Exhibits at Louisiana State Exhibit Museum, 2010

 

ONGOING EVERY DAY:

Dioramas, exhibits, collections, gardens and tours. The Museum is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday and noon to 4 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, except for holidays, special hours during the Louisiana State Fair, and weather closings. 

 
For more about on-going and traveling exhibits see:

 

"The Purse and the Person"

February 14 - April 18, 2010
Educational Flyer for "The Purse and the Person"
News article: "It's in the bag: Exhibit tells all about purses," The (Shreveport) Times.

 

Clementine Hunter, Folk Artist

 

Clementine Hunter displayFrom the display notes: "Clementine Hunter (1886-1988) is a renowned African-American folk artist. She lived and worked at Melrose Plantation in Natchitoches Parish, La. Self-taught, Clementine painted her first painting, "Bowl of Zinnias," in 1939 with discarded paint tubes from a resident artist at Melrose. Her works depict daily plantation life scenes from cotton picking to funerals and baptisms."

 

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.

 

Further Details about the exhibit:

 

The exhibit featured an extensive look at the Great Depression era through clothing and accessories, items found in mail order catalogs during the 1930s, a typical parlor scene, and a showcase devoted to home sewing and mending.  
  
 High Society Glamour “Window”
 
Guest curator Jan Pettiet found the windows in the Museum to be perfect examples of store windows from the 1930s. The dresses and accessories in the "windows" reflected Hollywood's attempt at providing an escape from the hard times of reality. The ivory satin dress was styled in the flattering bias cut with simple elegance. The all-lace, floor-length dress had knee-to-the-floor splits that would reveal a satin slip underneath. The lace jacket over the dress had puff sleeves, then the height of fashion. The peach sheer lawn dress was reminiscent of the style of dress Carol Lombard was seen in several times, with ruffled collar flowing and her dress moving with her, lighter than air. The lavender party dress was for the young lady; puffed sleeves and a full petticoat to show the yards of taffeta. The black floor-length dress with red sequin butterfly appliqués at the sweetheart neckline was chic, worn by a very tall woman!  Her red and black shawl was the perfect accessory or maybe it’s the feather headpiece. The tuxedo was vintage though little changed in men’s formal wear during those years. Special features: the scarf around the man's neck and the opera hat, made so famous by Fred Astaire. Also notable: the “bling” in the beaded handbags and jewelry. The clothing was from the Yesterday’s Lady collection. Some of the jewelry and accessories were on loan from Betty Jo LeBrun. The ladies' evening shoes of ivory satin and embroidered silver mesh were from Shreveport's Phelps Shoes and remain part of LSEM's collection.
 
Sears-Roebuck windowSears Catalog and Other Fashions “Window’
 
The “Sears catalog and other fashions” window and the “parlor window” went up simultaneously. Ms. Pettiet had a catalog from 1939 and as she was doing research for the exhibit she was amazed at what was offered in a Sears catalog during that time. "We decided to do a window on all we could find that was straight out of that catalog. That is where even more of my eclectic collection found a place in the exhibit," she said. "From high fashion to unmentionables, from laxatives to thermometers, from door knobs to hair dryers, Sears had it. Hats were made out of just about anything and shaped small or huge. There was even a wedding ring in the window."
 
Parlor Scene
 
The “parlor scene” could be guest curator Jan Pettiet’s living room. No, wait, it WAS her  living room. The two chairs, (straight out of the Sears catalog) had a matching davenport that was in her home. She bought them at auction in Maine and reupholstered them. The wooden high back chair and dressing screen were also usually in her formal living room. The toys on the floor were on loan from the Pioneer Heritage Center and Betty Jo LeBrun. The phone table and vacuum cleaner were on loan from the J. Frank McAneny collection. The cabinet-style Philco radio, which was an integral part of family life during the era, was from the Museum's collection, as was the smoking stand. The Shreveport Phone Directory and phone belonged to Betty Jo LeBrun. The shoes for the whole family belonged to Ms. Pettiet. The photos on the floor were of a local man of some notoriety.
 
