memories, venturing into the wild to commune with nature and use the bathroom in the woods tends to be anything but glamorous, in my experience. The trip I was asked to take, however, was a far cry from the rougher campouts of my youth—the term “glamping” 42

is used, and aptly, because Louisiana State Parks have recently partnered with national company Tentrr (whose name amusingly reminded me of the dating app I may or may not have recently downloaded, then promptly deleted). Tentrr specializes in placing luxury campsites complete with large expedition tents, elevated wooden decks, Adirondack chairs, and picnic tables in remote, scenic locations so vacationers can enjoy the beauty of the outdoors without all the frustration and effort of a traditional camping trip. Typically, Tentrr works with private landowners, making Louisiana’s only the second state park system the company has partnered with. Launched in November, the partnership includes over sixty sites—each chosen as spots of particular natural beauty—in eight Louisiana

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State Parks, including Fontainebleau in Mandeville. My home base of New Orleans is only a short drive across the Causeway, and after the dystopian rollercoaster of 2020, I found myself heavily in the market for the rejuvenation in the form of a scenic view and some fresh air. Tentrr’s accommodations thankfully rendered my admittedly rusty campmaking abilities basically unnecessary— they promised a spacious, heavy-canvas tent with a peaked roof tall enough to stand in without crouching, a queensized bed, a camp toilet, and even a propane space heater (which, it being December, I would be especially grateful for). Our particular lakeside campsite at Fountainebleu was accessible only by boat, meaning we would have to put ourselves and our belongings into

a canoe and paddle for about twenty minutes from the car to reach our private beach. It certainly sounded like an adventure, but I was a bit nervous at the prospect of navigating Lake Pontchartrain with all of my luggage in a tiny boat. I have experience canoeing, as well as capsizing. Before embarking on the trip that Saturday, I looked up the projected weather and typed “Can hypothermia set in at forty-five degrees” into the Google search bar. I learned that, in fact, it can—particularly if one is wet. Perfect. Embracing the “glam” in “glamping,” I asked my friend Lexi to accompany me. Lexi had never been camping before (and, if we’re being honest, given Tentrr’s accommodations, she still hasn’t really), and is the type of person to actually subscribe to YouTube makeup

artists and possess a substantial designer wardrobe. She’s one of the most “glam” people I know. Between the two of us, I thought, we’d have this “glamping” thing covered. Knowing the relative luxury that awaited us, I woke up the morning of our adventure with nothing packed. I began to throw some warm—but cute—clothes into a bag before pulling up Tentrr’s handy packing list. A lantern, bed linens, some toilet paper, plastic reusable wine glasses, and cutlery went in with the clothes. I texted Lexi to ask if she needed anything from the grocery store before I picked her up, since I had plans to grab a bottle of wine by new local winery Ole Orleans, along with a few other necessities. “Goat cheese” was her sole response. Nothing if not practical. I grabbed a truffled goat cheese along with a Gumbeaux merlot, but couldn’t find a long camp lighter as I was hoping. Ah well: we had wine. I picked Lexi up, and as we piled her substantial belongings into my car (we both packed a bit over-zealously for a one-night stay), I became concerned about fitting all of our stuff in that single canoe—and we still weren’t done stocking up. Music blasting and excitement (with some anxiety on my end, remembering the hypothermia Google results) palpable, we made our way across the Causeway to Mandeville. The first Northshore stop for more necessities: Mandeville Bake Shop. A warm, sugary smell engulfed us as we entered the modest storefront, and our self-control fled the building. The bemused young man behind the display case piled Doberge squares, baklava rolls, mini-cheesecakes, turtle cookies, cinnamon rolls, and apple hand pies into a box at our zealous requests. “Wait— need a pecan boat, too!” Lexi chimed as we checked out. “Because we’re about to get on an actual boat.” Can’t argue with that logic. Even with all our splurging, the total was only thirteen bucks and some change—my kind of bakery. Next we headed to Hambone, where several knowledgeable Northshore residents had directed me for notoriously good fried chicken and batched cocktails (served in half-gallon mason jars, no less). As we approached the restaurant, the Mandeville Trailhead Farmer’s Market beckoned with its Christmas lights and tented vendors. Lexi promptly bought a dozen jams from the father-daughter jarring duo called Ryan’s Kitchen; some for Christmas gifts and some to accompany our charcuterie spread. We also grabbed

