Spring 2024 Art Talk

ART TALK

FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

I’m thrilled to share the remarkable strides and positive developments at our museum with you. Over the past months, we celebrated the unveiling of the Andy Warhol / Friends & Frenemies: Prints from the Cochran Collection exhibition and secured a substantial $240,000 grant from the Art Bridges Foundation, propelling our outreach expansion over the next three years.

After an immersive six months of listening, reading, and observing, I’ve gained profound insights into the LSU Museum of Art’s history, current standing, and the significant challenges it faces. The Art Talk member newsletter, spanning 18 years, served as a treasure trove, highlighting the unwavering dedication of our volunteers on the Friends and Advisory boards, instrumental in establishing one of our state’s premier collecting and educational museums.

Looking ahead to the new year, the museum staff engaged in extensive discussions for our 2024 activity calendar. Committed to fostering a culture that embraces diverse opinions, we’ll enhance collaboration by consulting more frequently with our boards and the community. A groundbreaking day-long retreat this Spring will unite our Friends Board, Advisory Board, and LSU leadership, aligning efforts in strategic planning.

Immediate challenges on the horizon include preparing for reaccreditation by the American Alliance of Museums, rebuilding our household membership base post-COVID, revitalizing the Planned Giving Society, and addressing essential upgrades and remodeling at the Shaw Center for the Arts after 18 years of outstanding exhibitions.

We express heartfelt gratitude to the leadership contributors highlighted in this newsletter and our forthcoming annual report. Special thanks to LSU Office of Academic Affairs for their continuous support. Lastly, immense appreciation to our dedicated members who renewed or joined during our recent membership drive.

As we forge ahead, we invite you to be part of this journey, ensuring the LSU Museum of Art remains a beacon of artistic excellence and cultural enrichment for years to come.

Mark Tullos Executive Director

COVER IMAGE:

Mary Tyler, BANG, 2023. Cotton, Computer generated fractal image. Photographed by Myron Gauger. Courtesy of Studio Art Quilt Associates.

EXHIBITIONS

PARTY RECAP:

Factory Fête: A Night With Warhol

THANK YOU MEMBERS, DONORS, & LENDERS

A big thanks to our members, donors, and lenders who made our Pop Party event, Factory Fête: A Night With Warhol, a hit! See page 15 for photos from this special celebration!

ANDY WARHOL: FRIENDS & FRENEMIES PRINTS FROM THE COCHRAN COLLECTION

On view until March 31, 2024

This exhibition is supported by a generous grant from the Pennington Family Foundation. The museum would like to thank Wesley and Missy Cochran for lending this print collection, and local collectors Steven and Beverly Heymsfield.

For decades Paris, France, was the considered the nucleus of art—a belief built on centuries of historic salons, academies, studios, and museums. Throughout the 1800s, early American painters, architects, and sculptors pursued European movements and trends, often traversing the Atlantic to study masterpieces and glean techniques and inspiration from celebrated virtuosos. Wealthy collectors flocked to Paris, asserting their grandeur by returning home with crates of artworks. As author Henry James stated in 1887, “It sounds like a paradox, but it is a very simple truth, that when today we look for ‘American art’ we find it mainly in Paris. When we find it out of Paris, we at least find a great deal of Paris in it.”

All this, however, was to change. Between the 1920s and the 1940s, Europe witnessed the rise of totalitarian regimes and fascism. Decades of war scarred the landscape, leaving vast areas in total ruin. Many influential artists fled the continent, emigrating to the United States, bringing with them their ideas and creative influences. New York City suddenly replaced Paris as the epicenter, with a wave of transplanted European modernists ushering in new forms and methods. By the late 1940s, the Abstract Expressionists had firmly rooted themselves, followed closely by artists experimenting with assemblage and collage. Then Andy Warhol came along.

Warhol moved to New York in 1949, initially working as a commercial artist and window dresser. Although his first solo exhibition at the Hugo Gallery in 1952 was unremarkable, four years later he was included in a group show at the Museum of Modern Art. In 1962 Warhol made headlines with a major exhibition at the Fersus Gallery in Los Angeles, California, presenting his now iconic Campbell’s Soup can imagery. Warhol was here to stay.

