Country Roads Magazine "The Analog Issue" January 2023

Events

11

STARTING OFF ON THE RIGHT FOOT

Illuminating exhibits, creative workshops, and fascinating lectures

Features

WHERE THE WORDS ARE

A look at New Orleans’s modern day literary scene by Sophie Nau

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Long Game

by James Fox-Smith

36

THERAPY BOARDS

The hot board brand pushing out of Hammond’s Dreamland skate scene by Holly Duchmann

THE LIBRARY’S BEST KEPT SECRETS

Beyond the brilliance of book-borrowing, modern libraries offer so much more. by Jordan LaHaye Fontenot

On the Cover

SYMBOLS OF TRANSFORMATION

Cover image by Anna Davis

When the first boom of industrialization hit Britain during Victoria’s reign, and families rushed toward the economic promise it signaled, the world shifted. Drawn to urban centers and away from agrarian spaces, the people immersed themselves in progress, in new technologies, in advancement. But it was only a matter of time before art, and the fashions with it, began to reveal a longing for that forgotten, quieter, more natural world. During the Victorian Era, flowers were the most common motif displayed on artisan buttons, followed in short order by bugs.

Of the tens of thousands of buttons Susan Davis has collected during her reign as “button-ologist” at the soon-to-retire St. Francisville institution Grandmother’s Buttons (page 54), the insect adornments have earned a special place in her heart. Perhaps it’s because of the way a butterfly or a dragonfly so aptly symbolizes transformation, change, growth.

As we kick off the first issue of Country Roads’ fortieth year, reflections on change and growth seem especially apt. Our annual Analog issue always invites us to indulge in our longings for the forgotten, quieter, more natural world that preceded us; as well as to contemplate the way the world changes, what we’ll bring with us into the future, what we’ll leave behind, how we’ll change with it, how we’ll stay the same.

Cuisine Culture Escapes

Publisher James Fox-Smith Associate Publisher Ashley Fox-Smith

Managing Editor Jordan LaHaye Fontenot Arts & Entertainment Editor Alexandra Kennon Creative Director Kourtney Zimmerman

Contributors:

Jyl Benson, Kristy Christiansen, Paul Christiansen, Anna Davis, Holly Duchmann, David Dufour, Kimberly Meadowlark, Sophie Nau, Brei Olivier Cover Artist Anna Davis Advertising

SALES@COUNTRYROADSMAG.COM Sales Team Heather Gammill & Heather Gibbons Advertising Coordinator Jen de Mers Raney

President Dorcas Woods Brown

Country Roads Magazine

758 Saint Charles Street Baton Rouge, LA 70802 Phone (225) 343-3714 Fax (815) 550-2272

“I SAW IT IN A DREAM.”

New Orleans’s first alcohol-free bar redefines wellness spaces.

by Alexandra Kennon

THE DEELIGHTFUL ROUX SCHOOL OF COOKING

Chef Dee Lavigne is following in the footsteps of New Orleans icon Chef Lena Richard. by Jyl Benson

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46 44

NEVER ON SUNDAY Louisiana makes its second bold appearance at the 2023 Rose Parade. by Alexandra Kennon

THE SECRETS TO SUPREME RICE

The ups and downs of operating a Louisiana rice farm in the modern day by David Dufour

PREHISTORIC PILGRIMAGE

Journeying Louisiana’s Ancient Mounds Trail by Kristy Christiansen

PERSPECTIVES

Bidding farewell to Grandmother’s Buttons by Jordan LaHaye Fontenot

EDITORIAL@COUNTRYROADSMAG.COM WWW.COUNTRYROADSMAG.COM

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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.

Reflections

FROM THE PUBLISHER

During the course of the year just ended, I promised my wife that I would build several structures that have yet to materialize. Most fall into the garden hardscape category: arbors and trellises (trelli?), and various fences meant to support, contain, exclude or obscure certain species of flora and fauna. But despite best intentions, the year has passed without many (okay, any) of these structures having come to pass. Since I love a carpentry project, and since my wife’s horticultural ambitions fall somewhere between ‘grand’ and ‘delusional,’ this bothers both of us. During the admittedly not ordinary COVID years of 2020 and 2021, her bottomless appetite for garden hardscape, combined with my misplaced optimism about my construction abilities, made our rural property fertile ground for building projects. But during 2022, as the pace of work and school obligations has returned to pre-pandemic levels, my schedule of do-it-myself home improvement projects has ground to a halt. There’s also the fact that we live in an old house where scarcely a week passes without the need for some new repair announc-

ing itself in dramatic fashion. Between the general upkeep, a tornado that took down several huge trees in the spring, and a self-inflicted injury brought on by the meeting of skis and fifty-twoyear-old knees, during 2022 the list of unfulfilled spousal requests grew considerably. So, since writing about my resolutions seems to improve the likelihood that I’ll keep them (see: “Dry Spell,” January, 2022), let it be known that during 2023 I resolve to construct not only an arbor, but also a brick walkway, and a she shed for good measure. There, I’ve said it. Now … where to begin?

Probably with the arbor, since that will consist of little more than four posts holding up some beams. So, it should be a layup compared with either the walkway or the shed. The vision for this arbor is that it be an entranceway to the part of the yard that has been the main focus of my wife’s horticultural ambitions, and since the plan is that it be festooned with yellow Graham Thomas roses as soon as spring and the liberal application of cow manure allow, any shortcomings in joinery or general symmetry should be hard to spot soon enough. The brick walkway shouldn’t be very hard— more risk of back injury than actual structural failure. The she-shed? Now, that is a different matter, since expec-

tations for this edifice range from the pragmatic (potting shed, greenhouse, plant nursery, garden tool storage facility), to the inspirational (it should also serve as a whimsical, feminine lair to which my wife can retreat for periods of contemplation, garden planning, or shirking work and family responsibilities). All this, while also being electrified, plumbed, and quaintly styled to complement the dogtrot cottage architecture of the house in which we live. If all that sounds intimidating, it is. Indeed, after a lifetime spent living in this house, it’s probably why my wife doesn’t have a garden shed yet. Still, since January is a good time for setting lofty goals, when better to embark on an ambitious building project than today?

Speaking of things that take a long time to build, did you ever hear the one about the St. Francisville woman who, in 1983, started a magazine about things to do “from Natchez to New Orleans”? Forty years ago, my mother-in-law, Dorcas Brown, launched Country Roads on the idea that tourists coming to New Orleans for the 1984 World’s Fair might pick up a magazine that revealed what there was to see in St. Francisville and throughout the constellation of small towns along the Great River Road. Naturally, none of those tourists so much as stopped for gas in St. Francisville, but along the way Dorcas discovered that locals liked having a magazine that celebrated the culture their state had to offer. Forty years later, the project that is Country Roads carries on, and despite all that has changed in the River Road region, the demand for quirky, artfully-told stories exploring the culture of this unique part of the world seems stronger than ever. If there’s a lesson, perhaps it’s that building a good thing takes time. And that, if you want something that doesn’t exist, sometimes you just have to build it yourself. So, maybe this is the year my wife gets her she-shed after all.

—James Fox-Smith, publisher james@countryroadsmag.com

Childhood comes and goes in a blink. We’re here through the stages of your life, with the strength of the cross, the protection of the shield. The Right Card. The Right Care.

What: Home and Remodeling Show with Ralph’s Markets Food Fest

When: January 28—29

Where: Lamar-Dixon Expo Center in Gonzales

Anyone who has tackled a home remodeling project knows the feeling: decisions, decisions everywhere! Marble, granite, quartz, or concrete for my kitchen countertops? Double-hung windows or casement windows? Infinity pool or lap pool? What’s the most efficient kind of HVAC system? Is now a good time to take advantage of solar tax credits? With the variety of home improvement products and services available to homeowners larger than ever, it pays to explore all the options before embarking on any renovation project. Fortunately, the eighth annual Home and Remodeling Show with Ralph’s Market Food Fest is back this month, bringing more than 100 exhibitors, and literally hundreds of home improvement products and services, together at the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center in Gonzales.

One stop for products, resources, and inspiration

The Home and Remodeling Show is a two-day event that gathers products, services, and resources carefully curated to provide homeowners with the information necessary to make every project successful. This year’s exhibition brings new and returning vendors, door prizes, and discounts that are only available to show attendees. Dozens of local and regional vendors showcase building elements—from windows and cabinetry to flooring and doors—giving homeowners a rare opportunity to compare options side-by-side. Among this year’s headline exhibitors will be Central Pools , showcasing cutting-edge spa and hot tub solutions from Bullfrog Spas—the only fully customizable spa system currently on the market. Right alongside, an extensive lineup of professionals from the homebuilding industry, including residential contractors, interior designers, and systems specialists will be present.

Something for foodies, too

Ralph’s Market of Gonzales returns to the Home and Remodeling Show, delivering an on-site food fest to fuel attendees while supporting local and small businesses. Ralph’s serves up tasty samples including dips, savory snacks, and a wide variety of prepared meats, plus coffee, ice cream, and Ralph’s famous king cakes. There’ll be giveaways of store coupons and recipes from more than thirty local vendors. One lucky visitor will go home with a $500 grocery giveaway during the weekend, too.

Here’s how to get in for free

Regular admission to the show costs $6 for ages 13 and over, but here’re two ways to get in for less.

• Download free admission coupons from the Home & Remodeling Show Facebook page: facebook.com/batonrougehomeshow

• Spend $25 at either of Ralph’s Market’s two Gonzales locations between January 4—29 and you’ll receive two admission tickets to the show.

The 2023 Home & Remodeling Show with Ralph’s Market Food Fest runs 10am—5pm January 28 and 29 at the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center, 9039 South St. Landry Avenue, Gonzales. Follow the Home and Remodeling Show with Ralph’s Market Food Fest on Facebook for show updates, giveaways, and tickets. Jaaspro.com.

Noteworthy

DIY Disco

BATON ROUGE’S NEW ARTS & CRAFTS BAR

The back wall of Chloe McMahon’s newly-opened arts & crafts bar reads “Follow the Call of the Disco Ball”. It’s a siren song sure to be heard up and down Government Street, luring the residents and visitors who have made the corridor into Baton Rouge’s most eclectic, creative corner.

Mother Country

When she’s writing, Jacinda Townsend begins her days at 5:30 am, before her daughters wake up. Her first book, Saint Monkey, is made up of short chapters strung together by lyrical prose, partly because it was written in rare captured moments all to herself: lunch breaks, piano lessons, early mornings. She’s got a ritual, she tells me, a practice of working the imagination like a muscle. “If you stay with it, it’s like the imagination begins to beget imagination.” She meditates. She reads. She always has tea. And she writes.

It’s a solitary exercise for her, even smuggled in between teaching and parenting. And it can be isolating.

So, when Townsend learned that her latest book Mother Country (2022) was the winner of the 2022 Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence, the prospect of celebrating her work within the literary community, within the Black community, was exhilarating. Presented annually by the Baton Rouge Area Foundation to emerging Black fiction writers, the award includes a $15,000 grant to support their work, and to carry on the legacy of one of Louisiana’s most important writers.

Mother Country was selected by a national panel of literary judges, and enjoys company with works such as Nathan Harris’s The Sweetness of Water (2021), Gabriel Bump’s Ev-

Multi-faceted and resounding in its empathy, Mother Country is a story that begins with a kidnapped child. Vacationing in Marrakesh, Townsend’s protagonist Shannon sees the girl, and assumes she has been abandoned. From a dark place plagued by the prospect of an unwanted marriage, overwhelming debt, and infertility, Shannon sees in her a glimmer of hope, and decides to take her home.

Townsend’s other protagonist is Sourria—the child’s birth mother, a survivor of the Mauritanian sex trade. The two women’s journeys wind together in a complex and emotional investigation of transnational womanhood, and especially of motherhood. “There are all kinds of mothers,” said Townsend. “And it’s all valid. And it’s all love.”

Intimately personal in so many ways, the book for Townsend is also decidedly political—spurred by a promise made to a real mother, a real survivor of the sexual slavery that affects twenty percent of the population in Mauritania.

Townsend has been visiting Marrakesh for years since accidentally falling in love with the city during a layover, and in 2013 she visited Mauritania to report on anti-slavery activism for Al Jazeera. Working on that story, she met a woman who had recently escaped enslavement with her eight children—the last of which had been born during her flight through the desert. “And I got to

hold that baby while she was sleeping, and it was the most powerful thing. Because it was like that feeling people have had throughout history, when that first family member is born free.”

Townsend asked the woman what she could do to help her. “Tell my story,” she said. “Tell my story.”

Through Sourria’s experience, Mother Country is Townsend’s attempt to do just that—to spread awareness of this human rights crisis taking place in the modern day, in a country where little information gets in or out.

As a political writer, Townsend says that one of her earliest models was Ernest Gaines himself. “A Lesson Before Dying is one of those books that made me realize that one thing we’re called to do is sort of step outside of ourselves, step into someone else’s experience, and then step back into ourselves as writers, and transmit that into the world,” said Townsend. “That book had such an impact on me. I feel like a lot of American literature wants to be sort of apolitical, it wants to avert its eyes. But you know, we can’t.”

—Jordan LaHaye Fontenot

Learn more about Townsend’s work at jacinda-townsend.com, and about the Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence at ernestjgainesawrard.org. The 16th annual Gaines Award will be presented to Townsend at 6 pm on January 19 at the Manship Theatre in Baton Rouge.

Opened officially on December 10, DIY Disco takes the popular “paint and sip” concept and opens the door wider: this isn’t just painting and this isn’t just wine. Inside the sleek, minimalist space warmed by the funky flare of vinyl records and mirrorballs, guests can choose to make their own luggage tags, or to try their hand at needle painting, or to make a macrame planter—out of a disco ball, of course. And starting in January, they can do their sewing or their weaving or their molding while enjoying a select menu of artisan, craft cocktails.

The idea was to create something that enticed a customer to keep coming back, a new experience awaiting each time. “I’m not particularly amazing at any one type of craft,” said McMahon. “I love pottery, and I love costuming, but I also love to sit down and make a Christmas ornament out of hot glue and pipe cleaners.”

Infusing the invitation to simply create with the free-spirited fun of ‘70s nostalgia, McMahon hopes to foster a rare solace with which to step out of our fast-paced, monetized, and screen-dependent world—and to encourage the act of making for the sake of making.

“I love that crafting can be an expression of yourself, or it can just be something you do because you don’t want to be looking at a screen for a few hours,” she said. “It’s such a non-competitive or intimidating activity. It literally just exists to bring joy and beauty into the world. And if your craft doesn’t bring beauty into the world, it will probably bring some laughs at least.”

—Jordan LaHaye Fontenot

DIY Disco hosts crafting sessions on Thursdays–Sundays, which you can reserve at diydiscobr.com. Visitors can choose from a rotating selection of crafts, and all materials and instructions are provided—with projects ranging from $30–$45. Starting mid-January, the DIY Disco bar will officially be open, but until then it’s BYOB.

JACINDA TOWNSEND IS THE WINNER OF THE 2022 ERNEST J. GAINES BOOK AWARD

erywhere You Don’t Belong (2020), and Bryan Washington’s Lot (2019)

Ella’s Legacy, Susan’s Hands

hen Chef Susan Spicer was unexpectedly called into her restuarant Rosedale on a recent day off, the very last thing she was expecting was a second line.

“All of a sudden, I'm doing something in the back room, and I hear a trumpet. And I'm like, wait a minute, that's not Spotify. What is that?” Spicer wondered. “Then here comes this, you know, second line down the hallway. And I'm like, ‘Okay, what's up here?’”

To her absolute astonishment, Spicer was being informed that she was to receive the 2023 Ella Brennan Lifetime Achievement in Hospitality Award. “I was surrounded by friends and family and respected colleagues and people that I've worked with and that I admire,” she said. “And certainly having Ti Martin there, you know, and everybody there to to make the announcement, was a huge deal. You know, it was really exciting,” Spicer said. “Like I said, a complete shocker.”

WAnyone looking at Spicer’s substantial list of accomplishments and accolades would have a hard time being as shocked.

Spicer’s culinary career kicked off in the 1970s, when the young chef trained under Parisian Chef Daniel Bonnot at the Louis XVI Restaurant in the French Quarter, an experience that was followed by a stint in Paris working under Chef Roland Durand at the Hotel Sofitel. When she returned to New Orleans, she helped open Savoire Faire, a bistro in the St. Charles Hotel. She spent much of the late eighties traveling in California and Europe, returning again to New Orleans to open her flagship restaurant, Bayona, with business partner Regina Keever in a historic French Quarter cottage in 1990. She also opened Mondo in Lakeview in 2010, which has since closed but opened a spin-off in the New Orleans MSY airport terminal. Rosedale, her more laid-back, brunch-y restaurant nestled in a former home near City Park, opened in 2016.

She received the James Beard Best Chef Southeast Award for her work at Bayona in 1993, and since then her flagship has received the Restaurant & Institutions magazine Ivy Award, the Robert Mondavi Culinary Award of Excellence, and was entered into the Nation’s Restaurant News Fine Dining Hall of Fame. In 2010, Spicer was inducted into The Beard Foundation’s “Who's Who of Food & Beverage in America”. Her cookbook Crescent City Cooking: Unforgettable Recipes from Susan Spicer's New Orleans received a nomination for Best American Cookbook by the International Association of Culinary Professionals.

Even already possessing so many accolades, the weight of a lifetime honor in Ella Brennan’s name is striking to Spicer. “I really feel like she has meant so much to the restaurant community in New Orleans,” Spicer said. “She was so smart like that, and so invested in other people's success.”

Spicer values such an investment, as she grants much of her success to

the very first chef that believed in her, early on in her career. “Daniel Bonnot gave me the opportunity, my first chef opportunity, which I thought he was nuts,” she recalled. Since then, Spicer has carried on this tradition, mentoring countless young people working at her restaurants, helping them work their way up to successful careers in New Orleans cuisine.

On why she decided to plant roots and build kitchens in the Crescent City, she said, “I love the city … fortunately cooking and being successful in the culinary world has allowed me to travel the world. And New Orleans is just a great place to come home to.”

—Alexandra Kennon

Chef Susan Spicer will be presented with the 2023 Ella Brennan Lifetime Achievement in Hospitality Award at the Award Gala at the Four Seasons Hotel New Orleans on January 12 at 7 pm. Find more information or get tickets at nowfe.com.

SUSAN SPICER TO RECEIVE THE 2023 ELLA BRENNAN LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Photo by Chris Jay.

New Year, New Wellness

Good News: For better health, small changes can make a big difference in wellbeing.

The holiday season marks a time for joy, love, togetherness, giving, and, often, far too many decadent sweets and rich comfort foods to count. However, while we may lose track of the cookies we consume, our bodies are silently keeping score. It is no wonder that weight loss and fitness goals surge to the top of our resolution lists each new year. While prioritizing physical wellness is a positive life choice any time of year, for many, it can seem overwhelming to know where to begin, especially amid the near-constant onslaught of fad diet and gym advertisements that invade our post-holiday media feeds. These flashy images of extreme before-and-after results and sponsored testimonials can trick the mind into thinking that the only way to get fit is through drastic measures, but Pennington Biomedical Research Center urges consumers to consider what they refer to as a “small shifts” approach to physical wellness.

