The Louisiana State Exhibit Museum—In the News

The Louisiana State Exhibit Museum is frequently in the news. Our outstanding exhibits and programs make for good reading and viewing. See some of the recent news items on this page and see the news releases from the office of the Louisiana Secretary of State.

 
From The Forum News, On the Scene, Page 37: Mary Ann Van Osdell's article and photos about the retirement reception for Forrest Dunn, July 28, 2010
 
From The (Shreveport) Times, Community Briefs: Statewide heritage trail initiative announced at Louisiana State Exhibit Museum, July 14, 2010
"Secretary of State Jay Dardenne announced the launch of a new statewide cultural initiative Tuesday at the Louisiana State Exhibit Museum. The Heroes and Heritage Trail encompasses a series of destinations throughout the state. Those who visit 11 museums will be eligible for an overnight stay at Louisiana's Old State Capitol in Baton Rouge.
"In addition to the Louisiana State Exhibit Museum, the Spring Street Historical Museum and the Shreveport Water Works Museum are on the trail. Other Northwest Louisiana museums included are the Louisiana State Oil and Gas Museum, Oil City; Mansfield Female College Museum, Mansfield; and the Germantown Colony Museum, Minden.
"For more information on the Heroes and Heritage Trail, log onto the Secretary of State's Museums website."
 

From The (Shreveport) Times:  Glitz and Grits and the Russians are Coming to Louisiana State Exhibit Museum, Maggie Martin column, July 11, 2010

"The Russians are coming to Shreveport.

"Don't get too excited yet. 'Russia on the Red' is the theme for the 2011 Louisiana State Exhibit Museum Glitz & Grits.

" 'There will be a Russian exhibit,' said Margaret Green, during a chat at a museum press conference.

" 'And vodka? You have to have vodka at a Russian party,' quipped Louisiana Secretary of State Jay Dardenne, who was standing nearby and overheard the conversation.

" 'Oh, yes, great vodka,' Green answered.

"See you there!"

 
From the Museum and the Secretary of State: Flyer about the Acrylics on River Birch Tree Bark, July 2010-January 2011
 
From the Museum and the Secretary of State:  Flyer about the Louisiana Society of Animal Artists exhibit, July 2010
 

From The (Shreveport) Times:  Museum was always part of summer fun, Joanne Sigler column, July 7, 2010

 
From The (Shreveport) Times: Editorial--Dunn made museum a must-see stop, July 6, 2010
 
From The (Shreveport) Times: Maggie Martin article, Waddell named museum director, June 29, 2010
 
From the Associated Press: Head of state museum in Shreveport retires, June 28, 2010
 
From The (Shreveport) Times: New Museum director introduced at press conference, online June 28, 2010
 
From The (Shreveport) Times: Val Horvath's Photos of Dunn Retirement Event and Maggie Martin article, Forrest Dunn leaves Museum with a bang, June 28, 2010
 
From Tom Pace, Talk of the Town radio program:  Podcasts of the 37-minute Forrest Dunn retirement salute and his interview with Secretary of State Jay Dardenne. June 27, 2010
 
From KTBS-TV Channel 3: Museum Director retires and video , June 27, 2010
 
From KSLA-TV Channel 12: Standing room only at Dunn Retirement Event, June 27, 2010
 

From the Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Center:  Forrest Dunn, director of the Louisiana State Exhibit Museum, received the first "Legend of the Industry" and a standing ovation at the annual PRIDE (Proud Residents Involved in Developing our Economy) banquet held May 12, 2010 at the Horseshoe Casino Riverdome. The elegant event was the Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau’s chance to say thank you to thousands of people who make the area a true tourist destination. The PRIDE Awards Banquet was held in celebration of Tourism Awareness Month.The Hospitality/Tourism Industry employs some 37,100 people in the Shreveport-Bossier area. The PRIDE Banquet is held every year in order to honor the frontline people - the heart of the tourism industry - in front of their hospitality peers.