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some creamed wildflower honey from friendly local beekeeper Jerry of Bee Sweet Honey, as well as gardenia-scented aloe vera loofah soaps and natural bug repellent (see, practical!) from The Vera Soap Company. Arms full of goodies, we turned back to the fried chicken. As we approached Hambone’s adorable white and teal trimmed cottage, Kyn, the convivial server with whom I’d placed the order on the phone, brought us a gargantuan brown bag. Inside was our fried chicken with an extra side of biscuits and pecan butter, deviled eggs, smoked fish dip with plantain chips, and, of course, our mason jar of spiked strawberry hibiscus lemonade. Now we were prepared. Shannon from Bayou Adventure, the local swamp tour and canoe/kayak rental company who provided our canoe, and Patrick, our Tentrr “Camp Keeper,” each greeted us warmly as we pulled up to the pier and began to unload our spoils. Lexi tossed cheeses and jellies into her large rolling suitcase (“We need both of these: one is sweet, one is spicy”—again, inarguable), and Shannon and Patrick kindly helped us load up the canoe. If there was any judgement regarding our over-packing, they hid it well. When we reached the

red canoe awaiting us on the beach, two links of fresh boudin loaded with green onions and just the right pork-torice ratio were sitting, hot and ready, in the boat. Trying to ascertain where the gift was from, I learned that Shannon and her husband Jeff “have a guy” who makes it for them, and they carry it at their Bayou Adventure storefront just down the road. They’ll even put a poboy or breakfast sandwich in the boat for you if you like—their company motto, “We can do that!” is printed on the back of their shirts, and they mean it. I’d never paddled on Lake Pontchartrain before, and considering the vastness of the “Child of the Gulf,” I was surprised at how pleasant and easy it was to reach our campsite, guided by Patrick in another canoe. The trip was just long enough to justify our fried chicken and dessert spread with the light upper-body workout, and to enjoy a sense of accomplishment upon feeling the crunch of the sea shells strewn about our own personal beach. Patrick was a good sport about taking some iPhone photos of us before shoving back off, leaving us to set up camp—well, lay out the charcuterie board, anyway. Camp was already set up, just begging to be posted on Instagram.

Though our campsite came equipped with plenty of firewood for the night, my father as well as my former Girl Scout troop leaders will be disappointed to learn that despite packing a wide variety of cheeses and accompanying dried salami and jams, all I brought to start a fire was a Bic cigarette lighter and two back issues of Country Roads (I admit with apologies to our goodnatured publishers Ashley and James). Though the briny breeze off of the lake approaching sunset brought a brief moment of panic as I initially failed to get a flame to catch (really, do yourself a favor and bring some lighter fluid), Lexi holding open her jacket to block the wind and a good deal of determination (“Imagine how the cave women must have felt!”) finally allowed us to get a nice fire going in the pit. We busted out Hambone’s boozy strawberry hibiscus lemonade to celebrate our warming victory, clinking plastic stemless glasses together. The cocktail was an ideal blend of justsweetened-enough natural fruit juice with a substantial amount of vodka. Between big bites of moist, flavorful drumsticks and buttery, crumbly biscuits sloppily rubbed with pecan butter, the two of us easily depleted the

twine-rimmed mason jar as we watched the sun set. There was something simultaneously empowering and cozy about not only looking out at the

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J A N 2 1 // C O U N T R Y R O A D S M A G . C O M

