Shreveport - Bossier, Louisiana's Other Side

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

CONTACT: Freda Powell

(318) 673-7703

Su*Stella

(228) 263-2333

ART AFFAIRE IN THE GARDENS AT THE BARNWELL CENTER

The Friends of the Barnwell are pleased to announce the opening of Art Affaire in the Garden – an Arts Market on Saturday October 17, 2009 at 10:00 a.m. From the unusual to the unique, an impressive showcase of handmade arts and craft will be on sale with plenty to appeal to both locals and visitors. A treasure-trove of handcrafted works in glass, jewelry, fiber arts, mixed media, visual art, photography, sculptures, homemade body care products and souvenirs and more can all be found here! It's worth a visit if only to browse! Art Affair in the Garden – An Art Market will be held Saturdays March thru December from 10 am to 3 pm except on major holidays.

Art Affaire in the Garden is yet another way that the Friends of the Barnwell are supporting Louisiana artists and craftsmen. Art Affair in the Gardens will provide a dependable and highly affordable marketplace for artists to sell their artwork, in a delightful environment that serves as an inexpensive weekend storefront for their creative efforts. Some artists will participate every Saturday, while others are new each week, assuring visitors of an ever-changing array of art and creative products to view on every market day. No mass-manufactured or assembled products will be sold. The artist who makes the art is there to display and sell the art. Art Affaire in the Garden – An Arts Market will provide an opportunity to meet the artists and craftsmen, discuss their work, and to buy unique hand-made products direct from the creator.

The Friends of the Barnwell also operates …the store at the Barnwell Center which features handmade art from artists from across the state. When asked if this was a duplication of service Barnwell Center Director, Freda Powell stated, "I see this as an expansion of service". She explained, "…the store at the Barnwell Center offers handmade works that have gone through a vigorous jury selection by the Louisiana Crafts Guild. The items sold in …the store are primarily representational of the artists who are members of this state sanctioned organization. Not every artist wants to be a part of an organized group. The artist participating in Art Affaire in the Garden will be juried and must maintain a standard of quality but they will not have to join a member organization to make their work available."

Art Affaire in the Garden will also offer a variety of Louisiana grown plants for the home and garden. "We are a garden and art center", Powell stated, "and we want people to have an opportunity to enjoy the wonderful botanicals that are nurtured in our area. We hope to have participation from our garden clubs who specialize in orchids, bonsai and day lilies as well as unique plants from individuals who are looking to share."

In these days of chain-stores and shopping centers, a visit to Art Affaire in the Garden – an Arts Market will be a special shopping experience as you visit this unique open-air market with a variety of stalls nestled amongst the shady trees or under a festively decorated tent - each with its own distinct personality. The result, a market of charming eccentricities, full of happy surprises!

Anyone interested in joining Art Affaire in the Garden- an Arts Market as a vendor, performer, or demonstrating artist should request an application by calling 673-7703 or emailing thebarnwell@centurytel,net. The deadline for the October 17 Market is September 29, 2009 with notification of acceptance on October 6. Applications thereafter will be accepted on an ongoing basis and will be viewed monthly on the third Wednesday of the month. Accepted applicants will be notified the following week in order to be set up for the first Saturday of the upcoming month.

The Barnwell Center is located on the Shreveport riverfront at 601 Clyde Fant Parkway.

For immediate release

Contact:

Karen Allen, Chimp Haven, (318) 402‐9008

Kay Morrison or Ginger Ellis, Occasional Wife (504 ) 302‐9893

New Orleans’ Occasional Wife Celebrates "Art For Arts Sake" With INSTINCT: The Art Of Chimpanzees

The Occasional Wife, New Orleans’ one‐stop shop for organizing your life, is turning its Magazine Street wall space into one of the most unusual art galleries in the city during Art For Art’s Sake on Saturday October 3rd, from 6:00 to 9:00 PM. Owners Kay Morrison and Ginger Ellis are hosting the show, "INSTINCT: The Art Of Chimpanzees." The exhibition, created by Chimp Haven, The National Chimpanzee Sanctuary, in northwest Louisiana, features the colorful paintings of eight chimpanzee artists—each with a distinctive style.

"People will be surprised at what they see," says Morrison. "The paintings have character. You can distinguish the work of each chimpanzee." "The purpose of the exhibition," explains Dr. Linda Brent, President and Director of Chimp Haven, "is to showcase the unique paintings of our chimpanzees and provide insights on chimpanzee cognition and creative expression. Also, the show gives us the opportunity to encourage people to explore the nature of art."

Professional staff from Chimp Haven will be on hand to talk about the artists. Chimp Haven, a sanctuary for chimpanzees retired from medical research or no longer wanted as pets or entertainers, provides a home to 128 chimpanzees. Each gets to choose how they spend their days. Not everyone wants to paint. Those represented at the show are some of the Sanctuary’s most enthusiastic painters.