News article in The (Shreveport) Times: "Forrest Dunn retiring from Louisiana State Exhibit Museum," May 10, 2010, The (Shreveport) Times.

News release from the Office of the Louisiana Secretary of State:  Neil Johnson Portraiture Exhibit, May 2, 2010.

Maggie Martin feature: "People: Photographer captures those from all walks of life," April 25, 2010, The (Shreveport) Times.

News release from the Office of the Louisiana Secretary of State: "Louisiana State Exhibit Museum Next Stop for Exhibit Chronicling LSU's Architecture," April 7, 2010.

Devin White feature about production in LSEM Auditorium:  "Local Theater 'Shakes' Up Women's History Month,"  Tuesday, March 23, 2010, The (Shreveport) Times. 

Margaret Martin column: Over the Top and Down to Earth, Feb. 11, 2010, The (Shreveport) Times

Maggie Martin feature article: "It's in the bag: Exhibit tells all about purses," Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2010, The (Shreveport) Times.  

News release from the Office of the Louisiana Secretary of State: "The Purse and the Person" Exhibit Opens Sunday, Feb. 14, 2010 at Louisiana State Exhibit Museum 

Shreveport Green's "Trees are Wonderful" contest winners. 

Museum flyer about Don Edwards, Wildlife Artist: Retrospective and New Works from Africa

Museum flyer about Education Express Series with Paul Pastorek, Louisiana State Superintendent of Education, Jan. 26, 2010, in Museum auditorium

News release from the Office of the Louisiana Secretary of State:  Annual Greening at Louisiana State Exhibit Museum is Success; School Winners Announced

News Release from the Smithsonian Networks: The Smithsonian Channel's “Soul of a People: Writing America's Story” screenings at Louisiana State Exhibit Museum Nov. 14 at 12:30, 1:30 and 2:30 p.m.

News Release from the Office of the Louisiana Secretary of State:  Louisiana State Exhibit Museum Presents Annual Greening on Dec. 3, 2009.

Alex Kent article: "Triumph Over Tragedy aims to transform hardship into art," Sunday, September 27, 2009. See lifestyle feature in The (Shreveport) Times.  

Maggie Martin column: "Blues guitarist Hubert Sumlin wows 'em at Glitz & Grits," Sunday, September 27, 2009. See column in The (Shreveport) Times.  

KTBS-TV Channel 3's Sonya Bailes interviews Leigh Lewis and Buddy Flett about Glitz and Grits, September 18, 2009. See KTBS-TV news report.

"Glitz and Grits:  Bluesman Hubert Sumlin, new exhibit in the spotlight," September 15, 2009, article and photos in The (Shreveport) Times 

"Museum director's granddaughter will have show here," August 10, 2009 article in The (Shreveport) Times 

"Flett (Glitz & Grits performer) to receive G. Scott Griffin Award," August 4, 2009 article in The (Shreveport) Times

  From The (Shreveport) Times, July 12, 2009 Harriet Daggett poses with Louisiana State Exhibit Museum director Forrest Dunn. Daggett received the Lois Wyatt Bannon “Heart and Soul” Award, a special service award from the Louisiana Association of Museums (LAM) at its 2009 conference held in Baton Rouge. Daggett began volunteering at the Louisiana State Exhibit Museum in 1999 and has served as a board member of the Landscape and Grounds Committee, board member of the FRIENDS of the Louisiana State Exhibit Museum, membership drive chairman, as editor and in-house photographer for the in-house quarterly newsletter. (Special to The Times)
 
  "Family Fun Day at the Louisiana State Exhibit Museum," June 23, 2009 article in Red River Moms
 
  FROM THE (SHREVEPORT) TIMES
10A  SATURDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2008