“THE WHOLE EXPERIENCE INSPIRED FEELINGS OF THOREAU’S WALDEN MEETS EARLY-2000S REALITY SHOW THE SIMPLE LIFE, PRIMARY DIFFERENCES BEING THAT THE PONTCHARTRAIN IS A WHOLE LOT MORE VOLUMINOUS THAN WALDEN, AND LEXI AND I HAVE A WHOLE LOT LESS MONEY AND INFLUENCE THAN PARIS HILTON AND NICOLE RICHIE.”

seemingly infinite water on a beach just for us, but also being equipped with such an extensive spread of food and drink, a warm tent, and comfortable

bed awaiting. For two relatively highmaintenance individuals, we had everything we could possibly want, plus some. We busted out the Ole Orleans

merlot, which was full-bodied and nottoo-dry, while laughing over the events of the year and trying (and failing) to play “Never Have I Ever”. The whole experience inspired feelings of Thoreau’s Walden meets early-2000s reality show The Simple Life, primary differences being that the Pontchartrain is a whole lot more voluminous than Walden, and Lexi and I have a whole lot less money and influence than Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie. Long after the sun set over the lake, when the fire began to settle into embers and we had finished the wine, we retreated into our toasty tent and sat on the bed pairing salty cheeses with jams from the farmer’s market. Then, we tore into the Doberge squares and baklava, saving the remaining baked goods for our breakfast, before falling into the kind of deep sleep that only indulgence in good wine, food, and a comfortable mattress can provide. The soft, rhythmic sound of the waves didn’t hurt, either. The next morning I awoke before Lexi, and my breath caught as I unzipped the front of our tent to reveal the later stages of a bright, clear sunrise reflected on the lake. As I sat in an Adirondack chair sipping cold brew coffee, I couldn’t help but feel a

bit cliché, yet sincere, watching the waves lapping at our little beach before returning to the vastness from which they came. In that moment, my phone battery long-dead, my mind started to wander in the surprised and ecstatic freedom of prolonged distance from a screen. With the only audible sounds the motion of the water and the birds overhead, I imagined each gentle wave taking a bit of the hurt of 2020 and carrying it out toward the far away Causeway, submerging it, and leaving in its place only fresh air and sea shells. h To book a glamping trip: louisianastateparks. reserveamerica.com

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// J A N 2 1

L O F T Y A S P I R AT I O N S

It’s the Climb

CLOSING OUT 2020 AT LOUISIANA’S PEAK Story and photos by Chris Turner-Neal

“D

on’t get murdered. And don’t get a tick!” That’s what love sounds like when you call from the parking lot of a rural church to tell your sweetheart of the sign that reads: “Hikers advised to wear safety orange in hunting season.” Going on to describe the cloud of wasps hovering around the church door, I earned only a heavy sigh. Louisiana stands tall in food, music, and culture, but when it comes to its literal geography— considerably less so. Driskill Mountain— the highest point in Louisiana at 535 feet above sea level—is the third-lowest of any state in the Union, edging out only Florida’s Britton Hill and Delaware’s 46

enigmatically-named Ebright Azimuth. (Adding insult to injury, the nexthighest high point is Woodall Mountain in Mississippi, at the site of the Civil War Battle of Iuka, which you can drive up to today. Ohio’s high point, nearly three times loftier than Louisiana’s, is known as Campbell Hill.) One of the easiest high-point summits in the country is, however, perfect for a day jaunt next time you can afford to detour through Bienville Parish— you can climb a mountain without breaking very much of a sweat, and still be in Shreveport in time for supper. The trail to the top of Driskill Mountain opens in the parking lot of a red-brick

country church, with a weathered sign by the main road announcing the peak. The Saturday before Thanksgiving, there were three cars lined up along the church building—as much as I like the idea of a secret adventure, my secret rule-following heart was pleased to know exactly where to park. Excited by my first chance to explore a new place during a particularly cooped-up year, I forgot both my water bottle and to change into walking shoes. Neither was a serious problem on the brief and shady hike, but try not to follow my example. The summit and the path up to it are on private land; the current owners welcome area hikers provided they stay on the trail and follow the basic nature etiquette of “take only pictures, leave only footsteps.” The well-maintained trail