INSTINCT began its national tour at the Barnwell Art and Garden Center in Shreveport in August. Plans are under way to take the show to a number of major cities over the next year. The exhibition is made possible through a grant from the Louisiana Cultural Economy Foundation.

The exhibition is free and open to the public.

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Chimp Haven, The National Chimpanzee Sanctuary, is an independent, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that provides a permanent sanctuary for chimpanzees no longer used for biomedical research, entertainment, or as pets. Located 25 miles southwest of Shreveport, LA., Chimp Haven opened its doors in April 2005. The sanctuary is now home to 128 retired chimpanzees. For more information, visit www.chimphaven.org.

TOP ACTS HEADLINING REVEL 34 

PAT GREEN, SAVING ABEL,

LITTLE RIVER BAND TO PERFORM WELL-KNOWN SONGS

Shreveport-Bossier, La. — Revel 34 features an outstanding line-up of headliners that includes some well-established artists, as well as some fresh and hot-on-the-scene acts – Pat Green, Saving Abel, Caroline’s Spine, Little River Band, Tower of Power, The Terms, and Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk and that’s just to name a few. Raising the bar in local entertainment without the expected, high-priced concert ticket, Revel 34 is offering really hot entertainment for the price of a regular Revel admission ticket! Purchase an admission ticket and enjoy as many of the evening’s concerts as you like! Plus, Revelers can enjoy local bands and regional Revel favorites throughout the eight-day festival. Remember, the eight-day Reveler Pass allows unlimited admission throughout the festival for one low price!

Saving Abel—October 3

Eldorado RiverView Stage "Saving Abel has an accessible and comfortable sound---you HAVE heard us before," states lead singer Jared Weeks.

Weeks and Jason Null formed the band in their small hometown of Corinth, Mississippi in 2004. Saving Abel gradually came together in the final electric lineup of guitarist Scott Bartlett, bassist Eric Taylor, and drummer Blake Dixon, and the band paid its dues both onstage and off, passing out their demo to anyone who would hear it.

Null and Weeks bring in differing songwriting approaches and influences, giving Saving Abel an interesting and well-rounded sound.

Saving Abel exploded onto the national scene in the summer of 2008 with their hit, "Addicted." The song climbed the radio charts and still commands a presence on Top 40 stations. They dedicate their second single, "18 Days," to the men and women serving in our armed forces who miss their loved ones back home.

Pat Green—October 10 Eldorado RiverView Stage

Pat Green has paved his way from dance halls and concert venues all over Texas to a national stage.

Green began his singer/songwriter career in college at Texas Tech in Lubbock drawing influences from Robert Earl Keen, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Jerry Jeff Walker and Johnny Cash. By the late nineties, Green became known as a "Texas Country" fixture, with songs like "I Like Texas" and "Southbound 35." His 2003 hit, "Wave on Wave," became certified gold and spread the word of Green's remarkable talent far beyond the Texas borders.

His latest album, What I’m For, delves more deeply into his songwriting and is a guaranteed fixture in a country music lover’s iPod. Green has done it by making music that honestly reflects his own attempt in his mid-thirties to actually grow up and walk like a man -- one very human footstep at a time.

Tower of Power—October 3

CHASE Stage

For more than 40 years, Tower of Power has been creating its own kind of soul music. Since 1968, Tower of Power has delivered their unique brand of music to their fans, appearing before sold-out crowds on their annual global tours. Tower’s sound can be hard to categorize, but the band's leader and founding member, Emilio Castillo, has labeled their sound as "Urban Soul Music."

Tower's rhythm section lays down a groove like no other band. The band’s horn driven sound is unique, and the way they approach everything from writing and arranging to mixing and performing, is totally their own. Combine all of that with an outstanding lead vocalist and you have one of the most dynamic groups of musicians to ever hit the stage. Since the beginning, Tower of Power has never stopped touring and recording. Always in demand, the band never fails to entertain and amaze their fans.

Little River Band—October 9 Eldorado RiverView Stage

Little River Band was the first Australian band to successfully conquer foreign markets from an Australian base.

By 1982 they became the only act – from anywhere – to have a top ten US single for six consecutive years. With numerous gold, platinum and multi-platinum albums, Little River Band has gone about their craft with a dedication to excellence and professionalism that few, if any, can match.

Today, Little River Band is as strong as ever. There is a new fusion of spontaneity, rock and roll and blues, anchored by American bass player Wayne Nelson, who began his LRB career in 1980. In 1981, Wayne debuted as lead vocalist on the top ten hits "The Night Owls" and "Take It Easy On Me" and continues in that role today. Wayne has been part of LRB’s scrapbook for more than 28 years, and relishes his link to the band’s history.