This means that instead of thinking you have to add a difficult and exhausting gym routine to your schedule to get results, a simple increase in your daily physical activity can make a significant difference over time. “This can be as simple as adding a ten to fifteen minute walk to your day. It can also help to find a friend to join you for added accountability,” said Pennington Biomedical’s Executive Director, Dr. John Kirwan who added, “the key is consistency and finding something you enjoy.” For further motivation, Pennington Biomedical Research Center offers downloadable tools on their website that can help you discover your Body Mass Index (BMI) and predict your potential weight loss results from specific lifestyle changes. Resources offering nutritional and fitness advice are also easily accessible on the site.

While making small positive lifestyle changes and monitoring your progress will make a big difference over time, some may find they still need more support to reach their health goals. One avenue to explore for those who need this additional structure is participation in one of Pennington Biomedical’s clinical trials. These studies rely on community-sourced research subjects, and a variety of opportunities to participate are listed on their website.

According to Pennington Biomedical, the goal of these studies is to find “solutions from cells to society.” What this means is that the data gathered through their research aims to take the science from bench to bedside and apply it to the Baton Rouge community and beyond. Participation in these research studies not only directly helps the person involved by monitoring them in a clinical environment with a supportive staff of doctors and dietitians, but it also contributes to the discovery of solutions for the wider population.

Instead of letting the overwhelming surge of post-holiday fitness pressure discourage your health progress for another new year, consider the multitude of possibilities Pennington Biomedical Research Center has to offer. Whether you simply need a place to find a wealth of resources to start your journey toward a more nutritious diet and sustainable fitness plan or think you might be an eligible candidate to participate in one of the dozens of weight loss related studies offered, you will be met with a staff of knowledgeable and welcoming healthcare providers and support staff eager to help you change your life for the better. Regardless of your specific needs, Pennington Biomedical Research Center provides valuable tools to make positive health changes for individuals and the community as a whole.

A special advertising feature from Pennington Biomedical Research Center

At Pennington Biomedical, Dr. Daniel Hsia (above) conducts research on prevention and intervention strategies for diabetes and obesity.

Events

UNTIL JAN 14th

CREOLE IDENTITY POETICS OF SELFHOOD AT ACADIANA CENTER FOR THE ARTS

Lafayette, Louisiana

Launched at the Acadiana Center for the Arts in partnership with La Station Culturelle, Fort de France, Martinique— the exhibition Poetics of Selfhood / Poétique de L'Ipséité probes at the global understanding of the Creole cultural identity. Envisioned as a multi-year, multidestination exhibition, the project brings together diverse artistic explorations by five contemporary artists—all contemplating Creolité from its place in communities around the world: from Martinique to Guyana to Sengal to Acadiana. Locally, the Opelousas artist and folklorist Rebecca Henry, founder of the Creole Heritage Folklife Center, represents Acadiana's vantage. Exemplifying the ways these different, but interconnected, cultures

converse—the works presented represent a range of traditional media, as well as more experimental artistic endeavors. Over the next five years, the exhibition will travel to locations in Martinique, Belgium, Côte d'Ivoire, Senegal, and France. Catch it in Lafayette while it's there. acadianacenterforthearts.org. k

UNTIL JAN 15th

HISTORY IN PHOTOS THE PHOTOGRAPHS OF RALPH EUGENE MEATYARD AT THE OGDEN MUSEUM

New Orleans, Louisiana

Following World War II, Kentucky experienced a wave of new art and literature in response to the national experience of the war. Among the enclave of poets, painters, photographers, scholars, philosophers, and beyond that arose from this movement was Ralph Eugene Meatyard—who is known for his surreal, ethereal black-and-white photographs of

individuals and landscapes. These gelatin silver prints—which frequently depict the ramshackle surroundings of rural Kentucky and the mysterious-seeming characters that populate them—are often compared to Southern Gothic literature. Over sixty of Meatyard's photographs, depicting a wide range of subjects, are coming down this month after a run at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art. ogdenmuseum.org. k

UNTIL JAN 15th

THINK SMALL PLAYING HOUSE: MINIATURES FROM THE PERMANENT COLLECTION AT THE LOUISIANA ART & SCIENCE MUSEUM

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

If you have childhood memories of playing with dollhouses, or just enjoy tiny, adorable things as an adult, see this exhibition of miniatures from the permanent collection at LASM before it ends. The exhibition

explores how miniatures have transitioned from luxury collectibles, to learning tools, to playthings, and even looks at their use in major feature films like Star War s and Titanic. lasm.org. k

UNTIL JAN 15th

PHOTOGRAPHING FLAMES BURNING SUGARCANE FIELDS AT THE WEST BATON ROUGE MUSEUM

Port Allen, Louisiana

Baton Rouge photographer Bruce Q. Williams was deeply struck the first time he observed sugarcane fields being burned during harvest season, as he and his mother drove from Baton Rouge to Beuche following his grandmother's funeral. He photographed the jarring sight, developing the images in his kitchen sink at home later that day. Half a dozen images from this striking series are on display at The West Baton Rouge Museum. wbrmuseum.org. k

Voltura and Pasqua at the LSU Museum of Art features Kevin Benham's photo series Voltura alongside his short documentary film Pasqua See listing on page 14. Installation photo by Charles Champ, courtesy of the LSU Museum of Art.

Events

Beginning January 1st

UNTIL JAN 23 rd

SPAIN & NOLA SPANISH NEW ORLEANS AND THE CARIBBEAN AT THE HISTORIC NEW ORLEANS COLLECTION

New Orleans, Louisiana

New Orleans's Spanish Colonial period (beginning in 1762) marked a new era in architecture, design, culture, language, and so much more for the young city. The Historic New Orleans Collection's bilingual exhibition about the Spanish influence on a city most often associated with its French heritage finishes its run this month. hnoc.org. k

UNTIL JAN 29 th

OVERLOOKED HISTORY BLACK ALCHEMY: REMEMBERING FAZENDEVILLE AT THE OGDEN MUSEUM

New Orleans, Louisiana

Fazendeville in St. Bernard Parish was once a vibrant African American community, though sadly no physical evidence of the neighborhood remains.

The Ogden Museum's exhibition Alchemy: Remembering Fazendeville marks the history of Fazendeville through Aaron Turner's photographs of memories and historical artifacts. The exhibit is presented as part of PhotoNOLA, the annual celebration of photography produced by the New Orleans Photo Alliance. ogdenmuseum.org.

UNTIL JAN 29

PHOTO SHOWS CURRENTS 2022 AT THE OGDEN MUSEUM

New Orleans, Louisiana

The New Orleans Photo Alliance (NOPA), in partnership with the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, presents CURRENTS 2022 , its annual members showcase that highlights the diverse work being created by NOPA members. The exhibit was curated by juror Philip March Jones, who founded MARCH, a public benefit corporation and gallery with the goal of highlighting under-recognized artists located in Manhattan’s East Village neighborhood. ogdenmuseum.org. k

UNTIL JAN 31st

GIRL POWER DIAMONDS OF HISTORY: MIGHTY WOMEN AT THE LOUISIANA ART & SCIENCE MUSEUM Baton Rouge, Louisiana

New Orleans pop artist Ashley Longshore is known for her vibrant pop art portraits.

Some of her paintings of history's most notable women—from Harriet Tubman to Ruth Bader Ginsburg to Hedy Lamarr—will be on display at LASM as part of the exhibition Diamonds of History: Mighty Women by Ashley Longshore. Alongside the portraits will be displays celebrating the twenty-nine women's extensive contributions to the

Tangipahoa Parish-born artist Robby Klein's celebrity portraits that have been shown around the country are on display this month at Hammond Regional Arts Center in the exhibit From LA to L.A. Image courtesy of HRAC. See listing on page 24.

arts, sciences, politics, and beyond. lasm.org. k

UNTIL JAN 31st CATHEDRAL ON TOUR NOTRE-DAME DE PARIS: THE AUGMENTED EXHIBITION

New Orleans, Louisiana

A stunning, one-of-a-kind exhibition depicting the rich history and architectural glory of Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral has filled the third floor of The Historic New Orleans Collection's exhibition center. NotreDame de Paris: The Augmented Exhibition brings viewers through the entire history of the storied cathedral, from its monumental construction all the way through the devastating blaze that consumed it in 2019, via vibrantlycolorful high-definition images and projections, augmented with state-ofthe-art virtual reality technology. The groundbreaking exhibition is produced by French technology firm Histovery in collaboration with the Public Institution in Charge of the Conservation and Restoration of Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral. After its premiere in Paris, France, this unique immersive experience has recently arrived in New Orleans after a run in Washington D.C. Each viewer of the exhibit is issued a hand-held, touchscreen tablet called a HistoPad ™—which has been developed by Histovery, and brings viewers back in time to landmark moments in Notre-Dame's history. Free. hnoc.org. k

UNTIL FEB 4th EXPLORATIVE ART EMPTINESS ECOLOGIES AT YES WE CANNIBAL

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Yes We Cannibal continues to raise the stakes for exhibiting boundary-pushing art in Baton Rouge with the collective's highest-profile show to date: Emptiness Ecologies. Yes We Cannibal has curated the exhibition to explore the concept of "ecology," what it has come to represent in recent years as a means of speaking on social and environmental intersections, and to audit the concept of ecology as it relates to and deviates from our reality. The exhibition features two installations of works by influential Louisiana-based artists like multimedia oracle of the anthropocene Dawn DeDeaux, three collages by artist and Houma Nation storyteller Monique Verdin, and works by artists from around the world like Duke and Battersby of Syracuse, Anna Scime of Buffalo, Chihiro Ito of Brooklyn, and others. Thematic texts by Louisiana philosophers and scholars including Dr. John Clark and Courtney Taylor, as well as those by translator and novelist Laura

Marris of Buffalo will also be included. yeswecannibal.org.

Yes We Cannibal will host the following programming alongside the exhibition:

January 8: Dharma Talk and Meditation with Zen practitioner Brian Kelley, who will lead a discussion on the Buddhist philosophical concept of emptiness or Śūnyatā, and lead a meditation. 4 pm.

January 15: Musical performance by decorated composer Dr. Austin Franklin, who will perform Terra, a work he wrote in response to Mort Garson's 1976 electronic album Mother Earth's Plantasia, which was written with the intent of helping indoor plants grow and thrive. 4 pm.

January 20: Musical performance by the New Orleans-based Serpentine Choir, which utilizes sound installation to create an "activated space," collaborating with spirit and community to create transformative, healing spaces. 8 pm.

January 22: Interview with featured artists Emily Duke and Cooper Battersby, who make up The Infernal Grove—which is a project created with the intent of looking at drug use, addiction, and recovery; uniting artists and writers with lived experience and providing an outlet to discuss substances and sobriety. 4 pm.

January 29: Conversation with philosopher Dr. John Clark and multimedia artist Dawn DeDeaux— who, though they come from different professional backgrounds, are both long-time New Orleans residents who have made significant contributions to the perception of social ecology and other fields in the Gulf South. LSU Art History professor Dr. Allison K. Young will moderate the two in conversation. 4 pm.

Read more about the exhibition in Jordan LaHaye Fontenot's review on page 19.

UNTIL FEB 26

NATURE IN PHOTOS & FILM VOLTERRA AND PASQUA THE LSU MUSEUM OF ART Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Running alongside the LSU MOA's exhibition Mediterranea: American Art from the Graham D. Williford Collection is a separate exhibition of two series of works by Kevin Benham. His photo series Voltura documents the unique ecology of the mosses, lichens, and other vegetation that grows on the ancient rock formations that make up an ancient amphitheater from the Augustan Period of the first century BC. Also on view with Voltura is Benham's short documentary film Pasqua, which look into the Italian tradition of a Transhumanza —in which cows or sheep are herded from the highlands into the lowlands and back again—through a modern lens. A

Events

Beginning January 5th - January 6th

gallery talk with featured artist Kevin Benham will take place January 27 at 6 pm. Free. lsumoa.org. k

JAN 5 th

MUSIC ICONS FESTIVALS ACADIENS ET CRÉOLES LEGACY SERIES:  D.L. MENARD

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Festivals Acadiens et Créoles hosts a monthly Legacy Series, celebrating legendary local musicians and culture bearers with intimate concerts every first Thursday of the month at the Feed N Seed in Lafayette. January's concert will celebrate the legacy of Doris Leon (D.L.) Menard. 7 pm–9 pm. Free. festivalsacadiens.com. k

JAN 3rd- FEB 25th

CONTEMPORARY ART DRY CYPRESS BAYOU & AN OUTSIDE CHANCE AT IBIS

CONTEMPORARY

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Two new exhibitions go on display at Ibis Contemporary Art Gallery this month: An Outside Chance, a group show expressing

how a variety of Southern artists respond to their home landscapes featuring works by Ann Marie Auricchio, Keith Crowley, Lilian Garcia-Roig, and Mark Messersmith; and Dry Cypress Bayou, a solo exhibition of 2022 South Arts Southern Prize winner Hannah Chalew's sculptural drawings inspired by places along the Gulf Coast that have been removed from NOAA's maps due to erosion. ibisartgallery.com. k

JAN 5 th - JAN 26 th

COMMUNITY CHORUS SWEET ADELINES REHEARSALS

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

If your New Year's resolution involves singing more, the women of The Baton Rouge Chorus of Sweet Adelines invite you to join their winter rehearsal sessions. The group, going sixty-two years strong, is dedicated to the performance, education, and sharing of four-part harmony, acapella barbershop music. If you're interested in joining the music-making, chorus rehearsals take place each Thursday at the Ingleside United Methodist Church from 6:30 pm–8:30 pm. batonrougechorus.org. k

JAN 5th - FEB 16th

HANDS ON ART GUILD OF LOUISIANA CLASSES

Baton Rouge, Lousisiana

The Art Guild of Louisiana is offering a series of workshops in the new year, for anyone looking to enhance their skills or live out a resolution to stretch more creative muscles in 2023.

Thursdays January 5–February 16: Composing in Depth-Intermediate Drawing —For those already possessing basic drawing skills, up the ante with the help of local artist Larry Downs while learning more advanced design elements and principles, resulting in a still life drawing. 3 pm–6 pm. $90.

Saturdays January 7–28: Beginning Watercolor —Local artist Roberta Loflin will instruct watercolor students just starting out to utilize composition, color choices, and subject matter. 9:30 am–noon. $90.

To register or find more information, visit artguildlouisiana.org. k

JAN 6th PROGRESSIVE BANJO THE HILLBENDERS AT THE MANSHIP THEATRE

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

In a fusion of bluegrass and rock 'n' roll, the Hillbenders will hit the Manship

stage this month for a showcase of their progressive acoustic sound and unique instrumentation featuring mandolin, guitar, dobro, banjo, and bass. 7:30 pm. $40–$50. manshiptheatre.org. k

JAN 6th - JAN 8th NERD OUT FAN EXPO NEW ORLEANS 2023 New Orleans, Louisiana

Lovers of time travel, zombies, and much more will descend on the New Orleans Convention Center to revel in fandom galore. The convention honors the creation and celebration of all corners of pop culture, from fantasy to sci-fi, gaming to graphic novels, books, movies, TV, and beyond; it's a place where characters from the screen, the page, and the fans' own imaginations come to life for an action-packed weekend. This year's Expo features Christina Ricci from Addam's Family and Giancarlo Esposito from The Mandelorian and Breaking Bad , among many others. Fan Expo New Orleans also features an Artists Alley, movie screenings, gaming, live entertainment, costume contests, and more. Plus, kids ten and younger get free admission with a paid adult, so it's a great chance to get the whole family in on the fun. 3 pm–8 pm Friday; 10 am–7 pm Saturday; 10 am–5 pm Sunday. Ticket information at fanexpohq.com. k

JAN 6th - JAN 27th

FILM ARTIFACTS MOVIE POSTER ARCHIVE EXHIBITION

Slidell, Louisiana

Throughout the month of January, Movie Poster Archives (MPA) will present a newly-exhibited collection of movie posters, gallery cards, and accessories from films made in the Northshore and New Orleans areas. Displayed at Slidell's City Hall, the show represents only a fraction of the organization's work preserving over 50,000 articles of historic film ephemera. An

opening reception will be held on January 6 from 5 pm–7 pm. Free. myslidell.com. movieposterarchives.org. k

JAN 6th - JAN 31st

LOCAL ART AROUND THE TOWN . . . AND BEYOND AT WEST FELICIANA PARISH LIBRARY

Saint Francisville, Louisiana

St. Francisville's non-profit organization that champions the arts, Art for All, presents an exhibition of artwork by five artists from St. Francisville and the surrounding areas. Their

work will be on display in the Main Meeting Room and Foyer of the West Feliciana Public Library in St. Francisville. An opening reception will be held from 5 pm–7 pm on January 6. wfplibrary.org. k

JAN 6th - FEB 4th TRIBUTE SHOW BETTE YOUR

BOTTOM DOLLAR TRIBUTE TO BETTE MIDLER Slidell, Louisiana

Lifelong fan Mandi Rae takes the Cutting Edge Theater stage as the grandly irreverent and boisterously talented Bette Midler in this special Northshore-based tribute act, which brings to life the songs, characters, and comedy of Midler's long career. 8 pm Fridays and Saturdays. $25. cuttingedgetheater.com. k

JAN 6th - APR 28th

LOCAL ART POYDRAS CENTER POP-UP ART EXHIBIT: KIMBERLY HOUSEMAN AND PHOEBE VEILLON New Roads, Louisiana

New Roads' Julien Poydras Museum and Art Center continues to highlight local art and artists with a series special Pop-Up Art Exhibits. The exhibition beginning in January 2023 includes a variety of works by featured artists Kimberly Houseman and Phoebe Veillon. A meet-the-artists

reception will be held January 6 at 6 pm. Free. pointecoupeehistoricalsociety.com. k

JAN 6th

CARNIVAL KICK-OFF JOAN OF ARC PARADE

New Orleans, Louisiana

Admirers of the "Maid of Orleans" gather annually on January 6 to honor Joan of Arc with a medieval-themed walking parade and theatrical procession from Jax Brewery to Jackson Square. It's all in honor of Joan's birthday and her first battle victory, which resulted in the liberation of the citizens of Orleans, France, from a British siege in 1429. January 6 also happens to be Twelfth Night, which makes the Joan of Arc Parade a convenient kick-off event for the traditional start of Carnival season. The parade begins at 7 pm and makes three pauses for toasts, a sword blessing, and a king cake ceremony at the end. joanofarcparade.org. k

JAN 7th CHAMPIONS

HEROES OF AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY: DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. Baton Rouge, Louisiana