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is easy to follow except for the very beg i n n i ng —what looks like a trail behind the cemetery is actually just a clearing. Instead, follow the dirt road up a little until you see a sign that’ll pull you off onto the trail itself. From there, your path is clear all the way to the top. I hadn’t realized how badly I needed a walk in the woods, and I kept catching myself hurrying to the top, childlike, then making myself slow down. The main route to the summit is only 0.9 miles, and I wanted to savor all of it. (“Experienced hikers,” whatever that means in this lowstakes environment, can take a spur line to the summit that goes over a nearby peak and offers “spectacular hardwood views.”) I passed a couple of families and pairs of smiling friends on my way up, the children scampering up ahead of their parents. There

were only a few brief huff-and-puff patches on the otherwise gently rising path, and before I was ready, I’d reached the top of Louisiana. The very, very top is marked with a pile of rocks, to which someone had added an American flag and an evangelist flier, presumably on the logic that if you’d gotten this close to Heaven you might as well keep going. An informational board a few feet to the side and apparently a few centimeters below the summit cairn gives more information; the site is maintained by local boy scouts and “Highpointers,” a hobby group of people who enjoy reaching the highest points in various jurisdictions (mostly U.S. states, but their website, when I looked at it, featured an image of a smiling man at the apex of the Virgin Islands). I managed to wait

until payday to sign up, but if you are a better money manager than I, you’ll have sufficient cell reception to do so right from the mount. Touchingly, the ashes of the founder of Highpointers were scattered on Driskill Mountain after his 2002 passing. Jack Longacre lived on Mount Taum Sauk, near the high point of Missouri with an elevation of 1,772 feet—the sign gave no information about why Longacre or those who sent him off chose Louisiana’s topographically lowly peak, but the summit is a beautiful place to rest, either forever or just for a few minutes as you contemplate your triumph. The poet John Donne wrote “… in Heaven, it is

always autumn,” and while I hope any eternal reward I may earn will boast some springtime flowers, it was easy to agree with Donne from the mountaintop. As I’d moved north from New Orleans, I’d seen more and more turning leaves, and now I was in a proper fall forest, with a carpet of foliage and everything. It’s been easy to sulk this year, and as an added sting I was turning thirtysix later that week—I know it’s not that old, but the idea of “the back half of my thirties” isn’t a comfort. (As far as advertisers go, I’m leaving behind my Doritos years and entering the West Elm age.) But today, I could walk back down the mountain with a new hobby, a fall-calmed soul, and not a single tick. h

If You Go: You can split off from I-49 onto 167 in Alexandria (passing through Dry Prong, where a sign boldly announces that if you lived there, you’d be home by now) or peel from I-20 onto LA-147 in Arcadia. The formal name of the church you can park at is Mount Zion Independent Presbyterian, but putting this in your GPS will bring up a smattering of incorrect, similarly named churches. Everyone, including Apple Maps, calls it Driskill Church, so put that in your GPS of choice and putter along back roads until you find it; park along the side and you’re ready to roll. Bring a water bottle; you can do the hike in tennis shoes (I did it in flip-flops, but I’m a doofus). Cameras recommended; geocachers will find a few treats along the route. If you follow my advice to dine in Shreveport, consult Stuffed and Busted, the passion project of Chris Jay, northwest Louisiana cuisine aficionado and friend of the magazine. If you find yourself enthralled and raring to hit the high points of our sister states, you can join the Highpointers at highpointers.org; $25 annually gets you a newsletter and commemorative pins or patches when you complete 5, 10, 25, 30, 40, 48, and 50 state high points.

