Recent Past Exhibits at Louisiana State Exhibit Museum

Triumph Over Tragedy: The Great Depression & New Deal Era in North Louisiana

September 19, 2009 until February 2010

Louisiana Secretary of State Jay Dardenne and the Friends of the Louisiana State Exhibit Museum hosted several events as part of "Triumph Over Tragedy: The Great Depression and New Deal Era in North Louisiana," which opened Sept. 19. 2009. Exhibits included artifacts from the Museum’s collection, as well as contributions from local collectors. Guest Curator was Jan Pettiet of Yesterday’s Lady, whose extensive collection of vintage clothing and accessories highlighted the displays.

The opening kicked off the EYE-20 Creative Corridor initiative, a united effort of three North Louisiana Arts Councils: Bossier Arts Council (BAC), Northeast Louisiana Arts Council (NLAC) and Shreveport Regional Arts Council (SRAC). The goal was to unify the communities along Interstate 20 and ensure access to high quality programs in celebration of the 80th anniversary of the Depression and New Deal Era.  The Museum, which opened in 1939, also celebrated 70 years of operation. 

The exhibits included vintage 1930 window displays (pictured below) covering many aspects of home life and fashion. A replica of Shreveport's Feibleman's Department Store, a Sears Roebuck outlet, gave viewers the opportunity to “shop around” for items from the era. A Depression-period living room creates the ambience of everyday life. There were also showcases with home appliances with distinctive Modern design elements as well as examples from the railroad and airline industries. The displays included men's and ladies' everyday fashion windows, as well as a “red carpet” event to celebrate Glitz & Grits.

The biennial fundraising event Glitz and Grits accompanied the exhibit opening. The party featured Buddy Flett and his band, as well as headliner Hubert Sumlin, famed blues guitarist.

Although this exhibit is no longer on display, educational materials for teachers are still available at Depression-era Materials for K-4 and Depression-era Materials for Grades 5-8.

John James Audubon Exhibit

February-April 2009

John James Audubon, artist and author of Birds of America, is an icon of art and nature. His ties to Louisiana are strong, and many of his famous works were inspired by his time in St. Francisville, Louisiana.  Although the LSEM exhibit is no longer on display, the Museum's educational materials for teachers are still available. See Audubon Exhibit Educational Materials.

Amanda Gordon Dunn

August 16-September 13, 2009; Opening reception: 2-4 p.m. August 16

This solo exhibit featured Denver sculptor Amanda Gordon Dunn. Dunn's sculptures are pulsing with color, oozing with resins and bursting with tension created from fabric and steel. This combination creates a contemporary elegance that dances with lights and shadows. Dunn received a B.F.A. in fiber in 2006 from the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, Md., where she received a presidential scholarship and awarded the Barbara L. Kuhlman Award, the Ira Basler, Jr. and Mary Basler Memorial Scholarship and the Dale Burton Scholarship in Fiber. Since graduation, Dunn's solo shows have been complete sellouts. Her work has appeared in juried shows as well, with the most recent being the Nylon Show at the Preston Contemporary Art Center in New Mexico. Amanda Gordon Dunn is the granddaughter of Rachel Williamson and Forrest Dunn of Shreveport.

See also August 10, 2009 article in The (Shreveport) Times and Amanda Gordon Dunn

Zama Dexter: Retrospective & New Works 2009 

See photos of this exhibit and others at Flickr.

For further information, to become a Friend of LSEM, to volunteer or to contact us, call 318-632-2020 or email

info@FriendsofLSEM.org.

See also

Current Exhibits

Exhibit Reception Photos