IMAGE (above): Andy Warhol signing autographs (detail), circa 1972, Los Angeles Times Photographic Collection. Source: Wikipedia Commons.

FRIENDS & FRENEMIES

Until his death in 1987, Warhol remained an active and prolific artist, producing thousands of prints, paintings, drawings, and films, and foraying into other areas of popular and commercial culture, directing music videos, managing the Velvet Underground, and founding Interview magazine. Throughout this seemingly frenzied lifestyle and nonstop pursuit of his fifteen minutes of fame, artists working alongside Warhol admired him—while some did not.

In 1961, Roy Lichtenstein painted his iconic Mickey Mouse, first seen by Warhol that same year at the Leo Castelli Gallery. Warhol considered the animated rodent his visual territory. He had admired Walt Disney from an early age, citing him as a formative influence on his development as an artist. Lichtenstein had beaten Warhol to the character. This early scenario inadvertently established a relationship between the two innovators that was simultaneously a rivalry and a friendship.

Alex Katz’s style is often compared to Warhol’s, as both artists share an interest in brightly colored, flattened, bold subject matter with references to commercial art; however, he vehemently defends his position as the latter’s muse. Speaking to the art critic Alastair Sooke in 2016, Katz exclaimed “Andy Warhol ripped me off.” Contending himself to be the precursor to Pop Art, he believes his early references to television, movies, and advertising was plagiarized by Warhol.

Although their art is ideologically and aesthetically at odds, Warhol and Willem de Kooning share many histories—they both moved to New York early in their twenties, where their careers flourished, allowing them to lead the charge in crafting new and innovative imagery and techniques. More importantly, they both relished the spotlight and reveled in their superstar status, albeit in different decades. The older de Kooning did not readily accept Warhol’s skyrocketing fame nor his artistic innovations. During a party in the Hamptons hosted by fellow artist Larry Rivers, de Kooning famously, and drunkenly, told Andy Warhol, “You’re a killer of art, you’re a killer of beauty, and you’re even a killer of laughter. I can’t bear your work!” Warhol shrugged off the criticism.

Be sure to visit Andy Warhol: Friends & Frenemies to see prints by Warhol and many prominent twentieth-century artists before it leaves March 31, 2024.

Andy Warhol / Friends & Frenemies: Prints from the Cochran Collection on view at the LSU Museum of Art.

EXHIBITS INSPIRED BY SPACE

Deep inside the Lascaux caves of Southwestern France, ancient humans drew a cluster of small black dots above a large painting of a bull. Scholars often cite these marks as the first depiction of a star cluster, perhaps the Pleiades, which would have been clearly visible to Paleolithic hunter-gatherers over 17,000 years ago. In the fifth millennium, Egyptians decorated temples and burial rooms with detailed interpretations of their astronomical knowledge. Three thousand years later, an artisan in what is now eastern Germany, crafted the Nebra Sky Disk, a twelve-inch bronze circle inlaid with gold strips representing the sun, a crescent moon, and stars, coincidentally, also the Pleiades.

Imagine the wondrous and inspirational magic of sky unadulterated by pollution and artificial light, as our ancient ancestors would have witnessed. They glimpsed brilliant stars, planets, galaxies, and the occasional comet or asteroid. In the morning, as the sun chased away the darkness, the mysterious cycle of night and day continued. For millennia humans studied the heavens with the naked eye, creating maps and reproductions of what they found, essentially giving us the earliest form of astronomy, much of which we know through their art.

Artists are still inspired by space, as we are inundated with new, vivid imagery and scientific discoveries. In just a short 481 years, modern man has progressed from the “discovery” that the Earth revolves around the sun by Nicolaus Copernicus, to landing humans on the moon in 1969, to the James Webb Telescope capturing images of early supermassive black holes, to space tourists paying millions of dollars to visit the cosmos. We have literally skyrocketed ourselves into space, and artists are along for the ride.

Roland Miller and Paolo Nespoli, Cupola with Clouds and Ocean (detail), 2020. Chromogenic color print. Courtesy of the artist, NASA, and ASI.

Lascaux Caves and Nebra Sky Disk. Source: Wikipedia Commons.