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ZIPLINES WITH GEN Z

Off- Grid in Ethel

ME AND THREE TEENAGE BOYS IN THE WILD, KIND OF Story and photos by Jordan LaHaye Fontenot

“S

hhhhh . . .” was the text I sent my teenage brother late on a recent Friday night. Staying at my parents’ home in Vidrine, I could hear one exaggerated outburst after another from across the hall––“Oh my GOSH did you SEE that?”––each followed by an almost indecipherable flow of syllables delivered at warp speed and volumes ranging between seventy decibels and one hundred. The last of us still living at my parents’ house, Luke now usually enjoys the privilege of having the entire second floor to himself, with the freedom to converse (i.e. shout) with his friends on PlayStation all the live long night. Luke was the reason I had come to town: he and I had a date the next day to visit the Magnolia Ridge Adventure Park, which opened last October in Ethel, Louisiana. Touted as the “largest zipline course in South Louisiana,” Magnolia Ridge is the brainchild of John “Gabe” Ligon, owner of the town’s nearby wildlife sanctuary Barn Hill Preserve, which we’d also be visiting on our excursion to Ethel. These days, it’s rare that Luke and I get to spend much time together apart from bustling family functions. Ten years his senior, I’m still at times surprised to find him almost a foot taller than me, with junior varsity football player muscles and baby-fat-less cheekbones to kill. I thought, what better way to reconnect than by putting us both outside of our comfort zones a bit? Perhaps a couple hundred feet above the ground? Or in the presence of wild animals? At age fourteen (almost fifteen) Luke is the youngest of my parents’ five children and has always been a bit of an enigma to the rest of us. Combine unapologetic self-confidence with high levels of intelligence, a chunk of youngest-child syndrome, then add in puberty, and you’ve got a character of a kid. But perhaps the most significant defining factor separating Luke from the rest of us is his relationship with media. I, being born in the second half of the 1990s, landed right on the generational cusp of millennial and Gen Z. It’s an interesting place to fall, a sort of microgeneration in and of itself. To put it 48

J A N 2 1 // C O U N T R Y R O A D S M A G . C O M

very very simply: we were among the first teenagers to own iPhones, the last to use MySpace. Luke, born in 2006, was already taking selfies on Mom’s phone when he was four. He was part of the “Do you have games on your phone?” crowd and has discovered most everything he understands about the world around him, including his social interactions, via screen. In fact, if I hadn’t torn him away, Luke and his friends would be spending that Saturday, too, in front of their respective screens, shouting at each other through the world of Call of Duty. “It’s the norm for us,” he said. “We ask, ‘You gonna get on today?’ and that’s where we talk.” Given the choice to go on a family vacation or to stay home and hang out with his friends via video games, Luke’s fancy gamer chair tends to win. Over the summer, we all borrowed a family-friend’s party barge at Toledo Bend. Faced with a gorgeous sunset over glimmering waters, his face was glued to Snapchat. I can hardly call this particular behavior a generational thing. Up until the nineties, teenagers hid in their rooms hoarding the landline for hours. I myself once spent a summer upstairs glued to our desktop, engaged in the dramas of AOL Instant Messenger. And the draw of interactive video games is nothing new—teenagers want to be where their friends are. What’s changed is the everywhere-ness, the portability, of screens today, combined with the increased access to, well, everything— information, entertainment, friends— all the time. It’s so easy to choose the screen over what is around you; it holds so much, after all. Which is why, on our little excursion into the East Feliciana forests, I decided to let Luke bring his friends, Colby and Conner. It’s also why the first thing I did upon our arrival to Magnolia Ridge was ask for their phones (“You don’t want these to fall out of your pocket!”). Less an exercise in prosthelytizing on the virtues of “fresh air” and “experience” than a social experiment, I wanted to see if three-dimensional soaring above the trees would, well, be enough for them. Was there still room in the Gen Z algorithm for good old-fashioned adrenaline? Magnolia Ridge’s “High Elements”