As part of the East Baton Rouge Parish Library's Heroes of American History

Events

Beginning January 7th

series, the Baker Branch Library will present a documentary about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., followed by a dialogue and commentary about his life led by Dr. Charles Vincent. 10 am–noon. Free. ebrpl.com. k

JAN 7th

PLANT PRINTING CYANOTYPE WORKSHOP AT NUNU Arnaudville, Louisiana

Try your hand at one of the earliest photographic processes ever used, and return home with a beautiful one-ofa-kind blue cyanotype print. Ralph Schexnaydre Jr. will host this one-day workshop on the techniques of creating cyanotype artworks, using plant materials and other 3D objects, placed upon chemically treated substrates. Students are invited to bring their own botanicals, book pages, jewelry, or anything else they would like to attempt to "print". All other materials will be supplied by NUNU, including a matte and frame for one of your pieces. All completed pieces will be included in a group show that will hang in Le Coin Gallery throughout January, with an artist reception on January 14 from 11 am–4 pm. Workshop takes place from 10 am–3 pm. $160. nunu-arts-culturecollecti.constantcontactsites.com/ pedagogy. k

JAN 7th

PRE-MARDI MERRIMENT ST. JOHN FOOLS OF MISRULE FEAST OF FOOLS & MARCH Covington, Louisiana

Noting the absence of proper Twelfth Night merrymaking on the Northshore, this marching club was formed in 2011 to herald the arrival of Carnival season in St. Tammany Parish. The organization's rituals are derived from an ancient English men's group that clamored along the evening streets, creating unruliness with cowbells and whips while delivering jeers and spankings to those caught on the street unaware. The Fools of Misrule integrated into its name homage to the historic St. John District of old Covington (1813) where the group was founded and annually conducts its bawdy procession. Their slogan: Vivere Vitam Omnino!— Live Life Completely ! If you happen to be abroad on the streets of Old Covington after 4 pm and find yourself on the receiving end of a jolly old English tongue lashing, don't say we didn't warn you. Catch the parade marching along New Hampshire Street to Boston, north along Columbia—

stopping at watering holes along the way to the Covington Trailhead, where the Lord of Misrule will be officially crowned. Expect to be dazzled by flambeaux, a brass band, and masked marchers. foolsofmisrule.com. k

JAN 7th

MARDI GRAS GEAR-UP MANDE KINGS DAY PARADE

Mandeville, Louisiana

For the fifth year, the Northshore's first all-women marching organization, the Mande Milkshakers, gather for the annual Kings Day Parade and Party on the Lakefront—traditionally held on the Saturday closest to Kings Day, or Epiphany—heralding the start of Carnival. At 2 pm, catch the procession heading west from the harbor along the lakefront to Girod, before turning north and proceeding to the Trailhead. The parade and afterparty (3 pm–6 pm) alike are open to everyone: join in on foot, on bike, via golf cart, or in your vehicle. Carnival attire encouraged. The afterparty will feature performances by local musicians, the Mande Milkshakers, and plenty of food and refreshments. 2 pm–6 pm. Free. mandemilkshakers.com. k

JAN 7th

FILMMAKER PREMIERES AN EVENING WITH J.M. STELLY AT THE MANSHIP

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

All on one night, Baton Rouge director J. M. Stelly is bringing three new films to premiere on the Manship screen. In Abacus, three men wake up in an elevator, unsure of how they got there, forced to play a game in which only one of them gets out. In They Are Watching, two protagonists delve into the dark and strange realities of the dark web. And in Call of the Void —half silent film, half narrated—"The Painter" descends into opium addiction. Screenings begin at 6 pm. $12. manshiptheatre.org. k

JAN 7th - JAN 27th

LISTENING ROOMS

JANUARY

AT THE RED DRAGON

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

In its modest digs on Florida Boulevard, the Red Dragon Listening Room pulls in artists who are anything but in terms of their abilities. Well-known and emerging songwriters take the stage here several times each month, and with the venue's non-profit status all money raised at the door goes directly to the artists. Join the eager audience for one, or all, of these concerts:

A Special Advertising Feature from Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center

Staying a step ahead

Very few people think about cancer like Victor Lin.

Armed with both a Ph.D. in cellular biology and a degree in medicine, the geneticist-oncologist was hired by Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center in September 2022 to lead both the cancer center’s recently expanded clinical research program and its genetic services clinic, where patients across the nine-site network can use information about their cancer’s genetic markers to make informed decisions for themselves and their families.

Lin’s hire was an exciting one for Mary Bird Perkins, a 52-year-old community cancer center and the largest health care institution in the region focused solely on cancer care. It’s part of an ethos of excellence that has driven the cancer center to expand its geographic footprint and add top-notch technological, research, and treatment capabilities to its portfolio of services, said CEO Jonas Fontenot, Ph.D.

“Dr. Lin is a physician-scientist who comes to us with an unparalleled breadth and depth of knowledge in the areas of clinical research and precision medicine,” said Fontenot. “He is a much sought-after specialist who has had opportunities to practice at any facility in the country, but it was our focus on the patient-physician relationship that brought him to Mary Bird Perkins.”

Precision medicine is an exciting frontier in cancer treatment, says Lin, who plans to bring new clinical trial opportunities to Mary Bird Perkins patients.

said. “But

at

find out what actually drives them. Since every cancer is different, we’re able to better offer targeted therapies that are best tailored to each type. It’s a significant evolution, especially in certain types of cancer.”

genetic sequence of these cancer cells

Lin was previously an assistant professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham in the Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology. While at UAB, he helped run the institution’s molecular tumor board, where he conducted genetic sequencing on individual tumors to learn more about the genetic underpinnings of cancer cells. Such research advances worldwide knowledge about how to target cancer treatment. He’ll continue this kind of research at Mary Bird Perkins.

While Lin likens the genetic study of cancer cells to a kind of research “wild west,” he says many advancements have already been made in some cancers, especially lung and breast. Scientists have identified a handful of consistent genetic subsets of lung cancer, for example, which has helped treatment advance from traditional chemotherapy to pills.

Lin and his team will work with Mary Bird Perkins physicians to explore how a patient’s specific form of cancer and genetic profile can inform treatment strategies. The goal is to pinpoint a precision treatment plan that has the best chance of success while minimizing collateral damage to healthy tissues.

Lin says that joining the team at Mary Bird Perkins means being on the front lines of cancer care in Louisiana, a state plagued by high cancer mortality rates and racial disparities in cancer care.

“There are tremendous opportunities here at Mary Bird Perkins for us to advance community cancer throughout the Gulf South,” Lin said. “What we’re studying right now means new treatments tomorrow.”

How Mary Bird Perkins geneticist-oncologist Victor Lin is working to outsmart cancer cells

“The classic way to treat cancer, as we know, has been through non-targeted chemotherapy that’s rather indiscriminate,” Lin

now we’re able to look

the

and

Events

Beginning January 7th - January 11th

Continued from page 16...

January 7: Taylor Austin Dye, opened by Carter Hampton

January 11: Amy LaVere & Will Sexton

January 20: Scott Sean White, opened by Joe Sims

January 27: Ben de la Cour, opened by Eric Schmitt

Shows usually start at 8 pm. (225) 9397783. Tickets and prices can be found at the Red Dragon Listening Room Facebook Page. k

JAN 7th - JAN 31st

ART EXHIBITIONS

JOURNEYS ACROSS THE SOUTH AND PEACE PRAYER AT LEMIEUX GALLERIES

New Orleans, Louisiana

LeMieux Galleries presents two exhibitions this month: Kathryn Keller's Journeys Across the South, which features a new series of plein air watercolor paintings, and Mary Lee Eggart's Peace Prayer. There will be an artist reception on January 7 from 6 pm–8 pm during the First Saturday Artwalk. The exhibits will be open to view from 10:30 am–5 pm, Monday–Saturday, or by appointment. lemieuxgalleries.com. k

JAN 7th - JAN 31st

LITERARY CONVERSATIONS

EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH LIBRARIES AUTHOR TALK SERIES Online

The East Baton Rouge Parish Library is carrying on its Author Talk virtual series into 2023, connecting bestselling authors with their readers through interactive, live online Q&A sessions. This month, featured authors are Namina Forna, bestselling author of The Gilded Ones series (January 7); Dansa K. White, author of the books Organizing for the Rest of Us and Decluttering at the Speed of Life (January 17); and Randall Munroe, author of What If? 2 : Additional Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions (January 31). Register at libraryc.org/ebrpl. k

JAN 7th - JAN 31st ART & LAGNIAPPE JANUARY AT ARIODANTE GALLERY

New Orleans, Louisiana

January's Featured Artist at Ariodante Art Gallery is Maurice "Mo" Hicks. Works also include hand-blown glass by Juli Juneau, jewelry by a variety of artists, and

other works by Frannie Kronenberg in the Lagniappe Area. An opening reception will be held on January 7 during the First Saturday Artwalk from 5 pm–8 pm. ariodantegallery.com. k

JAN 7th - JAN 31st

BIRD IN THE HAND ODE TO AUDUBON AT GALLERY 600 JULIA

New Orleans, Louisiana

During the first month of 2023, stop by Gallery 600 Julia to view Northshore artist Mickey Asche's detailed bird portraits inspired by the work of John James Audubon in an exhibition titled Ode to Audubon. The exhibition opens in conjunction with the Warehouse Arts District Art Walk January 7, with an opening reception from 6 pm–8 pm. gallery600julia.com. k

JAN 10th - JAN 15th

PASSION MUSICALS JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR AT THE SAENGER

New Orleans, Louisiana

Enlivened by Andrew Lloyd Webber's rock opera score, Tim Rice's lyrics, some seventies slang, and allusions to modern life, a touring cast is bringing this criticallyacclaimed fiftieth-anniversary edition of the musical passion play from the UK to the Saenger. Performances are 7:30 pm Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday; 8 pm Firday and Saturday; 1 pm (ASL performance) and 6:30 pm Sunday. Tickets start at $35 at saengernola.com. k

JAN 11th

COASTAL CONVERSATIONS

WITNESS TO CHANGE: ELIZABETH RUSH'S RISING New Orleans, Louisiana

The Gallier Gatherings Lecture Series is hosting environmental humanities scholar Dr. Christopher Schaberg for a lecture as part of the "Witness to Change: Community Conversations on Coastal Impacts" series. The talk will focus on Elizabeth Rush’s book Rising: Dispatches from the New American Shore (2018), and participants will receive a free copy of the book. 6 pm. Free. Find more information or register on Facebook. k

JAN 11th - JAN 15th

SEMITIC SCREENINGS

JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL Baton Rouge, Louisiana

The Baton Rouge Jewish Film Festival

Emptiness Ecologies

By Jordan LaHaye Fontenot

When I first walked into the Yes We Cannibal gallery on the Friday morning before the December 17 opening of their newest exhibition, Emptiness Ecologies—the first thing I noticed was the video footage playing to my right, showing a taxidermied cat pelt being arranged to pose beside flowers and crystals, a dried iguana perched on its mangled ear.

The film—created by experimental artists Emily Vey Duke and Cooper Battersby—is titled “Civil Twilight at the Vernal Equinox” and explores the relationships between humans and other species here on Earth, probing at the idea of “cuteness” and whether or not human empathy is purely exploitative. Such challenging lines of thought characterize Emptiness Ecologies, which Yes We Cannibal founders Mat Keel and Liz Lessner have dubbed the “most conceptually ambitious” of the gallery’s endeavors yet. The show carries on the conversations sparked by the Summer 2021 show Eat the Anthropocene with Cesar and Lois and friend entities—which explored humanity’s interconnectedness with its ecosystem as an avenue for new knowledge pathways. This show, explained Keel, was curated to serve as a “creative audit” on recent conversations on ecology, particularly in dialogue with the Buddhist philosophy of emptiness; and it features work in multiple media by mid-to-late career artists and writers working in the environmental arena of philosophy and art.

Across from Duke and Battersby’s film, a single 8.5x11 piece of artwork enjoyed, for now, all of my attention; by the end of that day when the installation was completed, it would be joined by thirty or so other “data sculptures” in a grid displaying as many feathered, broad-stroked conglomerates that are 3D-generated visualizations of birdsong. Specifically, birdsong that no longer exists, from species now extinct. Of the work, created by architect and media artist Clarissa Ribeiro, Keel said, “When you start looking at them, as you see, the birds are kind of distorted within the form, which is generated by sound. So, there’s kind of a mixing up of the senses, which ties back into this stuff about emptiness, and how we think about sense, as well as extinction.”

Equally mesmerizing and multi-layered are collages by Houma nation artist and activist Monique Verdin, two Maki-e works from Chihiro Ito’s “Painting Vegetables and Flowers” project, Anna Scime’s film—created from old media technologies— which equates color distortions to gene manipulation and survival, and a set of sculptural installations by New Orleans multi-media artist Dawn DeDeaux. Accompanying all of the visual art are a series of original essays by writers and thinkers including communitarian activist and philosopher Dr. John Clark, LSU Museum of Art’s Curator and Director of Public Programs Courtney Taylor, and author Laura Morris. h

Emptiness Ecologies is on view at Yes We Cannibal until February 4. Find a full listing of Yes We Cannibal’s upcoming programming associated with Emptiness Ecologies on page 13, as well as on the organization’s website at yeswecannibal.org.

Dawn DeDeaux's "Trophies" (2022), a multimedia installation made up of multiple of her past works, including "Dead Planets" (2014) and "Safe for Water" (2015). Courtesy of Yes We Cannibal.

CHARLIE PARKER’S

YARDBIRD

At the New Orleans Jazz Market

January 20, 2023 at 7:30 PM January 21, 2023 at 7:30 PM January 22 at 2:30 PM

Events

Beginning January 11th - January 15th

returns this year, bringing a series of acclaimed films to the Manship Theatre related to Jewish culture and history. On the bill are:

January 11: Karaoke —The story of a retired couple in Tel Aviv, adapting to empty nest syndrome and craving excitement, befriending a gregarious bachelor.

January 12: Speer Goes to Hollywood — The grand winner of the Israeli Academy Awards, along with three awards at the Israeli Documentary Awards, this film tells the story, through archival material, of Albert Speer, Nuremberg's highest ranking Nazi, who was spared the death sentence.

January 14: The Man in the Basement: A psychological thriller centered around a real estate deal between a bourgeois French couple and an anti-Semitic conspiracy theorist.

Friday. Free. artguildlouisiana.org. k

JAN 13th

BARREL OF LAUGHS TONY KING AT THE MANSHIP

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Get ready to laugh with comedian, actor, and writer Tony King—who is bringing his one-man show to the Manship for one night only. Eighteen and older. 7:30 pm. $27. manshiptheatre.org. k

JAN 13th

ORCHESTRAL EVENINGS LOUISIANA PHILHARMONIC

PRESENTS: BRITTEN & ELGAR Covington, Louisiana

NEW ORLEANS OPERA BOX OFFICE (504) 529-3000 boxoffice@neworleansopera.org www.NewOrleansOpera.org

January 15: Farewell, Mr. Haffman: An Anne Frank-reminiscent drama, told of a Parisian jeweler who is forced to hide for his life in the basement of his shop. Visit brjff.com to view clips from the films and read additional details. manshiptheatre.org. k

JAN 12th ART PARTIES MUSIC, PERFORMANCE, ART, COMMUNITY

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

The Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge's annual MPAC (Music, Performance, Art, Community) Celebration is back, and this year they are celebrating fifty years of supporting the arts in Baton Rouge. In honor of the anniversary, MPAC is turning back time to 1973, and going full on disco. Enjoy an evening of '70s music by SupaFly and DJ Marquis, plus entertainment by local visual and performing artists. In your grooviest threads, dig into the local cuisine, vintage libations, interactive activities, auctions, and more. All at the Cary Saurage Community Arts Center. 7 pm–10 pm. Tickets ($150; $300 for VIP) available at eventbrite.com. artsbr.org. k

JAN 12th - MAR 9th

LOCAL ART ART GUILD OF LOUISIANA MEMBER SHOW

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Artwork in a variety of mediums created by members of the Art Guild of Louisiana will be on display at Independence Park Theatre, which is open from 10 am–5 pm Tuesday–

Led by Music Director Carlos Miguel Prieto, this special evening by the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra will feature a program of Benjamin Britten and Edward Elgar's music, performed by Mollie Pate on principal horn. A preconcert talk will be held from 6:30 pm–7 pm. Concert begins at 7:30 pm. Held at the Covington High School Auditorium. $35; $10 for students and children. lpomusic.com. k

JAN 14th

THEATRICAL

FUNDRAISERS

JPAST & PRESENT Metairie, Louisiana

Celebrate the Jefferson Performing Arts Society's many contribution to the performing arts in the New Orleans area while supporting their work and productions with an extravagant, fun evening out. JPAST & Present will kick off with a VIP Patron Party (6 pm) featuring the beautiful voice of jazz singer Anais St. John, followed by a seated dinner on stage (7:30 pm) accompanied by showtune performances by Jimmy Maxwell Orchestra with JPAS performers. After that Janet Shea will be honored at the Legacy Award Ceremony (8:30 pm), then comes the Saturday Night Fever Disco Dance Party in the Lobby (9 pm) which entails drinks, dessert, and dancing. Plus, there will be a silent auction offering artwork, unique experiences, and more. Tickets start at $150 at jpas.org. k

JAN 14 th

SPILLED INK KIDS WATERCOLOR WORKSHOP AT THE ARTS COUNCIL OF LIVINGSTON

Denham Springs, Louisiana

Join arts educator Shelly Frederick downtown Denham Springs at the

Daniel Schnyder

The Ranney and Emel Songu Mize Chamber Opera Series

older. All supplies included. Reserve your spot. $10. artslivingston.org. k

JAN 14 th

TRIBUTE SHOWS STILL STANDING: AN ELTON JOHN TRIBUTE GROUP AT THE POYDRAS CENTER New Roads, Louisiana

The Arts Council of Pointe Coupee continue to bring exciting performance to New Roads with its Performing Arts Series when Still Standing, an Elton John Tribute Group, makes its way to the Poydras Center stage. Tickets start at $30. artscouncilofpointecoupee.org. k

JAN 14 th

GREEN THUMBS GARDEN DISCOVERIES: GROWING ORCHIDS IN LOUISIANA

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

The Baton Rouge Botanic Garden Foundation returns with its free Garden Discoveries series, this month focusing on the topic of "Growing Orchids in Louisiana". Members of the Baton Rouge Orchid Society Patty Granier and Lata Johnson will educate on how orchids have evolved to attract their pollinators, and dole out tips on how to care for the flowers. The presentation will end with a walk through the library's botanical gardens. 10 am at the Main Library. Free. ebrpl.com. k

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 that follow the races. Full schedule and registration at thelouisianamarathon.com. k

JAN 15th

GUITAR VIRTUOSOS VIRGINIA LUQUE AT THE ACA

Lafayette, Louisiana

Award winning Spanish guitarist Virginia Luque has brought her distinct approach to classical and flamenco music in a Spanish romantic style to stages all over the world— performing with orchestras from New York to Seoul. Now, she takes the stage solo at the Acadiana Center for the Arts. 3 pm–6 pm. $55. acadianacenterforthearts.org. k