FIERCE PLANETS WORK FROM THE STUDIO ART QUILT ASSOCIATES

The juried exhibition Fierce Planets, presents fiber art based on the work of Dr. Sabine Stanley, the Bloomberg Distinguished Professor at Johns Hopkins University in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences and the Space Exploration Sector of the Applied Physics Lab. Responding to a call from the Studio Art Quilt Associates, Inc. (SAQA), artists from across the globe designed forty-two intricate objects inspired by planets and space. Their interpretations vary wildly, and include traditional quilts, fabric assemblages, and soft sculptures made using a variety of materials and techniques. This exhibition is produced by Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA) and Johns Hopkins University Press.

INTERIOR SPACE

PHOTOGRAPHS BY ROLAND MILLER & PAOLO NESPOLI

During a project documenting the Space Shuttle program in 1998, Roland Miller photographed several sections of the International Space Station (ISS) while they were being produced at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Fascinated with the complex structure, he returned over the next several years, continuing to capture images of additional modules and construction facilities. In 2014, he had a fateful meeting with astronaut Dr. Cady Coleman, who challenged Miller to devise a method to photograph the ISS from the viewpoint of those serving on board. Together with Italian astronaut Paolo Nespoli, who was an ISS resident, Miller developed a system to transmit the images to Earth. After a period of intense experimentation, research, and trial and error, Miller and Nespoli refined the method and successfully and artfully documented the station. Interior Space includes a selection of the photographs from the project. The show has an accompanying book, Interior Space: A Visual Exploration of the International Space Station, by Roland Miller and Paolo Nespoli.

Both exhibitions will be on view on view April 18–July 28, 2024 at the LSUMOA.

Kathy Nida, I'm Floating in a Most Peculiar Way, 2023. Commercial and hand-dyed cotton. Photographed by Gary Conaughton. Courtesy of Studio Art Quilt Associates.

Roland Miller and Paolo Nespoli, View of PMA 1 and Node 3 from Node 1 (detail), 2020. Chromogenic color print. Courtesy of the artist, NASA, and ASI.

COMING HOME GEOFFREY BEENE: SOUTHERN REFLECTIONS

On view April 26–August 30, 2024 Geoffrey Beene was among the twentieth-century's most successful American fashion designers. Through the exhibition Coming Home: Geoffrey Beene–Southern Reflections , we celebrate the many accomplishments of this master of classic style and impeccable craftsmanship who, for decades, reigned supreme as the gold standard of American fashion design. Beene, originally from Haynesville, Louisiana, was a Southern gentleman to his core, committed to celebrating beauty in all its forms. His excellence in design garnered him eight Coty Awards and two Council of American Fashion Designers awards. His work is held in the collections of leading institutions, including The Metropolitan Museum of Art and The Museum at FIT (the Fashion Institute of Technology), both in New York, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts.

This exhibition is an outpost of a simultaneous Beene retrospective mounted at the LSU Textile & Costume Museum, located on LSU’s Baton Rouge campus. Sylvia R. Karasu, MD, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medicine of New York City, donated over two hundred pieces of Geoffrey Beene fashion from her collection and related ephemera, documenting Beene's career and Dr. Karasu's passion for his designs. This outpost features a selection of garments from Dr. Karasu’s gift, along with sketches from Beene’s studio. Beene approached fashion from a perspective of flawless craftsmanship and design, adapting his training in French couture for the American market. Join us to celebrate Mr. Beene in 2024, what would have been the year of his 100th birthday.

– Dr. Michael Mamp

The exhibition at the LSUMOA is curated by graduate students from LSU’s Department of Textiles, Apparel Design, and Merchandising, under the direction of Associate Professor and curator Dr. Michael Mamp.

The main exhibition of Coming Home: Geoffrey Beene, featuring dozens of garments, will have an opening reception at the LSU Textile & Costume Museum (TCM) on Sunday, May 5, 2024, from 2–4 PM, and will run through the remainder of 2024. The TCM is located at 330 Tower Dr. on LSU’s main campus. The exhibit at LSU MOA will only run until August 30, 2024.