       T O D A Y ‘S  E D I T O R I A L  

Museum needs help

preserving culture  

  Defining the culture of northwest Louisiana can
be an elusive endeavor even for professionals.
  So far the best we’ve come up with is “The Other
Side.”
  Walk through the dioramas and artifacts at the
Louisiana State Exhibit Museum and you might find
a clue. They tell stories about farming and rivers
and the Caddo Indians, who first called this place
home.
  Museum administrator Forrest Dunn has more
stories he would like to tell, but he’s running out of
room to store artifacts safely. The museum hopes
to convince legislators of the need for a $3 million
archive building, so the museum could be expanded
while preserving the things of history already there.
  In the upcoming tight budget year, state officials
have every right to set high standards for projects
seeking new money. Projects should have a clear
statewide purpose and be held accountable in their
spending.
  The museum—a state owned and operated
facility—seems to meet those requirements.
Without the new building, Dunn says the museum
will be limited in what it can accept and display.
  “We have started in the last few years collecting
on loan and in donations better quality of artifacts
than we have maybe ever,” he said.
  Currently, when a traveling or new exhibit arrives,
they often displace the regular exhibits. And the
only place to store them is the basement of the 1938
building.
  One can only imagine the damp and heat of the
summer can’t be good for centuries-old artifacts
And during recent storms, water seeped into the
area. Quick work by museum staff saved what
was there, but it’s far from the temperature- and
humidity-controlled environment that is standard in
most museum archives
  Because of its affiliation with the Smithsonian,
Dunn has access to world-class traveling exhibits,
but some have turned him down because of space
concerns. And he has turned down donations because
he can’t store items.
  Plans have already been drawn for the archive building
to be constructed on the south side of the property. It
would have all the proper storage places to protect
irreplaceable items and some office space, so staff
members wouldn’t have to work in the hallway of the
museum.
  Having more exhibits in storage would allow Dunn
to rotate items in and out of display to help keep the
museum fresh.
  In this economic environment, it is hard to ask for
anything new, and we know there are limits. But it’s
also hard to put a price on preserving our history.
 
  FROM THE (SHREVEPORT) TIMES
FEBRUARY 2006

       T O D A Y ‘S  E D I T O R I A L  

Pulitzer photo exhibit

extraordinary event  

An extraordinary event and one that should not be missed
is occurring at the Louisiana State Exhibit Museum at the
Fair Grounds now through April 30. The Museum and its friends
have scored a major coup with “Capturing the Moment: The
Pulitzer Prize Photographs.”
Anyone with an interest in photography or history, or both,
will be spellbound. Those who think they’re just casually interested
will find themselves reading the text of every one of the some 160
panels and experiencing an exhibit like never before. Together the
images and text combine for a powerful experience that leaves
visitors deeply moved.
“World-changing, heart-changing, mind-boggling, awe-inspiring,” is
how one local resident describes the exhibition.
Every Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph from 1942 through 2005
is displayed dramatically on four-by-eight foot panels that cover
the dioramas and glass cabinets around the circular-shaped museum.
Each photo is accompanied by compelling text, in which the
photographer tells the story behind the picture.
There are widely recognized photos that everyone of a certain age
can recall – the soldiers hoisting the American flag at Iwo Jima,
the shooting of Oswald in Dallas and the napalmed young girl in Vietnam.
More recently, there’s the firefighter cradling the baby after the Oklahoma
City bombing and the smoke and flames of the World Trade Center towers.
War is a dominant theme and about 30 percent of the images display
violence (and, consequently, should not be viewed by young children).
Domestic and social issues depicting such topics as politics, crime, racism,
poverty, homelessness and drug addiction are found throughout the exhibit.
And there are images of heroes, rescues, family warmth, solace and
ordinary things. For instance, there’s the famous 1958 photo of the police
officer bending over to talk with a toddler at a parade, and the ecstatic
family greeting a returning POW in 1973.
The Louisiana State Exhibit Museum and its Friends organization worked
tirelessly to mount “Capture the Moment” and have produced what the
exhibit’s New York curator described as the best mounted version she has
experienced. Visitors and residents of the Ark-La-Tex are the beneficiaries
of their good work and should make every effort to see this amazing
exhibit – up close and personal.
The words “awe inspiring” were made for such an occasion.

See also

Friends in Pictures
Event Photos