The Hilliard Art Museum at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette will debut a new season of exhibitions, which explores how the 20th-century movement of pop art draws inspiration from commercial culture and mass media.
Opening to the public on March 7, "Spring Awake," showcases pieces from the museum’s permanent collection by Andy Warhol as well as new work from contemporary artist Rachel Libeskind.
"Pop Art fundamentally changed how we understand the relationship between fine art and popular culture, between art and everyday life," said Molly Rowe, executive director of the Hilliard Art Museum. "This year's Spring Awake program examines why that shift still matters — how artists from Warhol to Libeskind interrogate mass media and consumer imagery, and how musicians like Keith Frank employ similar strategies of sampling and remix in sound."
"Andy Warhol: Plus One" will be on view from March 7 through Aug. 15. It features work gifted to the Hilliard by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. The exhibition captures Warhol’s inner circles through intimate polaroids that explore how the presence of a companion, whether a friend, partner or child, alters the trajectory of our lives.
"Gulf Streams," organized by Dr. Gwendolen von Einsiedel, the Dr. Tommy Comeaux Endowed Chair of the Traditional Music Program, will be open on April 11. The exhibit uses field recordings of the Atchafalaya Basin by Dr. Earl Robicheaux and invites contemporary artists to reinterpret them as a foundation for remixing the landscape.
From March 7 through August 15, the Hilliard will host “If There Be Nothing New, But That Which Is” by New York and Berlin-based artist Rachel Libeskind. Libeskind’s work explores the "layers of meaning" within art objects. This showcase is enhanced by collaborative sounds from musicians like Keith Frank and Danny Devillier, alongside additional visual works from regional artists such as Martin Payton and Olivia Perillo.
The new exhibits will be in conversation with the immersive installation Nervescape XI by Hrafnhildur Arnardóttir / Shoplifter, currently on view. Born in Iceland and based in New York City, Arnardóttir creates immersive, hyper-colorized environments using textiles, fibers, and real and synthetic hair.
“These exhibitions invite our community to engage with globally significant art movements while reflecting on the visual and cultural landscape that shapes our daily lives here in Southwest Louisiana," said Rowe.
The museum will host a series of events as part of its spring season:
- Spring Awake Opening Preview on March 6: An evening celebration featuring an artist talk with Rachel Libeskind, a member preview of new exhibits, and Hilliard After Hours.
- Hilliard Fête on April 11: A day-long celebration which offers an inside look at what the Hilliard has to offer.
- PICNIC on May 3: The museum’s elegant outdoor fundraising event, held on the Hilliard Lawn.
For more information, visit hilliardartmuseum.org or follow @HilliardArtMuseum on social media.
The Hilliard Art Museum at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette presents exhibitions and programs that are regionally rooted and globally engaged, fostering the creative exchange of ideas and cross-disciplinary research rooted in the visual arts.
Founded in 2004, the museum also preserves and advances scholarships on its 3,000+ permanent art collection, ranging from 17th-century landscapes to contemporary Louisiana photography.
The museum is located at 710 E. St. Mary Blvd on the UL Lafayette campus. Hours are 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday; 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Saturday.
General admission is $10; free admission for UL Lafayette students, faculty and staff, as well as children under 10. Hilliard memberships start at $60 annually and include free admission to galleries and events.
Photo caption: Andy Warhol, Karen Kain, 1980, © 2026 The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. Photo credit: Courtesy of the Hilliard Art Museum Permanent Collection