IMAGES: (top right) Geoffrey Beene, Cocktail Dress, c. 1980s. Halter-neck dress of persimmon and cream floral-printed linen, sequined midriff, with bead encrusted buttons; lined in silk. Gift of Sylvia Karasu, M.D. on a Beene showroom dress form, c. 2000. LSU Textile & Costume Museum; (above) Geoffrey Beene, 1965, courtesy CSU Archives / Everett Collection.

ONE STITCH AT A TIME

SOUTHERN VERNACULAR QUILTS

ON VIEW MARCH 21–JUNE 23, 2024 A quilt can be many things—a warm blanket on a chilly night, a decorative wall hanging, or a remembrance of a person or event. Some are purely utilitarian while others hold deep and personal meanings.

The practice of quilting can be traced over five thousand years. The earliest constructions stemmed from necessity—scraps and remnants of fabric were used to craft low-cost and effective blankets. Over time many quilters infused creativity into their designs, carefully planning out patterns and intricate stitch work, making the finished pieces more attractive, with some relaying messages or narratives. In America, whose artistic heritage spans a short handful of centuries, quilting arrived with late European colonists. It was an accepted leisure pastime for wealthy women; for others, it was a vital means to provide warmth and comfort. To supplement sparse linens, enslaved African American women gathered and pieced together odd bits of fabric, creating much-needed bedding. From this utilitarian beginning evolved a method of expression, gathering, and communication, as quilting became interlaced within the African American community, particularly in the South.

One Stitch at a Time includes quilts from the collection of Doug McCraw and the Hilliard Art Museum at the University of Louisiana in Lafayette. The show features several pieces made by the famed quilters of Gee’s Bend, Alabama, direct descendants of enslaved people who labored on a cotton plantation owned by Joseph Gee. These incredible women preserved their ancestral traditions and continue to design and meticulously craft quilts that retain their collective identities.

Lucy Mingo, Untitled, undated. Cotton, velvet, and satin. Collection of Doug McCraw.

(left) Chris Clark, Untitled, 1995. Cotton, paint, and satin. Collection of Doug McCraw; (right) Sarah Taylor, American Flag, 1990. Pieced and appliqued cotton and polyester batting. Courtesy of the Hilliard Art Museum, University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

LSU PARTNERSHIPS UPCOMING PROJECTS

LSU SCULPTURE INSTALLATION

The Museum is working with several LSU departments and professors on upcoming projects and programs.

SPACE OBJECTS The

LSUMOA has partnered with the Department of Physics and Astronomy and the Department of Geology and Geophysics on specialized programs and interpretation to enhance the exhibition Fierce Planets. A diverse range of space-related objects, including meteorite samples and a tile from the Space Shuttle, will be interspersed within the quilts and soft sculptures. A planetarium show is scheduled during the June Access for All Sunday, and the LSU Mobile Astronomy Resource System (MARS) will accompany us on several summertime Neighborhood Arts Project (NAP) stops. Keep an eye on our website for dates and details!

To further complement our delve into space, Associate Professor Loren Schwerd at LSU’s College of Art and Design, has integrated a site-specific project into her spring coursework. Students will design and install a sculpture inspired by the cosmos and the Fierce Planets theme. The work will be on view in the adjoining gallery for the length of the exhibition.

ON VIEW IN THE COMMUNITY GALLERY

Through the end of March, a selection of screen prints by LSU printmaking students are on view in the Community Gallery. Assistant Professor Lauren Cardenás tasked her class to create work inspired by Andy Warhol’s pop politics. They responded amazingly to the challenge— designing recognizable social justice messages using only imagery. Students featured: Lauren Manhardt, Jaylan Giggers, Ara Allen, Sophia Donze, Sarah Lindrew, Mason Harris, Cole Landry, and Elisheva Korn.

Miranda Renard, Storm on Jupiter, 2021. Cotton, linen, and silk. Courtesy of Studio Art Quilt Associates.

COLLECTIONS RECENT ACQUISITIONS

The newest additions to the LSUMOA's growing contemporary art collection includes several photographs and a drawing, purchased with funds from the Winifred and Kevin P. Reilly Initiative.

GORDON PARKS was a trailblazing American photographer, filmmaker, and writer, renowned for his impactful contributions to documentary photography and the Civil Rights movement. Born into poverty, he rose to prominence capturing iconic images of the struggles and resilience of marginalized communities. He had a long and storied career, taking images of American workers for the Farm Security Administration, documenting the renowned Tuskegee Airmen for the Office of War Information, doing freelance work for Vogue, and becoming the first African American staff photographer for Life magazine.