JAN 15th

CHURCH MUSIC CHRIST CHURCH'S THIRD SUNDAY CONCERT SERIES Covington, Louisiana

The historic Christ Episcopal Church in Covington presents its Third Sunday Concert series, a tradition of free concerts held on the third Sunday of each month for the past thirty-two years. This month, hear the Opus Vocal Ensemble. Doors open at 4:30 pm for 5 pm performances. Free. christchurchcovington.com. k

Events

Beginning January 15th - January 20th

th

SWAN SONGS REQUIEM BY THE SHREVEPORT SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Shreveport, Louisiana

A Shreveport Symphony Orchestra string sextet will perform Mozart's final composition, as arranged by Polish cellist/composer Marcin Zdunik, at Centenary College's Anderson Auditorium. 3 pm–4 pm. Free. sbfunguide.com. k

17 th

UPWARD CLIMBS "NAT GEO LIVE : IMPROBABLE ASCENT" WITH MAUREEN

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Looking for some inspiration this new year? Paraclimber and 2019 National Geographic Adventurer of the Year Maureen Beck is bringing her remarkable story to the Manship stage this month, telling the tale—with endearing humor and wit—of how she came to be a world champion climber with only one hand. 7:30 pm. $35. manshiptheatre.org. k

17 th & JAN 26 th

GREEN THUMBS

LOUISIANA MASTER GARDENERS WORKSHOPS AT LIVINGSTON PARISH LIBRARIES Livingston, Louisiana

The Livingston Parish Library is presenting two workshops meant to prepare your gardens for the incoming spring season. On January 17, join Louisiana Master Gardeners for a presentation on spring vegetable planting, and on January 26, on how to prepare your fruit trees—spraying, pruning, and all—for warmer temps. Door prizes will be awarded at the end of the program. 6 pm. Free. mylpl.info. k

JAN 18 th

LIT & LEGENDS EVANGELINE RECONSIDERED LECTURE

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Veni Harland, author of Evangeline Reconsidered, will present a lecture on her carefully-researched book exploring the roots, legends, history, and impact of Longfellow's 1847 poem Evangeline: A Tale of Acadie. Presented by the East Baton Rouge Public Library's Special Collections and held at the Main Library. 6 pm. Free. ebrpl.com. k

JAN 19th

COMMUNITY TOGETHERNESS "AN IMAM, A PRIEST AND A RABBI WALK INTO A MUSEUM" AT THE OPELOUSAS MUSEUM Opelousas, Louisiana

With spring and all of the religious holidays that it brings approaching, those who are curious about how others celebrate can attend this interfaith program featuring religious leaders from the three Abrahamic religions that coexist in the Opelousas area in conversation. Speakers include Dr. Ghayas Qureshi of the Islamic Center of Lafayette, Father Justin Arockiasamy, S.V.D. of Holy Ghost Church, and Rabbi Sarah Smiley of Unified Jewish Congregation of Baton Rouge. Professor Michael Alleman of LSUE will moderate the discussion. 5 pm–7 pm. Email museum@cityofopelousas.com for more information. k

JAN 19 th

COMPOSERS' CORNER ABITA SPRINGS

SONGWRITERS CIRCLE Abita Springs, Louisiana

On the third Thursday of each month, songwriters from far and wide circle up at The Abita Springs Town Hall for a night of creative collaboration, sharing, and encouragement. 7 pm–10 pm. Free. Contact Todd Lemoine at forkarmabooking@gmail.com for more information.  k

JAN 19th

COMEDIC GAME SHOWS PLAYMAKERS PRESENTS ARE YOU SMARTER THAN AN 8TH GRADE NUN Covington, Louisiana

Vicki Quade introduces her latest comedic game show in her religious comedy series, Are You Smarter Than an 8th Grade Nun? Be careful— contestants who answer too many questions wrong end up in purgatory. 7 pm. $20. bontempstix.com. k

JAN 19 th

ART PARTIES

ENVISIONING THE SOUTH GALA: A NIGHT TO HONOR ROGER OGDEN Lafayette, Louisiana

This month, the Hilliard Art Museum welcomes renowned collector and founder of the Ogden Museum of Art, Roger Houston Ogden, as the guest

of honor at its annual Gala at the Museum. The event will consist of a cocktail reception, seated dinner, and a preview of the exhibition Envisioning the South: The Roger Houston Ogden Collection , which chronicles Ogden's journey as a collector and presents a survey of his unmatched collection of Southern Art. For the occasion, the Hilliard's main gallery will be transformed into a Louisiana landscape. All proceeds will go towards ongoing projects at the museum, including the creation of an educational classroom and café in the historic A. Hays Town-designed building adjacent to the museum. 6 pm–10 pm. $600. hilliardmuseum.org. k

JAN 19th - MAR 19th

LOCAL ART RON'S RETRO: HONORING RONALD KENNEDY WITH LOCAL BLACK ARTISTS AT THE WEST BATON ROUGE MUSEUM

Port Allen, Louisiana

Honoring longtime friend of the West Baton Rouge Museum Ronald Kennedy, the museum's newest exhibition will feature works by the Southeastern University Professor of Visual Arts and Photography, as well as by other artists from around Baton Rouge. westbatonrougemuseum.org. k

JAN 19th - AUG 19th SOUTHERN ART ENVISIONING THE SOUTH: THE ROGER HOUSTON OGDEN COLLECTION Lafayette, Louisiana

One of the South's greatest art collectors and champions brings selections from his collection to the Hiliard Art Museum this year. The exhibition Envisioning the South: The Roger Houston Ogden Collection will examine the founder of the Ogden Museum of Southern Art's evolution as a collector and showcase works running the gamut from representational art to nonobjective abstraction and photography. hilliardmuseum.org. k

JAN 20th

CURATED CONVERSATIONS SOUTHERN AESTHETICS AND CONNOISSEURSHIP: IN CONVERSATION WITH ROGER OGDEN

Lafayette, Louisiana

Louisiana art lovers are invited to attend the half-day symposium, Southern Aesthetics and Connoisseurship: In Conversation with Roger Ogden, held at the LITE Center and featuring presentations from curators Benjamin Hickey of the Hilliard Art Museum, Bradley Sumrall of the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, and

Roger Houston Ogden himself. 9 am–noon. Free. hilliardmuseum.org. k

JAN 20th

PARODY PARTIES SPOOF NIGHT! WITH HARRY POTTER & THE GOBLET OF FIRE

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Welcome to Hogwarts School of Stagecraft and Ribaldry. Take the magic seriously, but everything else is fair game when it comes to The Family Dinner Comedy Troupe's Spoof Night on Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. The interactive movie experience tackles beloved films with live commentary, digital skits, and audiencecurated improv games. 7:30 pm. $12. manshiptheatre.org. k

JAN 20th - JAN 21st

SILVER SCREEN ART OF THE FILM: LOUISIANA FILM INDUSTRY EXPO

Slidell, Louisiana

The Northshore Cultural Economy Coalition and the City of Slidell are presenting this annual exposition at the Slidell Municipal Auditorium on the wideranging facets of the film industry, and the ample opportunities for locals to get involved. Attendees will enjoy presentations from internationally-renowned film experts Ed and Sue Poole, Movie Poster Archives

Executive Director Linda Thurman; composer, songwriter, and vocalist Greg Barnhill, and many others. Attendees will also be able to register for the resource directory to receive future information on opportunities to serve as extras, crew, talent, and to register businesses and properties for consideration for shoots. 10 am–6 pm. Free. northshorecec.org. k

JAN 20th - JAN 27th

COMMUNITY THEATRE JITNEY AT SLIDELL LITTLE THEATRE Slidell, Louisiana

As the 1977 edition of August Wilson's Pittsburgh Cycle—a decade-by-decade cycle of plays about the Black experience—Jitney is set during a period of Pittsburgh's urban renewal, as told through the stories of five cab drivers struggling to make ends meet. Directed by Will Williams at Slidell Little Theatre. 8 pm Fridays and Saturdays; 2 pm Sundays. $28; $22 for students and seniors. slidelllittletheatre.org. k

JAN 20th - JAN 28th

COMMUNITY THEATRE DUCK HUNTER SHOOTS ANGEL AT CUTTING EDGE THEATER Slidell, Louisiana

When two Alabama "good ole boys" claim to have mistaken a celestial being

Events

Beginning January 20th - January 27th

for waterfowl, a jaded New York reporter descends. In Mitch Albom's zany comedy, presented by Cutting Edge Theater, the far-fetched stories of the tabloids come to life. Fridays and Saturdays, 7 pm. $25. cuttingtheater.com. k

JAN 20 th - JAN 29 th

NO RESERVATIONS CHUCK EATS RESTAURANT WEEK

Lake Charles, Louisiana

During the last week of January, experience a wide variety of Lake Charles restaurants serving up everything from home-style soul food to elevated international dishes with special prices, menus, and deals during Chuck Eats Restaurant Week. Find more information on the participating restaurants and their menus at visitlakecharles.org. k

JAN 20 th - FEB 16 th

CELEBRITY PORTRAITS L.A. TO LA AT THE HAMMOND REGIONAL ARTS CENTER

Hammond, Louisiana

Kicking off the year at the Hammond

Regional Arts Center is an exhibition by Tangi-born artist Robby Klein, whose entertainment and portrait photography has been shown across the United States. Some of his portraits include celebrities like Dolly Parton, Billie Eilish, Justin Timberlake, Blake Shelton, Tim McGraw, Anthony Hopkins, Donald Glover, Jason Bateman, Natalie Portman, and Julie Roberts, among others. An opening reception will be held on January 20 from 5 pm–8 pm. hammondarts.org. k

JAN 21 st

HOMECOMING CONCERTS ANDREW DUHON TRIO AT THE MANSHIP

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Along with this Country Roads calendar entry, the Andrew Duhon Trio has been featured in national publications that include Rolling Stone, No Depression, and Parade. As the national acclaim ascends, the New Orleans Grammy-nominated songwriter and troubadour still makes time for stages in his homestate, including this performance at the Manship, where he will be promoting

his new album Emerald Blue. 7:30 pm. $50. manshiptheatre.org. k

JAN 21st - JAN 29th

COMEDIC PLAYS

LAUGHTER ON THE 23RD FLOOR AT 30 BY NINETY THEATRE Mandeville, Louisiana

In his original script, playwright Neil Simon recalls his experiences as a young writer on Sid Caesar's Your Show of Shows through the misadventures of star madman Mac Prince's writing staff. Directed by Chris Manguno, 30 by Ninety Theatre's production of Laughter on the 23rd Floor is a hoot. 8 pm Fridays and Saturdays; 2:30 pm Sundays. $19; $17 for seniors and military; $14 for students. Rated R. 30byninety.com. k

JAN 22nd

HOLY SOUNDS MUSIC AT ST. JOHN'S CONCERT SERIES

Thibodaux, Louisiana

Founded almost thirty years ago, the Music at St. John's Concert Series at St. John's Episcopal Church in Thibodaux brings seasonal performances set in the church's historic space—designed to promote the study, appreciation, and understanding of music by affordable exposure to professional musicians. On January 22, hear Italian mezzosoprano and

pianist Mattea Musso, whose repertoire covers the Baroque and Renaissance styles as well as traditional music from the Mediterranean. Admission is $15; free for students with an ID; $50 for season passes. stjohnsthibodaux.org. k

JAN 22nd

CREATIVE CLASSES INTRODUCTION TO SUBLIMATON WORKSHOP AT THE ARTS COUNCIL OF LIVINGSTON PARISH Denham Springs, Louisiana

Learn the art of sublimation with instructor Shelly Frederick of the Arts Council of Livingston Parish, who will guide a hands-on workshop on the entire process and all its possibilities. Leave with a firm understanding of the basics, and the know-how on how to create t-shirts and tumblers, and everything in between. No experience necessary; all supplies included. 2 pm–6 pm. More details and prices at artslivingston.org. k

JAN 24th

ART BREAK ART AT LUNCH: THE HISTORIC EUROPEAN GRAND TOUR TRADITION Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Coordinator at the LSU College of Art + Design, will present a lecture on the history of the LSU Museum of Art's Mediterranea exhibition. Bring lunch, water and soda will be provided. Noon. Free. lsumoa.org. k

JAN 24th

RIBBIT-ROUSING FROGWATCH TRAINING

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

The LSU Hilltop Arboretum is partnering with the Louisiana Master Naturalists of Greater Baton Rouge for a unique training experience for the public, led by Katherine Gividen. The course will take place in the Beverly Coates Auditorium on Highland Road, and will educate on how to become a FrogWatch community scientist, monitoring frogs and toads and their activity throughout Louisiana. Learn how to gather important information contributing to data on frog and toad populations, distribution, and seasonal timing—as well as how to identify calling frogs and toads in your community. $15. lsu.edu/hilltop. k

JAN 25th

MONUMENTAL DISCUSSIONS "MONUMENTS, MURALS, AND MYTHS: UNCOVERING THE TRUTH ABOUT PUBLIC ART" LECTURE

Port Allen, Louisiana

Spend your lunchbreak listening to a dynamic conversation about public art—its role in communities and the inherent complexities of the art form in aesthetics, maintenance, and reinterpretation. The discussion will feature a panel that includes Maya Curtis, Public Art Project Manager for Arts New Orleans; William Stark, Director of LSU's Rural Life Museum; and Ellen Ogden, a local fine artist and muralist—moderated by Elizabeth Chubbuck Weinstein, a museum consultant and independent curator. The conversation is being held in conjunction with the exhibition Angela Gregory: Doyenne of Louisiana Sculpture, which was guest curated by Weinstein. Noon. Free. westbatonrougemuseum.org. k

JAN 26th

SYMPHONIC SOUNDS BATON ROUGE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA SERIES: ADAM JOHNSON

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

As part of the Baton Rouge Symphony's Orchestra Series, award-winning Canadian conductor Adam Johnson will lead a program at the River Center Theater that includes Offenbach's "Orpheus in the Underworld," Ravel's "Schéhérazade", and Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique. 7:30 pm–9:30 pm. $24–$70. brso.org. k

JAN 26th MUSIC DOCUMENTARIES LOUISIANA PREMIERE OF THE ORIGINAL KING BEE

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Johnny Palazzotto and Steve Zaffuto's long-anticipated full-length documentary on blues star and Grammy Hall of Famer Slim Harpo will finally make its Louisiana premiere this month at the Manship Theatre. The film includes a never-before-heard audio interview with James Moore, the singer, harmonica player, and guitarist known as Slim Harpo—which was conducted in 1968 in New York City by music journalist Susan Cassidy Clark. Also featured are interviews with Moore's original King Bees band members, his wife, manager, and co-songwriter Lovell Moore Casey, and stepson William Gambler. Appearances by Harpo fans Dr. John, Ray Davies, Delbert McClinton, and Jimmie Vaughan are to be looked forward, too—as well as an opening sequence highlighting the over 250 artists who have recorded Moore's music, including the Rolling Stones, Van Morrison, Pink Floyd, Otis Redding, the Who, Hank Williams, Jr., and many more. 7:30 pm. $12. manshiptheatre.org. k

JAN 26th - JAN 29th

FLOWER POWER WINTER CAMELLIA FESTIVAL Folsom, Louisiana

It's bloom time at Mizell's Camellia Hill Nursery, who invites all to celebrate the knockouts. Bring the kids for gardening activities, enjoy free refreshments, and shop specials on camellias and other woody ornamentals. 10 am–3 pm each day. Free. mizellscamelliahillnurserys.com. k

JAN 27th

ARTFUL DISCUSSIONS

GALLERY TALK AT THE LSU MOA: KEVIN BENHAM Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Join the LSU Museum of Art for a lively discussion of its exhibition Volterra and Pasqua between the artist Kevin Benham and LSU Assistant Professor of Art History Ludovico Geymonat. 6 pm. Free. lsumoa.org. k

JAN 27th - JAN 28th

CAMELLIA CELEBRATIONS GARDENS & GRAVEYARDS

Woodville, Mississippi

Celebrate the bicentennial of the planting of the first specimen that would become the Woodville Red Camellia in 1822, as well as John James Audubon visiting Woodville in 1823, with Gardens & Graveyards. The weekend-long fundraiser to benefit Woodville's continued

Events

Beginning January 28th - January 30th

beautification includes symposiums, a festival, a silent auction, birding, receptions, and more; presented by Audubon Encounters. Friday brings birding and historic tours of Rosemont and Allendale ($50), Saturday is the big festival in downtown Woodville (free), as well as the symposium at St. Paul's Episcopal ($50) and the Red Reception at Rosemont with camellias and cocktails ($75). audubonencounters.org. k

JAN 28th

FLOWER POWER HILLTOP ARBORETUM SYMPOSIUM: "IRISES" Baton

Rouge, Louisiana

The Friends of Hilltop Arboretum's annual symposium is all about "Irises’ Tale of Conservation and Adaptation", particularly the ways the flower has been an important part of Louisiana's natural heritage, and how it has been impacted by climate change. Iris experts Patrick O’Connor and Charles Perilloux will share information as well as experience with the plants, and Dana Nunes Brown will speak on her book Using Plants for Stormwater Management. The symposium is sponsored by the Arlene Kestner Educational Fund. 8:30 am—1 pm. $50 for members, $65 for non-members. lsu.edu/hilltop.

