Four exhibitions – and a film – will examine creativity and production inside 20 artists’ studios as part of the Paul and Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum’s Fall 2017 season.
The museum will launch its fall season on Friday, Sept. 8, with a free public reception and installation viewing. It will be held from 6-8 p.m. A private preview for museum members will be held from 4-6 p.m.
During the public reception, the 2017 Festivals Acadiens et Créoles poster and pin created by Dennis Paul Williams, an artist from St. Martinville, La., also will be unveiled. The festival will be held Oct. 12-15 at Girard Park.
Three new installations will open on Sept. 8. Two others have been in place since May.
- “Tina Freeman: Artist Spaces” will capture studio practices of 20 contemporary artists based in New Orleans. Photographs of their workspaces will be paired with examples of their work. The exhibition will include painting, sculpture and photography on loan from the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, from New Orleans-based photographer Freeman’s personal collection, and from artists’ studios. It will be on display until May 5.
- “William Kentridge: Journey to the Moon” will feature a short, animated film by the South African artist, who is also known for other mediums including paintings, drawings and sculpture. It provides a look into Kentridge’s production process, vision and creativity by exploring studio space as a performance site. The film is inspired by “Le Voyage dans la Lune (A Trip to the Moon),” a 1902 silent masterpiece by French director George Méliès. Kentridge’s film will run until Jan. 20.
- “Crafting the South Louisiana Sound” will feature accordions, violins, guitars, amplifiers, triangles and rubboards crafted by instrument builders in south Louisiana from the 1930s to today will be displayed. The exhibit will also feature photos and video footage that offer a glimpse into the workshops of local instrument makers. The exhibit is a collaboration with Festivals Acadiens et Créoles and UL Lafayette’s Center for Louisiana Studies. It will be on display until Oct. 15.
- “Spotlight on Francis Pavy” showcases the work of the Lafayette native and University graduate, who earned a bachelor of fine arts degree in 1976. His work has been exhibited throughout the U.S., and in Asia and Europe. The exhibit features “Lake Arthur Lotus,” a large-scale collage that explores regional narratives and mythologies. A selection of wood-carved blocks Pavy used to create the piece is also displayed. The exhibit runs until Dec. 9.
- “CONTINGENt: drawing and sculpture by Joan Tanner” explores many subjects central to the the artist’s five-decade career, including history, impermanence, and inconsistency. The exhibit features drawings and 3-D pieces created during the past 20 years. It is Tanner’s first in Louisiana. The exhibit closes Sept. 16.
The museum will continue to schedule programs on many Wednesday nights from 5-8 p.m., when admission is free. Programs include “creative conversations” with artists, workshops, film screenings, fiction readings, dance performances and live music. Many of the programs will complement permanent or visiting exhibits.
Hilliard University Art Museum features 11,000 square feet of gallery space and is the largest exhibition space between Houston and New Orleans. It houses a collection of 18th- through 21st-century European, Asian and American art. In addition to its permanent collection, it offers changing exhibitions of regional, national and international art.
The museum is at 710 E. St. Mary Blvd., on the UL Lafayette campus.
Admission to Hilliard University Art Museum is $5 for adults, $4 for adults over age 62, $3 for students between the ages of 5 and 17, and free for children younger than 5 years old. UL Lafayette students, faculty and staff members can visit the museum for free with their University ID card.
To learn more about the museum, exhibits, and programs, visit hilliardmuseum.org or call (337) 482-2278.
Photo: Master fiddle maker Lionel Leleux at work. Credit: Philip Gould