AKASHA RABUT is a Filipina American photographer and educator based in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Hawaii. Her work explores multi-cultural phenomena and tradition rooted in the American South. She founded the Creative Council, a mentoring program for young people in New Orleans pursuing careers in the arts. In 2020, Rabut released her first publication, Death Magick Abundance, a collection of images that celebrates ten years of culture following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.

SHOSHANNA WEINBERGER, a Caribbean American born in Kingston, Jamaica, creates work that relates and references her culture and background. Often incorporating ink, watercolor, or gouache on panels or paper, her stark compositions explore the complexity of heritage, beauty norms, and the psychology of peripheral identity.

Gordon Parks, Willie Causey Jr., with Gun During Violence in Alabama, Shady Grove, Alabama, 1956. Archival pigment print. Purchased with funds from the Winifred and Kevin P. Reilly Initiative.

Akasha Rabut, Chris, 2020. Archival pigment print. Purchased with funds from the Winifred and Kevin P. Reilly Initiative.

Shoshanna Weinberger, Menage a Trois, 2013. Gouache on paper. Purchased with funds from the Winifred and Kevin P. Reilly Initiative.

LSUMOA PROGRAMS

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

ACCESS FOR ALL DAY

Access for All Day: Celebrity Reading Room

Sunday, March 3 from 1–4 PM • FREE • 5th floor

View our engaging exhibitions, create exciting works of art, and enjoy story time with some of the capital city's local celebrities as they read the Museum's favorite books.

Access for All Day: The Sound of Music

Sunday, April 7 from 1–4 PM • FREE • 5th floor

It's a day filled with music and exploration, with a special concert and instrument petting zoo brought to you by the LSU Chamber of Music.

Access for All Day: All About Quilts

Sunday, May 5 from 1–4 PM • FREE • 5th floor

Enjoy a quilting bee demonstration, create a collage quilt craft, and hear folklore and stories in the galleries.

Generous support provided by Art Bridges Foundation’s Access for All program.

TODDLER THURSDAY

Toddler Thursday: Wacky for Warhol

Thursday, March 7 at 10 AM • FREE • 5th floor

Create Andy Warhol-inspired art.

Toddler Thursday: Quilting Bee

Thursday, April 4 at 10 AM • FREE • 5th floor

Make a fun patchwork ‘busy bumble bee’ craft.

Toddler Thursday: Abstract Galaxy

Thursday, May 2 at 10 AM • FREE • 5th floor

Design a space-inspired piece of abstract art.

Free admission is made possible through a grant with the Junior League of Baton Rouge. This program is for ages 5 and under with a caregiver.

OUTREACH

Gardere Takes Flight! Kite Workshop at Hartley/Vey Park at Gardere

Saturday, March 16 at 12 PM

1702 Gardere Lane Baton Rouge, LA

The LSUMOA will be out assisting our friends from the Gardere Initiative, creating kites for the Gardere community.

spend your week with

ART AT LUNCH

Art at Lunch: Fall in Love With Louisiana Birds

Wednesday, March 27 at 12 PM • FREE • 3rd floor

Jane Patterson, President and Education Chair of the Baton Rouge chapter of the National Audubon Society explores the world of Louisiana birdlife.

Art at Lunch: The Power of Digital Storytelling / Building Community and Making an imPACt

Wednesday, April 24 at 12 PM • FREE • 3rd floor

Dr. Tyrslai M. Williams-Carter, the LSU Assistant Professor of Research and Assistant Dean of Mentoring, Education, and Research, delves into the transformative potential of leveraging digital platforms to tell compelling stories and foster community engagement in STEM fields.

Art at Lunch / Artist's Media Kit: A Survival Guide

Wednesday, May 22 at 12 PM • FREE • 3rd floor

Baton Rouge Gallery Director of Exhibitions, Kelsey Livingston, explores essential objectives to improve the careers of aspiring and working artists.