Men's hatsMen’s Hats “Window”
 
The “Men’s hats window” on the opposite wall had some great examples of men’s hats from the 1920s through the 1940s. Men continued to wear hats of several varieties for many years. Of note: tweed golfing knickers, the walking cane with a cigarette lighter, changeable collars and men’s garters.
  
With the exception of the phone and the two canes from the McAneny collection, the entire window was from Yesterday’s Lady. Ms. Pettiet even squeezed in two more dresses, ladies hats and purses.
 
“Don’t Despair, Make Do and Repair” Showcase
 
The “Don’t Despair, Make do and Repair” showcase iwas all about the homemaker in the Depression. She made quilts out of flour sacks or clothes no longer worn.  She repaired and patched clothes, and then patched them again. Anything at all could be found in her sewing basket. She crocheted doilies, hats, purses, gloves, gown tops and trim. Socks and stockings were repaired with wooden darners. The entire case was from Yesterday’s Lady. 
 
“Accessories Case”
 
The “Accessories case” included various items made of Bakelite and celluloid as well as some interesting folding hangers, hair accessories and a soap saver.
  
Most unusual: a travel set of dominoes made of Bakelite. There was a thermometer with a Bakelite green case in the Sears window.
 

Jan PettietAbout the Guest Curator, Jan Pettiet

 

 

In 2009, Jan Pettiet had been a professional narrative step-on tour guide in the Shreveport-Bossier community for nine years. She narrated tours of the historic downtown district and surrounding areas for tourists and local groups. She shared her fascination of Victorian American history when she stepped on a bus and guided groups through the streets and neighborhoods. She had seen the interest in historically narrated tours increase as more and more visitors arrived in the Shreveport area each year. The tours highlighted local history focusing on development of both cities bordering the Red River at the crossing point of the Texas Trail. Ms. Pettiet had lived in Haughton, La., with her family for the past 17 years.

 

Yesterday's Lady Presentations first developed as an opportunity for Ms. Pettiet to share her large collection of authentic Victorian and Edwardian ladies clothing and accessories with people in the local area. She offered an entertainment program for luncheons, conventions, and other events. Special exhibits from this collection have been on display in local museums. Some artifacts in the Yesterday’s Lady Collection are very rare and are not found in many museums. This “traveling museum” has been featured on a national cable television show as well as a “lead in” for the CBS This Morning television show. She has shown her many favorites in the collection to dozens of audiences over the years, each time sharing true stories of life for women (and men) in the Victorian era.

 

 

Upcoming Exhibits & Events

 

 

MARCH 2010

March 6-28—Ark-La-Tex Animal Art Student Competition

APRIL 2010

April 4-25—History of LSU Architecture, 32 panels and related artifacts illustrating the development of the campus in Baton Rouge

MAY 2010

May 2-June 27—"MY PEOPLE: The Portraits of Neil Johnson"

JUNE 2010

Through June 27—"MY PEOPLE: The Portraits of Neil Johnson"

JULY 2010

July 11-August 8—Ark-La-Tex Animal Artists Show

AUGUST 2010

August-September—"Men at Work," hand-carved figures by Dr. William Spillers

SEPTEMBER 2010

Through September—"Men at Work," hand-carved figures by Dr. William Spillers

OCTOBER 2010

Late October-Early November—State Fair of Louisiana

NOVEMBER 2010

Through early November—State Fair of Louisiana

DECEMBER 2010

First Week of December—Christmas Greening of the Museum

 

Recent Past Exhibits

 

 

Don Edwards Wildlife Paintings and Mural Exhibit 

Edwards flyer
Dec. 13, 2009 through Jan. 24, 2010

 

John James Audubon: American Artist & Naturalist

 
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 features 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 and other Museum exhibit receptions and events 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

Past Exhibits
Exhibit Reception Photos