course consists of eight hundred feet of ziplines and bridgecrossings. Once we were each securely strapped into our intricate body basket of sorts and attached to the hundredsof-feet-long cable that would lead us through the forest, we climbed our way up to the first tower. About halfway up, Colby said out loud what most of us were thinking: “So if we fell off of this thing …” I responded: “Yeah, we’d just be hanging there, dangling like a rag doll.” Since this was all my idea, I had been designated leader. Putting on a brave, somewhat bored face for my teenage audience, I gingerly—if not gracefully— loped my way across the first bridge. Our guides––there was one stationed at the landing pads ahead, behind, and with us––encouraged us with quips like “Oh no! Your strap’s come undone!” and “The line can smell your fear.” When it came time to take the first leap, they promised “The first one is always the worst.” From my landing perch, I turned around to watch my partners take flight. Poor Luke, whose first experience with ziplines six years ago ended in tears and hysterics and a

nine-year-old stuck dangling high above the ground, had no room for fear in his now-teenage body, with his friends watching no less. After a few minutes, he swallowed whatever residual panic lived inside him and jumped, long legs dangling all the way to the end. “How was it?” I asked. He took a deep breath and looked at me sheepishly, “Not bad. And they said that one was the worst, right?” Our trust in that little line and our spiderweb of body straps more firmly established, we spent the next two

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hours gliding over the magnolias, oaks, and elms. It’s no Belize, but the natural flora and fauna of our Louisiana backwoods gain magnitude when viewed from above. Even against the scream of a zipper (or a fellow zipliner), in those few seconds of flight above it all, there is a snapshot

of solitude above a landscape you never realized was quite so vast. Meditating on all of this, I turned to

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listen in to my partners’ commentary on our next line: “They said this one will give you a wedgie if you stand up too soon,” said Luke. “So y’all should try that out.” After completing our final flight over the Comite River, the longest one at eight hundred fifty feet, we hiked our way back through the woods. A few yards

Top left: Luke (right) and Conner (left) meeting baby Kiara, a Linnaeus’s two-toed sloth. Bottom left: One of Barn Hill’s most popular features is its Otter Swim Encounter. Photo courtesy of Barn Hall Preserve. Bottom right: Luke (right) and Colby (left) getting to know T’challa, Barn Hill’s resident baby giraffe (who loves snuggling into armpits).

behind my crew, I watched them guffaw and giggle, recounting their favorite lines, the ones that freaked them out the most. They never once asked for their phones. I did return them, though, for the Wildlife Refuge. The service was terrible anyway, and even I couldn’t resist the Instagram-ability of baby animals. And by baby animals, I mean baby kangaroos. And baby sloths. And a baby giraffe named T’challa. Since 2012, Barn Hill Preserve has operated as the seven-acre home to over fifty species of exotic animals, and is best known for its “Encounter Tours,” which offer remarkable opportunities for handson interaction with some of the animals. After leading us on a tour of the grounds, introducing us to four beautiful African servals, Bandit and Bindi the Binturongs (bearish, catlike creatures that

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J A N 2 1 // C O U N T R Y R O A D S M A G . C O M

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A New LPB Health & Wellness Initiative One of Barn Hill Preserve’s African servals. Photo courtesy of Barn Hill Preserve.

smell like buttered popcorn!), and Patches the sloth, our guide Marisa pointed to the dressing rooms. We were going swimming—with otters! When I was small, I once totally ruined a family trip to SeaWorld because Mom wouldn’t let me take the otters home. Barn Hill is one of the few place in the United States to offer this unique experience, letting its Asian small-clawed otters out into the heated swimming pool for playtime, and allowing us guests to join them. “We often have a hard time getting them out of the water,” said Marisa of the otters. “This really is their favorite time of the day.” By offering limited otter swims, trading out otter pairs, and laying down rules that keep guests from restraining the animals under any circumstances, Barn Hill works to ensure that it is as positive an experience for the otters as it is for the guests. Before we even entered the water, Gidget and Jewels had already escaped their small cat carrier and were running in circles around the circumference of the pool. As we stepped in, Jewels came and nibbled at our toes before slinking away, fast as lightning, to the other side of the pool. “Keep your shirts on,” Marisa advised the boys. “They love to get inside.” But of course, teenage boys can’t resist the chance to take off their shirts. They didn’t partake, but we all giggled as the two water pups squirmed into Marisa’s t-shirt, Gidget poking his head up through the neck. Holding a pebble in my hand as