RECEPTION

Fierce Planets Reception & Panel Discussion

Thursday, April 18 at 6 PM • FREE • 5th floor

Featuring Dr. Sabine Stanley, Bloomberg Distinguished Professor at Johns Hopkins, and photographer Roland Miller.

SPACE PROGRAMS

Science on Tap at The Varsity

Thursday, April 25 at 7 PM • The Varsity near LSU (ages 21+) LSUMOA and the LSU Department of Astrophysics host a cosmic evening of science, games, and spirits at The Varsity.

NASA: A Bright Future for Everyone

Thursday, May 30 at 6 PM • FREE • 5th floor

NASA Associate Chief Safety and Mission Assurance Directorate, Robert Southers, discusses NASA’s vision for the future of space exploration. He will introduce the concepts of commercializing the space industry and current risks associated with the plans to venture to the Moon and, eventually, Mars.

Carolina Oneto , Imaginary Places IV , 2023. Cotton. Courtesy of Studio Art Quilt Associates.

EDUCATION ACCESS FOR ALL SCHEDULE

The LSU Museum of Art is excited to kick off our Free Access for All Day programming. Check out the schedule below and plan to attend the first Sunday of each month. Programs include creative art-making stations and entertainment. They begin at 1 PM and end at 4 PM. Learn more about programming at www.lsumoa.org/calendar.

Interested in booking a group or class tour, visit www.lsumoa.org/tour or email LSUMOA Educator Brandon V. Lewis at brandonlewis@lsu.edu for more information. See you in the galleries!

Access for All Day: Celebrity Reading Room

Sunday, March 3 from 1–4 PM • FREE

⊲ 1:30–2 PM Creative Stations: Celebrating Bookmaking and Color Craft projects designed to celebrate the art of bookmaking, book design, and color.

⊲ 2–3 PM Celebrity Readings

Local celebrities read from their favorite books.

Access for All Day: The Sound of Music

Sunday, April 7 from 1–4 PM • FREE

⊲ 1:30–2 PM Creative Stations: Celebrating the Art of Music Activities related to musical creativity and color.

⊲ 2–3 PM Instrument Petting Zoo & LSU Chamber of Music Performance Performance by the LSU Chamber of Music and an 'Instrument Petting Zoo'; where patrons can get up close and personal with instruments.

Access for All Day: All About Quilts

Sunday, May 5 from 1–4 PM • FREE

⊲ 1:30–2 PM Creative Stations: How to Make a Quilt

Learn more about the art of quilting through hands-on activities.

⊲ 2–3 PM Special Presentation by Local Quilters: The Art of Quilt Making

Local quilters discuss the ins and outs of quilt making, the historical significance of quilting, and its cultural impact.

Generous support provided by Art Bridges Foundation’s Access for All program.

DEVELOPMENT FACTORY FÊTE: A NIGHT WITH WARHOL

THANK YOU MEMBERS, DONORS, & LENDERS A big thanks to our members, donors, and lenders who made our Pop Party event, Factory Fête: A Night With Warhol, a hit! This exhibition was made possible by a generous grant from the Pennington Family Foundation, and the LSUMOA was honored to have Paula Pennington in attendance to celebrate the opening of Andy Warhol: Friends & Frenemies. The museum would like to thank Wesley and Missy Cochran for lending their print collection, and local collectors Steven and Beverly Heymsfield for loaning their iconic Campbell's Soup Can and images of Andy Warhol by photographer Bob Adelman. See more photos of the party on LSUMOA's Facebook page @lsumoa.

The Importance of a Strong Foundation

Strong endowment funds at the LSU Foundation are essential–providing stability, financial support, and a framework for growth. With solid endowments in place, the Museum can continue to fulfill its mission of preserving and promoting art and culture, inspiring creativity, and engaging the community for years to come.

The Role of LSU in Supporting the Museum

The LSU Museum of Art benefits greatly from the support of LSU, its parent institution, and our Advisory Board. LSU provides the museum with resources, funding, and access to a diverse array of academic disciplines, enhancing the museum's programming and scholarship. Through this partnership, LSU demonstrates its commitment to the arts and offers valuable opportunities for collaboration between faculty, students, and the Museum.