JAN 28th

PARODY PIROUETTES LES BALLETS TROCKADERO DE MONTE CARLO New

Orleans, Louisiana

This endearing all-male ballet company was established in 1974, and is known for charming audiences with parodies of classic ballet numbers from Swan Lake to Les Sylphides. Experience what the UK's Sunday Times called "the funniest night you'll experience at the ballet" when New Orleans Ballet Association brings "the Trocks" to the Mahalia Jackson Theater. 7:30 pm. Tickets start at $35 at mahaliajacksontheater.com. k

JAN 28th

ANNIVERSARY EXHIBITS

KNOWING WHO WE ARE:

contemporary artwork, both from the Ogden's permanent collection and newer acquisitions. Inspired by the Ralph Ellison quote "knowing where we are has a lot to do with our knowing who we are," the exhibition considers the impact our environments have on our selves. Included works represent artists from a broad swath of the South, from El Paso to Baltimore and beyond, and often features diverse expressions of the balance between tradition and innovation, as well as the complex and troubled histories of their homes. In particular, the exhibit—which includes artwork spanning back to the nineteenth century—aims to highlight works that were influential,

champ. All proceeds will benefit a local child and family who are burdened with medical and related expenses. 8 am–6 pm at the Yambilee Ag Arena. Free, or $50 to enter the cook-off. (337) 5681108. cajuntravel.com. k

JAN 28 th MARDI PARTIES KREWE OF SOUTHDOWNS MARDI GRAS BALL

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Join Krewe of Southdowns for its storied showdown, coming to the Embassy Suites Hotel this year, and promising an open buffet dinner, cash bar, and live music by The Remnants. 7:30 pm. $60 gets you in the door for open seating: an eight person table is $480; a ten person table is $600 at bontempstix.com. southdowns.org. k

JAN 28th - JAN 29th

DARK COMEDIES PSYCH AT PLAYMAKERS THEATER

Covington, Louisiana

What happens when a successful psychiatrist is framed for murder? Find out when Playmakers Theater of Covington produces this darkly hilarious comedy by Lisa Rowe. 7 pm Saturday, 2 pm Sunday. $15–$20 at bontempstix.com. k

JAN 29th

SCIENTIFIC SIT-DOWNS SOUNDS OF SCIENCE SERIES

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

A collaboration between the East Baton Rouge Parish Library, the LSU School of Music, the LSU Department of Astronomy and Physics, and the LSU Manship School of Mass Communication brings us the Sounds of Science series, which will kick off with a presentation at the Main Library titled: "A Journey to the Big Bang and Beyond," presented by LSU's Dr. Parampreet Singh. 3 pm. Free. ebrpl.com/ soundsofscience. k

JAN 29th

THE

CONTEMPORARY DIALOGUE New Orleans, Louisiana

In 2023, Ogden Museum celebrates its twentieth year of providing a home for one of the world's most significant collections of Southern art with its first exhibition to encompass the entire museum since it opened in 2003. Knowing Who We Are, which updates the South's narrative as told through

See the performance the UK's Sunday Times called "the funniest night you'll experience at the ballet" when the all-male comedic ballet troupe Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo comes to the Mahalia Jackson Theater stage. Photo courtesy of New Orleans Ballet Association.

but previously unrecognized. The museum-wide exhibit will open in parts: the first, Knowing Who We Are: The Contemporary Dialogue opens this month. ogdenmuseum.org. k

JAN 28 th

CULINARY COMPETITIONS OPELOUSAS ANNUAL GUMBO COOK-OFF Opelousas, Louisiana

The annual Opelousas Gumbo CookOff heats up downtown Opelousas once again this year, drawing guests from near and far to experience the savory sensation that is an Acadiana gumbo. Live music, a kids' activity area, silent and live auctions, and dancing will keep the day a-going while the chefs get to a-gumboing. Prizes are awarded for first, second, and third place; and the winner receives a specially designed Gumbo Cook-Off Champ Paddle from last year's

JAN 28th - JAN 29th

RENOVATION INSPIRATION HOME & REMODELING SHOW WITH RALPH'S MARKETS FOOD FEST

Gonzales, Louisiana

If your New Year's resolutions include any do-it-yourself home improvement projects, this event is your chance to stock up on anything you need to renovate your home, inside and out. From kitchens, to bathrooms, to siding and beyond, everything from roof to floor materials will be at the LamarDixon Expo Center in Gonzales this weekend. Also catch Ralph's Markets Food Fest, with plenty of free samples, coupons, and recipes to explore—plus the potential to win $500 worth of groceries. $6, military $2, children under twelve free. 10 am–5 pm. jaaspro.com. k

MET

COMES

TO TOWN FEDORA: THE METROPOLITAN OPERA AT THE ACADIANA CENTER FOR THE ARTS Lafayette, Louisiana

Experience the Met Opera in HD through the Acadiana Center for the Arts screening programs. This month, catch Umberto Giordano's exhilarating drama, Fedora for its first return to the Met in twenty-five years. $15. acadianacenterforthearts.org. k

JAN 30 th

LIVE MUSIC CHESTER GREGORY CONCERT

Morgan City, Louisiana

Chester Gregory and his rhythm section will perform as part of the Morgan City Live concert series at the Morgan City Municipal Auditorium. 7 pm. $25. cajuncoast.com. k

Find our full list of events, including those we couldn't fit into print, by pointing your phone camera here.

VISIT ST. FRANCISVILLE

Spring Flings

FIVE FUN (AND TOTALLY DIFFERENT) EVENTS COMING TO ST. FRANCISVILLE THIS SPRING.

From the moment the first dogwood blossoms begin to brighten February’s winter woods, through March’s explosion of wisteria and azaleas, to the blue and gold Louisiana iris riot of April, spring is a vibrant time in West Feliciana parish. As warming weather breathes color back into the Tunica Hills, historic St. Francisville steps up to celebrate, filling the calendar with cultural, artistic, athletic, and outdoorsy events guaranteed to put a spring into visitors’ steps. Here’s a taste.

February 4: Writers & Readers Symposium. Grace Episcopal Church

West Feliciana Parish flies the literary flag high as the Celebration of Literature and Art’s Writers and Readers Symposium invites accomplished authors to present readings and discuss works. The goal of this annual symposium is to offer audiences a well-balanced appreciation for the art of literature in all its forms through a focus on the work of Louisiana writers. This year’s featured authors include

Ronlyn Domingue, Wayne Flynt, Lorin Gaudin, Maurice Carlos Ruffin, and Mona Lisa Saloy. 9 am–4 pm at Grace Episcopal Church. $75 includes lunch. For tickets visit bontempstix.com/ events/2023-writers-readers

March

4: A Walk in the Park.

Parker Park

Spring’s answer to October’s Yellow Leaf Art Festival, A Walk in the Park will fill Parker Park with craft vendors featuring locally made jewelry, clothing, art, home décor, baked goods and preserves, and lots more. Expect bands playing in the park Gazebo from noon, and food trucks on-site throughout the day. facebook.com/awalkintheparksf

March 4: The Rouge Roubaix

Louisiana’s most grueling bicycle race brings hundreds of lycra-clad gladiators back to the Tunica Hills. The twenty-first annual Rouge Roubaix—a USA Cycling-sanctioned race—leads participating riders on a punishing (but scenic) tour of the remotest parts of West Feliciana Parish and Wilkinson

County, Mississippi. This year’s course pits hardcore cyclists and their machines against ninety-three miles of hills, mud, gravel, potholes, decommissioned bridges … and occasional stretches of smooth, fast blacktop.

Held rain or shine, the action is always fast and furious. Good places to watch are along the sides of Block House Hill (a brutal, one-mile gravel climb between Fort Adams and The Pond Store), the Old Tunica Road (especially the gravel section right after the turnoff from Hwy 66 near Angola), and at the finishing climb up St. Francisville’s Feliciana Street.

Or you could put some teeth in your new year’s resolution by registering to ride either the 93-mile route, or a shorter, 51-mile option. Rougeroubaix.com.

March 25: Tunica Hills Music Festival & Jam. Parker Park

The hills are alive with the sound of music! This family-friendly, outdoor music festival returns, with two stages set up in Parker Park and welcoming Louisiana musicians for a day of

concerts, jam sessions, instruction, and celebration of the arts. Bring picnic blanket, lawn chairs, coolers, and your instrument(s) of choice, and settle in for a harmonious weekend. 10 am–10 pm. Free.

April 22: Spring Garden Stroll

The Feliciana Master Gardeners are the green thumbs guiding this selfguided driving/walking tour that visits six unique gardens in and near St. Francisville (four private gardens plus those at Oakley and Rosedown State Historic Sites). Visitors will be greeted by a member of the Feliciana Master Gardeners at each site. 1 pm–5 pm. $20 tickets providing admission to the four private gardens, plus Oakley and Rosedown, are available on the day of the tour from the St. Francisville Town Hall, 11936 Ferdinand Street. (225) 635-3614 or lsuagcenter.com/ springgardentour.

For more information on these and other events, call (225) 635-3688 or

READING & WRITING

Where the Words Are

THE LITERATI ARE ALIVE IN THE CRESCENT CITY

By Sophie Nau

It’s a Saturday night, and as an MFA Creative Writing student in New Orleans, I’m as likely to be at a social event as a reading series—those regular gatherings of folks for sharing poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. No professor is making me go for a grade. Rather, I’ve been pulled in, as though by a magnet, by the sheer volume of literary activity in the city.

By my last count, among the currently active New Orleans reading series are The Splice, The Rubber Flower, Poets on Poets, UNO’s Gold Room (which I co-host), lmnl lit, Lucky Bean Poetry, Delgado Reading Series, Maple Leaf, and The Poetry Buffet, not to mention regular events at bookstores around town. Then there are the ghosts of influential series past, like Dogfish and Blood Jet, or the collectives like Peauxdunque and Third Lantern Lit— which offer additional support in between festivals like Words and Music, the Tennessee Williams & New Orleans Literary Festival, and the New Orleans Poetry Festival. And I know I’m likely still missing something.

A 2013 article from Emerson College’s Ploughshares estimated that New Orleans had the same number of bookshops per capita as Manhattan. A decade later, all but a few of those shops remain, along with a handful of new additions. Similarly, if my rough tracking of thirty active and regularly-held, writer-organized literary readings in New York City has any hold, New Orleans, a city with a population of about 376,000, could very well have more reading series per capita than that literary Goliath, population 1.6 million.

What makes New Orleans such a hotbed for the literary arts? And what are some of the unique challenges facing the community of poets, fiction writers, and memoirists that spend hours organizing countless (usually free) events?

Photo from one of Tilted House’s monthly “Rubber Flower” reading, courtesy of Cameron Lovejoy.

While some poets I spoke with considered New Orleans’s affordable cost of living (compared to meccas like New York or San Francisco) a factor of its attractiveness, others were quick to point out that even here, a third of the New Orleans population are paying more than half of their pre-tax income in rent and utilities. (A poetry professor of mine once shared a story about a colleague who, after winning a $1,000 poetry prize, was pestered by friends and family asking how he would spend it. They seemed to harbor visions of an elaborate, celebratory spree. His answer: “Food and gas.”) No matter where you are in this country, poetry is no money maker, but attend any reading in the city here and you will see that the seats are filled. People are showing up.

I wanted to delve beyond the easy assumptions of why New Orleans has a great literary turn-out: that the Crescent City promises to turn writers into bon vivants, or that poets move here to follow the ethereal trail left by the greats. A city can only rest on the laurels of bygone giants like William Faulkner and Tennessee Williams for so long, and these long-dead comrades in letters cannot be credited for the work being done today. None of the poets I spoke to are content sipping a daiquiri while snapping to a sestina and calling it a night. This is not just a party, but a craft.

But New Orleans’s bohemian culture does play its role. Michelle Nicholson, who co-runs lmnl (“liminal”) with Nikki Ummel, suggested that the city’s Mardi Gras history has engineered an infrastructure for live performance. “Where else [in the country] are you dancing in the street at two years old?” she asked. Rodrigo Toscano, a veteran of the San Diego, San Francisco, and New York poetry scenes, and one of the co-founders of The Splice Poetry Series alongside Henry Goldkamp and Sean F. Munro, agreed that New Orleans’s creative culture is “largely driven by people who live here who are aesthetically inclined.”

The Splice debuted in the middle of the pandemic, when all of that parading and gathering had slowed to a dead stop. But now, Toscano sees the city rising into a poetry renaissance, with organizers putting in “rigorous” work on the ground. “It’s part of culture making,” he said. “Like, how do you actively make culture? I think that it’s pretty amazing, actually.”

The series hosts I talked to have each mindfully structured their events to reflect what they would like to see in their community. For Toscano, Goldkamp, and Munro, The Splice, which features a regional poet and an out-oftown poet at each event, the goal is literary education. “We need a literary education by contemporaries, not just dead people,” Toscano said. “So, we thought it was something we [could] proactively build and raise the level of understanding of poetics … To be challenged by innovative writers doing radically different things than us would sharpen our own practice.” At the last Splice event, I was just as enthralled by the team’s introductions of their featured writers—essays on craft, criticism, and the larger directions of poetics in and of themselves—as the guests.

Cameron Lovejoy, the founder of Tilted House, a journal and local chapbook press, as well as the Rubber Flower Poetry Hour, is looking to bridge the gap between academia and “street poetry.” He hosts his shows at all-ages venues to allow for a younger audience to attend (often at Rubber Flower events, friends like Goldkamp man the donation-based bar). These crossovers are important to Lovejoy, who sees the scene in New Orleans as prolific but still segregated, be it by the blockades of academia or demographics. Tilted House Press reflects that intersection of craft and experience, publishing “a diversity of moods and modes,” by “fresh and pickled artists alike.”

Poets on Poets is another uniquely energetic space for the intersection of arts and conversation, founded by Chuck Perkins in 2016. Perkins, a New Orleans native, cut his teeth in the Chicago spoken word scene alongside the likes of Marc Smith, Malik Yusef, and Tyehimba Jess. When Perkins returned to New Orleans, he noticed plenty of poetry venues, “but it was the same poets and the same audience just moving around.”

Described by Lovejoy as “just perfect,” Poets on Poets is an open mic in the truest sense, with musicians, conversation, and spoken word colliding brilliantly in the late night hours.

“IT’S PART OF CULTURE MAKING. LIKE, HOW DO YOU ACTIVELY MAKE CULTURE?”

—RODRIGO TOSCANO

“Sometimes a poem will be read and there will be a dialogue about the topic,” Lovejoy said, creating a salon-like energy that can be hard to come by today.

“We had some wow … a couple of musicians that were just incredible,” Perkins said of earlier days. “We used to do this thing that was more organic, meaning, if someone was playing a sort of thing and it sounded great and you were just sitting in the audience and you had something that would go perfectly with it, you could just come up.” Unfortunately, mic-hoggers forced Perkins to restructure the show, but it continues every Wednesday at Cafe Istanbul. While Perkins agreed New Orleans’s community spirit is laudable, he also recognized its shortcomings. “I had a community of poets in Chicago, and we challenged each other all the time,” he said. “To be honest, I haven’t had [that sort of challenging] at all [here]. I haven’t felt like people are receptive to it.”

Arguably, that’s changing with this new batch of readings, but some find New Orleans’s inclusive atmosphere a benefit for their craft. “We create art as a form of connection,” Ummel said. “And I think our writing has improved because of the non-competitive nature of it.”

For Toscano, the stage is an equalizer. “No one is valued less or more as a literary actor,” he said. Perhaps inclusive reading is not about seeking approval, but about the co-education that inevitably happens when there are opportunities to perform work.

And those opportunities, as Ummel and Nicholson said, need to be accessible.

Boosted by a recent grant from the Poets and Writers Foundation, lmnl is adamant about keeping its programming, which includes readings, workshops, and eventually a residency, free.

Organizing lmnl is “a craft of precision and making sure we’re aware of what we’re doing,” Ummel said. The same can be said for many of the reading series around New Orleans. Culture-making is serious work. h

litwire.org • thesplice.org • tiltedhouse.org • lmnlarts.org • cafeistanbulnola.com

Two left photos from Tilted House’s monthly “Rubber Flower” readings, courtesy of Cameron Lovejoy. Right photo courtesy of the lmnl lit reading series at AllWays Lounge, courtesy of lmnl lit.

and knew we had to keep pushing.” Two months after he started Therapy Boards, the August 2016 flood killed his longtime skating friend, Budde.

Therapy Skateboards’ growth aligns with America’s shifting perceptions of skateboarding as a legitimate sport. Birthed in California in the sixties

Today, Coker is working towards bringing in more local artists for Therapy’s designs, but over the past six years over thirty of the boards released by the brand have been his own. In the beginning, Coker mainly promoted the products on Instagram, and achieved reasonable success. The company’s first major milestone came four years later, in 2020, when the brand launched its “Dat Sauce” board design—a play on Louisiana Hot Sauce—which landed a spot in Humidity Skate Shop in the French Quarter, New Orleans’s oldest locally-owned skate shop.

“Being able to release boards in shops we grew up going to as kids, and seeing the community come out and support, it feels good,” Coker said.

The company held its first release party in Lafayette’s Rukus the following year with a release of a pair of boards featuring a Louisiana swamp, based off a painting by Coker’s cousin, artist Kellie Breaux.

Today, Therapy has sold over one thousand boards to customers in more than twenty states. Most recently, Therapy released four boards designed by Coker as a part of its art-inspired “Connected Decks” series. The “Connect the Dots” deck features a four-hundred-

thirty-dot puzzle design of the brand’s logo and comes with a mini permanent marker, while the “MyCelium” deck shows a neon representation of a mushroom’s connected root system. Also part of the series is the “REMEMBER” deck featuring a geometric design and the words “Remember homies” and “Remember Therapy,” released to honor past-and-present skating friends. The final board in the series has “Create. Love. Inspire. Repeat.” over a watercolor background.

To commemorate the release, the company hosted a party and art show at Gnarly Barley Brewing in September, featuring art pieces, boards, photographs, and books that have inspired the team in the past and present.

Of the dozens of board designs created at Therapy over the years, Coker’s favorite is a second-edition print of a Zapp’s Potato Chips-inspired Voodoo design, which he released in late October. The original board was designed by Sativa Skates, another Louisiana-founded skateboard company, a decade ago. Coker reconnected with the owner Barrett DiGiulian at a 2021 fundraising event in Ruston for a community skatepark, and they brainstormed a collaboration.

Brent Coker, the founder of Therapy Boards. On the opposite page, top row, left to right: Brandon “Beezo” Jefferson, Craig Sterling, Timothy Villars. Bottom, left to right: Ryan “Yeda” Hughes, Brenden Latino, Brent Coker, Brett Ballenger.

“I’ve had the original Voodoo board since I was eighteen years old,” Coker said. “I was gifted it from someone who won it, and it’s been on display on my living room wall ever since. I wanted Therapy to remake the board for its tenyear anniversary.”

For its second edition, the design was updated to reflect the new Zapp’s Voodoo chips bag, and Therapy celebrated the release both in West Monroe at Tomahawk Skateshop—owned by Digiulian—and in Hammond at Gnarly Barley Brewing.

“Sativa is the company that was pushing when I was a kid, before Therapy was even an idea,” Coker said. “To be able to collaborate with them and re-release this board, it’s a very surreal moment.”

Looking forward, Coker wants the company to do more collaborations with other brands and he hopes to eventually open a brick-and-mortar skate shop of his own in Hammond.

“A skate shop provides culture to the community who may not know it,” Coker said. The sport has had a tremendous impact on him personally, he explained—which is part of what inspired his brand’s name. “Normally, you start therapy when you’re going

through a problem, and then it gets fixed,” he said. “To me, in skateboarding, [when we’re] starting trying a new trick, and we get frustrated and we get aggravated, and we’ll try it for three

hours. Then, you land the trick and all the time put in was worth it. In the future, that thing that was holding us back might be the thing pushing us forward.

Everything makes sense with time as long as we keep pushing through it.” h

therapyskateboards.com

PUBLIC RESOURCES

Books 3D PRINTERS, VIRTUAL REALITY, AND CAKE PANS—ALL THAT YOU’RE MISSING OUT ON AT YOUR LOCAL LIBRARY

By Jordan LaHaye Fontenot

On the third floor of the Lafayhette Parish Main Library, hall the way to the back wall, behind the Science section, there is a room that librarian Sterling Birdwell describes as “the best-kept secret of the library.” It’s been there for almost a decade, he points out, but even regular library patrons frequently stumble across it incredulously, muttering “I had no idea this was here!”

