September heralds in the much-anticipated Fall Opening Celebration, showcasing a calendar filled with artistic and cultural experiences at The Hilliard Art Museum.
The Fall Exhibition Opening Reception is Friday, Sept. 8, 2023. The member’s reception is from 4-6 p.m., and the event is open to the general public from 6-8 p.m.
The Fall reception will include Festivals Acadiens et Créoles unveiling of their 2023 Official Pin and Poster. This year’s artwork was designed by local artist, Lu Wixon. Guests will be able to purchase the 2023 Festivals Acadiens et Créoles pin and poster at the event as well as during Festivals Acadiens et Créoles, Oct. 13-15 held at Girard Park in Lafayette, LA.
“We are delighted to continue this long-term partnership with Festivals Acadiens et Créoles and to celebrate their featured artists and musicians alongside our new exhibitions,” says Museum Director LouAnne Greenwald.
The Fall Exhibition showcases notable local, regional and national artists, including:
SAM REVELES: SOLASTALGIA
DATE: September 09, 2023 — February 03, 2024
A series of four large canvases produced for the exhibition chart the artist’s affective experience of visiting the Gullfoss Falls in southwest Iceland. These “Golden Falls,” formed by water from the melting Langjökull glacier, create a dramatic spectacle in the Hvitá river canyon. There, waterfalls more than 100 feet in two stages, carve a deep canyon into the landscape. The site was at the epicenter of an international debate in the early 20th century: in 1907, an Englishman attempted to develop a hydroelectric plant fueled by the water’s power. A local sheep farmer, Tómas Tómasson, refused to sell his land to the businessman; his daughter, Sigríður Tómasdóttir led a 20-year legal battle to protect the land from development. The first three paintings in Reveles’s Gullfoss series take yellow, blue, and red, respectively, as their central color palette, following dynamic lines that suggest the majestic power of their namesake. The fourth painting in the series is marked by thick strokes of overlapping and slightly translucent colors: peach, yellow, salmon, azure, crimson, a verdant green. Guiding the composition from the corners and edges of the canvas, densely gridded pencil lines undulate and flow into one another, suggestively evoking the many moods of water.
OFF THE BEATEN PATH: WEIRD WILD, AND ABSTRACT 2023: GEORGE RODRIGUE FOUNDATION OF THE ARTS SCHOLARSHIP CONTEST
DATE: September 02, 2023 — September 30, 2023
The George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts grants monetary scholarships to high school juniors and seniors through an annual visual arts competition in order to encourage individual participation in the arts. Over 650 high school students from across Louisiana entered the 2023 Scholarship Art Contest by submitting original works of art on the theme of, "Off the Beaten Path."
SOUTH ARTS SOUTHERN PRIZE AND STATE FELLOWS
DATE: August 19, 2023 — December 16, 2023
South Arts 2022 Southern Prize and State Fellows is a showcase of the best of Southern visual art. This powerhouse exhibition, organized by South Arts, features a wide variety of styles, media, and perspectives. The Hilliard Art Museum is the final stop for this traveling exhibition. Past venues include the Bo Bartlett Center at Columbus State University (GA), the Steven F. Gately Gallery at Francis Marion University (SC), and the 701 Center for Contemporary Art (SC). South Arts 2022 Southern Prize and State Fellows is a showcase of the best of Southern visual art. Each state is represented by a fellow selected by a panel of experts. The Southern Prize is given to the overall winner, and a finalist award is given to the runner-up. Louisiana’s own Hannah Chalew is the 2022 Southern Prize winner and Sarah Elizabeth Cornejo is the Southern Prize Finalist.
The fellows are Jenny Fine of Alabama, GeoVanna Gonzalez of Florida, Antonio Darden of Georgia, Crystal Gregory of Kentucky, Hannah Chalew of Louisiana, Gloria Gipson Suggs of Mississippi, Marcus Dunn of North Carolina, Brittany M. Watkins of South Carolina, and Sarah Elizabeth Cornejo of Tennessee.
OTHER HAPPENINGS:
Aug. 30 Creative Conversation: An Evening with Kei Ito
6-8 p.m.
A conversation with Ito about his studio practice and exhibition Each Tolling Sun
Sept. 12 Creative Conversation: An Evening with Sam Reveles
6-8 p.m.
A conversation with Revels about his studio practice and exhibition SOLASTALGIA
Sept. 20 Creative Conversation: An Evening with Hannah Chalew
6-8 p.m.
A conversation with Chalew about her studio practice and her work featured in the exhibition South Arts Southern Prize and States Fellows
DATES: Every second Saturday of the Month at 11:00 AM.
Join us for Yoga in the Galleries as we flow and enjoy the gallery space.
MORE THAN A MUSEUM GIVING CAMPAIGN
Restoring & Reimagining the A. Hays Town Building
The Hilliard launched a $1.5 million campaign in 2018 with major support from the UL Foundation, founding donor Paul Hilliard, philanthropist Gloria Callais, as well as board members and community members. Now with a $200,000 challenge pledge from Roger Houston Ogden, the Hilliard is poised to reach their goal of $1.5 million with community support.
Funds raised will support the following project costs:
- Construction: $1,150,000
- Soft Costs: $150,000
- Fixture, Furnishings, Equipment: $200,000
Museum Hours, Admission & General Information
The Hilliard Art Museum is located at 710 E. Saint Mary Blvd. on the campus of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Museum hours are Tuesday through Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; closed Sunday and Monday. For general information, please visit HillliardMuseum.org or call 337-482-2278.
About the Hilliard Art Museum
Our Museum is a bridge. Our Museum is a catalyst. Our Museum is for everyone. We connect art and education, our university and our community, generations, heritage and cultures. The Hilliard Art Museum-University of Louisiana at Lafayette is not just a place to look at art. It is a place where visitors are encouraged to truly see art. It is a place of learning, where students sketch in the galleries and artists talk about their work. It is a destination for families, where kids express their own creativity through hands-on activities. And it is a resource for academic research and observation. Museum experiences build skills that extend into every aspect of life. Viewing art promotes dialogue and understanding between individuals, among families, and throughout our community. Art makes life richer and better for everyone.
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