OF GIVING

DEVELOPMENT PILLARS

Exploring Grant Opportunities

Grants serve as a crucial pillar of support for the LSU Museum of Art. They offer financial resources and opportunities for the Museum to fund various projects, exhibits, and educational initiatives. By actively seeking and securing grants, the Museum can expand its reach, enhance our collections, and provide valuable cultural experiences to the community.

Friends of the LSU Museum of Art

The Friends of the Museum play a crucial role. These dedicated individuals volunteer their time and expertise to promote the Museum's exhibitions and programs, organize fundraising events, and advocate for its mission. By actively engaging with the community and building relationships, the Friends of the Museum contribute to the Museum's growth and ensure its continued success.

Let’s explore the LSU Museum of Art’s pillars of support, including its strong foundation, generous grants, dedicated members, supportive friends, and the unwavering commitment of LSU. Discover how these pillars unite to nurture and showcase a vibrant artistic legacy.

Building a Community Membership

Building a strong community of members is another essential pillar of support. Memberships provide ongoing financial support and help sustain the Museum's operations. In return, members receive exclusive benefits, such as free admission, special events, and discounts. By fostering a sense of belonging and engagement among its members, the Museum can cultivate a dedicated base of supporters who are invested in our mission and success.

LSU MUSEUM STORE ANDY WARHOL ITEMS

The LSU Museum of Art has a variety of Andy Warhol items, paint-bynumber artworks, prints, stationary, books, and more, now available throughout the exhibition Andy Warhol / Friends & Frenemies: Prints from the Cochran Collection.

SAVE THE DATE The store will hold its annual Mother's Day Special offering shoppers 20% off* regular priced items from Tuesday, May 7–Sunday, May 12 (*excluding George Rodrigue items).

The LSU Museum Store is located on the first floor of the Shaw Center for the Arts. For more information, please contact LeAnn Russo at 225-578-3038 or lrusso@lsu.edu.

STAFF

Mark Tullos, Executive Director

Sarah Amacker, Communications & Marketing Specialist

LeAnn Dusang, Museum Store Manager / Visitor Services Manager / Rentals

Nedra Hains, Director of Operations & Visitor Services / Membership Coordinator

Brandon Lewis, Educator & Public Programs Manager

Marianna Luquette, Registrar

Sandy Parfait, Business Manager

Travis Pickett, Preparator

Michelle Schulte, Chief Curator & Director of Public Programs

FRIENDS OF THE LSU MUSEUM OF ART

President: Clarke J. Gernon, Jr.

Secretary / Treasurer: Jim Fairchild, CPA

Brad M. Bourgoyne

Jeff Bell

Leone Elliott

Ann Wilkinson

Brad Way

Barnes Ogden Complex Gallery

Monday–Friday 9 a.m.–4:30

Saturday

ADVISORY BOARD 2023–2024

Chair: Ben Jeffers

Vice Chair: Elizabeth Noland

Secretary / Treasurer: Stephen R. Miller

Immediate Past Chair: Nancy C. Dougherty

Margaret Benjamin

Dan Bergeron

Luisa Cantillo

Renee Erickson

Becky Gottsegen

Blaine Grimes

John Haile

Randell Henry

Gerri Hobdy

Yvette B. Marsh

Winifred Reilly

Laura A. Siu

Darius Spieth

Carol Steinmuller

Ex-Officio: Clarke J. Gernon, Jr.

Ex-Officio: Mark Tullos

Office of the Lt. Governor Representative:

Susannah Bing Johannsen

Honorary: Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser

Monday–Friday

Glassell

Tuesday–Wednesday

100 Lafayette Street, Fifth Floor

Baton Rouge, LA 70801

HOURS

Tuesday through Saturday: 10 a.m.–5 p.m.

Thursday and Friday: 10 a.m.–8 p.m.

Sunday: 1–5 p.m. Closed Mondays and major holidays

LSU Museum of Art is supported by a grant from the Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, Recreation & Tourism, in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council; in part by a grant from the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge, funded by the East Baton Rouge Parish Mayor-President & Metro Council; and in part by a grant from South Arts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts.

LSUMOA thanks the generous donors to the Annual Fund.

Toddler Thursday's free admission is sponsored by the Junior League of Baton Rouge. Generous support provided by Art Bridges Foundation’s Access for All program.