Recently, I spent an hour in this buzzing back room that is the Lafayette Main Library’s Makerspace and Tech Lab with Birdwell and a handful of other library card holders, learning the basics of how to use the library’s 3D Printer. As someone with a certifiable ineptitude towards machinery in general, I’ve always been intimidated by the idea of using such a sophisticated apparatus.

“We’ve got a ten-year-old that’s been coming in for months,” said Birdwell. “He’s trying to build a robot, with ball and socket joints that can, like, rotate and move and have full accessibility. It’s been amazing to kind of watch him go through the trial and error process.”

Another guy has been working on a full-on fantasy village, he said—“Little roads and little inns and all.” A few years back, an Industrial Design student at the University of Louisiana Lafayette used the printer to create his final project, a prototype for a collapsible football helmet, designed to better absorb impact. “Really, within the limitations of our materials and time constraints, the sky is the limit to what you can create here,” said Birdwell. Most often, people use the printer to create little keepsakes— toys, replicas of characters they like—or

to make more practical things: broken pieces of a sewing machine, a car part, a puzzle piece.

During the class, I kept my eye on the machine as it built micro-layer upon micro-layer, something indecipherable and organized growing taller beneath the buzzing arm as it moved back and forth.

Birdwell very simply explained how the machine worked, exhibiting a spool of the plastic filament, and describing the way it transforms into—well, pretty much whatever you want it to, within reason. With each of us sitting in front of one of the library’s laptops facing a big-screen projector, he walked us—stepby-step—through the process of making a replica of the Main Library using the free Tinkercad program. Quickly, I discovered that while I might be machineaverse, I am assuredly computer literate,

and rapidly jumped over the learning curb. This was easy, I was delighted to discover. Possibilities for Christmas gifts, home décor, storage, hair accessories, and more started to run through my mind. For a few of the less-digitally inclined in the class, Birdwell patiently gave them the time they needed to feel comfortable with the program. If we wanted to print this tiny library, all we’d have to do is send it to the printer, and we’d get an email when the process was complete.

At the end of the hour, the printer had made considerable progress on the mysterious object it had been working on since we entered, but was far from finished with it. I asked Birdwell what it was meant to be, and he picked up a rook piece from the shelf: “This guy, he’s building an entire chess set,” he said.

Over the past decade, 3D printers—

along with laser cutters, heat presses and other high-tech creative machinery— have become a part of public library offerings across the country. Responding to the rapid acceleration of the role technology plays in our daily lives, which has coincided with a rise in “making” or “DIY” culture—the modern library realizes that today’s patrons gather their information from places far beyond books.

“The mission of libraries are to connect people with information and resources,” emphasized Heather Riley, the Interim Director of Public Services at the New Orleans Public Library. “We traditionally have books, because for the majority of history, books were where you got all of your information . . . But today’s libraries are adapting to the times, and expanding into places we haven’t traditionally been in.”

Part of this expansion has come with the rise of designated Makerspaces, such as in Lafayette’s system, as well as Baton Rouge’s. Conceived as a tinkering paradise, a place to be curious and explore creativity using technology that is often

difficult to access, Makerspaces have evolved in recent years from small rooms with sewing machines and piles of construction paper to small-scale factories, totally open to the public for free or for the marginal cost of materials.

Speaking to the rarity of opportunities for people, particularly adults, to experiment with new skills and try new things, STEM Librarian for the East Baton Rouge Parish Library (EBRPL) Adam St. Pierre described Makerspaces as places “for people to come together and be creative outside of those traditional school spaces, and to learn together, maybe fail a little bit, without judgment.”

The 3D Printer tends to be a centerpiece of most modern Makerspaces, and can be accessed by patrons at various library branches in Lafayette and Baton Rouge, and at the New Orleans Main Library’s Best Buy Teen Center—which is targeted to ages thirteen to eighteen. “The cute octopi and characters people make with the printer are a lovely side effect,” said Mary Stein, Assistant Library Director at EBRPL. “But we really got it so that people can experi-

Libraries today have reached beyond books to offer comprehensive education and resources on various creative enterprises, workforce development, and culture making initiatives. Photos, courtesy the East Baton Rouge Parish Library, depict various “making” activities offered at their branches—as well as workshops held at their annual Makers Fair in October.

We work with energy efficient LED lighting

ment and bring their creations to life, or learn to solve problems—to make the missing part on their old Singer sewing machine.”

“We had someone make a trailer hitch once,” laughed St. Pierre. “We had it sent off and printed it, and we were like, ‘Hey, keep in mind that this is plastic.’”

“People really enjoy the personalization stuff, too,” he said, adding that some of the EBRPL branches’ most used machines are the Cricut Maker Electronic Cutters, Laser Cutters, CNC Routers, and Heat Presses—all of which allow patrons to create intricate designs with unparalleled precision on paper, vinyl, wood, and more. “People can use the Cricut and the heat press to make t-shirts, tote bags, personalized mugs,” St. Pierre said. Using the laser cutter, one patron at the Lafayette library engraved a cutting board with their grandmother’s gumbo recipe. “It’s just fantastic to see what people can come up with,” said Birdwell.

Other tools one might find in the makerspaces include sewing apparatuses and knitting materials, sublimation printers—which print designs directly onto fabric, green screens, DSLR cameras, typewriters, binding machines, and even robotics kits. People of all ages come into the makerspaces, said Stein, but it’s been especially popular with adults. “Clubs use it,” she said, as do local organizations and businesses like the Recreation and Park Commission

(BREC), the Boy Scouts, the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge, and Knock Knock Children’s Museum—which has used the printer and laser cutter to create builds of everything from DNA molecules to dinosaur bones. “People make things for family reunions, Mardi Gras krewes. People can make things for their small business.” Birdwell said that he’s seen several Etsy makers taking advantage of the library’s technology and machinery—things they wouldn’t necessarily have access to create with otherwise.

“I learned how to repair my own shirts over here,” he said, pointing out that not only does the library offer the tools, but also education on how to use them. Libraries in the Lafayette, Baton Rouge, and New Orleans systems regularly host workshops, like the one I attended on 3D printing, focusing on how to use and make the most of the machines in the makerspace; and the librarians make themselves available to assist folks as much as possible. “At the core of it all is just providing something where, if people are willing to learn, we give them the resources and the opportunity that they can dive into something,” Birdwell went on. “They can use these machines, they can try out the software, and we can kind of break it down and just whatever they want to learn about today, we can help prepare that first step for them.”

As these offerings continue to expand and evolve within their communities,

new opportunities are always emerging. When plans were initially underway for the EBRPL River Center Library, which opened in 2020, librarians were noticing that the young people taking part in the library’s summer film camps were asking for a way to put soundtracks on their movies. “Teenagers were always asking about some way to make music they could keep and then apply to other projects,” said Stein. So, when planning the makerspace for that branch, the library carved out a corner for a recording studio. “A small band could go in there and make a demo tape,” she said. “Or, you could come in and practice using the deck.” And then, she said, there came the podcasts.

Today, the River Center Branch’s soundproof professional recording studio is used for podcasting more than anything else—granting patrons free access and training to use a state-ofthe-art soundboard, microphones, and PreSonus Studio One software. Young people at the New Orleans Main Library can also take advantage of the Teen Center’s soundbooth Music Studio, which is equipped with podcast-friendly tools as well as instruments for patrons to experiment with music-making.

One of the most revolutionary experiences being offered by local libraries at all three systems is the use of Virtual Reality Headsets. These provide ample opportunities for gaming and exploration within the library, as well as for external

programming. “It’s one of those things that we’re seeing starting to creep into the mainstream,” said EBRPL librarian Wesley Morgan. “But it’s also this huge thing of, ‘Oh, I don’t know, these are expensive, I really don’t want to get my hands messy with them. And we’re like ‘No, it’s okay, like you can do it.’”

On one occasion, EBRPL brought the headsets to the Humana Neighborhood Center for a program that focused on “touring the world”—setting them virtually in front of the Eiffel Tower, or in the middle of Times Square. “It just totally blew their minds,” said EBRPL Reference Services Coordinator Andrew Tadman. “The look on their faces just kept with me.”

Looking beyond the fun and games, EBRPL recently partnered with Interplay Learning to offer patrons access to the SkillMill training platform, which joins VR and augmented reality with education and training opportunities. “We’re moving into more of the job readiness field, with applications of entrepreneurship,” said St. Pierre. Through SkillMill, users can take part in training simulations—either through VR headsets or on their desktop—that develop skills in HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and appliance repair. “There are possibilities for job readiness, for people who just want to be better at maintenance around their apartment complex, who want to be able to fix their air conditioner,” said Stein. “As well as a pre-recruitment tool,

or on-the-job training.”

In this way, technology and experimentation join the library’s long-developed commitment to supporting its community’s workforce. EBRPL’s career center offers free one-on-one career coaching, interview prep, assistance with resumes and cover letters, and more. New Orleans’ “Book a Librarian” program allows you to simply reserve an hour with someone who has expertise in various aspects of technology and job readiness. For small businesses, all three library systems offer extensive free access to business planning tools, databases and demographic reports, training programs, and more.

This is all at the heart of what a library is meant to do, said Riley. “I think that all of these things are just part of connecting anybody who wants it with information and access to resources. It’s a key part of democracy, and a key part of community.”

In New Orleans, the state’s crowned cultural jewel, this extends to patrons’ experience of their city. Through the library’s Culture Pass program, any New Orleans library cardholder can reserve free entry into several of the city’s cultural institutions, including the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, the Audubon Nature Institute Zoo and Aquarium, the National World War II Museum, and more. More recently, the library launched Crescent City Sounds—a free streaming platform made up of exclu-

history in its archives, Riley said that “Crescent City Sounds was our push to sort of start preserving our culture, our current culture, as well as our history.”

The books aren’t going anywhere, and the library will always be built upon the value of literature—and the belief that everyone should have access to the information it holds. But the concept of equal access to enrichment is one with infinite potential, a thrilling truth that has resulted in a spirit of innovation when it comes to community resources. “And people don’t realize what’s available to them,” emphasized Birdwell. “They don’t

For example, did you know that you can borrow cake pans from the New Orleans library? Or tools? Or use seeds—as many as you’d like—from the Cita Dennis Hubbell Seed Library in Mid City? (These, you don’t have to return.) In Lafayette, you can borrow musical instruments for months at a time—electric guitars, Cajun triangles, dulcimers, ukuleles. And this isn’t even scraping the surface of all of the yearround programming that takes place at each library branch across the state, featuring live music, author talks, workshops in everything from homesteading to robotics, and children’s activities.

“As they say,” said Stein. “Lifelong learning starts at the library.” h

In this article, we featured library programming and resources at three of the biggest urban hubs we cover: New Orleans, East Baton Rouge, and Lafayette. But our efforts are by no means exhaustive. Wherever you may live in our region, Louisiana libraries are likely doing more than you realize. Stop by your local branch to learn more about what’s being offered. You never know what you’ll find.

The Makerspace in the East Baton Rouge Parish Library’s River Center Branch. Photos by Alexandra Kennon.

Cuisine

MIXOLOGY

Conscious, but Dreaming

IN A DREAM, DAVID WALLACE SAW A NEW SORT OF GATHERING PLACE FOR NEW ORLEANS, THEN MADE IT A REALITY

Story by Alexandra Kennon • Photos by Brei Olivier

New Orleans is home to more bars and lounges than one can feasibly count, and yet only one that doesn’t serve alcohol. But Dream House Lounge in the Central Business District is so much more than just a “sober bar”. The lush, contemporary space offers “conscious cocktails” (more on those shortly), non-alcoholic wines and beers, adaptogen-based drinks, an oxygen bar, coffee, small bites, mental health and wellness-focused gatherings, other curated social events, and a respite from the

frequently booze-infused city beyond. If the idea sounds out-of-this-world, that’s because it is: the vision and concept for Dream House Lounge came to founder and owner David Wallace in a dream.

Wallace grew up in Belle Glade, a rural South Florida town that, in his words, “is known for two things: sugarcane and football”. He played in elementary and middle school, defensive end and occasionally offensive tackle, he told me, chuckling, as he sat beside me in one of Dream House Lounge’s pewter velvet chairs. In his

immaculate peach Adidas sweatsuit, accessorized with tasteful gold jewelry and a paisley cap, his football days seemed far away—though he speaks on them with fondness and gratitude. By high school, he was more interested in the creative outlet marching band provided, playing drums and trumpet.

After graduating from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Wallace embarked on a decade-long career in education, taking on various leadership roles, in New York and Miami. Three years ago he transitioned to New Orleans to take on the role as Dean of the Relay Graduate School of Education, which involved managing teacher training and development across New Orleans and Baton Rouge. Around the same time, he also launched the company Awakening Minds Consulting, specializing in talent development, teacher training, and strategizing for small businesses and other entities; all with social justice and inclusion in mind.

Maintaining a full-time leadership position while simultaneously managing his consulting firm took its toll, Wallace shared. The workload, compounded by the isolation and loneliness that accompanied being the only Black male dean at the national institution he worked for, as well as the universal stress brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, Wallace began to experience mental health challenges. As someone who identifies as a “deeply spiritual person” Wallace began to pray to God and to his ancestors for a breakthrough.

“And then I had a dream about creating this space,” he said, gesturing around at the stunning lounge he has actualized—based from the template his subconscious delivered as he slept. When he awoke, the concept for Dream House wasn’t yet fully-formed, but a few aspects from his dream emerged with crystal clarity: “I got really, really excited about it, and was like, ‘I’m going to call it Dream House Lounge. And it’s going to be this place where people can dream, and be playful, and people can manifest their dreams.”

A few months later, in November of 2021, Wallace had another dream that solidified the vision. “I continued to meditate, I continued to pray … I had another dream about this space, and I could not recognize any of the bottles in the dream,” he explained. “And so, I literally woke up at like three in the morning, and I was like ‘Oh, it’s going to be a non-alcoholic place.’”

Wallace had heard “rumblings” of the modern non-alcoholic movement, and himself approaches alcohol from a “sober-conscious” position, meaning that he only drinks alcohol once or twice a month, at most. But he wanted his space to be more than a refuge for those seeking socialization without intoxication. Much of his work in education had been focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion in classrooms—now he wondered, “What would it mean for me to focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion in social spaces?”

David Wallace had a dream about opening a gathering place to encourage play and dreaming in New Orleans— something the city had not yet seen. In July 2022, he opened Dream House Lounge, the city’s first ever alcohol-free, wellness-focused bar and lounge.

He began doing research, including visiting bars throughout New Orleans and looking at their menus, quickly discovering how limited options were for individuals who wanted to avoid alcohol. Sure, guests could order something off-menu like a ginger ale or a Shirley Temple, but Wallace wondered, “What does it mean to actually have it printed on a menu? That says that you’re really thinking about equity, you’re really thinking about creating an inclusive environment.”

At that point Wallace’s dream and his analysis merged, and he began to transition the imagined Dream House Lounge Oxygen Bar and Wellness Lounge into the material world. Though he was technically opening a non-alcoholic bar, he wasn’t a fan of the word “mocktail”—“It sounds like you’re making a mockery of something,” Wallace explained. Instead, he calls the drinks served at Dream House “conscious cocktails”. “It’s the idea that you’re more conscious about what you’re putting in your body.”

Gesturing back to a wall of shelves stacked neatly with colorful, unfamiliar bottles and cans, Wallace said that in the beginning, “I started ordering literally all of those drinks over there to my personal home, and I started playing around with drink menus, making drinks. I had friends over, and I would make them like a margarita and say like, ‘Taste this. Can you tell the difference?’

And they’re like ‘No, I cannot. This is so good.’” The alternative tequilas, whiskeys, and other liquors he experimented with—especially when mixed with high quality ingredients—were indistinguishable, taste-wise, from the “real thing”.

Among the friends who helped him perfect his conscious menu was New Orleans mixologist Jessica Robertson of JusTini Cocktails. “We would throw some things together and have like samples and taste it,” Wallace said, noting that at the time of our interview in early December, he and his team were celebrating just over a

year of leasing Dream House Lounge’s downtown space.

“This idea of creating a social space that is dedicated for people to focus on their mental health and wellness, sans alcohol, was the beginning of this journey.”

After leasing the space, it took around six months to gut and renovate the former coffee shop on Baronne Street into Wallace’s vision—with Rolling Stones-approved black-painted walls; modern velvet furnishings in shades like emerald, gold, pewter, and violet; sleekyet-playful light fixtures; and a variety of lush textures provided by accents like feather-adorned contemporary art pieces. Once Wallace’s dream space, at once strikingly hip and deeply comfortable, was complete, Dream

House Lounge opened to the public on July 3, 2022.

Since the summer, Dream House Lounge—the only social setting of its kind in the Crescent City—has amassed a fervent group of regulars, and a few thousand Instagram followers, too.

Continuing to prioritize inclusion, Wallace aims to provide an oasis for everyone, from the strictly sober to folks simply looking for alternative social gathering places. If a customer tells the staff that they’re “friends with Ben,” the code indicates that they have been through an alcoholics anonymous program, and the staff member knows to steer them away from drinks meant to replicate the taste of alcohol that may be triggering. One regular

Wallace’s Lavender Dreams conscious cocktail is made with Cut Above’s mezcal alternative, Brooklyn Brewed Sorrel, and lavender syrup creating a drinking experience that is floral, tart, and smokey all at once, and without a drop of alcohol.

visits each week for a glass of Katy Perry’s zero-proof sparkling aperitif De Soi; sober mom groups congregate to sip de-alcoholized wines and conscious cocktails; those seeking first date and birthday party venues without the pressure of acquiring a buzz flock to Dream House.

“What I hope people take from this place is that not only is there an alternative that you can participate in, but also that reflection [and] introspection are critical for growth,” Wallace said, noting that someone finding themselves indulging in alcohol several times a week (as he once did) may want to invite friends to Dream House instead of their regular bar; to experience that an alternative to social drinking in fact exists. “And so, as we think about mental health, part of having a healthy mind is awareness. Part of thinking about awareness is reflecting and holding up the mirror.”

And the offerings at Dream House Lounge extend far beyond basic alternatives to your favorite cocktails—though drinks like the Dream 75, and “conscious” iterations of other classics like margaritas and old fashioneds tend to be most popular. The menu also includes several concoctions that offer actual health benefits. “Our drinks taste good, and our drinks are good for your body,” Wallace said. “Whether it’s like micro doses of mushrooms like reishi or whether it’s kava, like these are things that are actually good for your body and help you out with de-stressing, help you out with

focusing. So, you’re still gonna get a little buzz, if you have something with a little kava in it, or mushrooms.” Wallace described the sensation created by adaptogens as a “float” rather than a drunkenness. There is also the oxygen bar, which allows guests to inhale a high concentration of oxygen in a variety of pleasant scents, providing an invigorating boost in alertness and energy.