Marisa directed, I squatted in the water. In seconds, the two were, one after the other, climbing over my shoulder to grab it, then under my arm and back over it, chasing one another, and every now and then using my body to hold themselves up with their tiny paws. They were remarkable. I looked up from my awe to find Luke and his friends watching, sheepish grins and all, from the corner. “You guys get closer, see if they’ll play with you!” They all three looked back and forth at each other before slowly edging their way over. When Gidget swept Conner’s back, he let out a yelp and jumped away. “Are you guys scared of them?” “They’re weird!” laughed Luke. But he bent down in the water and grabbed a rope toy, half-heartedly coaxing Jewels to come over. She did, hopped onto the pool steps, and grabbed the rope with both hands and her teeth and pulled, puppy tug-of-war style. Luke grinned. Dried off and back in the car for a twohour drive home, I asked the boys if it had been a good day. “Yep,” said Colby. “Yeah,” said Conner. “I had a great time,” said Luke. “My favorite part was the ziplining though,” he said. “We were going so fast.” Within thirty minutes, they all had their headphones in, reengulfed in their worlds of Spotify and YouTube and Snapchat. But today, for a while at least, the wide, real, screenless world had something to offer, too. h

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Directory of Merchants AllWood Furniture Artistry of Light

Baton Rouge Clinic

Grand Isle Tourism Department

44 21, 23

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Elizabethan Gallery

The Hilliard University

Gov’t Taco

Art Museum

Lagniappe Antiques

LaFASA

Mansura, LA

Louisiana Public Broadcasting

Avoyelles Commission

LSU Rural Life Museum

of Tourism

Stafford Tile & Stone

New Roads, LA

Artistry of Light

BSpoke 4 U

Arts Council of Pointe Coupee

Grandmother’s Buttons

Magnolia Cafe

St. Francisville Inn

Sullivan Dental Center

Oberlin, LA Allen Parish Tourist Commission

West Feliciana Chamber of Commerce

Opelousas, LA 43

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St. Landry Parish Tourist Commission

Natchez, MS

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United Mississippi Bank

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J A N 2 1 // C O U N T R Y R O A D S M A G . C O M

City of New Roads

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Hammond, LA

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Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center

Scott, LA

New Orleans, LA

Grand Isle, LA

Baton Rouge, LA

Plaquemine, LA Iberville Parish Tourism Department

Port Allen, LA

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Tickets on sale January 1!

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at the Myrtles, St. Francisville, LA Stay tuned for Special Saturday Night VIP Wine Dinner tickets to be announced in the New Year.

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Country Roads Magazine "Analog Issue"

Articles inside

Perspectives: Letitia Huckaby

Adventures in Ethel

Climbing Mount Driskill

Glamping at Louisiana State Parks

Ann Savoy releases "Cajun Music: A Reflection of a People, Volume II"

Beausoleil Books

Beautiful Isolation

Church Hill Variety Brings New Cuisine Concepts to Natchez

Scentscapes

The Connections Between Art & Wellness

The Art of Film Photography

Recipe: Low Carb Low Sugar Cheesecake

Recipe: Low-Carb Lasagna

How Food Blogging Almost Killed Me

Adventurer Neal Moore Stops in Louisiana

Gabriel Bump is the 2020 recipient of the Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence

St. Francisville's Oyster Bar Resurfaces

Reflections from the Publisher: A Man's Barn is His Castle

On the Cover: Analog Arts