After we talked, Wallace made me a conscious cocktail called Lavender Dreams, made with their partner spirit company Cut Above’s mezcal alternative, Brooklyn Brewed Sorrel (an aged hibiscus drink popular in the Caribbean), and lavender syrup, garnished with a dried blood orange slice dipped in white chocolate. The well-balanced floral, tart, smokey drink lacked none of the bite or depth (or even fun, tasty garnish) of a traditional cocktail, and I had no hesitation driving home after imbibing. Admittedly I’m not sure if it was the ingredients or my excitement, but it also seemed to provide an added boost of energy as I continued my workday. For other remote workers wanting to elevate their afternoon coffee to something sparklier, Wallace recently extended the lounge’s hours to 8 am through 7 pm.

Embracing the historic role of New Orleans bars and lounges as community gathering places and cultural hubs, Wallace has also welcomed the opportunity to transform the space into a venue for events ranging from author talks and

game nights to yoga classes and meditation sessions. He’s recently formed the Dream House Burlesque Club with Audacious NOLA, which performs regularly on select Sunday nights. On “Wellness Wednesdays,” Wallace partners with organizations like the Brightside Therapy Collective and NOLA Black Mental Health Matters to host mental health professionals along with community leaders and members for facilitated dialogues around various mental health challenges. “It has been a beautiful experience,” said Wallace, “to see people say, like, ‘I don’t know that I’m yet ready for therapy. But I can start here, and I can engage, I can find a sense of community in this space, I can be vulnerable and talk about some of the challenges that I’ve had.’ It’s special.”

It’s been a dream come true, creating and stewarding such a unique and positive social space for the community, said Wallace.

“Like there’s people that walk into this space, whether they’re sober, sober-curious, or sober-conscious, and they come in with their stories, and they always say like, ‘The energy in here feels different,’ ‘I feel safe,’ ‘I feel at home,’ or ‘I feel peace,’ or ‘Thank you for creating this space,’” Wallace said, wonder in his voice. “If I don’t make another dollar, having had that experience over the past five months has been one that I will cherish for the rest of my life.” h

dhlounge.com

11.75 Acres, Shop, Fenced, Newer Woodville, MS

Deelightful Roux School of Cooking

CHEF DWYNESHA “DEE” LAVIGNE IS FOLLOWING IN CHEF LENA RICHARD’S FOOTSTEPS

By Jyl Benson

In February of 2022, Chef Dwynesha “Dee” Lavigne founded Deelightful Roux School of Cooking, following in the footsteps of her heroine, the late Chef Lena Richard. It’s been over eighty years since a Black woman has owned a cooking school in New Orleans, ever since Richard closed hers—the first— to pursue opportunities in New York City in the 1940s.

Richard’s remarkable career as a chef, cookbook author, restaurateur, frozen food entrepreneur, and cooking school operator set the standard for New Orleans cuisine and Creole cook ing during the first half of the twenti eth century—a time when Black peo ple, especially Black women, faced the historic oppression and obstacles of the Jim Crow South.

In 1939, she self-published Orleans Cook Book, the first Creole cookbook written by a Black per son—which was later republished by Houghton-Mifflin. In 1949, Richard became the first Black woman to host a television cooking show, Lena Rich ard’s New Orleans Cook Book ing the perception of Creole food by highlighting its Black roots. Her show, taped at WDSU in New Orleans, pre ceded Julia Child’s The French Chef over a decade and challenged the per ceptions of wealthy white families who watched her (the ones who could own a television), who were used to Black women’s presence in the kitchen solely as domestic workers.

It was 2017 when Lavigne first learned of Richard’s legacy. With a degree from the Culinary Institute of America at Hyde Park, New York, and fifteen years of experience in running pastry departments around the coun try for Whole Foods Markets—Lavi gne, a native of New Orleans’s Ninth Ward, had just launched Deelightful Cupcakes, a baking business focusing on top notch, lavishly-adorned cup cakes and cakes.

She soon had contracts with 1-800 Flowers and Shari’s Berries, as well as a strong private following. She was also a frequent host of the kitchen segment of the WWL Sunday Morning Show

Then, in March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic drove her business down to a sputter as office buildings closed, hospitals rejected deliveries, and people stuck at home started baking on their own. The WWL newsroom closed to outside guests.

In June of that year, Lavigne received a request from The Smithsonian Institute, asking her to be the “voice” of Lena Richard by reading from one of her essays for an episode of the podcast Sidedoor, which would be dedicated to

Richard’s memory as “America’s Unknown Celebrity Chef.”

Two months later, the Smithsonian came calling again, this time asking Lavigne to join in for the Smithsonian Associates’ Cooking Up History series— for which she would prepare a classic Creole shrimp bisque from Richard’s cookbook while discussing over Zoom the life, times, and influence Richard had on American cuisine.

Still struggling from the financial effects of the pandemic, Lavigne knew

that when it came to her own career, it was time to pivot. She asked herself, “What would Lena Richard do?”

She approached The Southern Food & Beverage Museum with the idea to open a cooking school inside the museum. “I told them that I wanted to do something that would change history,” she said, in an interview with Very Local

Today Lavigne weaves lessons on Louisiana and Southern history through her hands-on Creole and Ca-

Photos by Chanelle Harris of CPC Visuals

jun cooking classes. Each class is twoand-a-half hours long with a maximum of ten participants. Students do everything from peeling shrimp, chopping seasoning, and making a roux, to peeling bananas then flambéing them

for Bananas Foster. In each class students work their way through an appetizer, an entrée, and a dessert, and everything is covered from prep to

the Southern states. People come from around the world to attend her classes. Following the tour, she sits with students as they eat the meal they have prepared and answers their questions about culinary techniques, Southern history, and more.

As a woman chef, Richard said she wants to draw attention to Lena Richard and the many other women who have cooked professionally in New Orleans and elsewhere with very little recognition.

“This is something I can give to my children, my grandchildren. Like Lena, I want to nurture the next generation of culinary entrepreneurs for the city.” h

Classes at Deelightful Roux School of Cooking are available on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays at 11 am. Private classes, birthday parties, and corporate events are reserved for weekends. Lavigne has plans to expand into evening and specialty classes for Valentine’s Day and the like. To book a class, visit southernfood.org or call (504) 569-0405.

cooking. Each class includes a guided tour through the museum’s galleries of

“I TOLD THEM THAT I WANTED TO DO SOMETHING THAT WOULD CHANGE HISTORY.”

CHEF DWYNESHA “DEE” LAVIGNE

THE

LOUISIANA

Culture

PARADES

"Never on a Sunday"

CELEBRATION RIVERBOAT, AND ALL IT REPRESENTS, WILL APPEAR IN THE 2023 ROSE PARADE

By Alexandra Kennon

In the days leading up to the turn of this new year, hundreds of volunteers from Louisiana fill a warehouse in Pasadena, California—along with hunhdreds of thousands of roses. The inundation of blooms, along with other flowers, leaves, seeds, and even coconut flakes, are destined to adorn the larger-than-life paddle wheel steamboat that makes up the “Feed Your Soul”-themed float—set to roll down Colorado Boulevard for Louisiana’s second appearance in the annual Rose Parade on January 2.

The History of the Rose Parade

The first Rose Parade traveled a similar route on New Year’s Day 1890, consisting of horse-drawn carriages elaborately decorated in fresh flowers. That inaugural parade was organized by members of Pasadena’s Valley Hunt Club, after club member Charles Holder suggested they host a festival to celebrate the bounty of their mild, even warm winters (something we are quite familiar with here in Louisiana).

When Holder laid eyes on the floral bonanza that was that first parade, he suggested that moving forward the occasion be called the “Tournament of Roses”. Within a few years the parade and other events that comprised the tournament had outgrown the Valley Hunt Club’s capacity to host, and a non-profit organization called the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association was formed. By the beginning of the 1900s, the lot that currently sits adjacent to the California Institute of Technology, which traditionally housed the events associated with the parade, was christened Tournament Park.

Usually the Rose Parade and associated Rose Bowl Game are New Year’s Day traditions, but when New Year’s Day fell on a Sunday in 1893, organizers feared upsetting horses hitched outside of nearby church services. Since then, the Tournament of Roses has maintained a policy to never take place on a Sunday (hence this year’s events falling on January 2).

Before the Rose Bowl college football game was tacked on to help fund the parade, the early years of the Tournament of Roses brought delightfully peculiar activities: bronco busting demonstrations, ostrich races, and one year a race between a camel and an elephant (from which the elephant is said to have emerged victorious). Word of the tournament and the associated todo made its way through newspapers across the United States, and attendance from out-of-town spectators skyrocketed. The “Tournament East-West Football Game,” now recalled as the first Rose Bowl game, took place in 1902, though it was not until 1916 that football became an expected part of the annual tradition. In 1923, after the Rose Bowl Stadium was completed, the game officially became known as “The Rose Bowl”.

Today, the Tournament of Roses has expanded far beyond what Holder and the other founders could have possibly imagined—to include dozens of motorized floats (still decorated exclusively with natural materials), alongside marching bands, equestrian units, and a celebrity grand marshall (last year’s was LeVar Burton, 2023’s is former congresswoman and advocate Gabby Giffords). Around a million spectators are estimated to travel to Pasadena for the occasion, which is today regarded as “America’s New Year’s Celebration,” and tens of millions more are expected to tune in to watch the internationally-televised event from their homes.

Louisiana’s Journey to Pasadena

After Louisiana’s “Celebration Gator” float made its debut in New York City’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2021, traffic to Louisiana tourism websites like louisianatravel.com instantly shot up. That inspired the state to pursue securing a float in the 2022 Rose Parade, which again resulted in an exponential boost in outof-towners eyeing Louisiana online, many of whom booked trips for Mardi Gras because of the exposure. Though the Bayou State hosts plenty of parades on its own accord, having another Louisiana float featured on the international stage of the 2023 Rose Parade simply seemed obvious—especially to the state’s Office of Tourism and Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser.

“It's just given us a lot of great positive publicity, when we know at the end of the year, people are making New Year's resolutions and [asking] ‘Where are we going to go on vacation next year?’ You know?” said Nungesser. “So, it's a great time to highlight all these great things in Louisiana.”

The Celebration Riverboat

Louisiana’s 2023 Rose Parade float, also known as the “Louisiana Celebration Riverboat,” is designed as a large steamboat with a paddle wheel, a nod to the bustling economy and culture that historically traveled via steamboats along the Mississippi River. As is customary, representatives will ride on the float and walk alongside it as a means of showcasing the state’s cultural and agricultural bounty—among them twenty festival queens from across Louisiana.

“They're going to be able to take that passion to Pasadena, and talk about why cotton is important to Crowley, Louisiana; and why peaches are important up in Ruston; and all the great things that those towns and cities have to offer,” Nungesser said. “Just incredible press for every corner of this state. And I can't think of better people represent us than those incredible queens from all over Louisiana.”

Since this year’s parade is themed “Turning the

Corner,” the goal of the float is to highlight the potential ushered in by the new year, as well as the advancements—particularly in medicine and research—Louisiana continues to make strides in. Riding on the float alongside the festival queens will be Shreveport local Amber DeFatta, who as a child received treatment at Shriners Children’s Hospital in Shreveport for a rare bone condition called Trevor’s Disease. Now a volunteer at the hospital who works to raise awareness for Shriner’s live-saving work, DeFatta will represent Shriners Hospi-

Rendering of the "Feed Your Soul" paddle wheel steamboat float that will roll in the 2023 Rose Parade in Pasadena. Courtesy of the Louisiana Office of Tourism.

tals—which, now a national network, were founded in Louisiana in 1922—from Louisiana’s float.

“So we will be out there highlighting the hundred-year anniversary of that incredible hospital that started right here in Louisiana, and all the thousands of children's lives they have saved and impacted,” Nungesser said. “We will also get all the queens to visit the Shriners Hospital in Pasadena to visit with those kids, to highlight even further all the great Shriners Hospitals around the country now, that once again, were started right here in Louisiana.”

Also representing Louisiana’s advancements in medicine is Baton Rouge’s 2020 Queen of the Karnival Krewe de Louisiane Mardi Gras Ball and advocate for cancer research Rose Hudson. In addition to currently serving as president and CEO of the Louisiana Lottery Corporation, Hudson is the immediate past chairman of the Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Foundation Board.

Hudson considers the chance to represent her homestate and the Karnival Krewe de Louisiana a great honor, as well as an important opportunity to “spotlight the cancer research, detection, and treatment efforts at Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center, which is so very special to me. I am also looking forward to meeting new people from around the country and sharing colorful, inspiring stories about our great state.”

Also on board will be Louisiana Music Ambassador Lainey Wilson, originally from Baskin, who took home the 2022 Academy of Country Music Award for New Female Artist of the Year, and will give a mid-parade musical performance.

When it comes to the flowers, Shreveport’s American Rose Center will be on prominent display for the occasion. The Center, which includes the largest garden dedicated to roses in the United States, recently underwent a $2 million renovation. It now features over seven thousand rose bushes and over four hundred varieties of roses, arranged in circles by age, from the newest roses back through very old heritage roses. “So it's really meant to be an educational walk through time,” explained American Rose Society President Diane Sommers, who will walk alongside Louisiana’s float representing the Society and its Center. “And with all the wonderful roses there it is really quite lovely, it really is.”

Though the roses that adorn the parade floats have to be grown in warmer climates than the United States (even in California and Louisiana) can sustain this time of year and must be shipped in, the 120-year-old American Rose Society delights at the opportunity to celebrate the rose on such a grand scale.

“To build this float and to walk in the Rose Parade, it’s just like out of this world, right?” Sommers told me excitedly. “And so I'm very thankful. And we're very thankful to the state of Louisiana, who has been extremely supportive of the Rose Center. You know, I think it's just a beautiful place for people in the community to attend.”

The Final Countdown

As this issue arrives on stands, Louisiana’s riders and volunteers will be soaking in the scents of thousands of roses, evangelizing about their state and creating a

Louisiana-inspired floral masterpiece.

“To see everything, in three days, turn from a metal float to a rose, a seed, a feather. Everything has to be covered,” Nungesser explained. “When you walk in on Monday, it's all steel. On Tuesday, there's thousands, tens of thousands of buckets of roses, flowers, carnations, every kind of flower in the world. And there's about twenty floats being decorated in our den. And to see that take place is a bucket list trip for everyone.”

By the time the parade is televised, hundreds of volunteer hours and hundreds of thousands of flowers will have gone toward creating the “Louisiana Celebration Riverboat,” a representation of Louisiana’s important role within the United States, and far beyond it.

“I've heard it's really a lot of work. But I just think, ‘How fun to be there helping to create this and then seeing it when it's done?’” Sommers said. “You know, because when you watch a float like that on TV, you don't really see all the intricate detail. I just think it's going to be really quite the experience.”

And while Louisiana’s float and the ambassadors will do a great deal to spread the word of all their home has to offer, Nungesser is keenly aware that often the most effective promotion is word-of-mouth—and luckily for his office, Louisianans have an inherent knack for it. “It'll be a great experience for Louisianans, and of course, wherever Louisianans go, they make a friend for life,” Nungesser said. “So they help with the tourism aspect as well, talking about all the great things here in Louisiana.” h

tournamentofroses.com.

AGRICULTURE

The Secret to Supreme Rice

A PORTRAIT OF A LOUISIANA RICE FARM IN 2023

By David Dufour

“S

ustainable is the buzzword,” said Jeff Durand, holding out a single stalk of rice— roots splayed out and covered in dirt. “But our main goal is to be efficient.”

When Jeff and I met in October, the fields were being flooded for the crawfish season. Dozens of traps were piled high in the trails cleared out between fields. We were in his truck, driving on a dirt road, when a man pulled up to the driver’s side on a four-wheeler. Jeff rolled down the window to talk to him. “One of my brothers,” he explained, looking at me and rolling up the window. “We’re flushing water through the fields. We’re constantly making sure the oxygen stays at a high enough level that you won’t lose your crawfish crop.”

Jeff and his two brothers Gregory and C.J. have operated Supreme Rice farms out of St. Martinville since 1980 —making their farm relatively youthful considering the generational pattern of most family-run farms in the region.

The Durand brothers have won several awards, among them the title of “Master Farmers”—certifying them as educators to local farmers and LSU Ag students and recognizing their willingness to experiment with new sustainability practices. According to Donna Gentry from the LSU Ag Center, “They’re known in that area for their conservation efforts. On recommenda-

tion of locals, they were selected to be one of our model farmers.” This progressive mindset, according to Jeff, has always been more simply about what’s best for the farm.

The Durand brothers practice “no till” farming—a technique in which farmers plant crops without fresh tilling every season. This allows more water to flow into the soil, reduces the farmer’s fuel and labor costs, and reduces the greenhouse gases usually emitted during tillage. While it’s a common practice now among farmers as sustainability becomes a bigger concern in Louisiana agriculture, the “no till” approach had such success at Supreme Rice that it quickly attracted institutions like the LSU Ag Center.

Jeff told me that several years ago, “a county agent came by and did his own samples and sent them off. He couldn’t believe that organic matter was that high in a rice field. He found out we weren’t trying to pull his leg.”

As we drove the 1,300-acre property, Jeff said “I’m looking for some wildlife for you to see. We watched several white herons emerge from a thicket and fly overhead. Over 250 bird species travel through this farm during their migration south—drawn to the region for the wide expanses of land, the crawfish, and the rice. The crops provide sustenance on these birds’ route up from the Gulf, but in some cases, this is at the expense of farmers themselves.

“These Whistling Tree Ducks,” said Jeff, “they are a big problem.” Trying to scare off the ducks from their crops, the farmers often shoot into the sky. “You could walk up on them, and they don’t take off,” he said. The Whistling Tree Ducks sit in the Atchafalaya Basin, only a mile and a half from the Durand’s farm, during the day. “They come back in here at night by the thousands and walk across the field and pick up all the seed.”

Animals as diverse as alligators, ground eels, nutria rats have made the farm their home, too—burrowing into the crawfish levees. It forces Jeff and his brothers to break down the dirt and rebuild where the ruts were made. Many of the levees are “over forty years old and some of them are leaking bad” because of animal intrusions.

He showed me a small map of their crawfish levees, which the brothers are currently working to break down and rebuild. “I’m building them big enough to where they should last another forty years. Whoever will be farming then will have it a little easier than we do now.”

The Durand brothers, like most rice farmers for the last several years, have been caught in the balancing act between their livelihood—growing a good crop—and playing their part as a habitat creator for wildlife in a region where habitat is increasingly scarce.

“Just had to go to a meeting Tuesday and another farmer said he’s going into

sugar cane. It’s more economically feasible.” This is a shift taking place across Louisiana—but Jeff hopes to hold out, not only for business but for the wetland habitat. “Once you lose it to sugar cane, it’s hard to go back to rice,” he said.

The farmers converting to sugar cane, whether they’re aware of it or not, could be contributing to the loss of habitat. So, the Durand brothers are holding out a little longer, sharing the land they own with the burrowing wildlife, even with the challenges that poses.

“People should be made aware of it,” said Jeff, talking about the lack of public knowledge on the stresses that his farm, and many others, are facing. “We’re providing that (wetland) habitat, at the same time trying to stay in business on the farm.”

I look out over the rice crop, the thin green rows of the plant peeking through the soil. On its borders are dense woodlands. Until the 1970s, the entire property was made up of forests.

“This was a bad year,” he said. “After all of the rain we had this fall, the quality (of the rice) suffered.” Even with the financial difficulties facing rice farmers, Durand is optimistic. “We’re gonna stay in it for a while,” he said, honoring a lifelong commitment to “Feeding our families and, then in turn, our neighbors." h supremerice.com

Escapes

HIGH ELEVATION

Prehistoric Pilgrimage

A JOURNEY DOWN THE LOUISIANA ANCIENT MOUNDS TRAIL

“G

et in the car, kids. We’re traveling through prehistoric Louisiana!” I shouted while rounding up our three boys, our dachshund-mix Zion, and my husband Paul. With the latest discovery that LSU’s campus mounds are eleven thousand years old, making them the oldest known man-made structures in the Americas, I’ve started wondering about the other eight hundred mounds scattered across Louisiana. Thankfully, the Louisiana Division of Archaeology has put together the Ancient Mounds Driving Trail, linking together thirty-nine mounds in northeast Louisiana. Built by various prehistoric cultures, the dome-shaped, conical, and platform mounds speak to the appeal this land has held for thousands of years and offer clues about the early people who lived here.

Heading out of New Orleans on a stormy Saturday morning, we set our GPS to Natchez, just across the river from the largest grouping of mounds circling Ferriday, Jonesville, and Sicily Island. We took the direct route north from Baton Rouge, past the hills of St. Francisville into “The Bluff City.”

Emerald Mound and Natchez

Nodding to the fact that Mississippi is the only state that boasts more mounds than Louisiana, we decided to take a detour from our itinerary and stop by Emerald Mound on Natchez’s outskirts. At thirty-fivefeet high and encompassing eight acres, the platform mound is the second largest Mississippian period ceremonial mound in the United States, built and used between 1200 and 1730 C.E. (current era).

To put that in perspective, there are four periods tracking pre-historic archaeology in our region. Paleoindian covers 11500 B.C.E. (before current era) to 8000 B.C.E. LSU’s mounds fall within this time frame, around 9100 B.C.E. The Archaic period then runs from 8000 B.C.E. to 800 B.C.E. Stonehenge was built around 3000 B.C.E., six thousand years after LSU’s mounds. The Woodland period picks up in 800 B.C.E. and brings us to 1200 C.E., and the Mississippian period (1200 C.E. to 1700 C.E.) bridges the gap between the Woodland and Historic periods.

We traveled a short jaunt on the historic Natchez Trace Parkway to get to Emerald Mound. The rain had lifted by the time we scaled the soggy trail up the mound’s back corner. High above the treetops,

we explored the wide, flat plateau of the primary mound, envisioning the ancestors of the Natchez Indians holding ceremonies on the rounded secondary mound rising thirty feet out of this one. Archaeologists believe the mound builders were farmers who lived in a nearby village. By the late 1600s, they had moved twelve miles southwest to the Grand Village of the Natchez, a pre-historic village and earthworks site on the outskirts of the city of Natchez, which was our next stop.

Established in 1716, the historic town is Mississippi’s oldest. Grabbing coffees and enormous chocolate chip cookies from Natchez Coffee Company on Franklin Street, we took in the expansive views of the Mississippi River at Natchez Buff Park before driving Silver Street for a glimpse at Natchez Under-theHill—which was once one of the rowdiest ports on the Mississippi.

Louisiana Ancient Mounds Trail

An impressive bridge spanning the river between Natchez and Vidalia set us down in the middle of small-town Louisiana. Beyond Vidalia is Ferriday, birthplace of recently-passed rock-and-roll superstar

Story by Kristy Christiansen • Photos by Paul Christiansen

Jerry Lee Lewis. Heading west on Highway 84, we stopped by the five dome-shaped DePrato Mounds, which date to 600 C.E. Three of them contain human remains, one was mostly removed for highway construction, and the fifth is topped with a modern-day house. Just five minutes down the road, beside Frogmore Plantation stands the fourteen-foot-tall, tree-covered Frogmore Mound, a platform mound built in two stages. Charcoal found underneath this mound dates it to 10201260 C.E.

In Jonesville, we searched for the remnants of the Troyville

Earthworks, once a series of nine mounds and a perimeter embankment dating back to 700 C.E. Mound 5 measured eighty-two feet high, the tallest in Louisiana. The mounds trail guide deems the entire complex as once “one of the most impressive mound groups in North America,” until it was destroyed in 1931 to use as fill for a bridge approach. Sadly, what’s left is scattered around the various streets in town.

Nearly nine miles north on LA 124 are McGuffee Mounds. Although a good distance from the road, the six (possible seven) mounds are still clearly visible and highlighted by the trail guide as “one of the most spectacular sites on the Mounds Trail.” They date from 100 B.C.E. to 700 C.E. and include “the

longest intact earthen embankment of any site on the Trail.” The largest mound, at thirteen feet tall, is adorned with a house and tree.

The light now fading, we continued north to Delhi and Poverty Point Reservoir State Park, where we would stay the next two nights in a cabin on stilts perched over the 2700-acre, man-made reservoir. With two bedrooms, a full kitchen, and a wraparound porch complete with rocking chairs, the spacious cabin easily housed the five of us and provided a beautiful setting for our home away from home. The lake is a popular destination for locals and visitors alike and features a marina store for easy access to all your bait and tackle needs. On the reservoir’s north end, the State Park system runs the Black Bear

championship golf course, part of Louisiana’s Audubon Golf Trail.

At only fifteen miles from Poverty Point World Heritage Site, it’s the prime location for both convenience and comfort.

Although it was dark when we arrived, our neighbors were still out on the deck fishing for bass and crappie. The family travels here from Baton Rouge twice a year to spend a long weekend together relaxing and replenishing their freezer full of fish. They gave our sons fishing tips, then showed us the nearly hundred crappie they had caught over the last several days.

Poverty Point World Heritage Site

Sunday dawned with a light rain and a fog-shrouded lake. Drinking our morning coffee on the back deck, we watched a flock of American Coots, small black birds with white beaks, lazily swim around our cabin while a focused white egret hunted on the shore’s edge. Waiting for the weather to clear up and giving our oldest time to fish, we walked the State Park’s trail to the Marsden Mounds. Five tree-covered mounds hid beneath a jungle of trees with an open field filling the space between them. The mounds led back up to Bayou Maçon, a popular waterway for early inhabitants.

Tracking Bayou Maçon north, we finally reached

our main destination for the trip—Poverty Point National Historic Landmark and UNESCO World Heritage Site near Epps, Louisiana. In the Visitor’s Center, we watched the short film explaining how hunters and gatherers built Poverty Point around 1500 B.C.E. The complex includes six semi-circular ridges, a plaza, and six mounds, the largest being seventy-two feet tall and seven hundred feet long at its base. For more than two thousand years, it stood out as the largest earthen monument site in the Western hemisphere. Not only was all of this built by hand, one bucket of dirt at a time, but some archaeologists believe the giant Mound A was constructed in ninety days—an unthinkable feat for a pre-agricultural society.

Park Manager Mark Brink explained, though, that this theory was subject to questioning. There is so much we don’t know about the people who lived at Poverty Point. “This is three thousand years before any historic record,” he pointed out. Extensive research, though, has revealed some clues to these ancient societies. “We know they used the mounds as a temple or a place of worship. They had a sophisticated religion. They held social gatherings in the plaza, and we think they lived on the ridges. They could have held as few as a hundred people to as many as a thousand.”

Brink showed us a sampling of the millions of artifacts found at the site. The museum displays projectile points, knives, plummets (fishing net weights), and small cooking balls known as PPOs, or Poverty Point Objects. Materials used to make these objects often came from far away, demonstrating an extensive trade network.

This community mysteriously abandoned Poverty Point around 1100 B.C.E. “A cold and wet spell may have shifted things so they couldn’t live here year-round, and they all slowly moved away to other places,” Brink said.

Brink encouraged us to get the full effect of the area by walking the 2.6-mile

hundred years ago followed to bring fish home from the bayou before traveling to Mound A for a special religious ritual. The final stretch of the trail brought us through a wooded area lined with Pawpaw trees, which produce the largest edible fruit native to North America.

Tensas National Wildlife Refuge and Balmoral Mounds

After another peaceful night gently swaying in our cabin over Poverty Point Reservoir, we loaded everything back into the car and headed home via the Tensas National Wildlife Refuge. A short boardwalk trail behind the Visitor’s Center led us through a small cypress swamp, and another trail brought us to the quiet water’s edge of Rainey Lake. Deer greeted us on the nearly deserted backroads, and a flock of turkeys scurried across the lane in front of our car.

From there, we continued south past Balmoral Mounds, an impressive three mound complex straddling the road. An enormous flock of starlings scattered in formation as we left behind the cotton fields of north Louisiana, and a black bear even appeared to wish us farewell on our journey home. In such a beautiful pastoral setting with an abundance of natural resources, it’s not hard to imagine why pre-historic people would have chosen this land as their home. h

Plan your own prehistoric pilgrimage through Louisiana by downloading the Indian Mounds of Northeast Louisiana Guide at crt.state.la.us/dataprojects/archaeology/ moundsguide/using_guide.html.

Learn about the Poverty Point World Heritage Site at povertypoint.us and book a cabin at lastateparks.com/parks-preserves/ poverty-point-reservoir-state-park.

Directory of Merchants

Albany, LA

Livingston Parish CVB 15

Baton Rouge, LA

Allwood Furniture 12 Alzheimer’s Ser vice of the Capital Area 9

Artistry of Light 37 Baton Rouge Clinic 3 Becky Parrish Advance Skincare 51

Blue Cross Blue Shield 6

East Baton Rouge Parish Librar y 56 Elizabethan Gallery 49

Louisiana Public Broadcasting 38

LSU Rural Life Museum 14 Manship Theatre 13 Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center 17

Opera Louisiane 16 Pennington Biomedical Research Center 10 Pinetta’s European Restaurant 49

Wilson & Wilson Attorneys, LLC 39

WRKF 89.3 FM 51

Brookhaven, MS

Brookhaven Tourism Council 24

Ferriday, LA Brakenridge Furniture 31

Gonzales, LA Home and Remodeling Show with Ralph’s Market Food Fest 7

Grand Isle, LA Grand Isle Tourism Department 41

Hammond, LA Hammond Regional Arts Center 20 Tangipahoa Parish CVB 55

Jackson, MS Visit Mississippi 5

Lafayette, LA

Allwood Furniture 12 The Hilliard University Art Museum, LSU at Lafayette 16

Livingston, LA Livingston Parish Library 32

Mansura, LA Avoyelles Tourism Commission 21

Morgan City, L A Cajun Coast CVB 38

Natchez, MS

Brakenridge Furniture 31 Copiah-Lincoln Community College Natchez Literary Festival 25

Crye-Leike Stedman Realtors 34 Katie’s Ladies Apparel 49 Monmouth Historic Inn 35 Murray Land & Homes Realty 43 Natchez Convention Promotion Commission 25 Natchez Pilgrimage Tours 24 United Mississippi Bank 31

New Iberia, LA Iberia Parish CVB 27 Shadows on the Teche 27

New Orleans, LA

The Historic New Orleans Collection 18, 19 New Orleans Opera Association 20

New Roads, LA Arts Council of Pointe Coupée 49 City of New Roads 22 Pointe Coupée Historical Society 22

Opelousas, LA

St. Landr y Parish Tourist Commission 37

Plaquemine, LA

Iber ville Parish Tourism Department 23

Port Allen, LA

West Baton Rouge Museum 32

Scott, LA

Bob’s Tree Preservation 43 St. Francisville, LA Artistry of Light 37 Bohemianville 29 The Conundrum Books & Puzzles 29

The Cotton Exchange 29 Deyo Supply Company 2

The Magnolia Cafe 29 NK Boutique 29 Prevail & Reign Atelier & Boutique 29 Town of St. Francisville 28 West Feliciana Tourism 28

Ville Platte, LA

Evangeline Parish Tourist Commission 39

Sponsored by Tangipahoa Parish Tourism

A Farewell to Grandmother’s Buttons

AFTER ALMOST FORTY YEARS, ONE OF LOUISIANA’S MOST BELOVED BRANDS SAYS GOODBYE

By Jordan LaHaye Fontenot

As 2022 rushed to a close, Susan Davis spent her December days as she has for the past thirty-seven years: sitting with her closest friends around a table glittering with vintage glass, beads, brass, and buttons, buttons, buttons—making jewelry.

This year was different, though. This “Mount Everest” of orders they were climbing would be Grandmother’s Buttons’ last. The end of an era. “I’m glad to be busy,” Susan said when I called her in the thick of it. “It keeps me from being sad.” This is what she said she’d miss the most, spending so much time with her employees— most of whom have been part of the business for decades and have become her dearest friends.

In November, when Susan and her husband Donny announced their retirement and the closure of their beloved jewelry business at the heart of St. Francisville—a long-dedicated customer base leapt at this final opportunity to add pieces of Susan’s designs to their collections, already rare treasures soon to be rarer. “We sold about half-ayear’s-worth of orders overnight,” she said.

A difficult decision made with their family’s needs in mind, the Davises’ closing of Grandmother’s Buttons has fostered an overflowing of gratitude for a local business that has so enriched its community, and enchanted wearers all over the world. Reflecting on her thirty-seven years as a jewelry-maker, Susan acknowledged Buttons’ role in shaping her friendships, fostering incredible family memories, and feeding her own creative spirit.

It all started in 1985, she said, with a button in a pile in her ninety-five-year-old grandmother’s house. She and Donny had just moved back to her hometown of St. Francisville to start a specialty vegetable farm, and to be near family.

She had gone one afternoon to visit her grandmother, Bettie, with whom she shared a love of old things and family heirlooms. “She never threw a single thing away,” remembered Susan. Not a photograph, not a piece of jewelry, not a button. “She had boxes and boxes of them.”

From the pile, a jet luster Czech glass button caught Susan’s eye. “Grandma, this would make a beautiful earring.”

And Grandmother’s Buttons was born. At the time, Susan was looking for a job to supplement Donny’s farming, and in that moment she simply decided, “This is going to be my job.” Not long after, she attended her first craft show in the Broadmoor neighborhood of Baton Rouge, peddling pieces of jewelry she’d created using buttons from her grandmother’s collection. “I barely spent any money and made $1,000 that day. And that was in the eighties!”

In the years to come, Susan would quickly run through her grandmother’s button collection, then her mother’s, then her other grandmother’s. Thus, began the great button hunt—an adventure that continued for over three decades. Susan has traveled to every state on the mainland except for the Dakotas, connecting with collectors, climbing into attics, shoveling through warehouses in Manhattan’s Garment District, bargaining in flea markets.

Since 1994 when the business found its home in St.

Francisville’s circa-1905 Romanesque bank building on the corner of Royal and Prosperity streets, her collection has taken over the second-story studio, spilling out of drawers and piled into crannies—an archive of tens of thousands of buttons organized with a “deeply hidden logic” comprehensible only to Susan, whose journey with this business has bestowed upon her with the honorary title of a bonafide button-ologist. These are not just pretty things made into prettier things. Each button has a story, and Susan and her staff always worked to honor those stories, while ushering them into their next life.

Some of the jewels of Susan’s collection include the last stocks of Mississippi River mother-of-pearl buttons produced by the American Pearl Button Company of

played in the nationally-recognized Button Museum inside the old bank’s original vault.

When it comes to the jewelry, though, every piece was planned and constructed with each tiny button and the larger history it represents at the forefront—whether that be the craftspeople who made it or the societal environment that produced it. Using fashion as a means to carry these artifacts into the future, Susan and her designers drew from historic styles to create modern heirlooms entrenched in history.

But the process never began with design, said Susan. “It begins with the hunt.” After making one of their annual adventures, the Grandmother’s Buttons staff would return home with their treasures, and, in a ritual of sorts, set up two big tables in the studio. They’d group the finds by color, and then—amidst all of the history and the giggling recollections of recent travels and the gentle rattling of buttons being handled—the magic happened.

“It really is putting a puzzle together,” said Susan. “It usually takes about two and a half to three months for us to finish that puzzle. And we usually produce about one hundred new designs a year.” Susan estimates that in recent years, the team was creating about 30,000 individual pieces annually, which have been sold in over four hundred stores nationwide, as well as in several of the world’s most esteemed museums including the Smithsonian, the American Folk Art Museum, the British Museum, and the Palace of Versailles.

But the heart of it was always St. Francisville—a small, picturesque Louisiana town set so very apart from the fashion industry’s jewelry manufacturing hubs, but where Susan’s grandmother was, where her parents and her sisters were, where she always hoped to raise her family. And where she did. In those early days of the 1980s, Susan joined two other women entrepreneurs in the little town—Robin Marshall, who opened the “living room of St. Francisville” that is The Magnolia Café, and Dorcas Woods, who started this very magazine. “We just really relished having these businesses that were successful and growing and working together,” remembered Susan. “And we’ve really kind of had a strong bond the whole way.”

Washington; one-of-a-kind hand-painted porcelain buttons from the late nineteenth century, once marketed as blank canvases for crafty housewives; and perfume buttons, made with velvet intended for absorbing and carrying a woman’s signature scent—once sewn into the lapels of their lovers when they went off to war. Susan has made jewelry from a cache of Bethlehem pearls handcrafted by a family who once sent Grandmother’s Buttons an email saying “Buy our products so our family can stay in the Holy Land and not think about immigrating,” and now sends Susan videos of their Christmas parades each year. From a New Orleans antique dealer, Susan once procured two boxes of rare Czech glass buttons discovered in an abandoned elevator shaft in the French Quarter—the same sort of button she’d pulled from her grandmother’s collection in 1985. The finest and rarest of these treasures—including a hand-chased brass button depicting an eagle, designed for and worn at George Washington’s inauguration in 1783—are dis-

Almost forty years later, as St. Francisville begins to appear on more and more travel guides to the South, the little town has begun to settle comfortably into its growing reputation as a haven of specialty, locally-owned retail—drawing clientele from shoppers and weekenders from miles ‘round who want something slower-paced than the nearby cities of Baton Rouge or New Orleans. One might argue that such a reputation found its origins in a little jewelry store started in Susan’s upstairs bedroom in 1985, that it all started with a button. h

Though Grandmother’s Buttons officially ceased all jewelry manufacturing as of December 31, the St. Francisville store on Royal and Prosperity will remain open through early 2023, with some remaining jewelry for sale and specialty non-jewelry items from the Designer Collection.

Photo of enamel buttons displayed in Grandmother’s Buttons “Button Museum”; courtesy of Susan Davis.