The Terms Reunion Show—October 10 Eldorado RiverView Stage

This special reunion performance of The Terms is being given especially for the Revel in honor of their bassist Brandon Young.

The Terms conquered big wins while they were an active touring and recording Louisiana college rock band. They made big waves at radio stations with their single, "Big City Concrete Wildflowers."

Early success came from their home state of Louisiana when the band was asked to write an original song for Louisiana State University’s national image campaign. "Welcome To The Now, ‘Evo Devo’" was heard during LSU’s commercial campaign, which aired nationally on CBS Sports, ESPN, MTV and NBC.

The Terms’ music lives on today in film and TV. "Ransom Groove" was chosen for the Kevin Spacey produced film, Mini’s First Time. The movie boasts a stellar cast including Alec Baldwin, Jeff Goldblum, Nikki Reed (Twilight) and Luke Wilson. The Ghost Whisperer licensed two tracks and Susan Sarandon’s film Middle of Nowhere licensed "Big City." Don’t miss this very special reunion!

Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk—October 10 CHASE Stage

Formed in 2003, Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk was initially put together for a solo gig. Ivan Neville and cousin Ian Neville (sons of both Aaron Neville and Art Neville respectively), along with Nick Daniels, Tony Hall, and Raymond Webber, were brought up in an atmosphere of sounds that have arguably become the most defining in all of New Orleans music. But don’t let the pedigree of lineage from the Meters and Neville Brothers fool you. Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk stands on its own as the legitimate torchbearer of all things funky both in New Orleans and beyond with the release of their debut EP, Listen Hear. Named after a song Ivan had recently written, Dumpstaphunk’s informal performance became that of immediate legend. The project has since grown from a chance side-project into what is now widely considered to be New Orleans’ most popular musical export. The band was recently voted 2007’s "New Orleans Best Funk Band" by both Offbeat Magazine and Gambit Weekly.

Caroline’s Spine—October 8 Eldorado RiverView Stage

Caroline’s Spine started as the title of lead singer Jimmy Newquist's first solo record about a character he created in college. That title became a band that grew into an internationally recognized indie-music sensation.

The first Caroline’s Spine record garnered impressive play on college radio stations. Yamaha named them one of the "Top 5" unsigned bands in the United States. The band’s biggest hit, "Sullivan," reached the Billboard/R&R Top40, and Caroline’s Spine was honored with an "at sea" performance on the USS Enterprise. The song tells the story of the five Sullivan brothers who served in the US Navy during World War II and died serving their country. Caroline’s Spine music is described as a "melodic train wreck" with heavy guitars and progressive melodies.

Chubby Carrier—October 9 CHASE Stage

Is there one word to describe the swampdelic sounds of Chubby Carrier and Bayou Swamp Band? FUN! Pure, Louisiana zydeco FUN - with a hot sauce chaser. Anybody who has doubts about the accordion as an instrument will have those doubts erased by Carrier's passion and fire. There are traditional roots in Chubby's zydeco music, but he expands the sound for ALL ages. Live and in-studio, he's taken songs like B.B. King's "Rock Me Baby," Billy Preston's "Will It Go Round in Circles," The Who's "Squeeze Box", War's "Cisco Kid" and the Grateful Dead's "Fire On The Mountain" and dragged them through the swamp with amazing results. It's adding Louisiana spice to popular tunes that helps Carrier build the bridge between zydeco and the rest of the world.

Released by: Kip Holloway / Red River Revel / 318.424.4000

Contact:

Anne Gremillion

Gremillion & Pou Integrated Marketing

agremillion@gpmarketinginc.com

Emi FitzGerald

Gremillion & Pou Integrated Marketinge

fitzgerald@gpmarketinginc.com

318.286.2373

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:

Jennifer DeFratis

R.W. Norton Art Gallery

(318) 865-4201, ext. 100

The Norton Explores French Connection of Benjamin Franklin

Shreveport, La. — For nine years Benjamin Franklin, as ambassador to France, coaxed loans, equipment, ships, sailors, and soldiers to help a rag-tag American army defeat the finest military force in the world, and win independence for the new nation.

Meanwhile, he was also writing about wine, chess, gout, even the philosophies of flies—all in French.

On Saturday, September 12, Dr. Dana Kress will read, translate, and discuss some of those writings at R.W. Norton Art Gallery, which displays six works portraying Franklin (see box) among its seven centuries of art. His presentation, "Dangerous Liaisons: Benjamin Franklin in France, 1776-1785," is part of the museum’s "Saturday Speaker Series," and begins at 2 p.m. Admission to the museum, gardens, and program is free.

Franklin’s French writings ring with universal truths, all delivered in the same superb, ironic humor and deft phrasing, honed by his years as a printer, publisher, and author.

"I hope to make you laugh a little bit with Benjamin Franklin," comments Kress, professor of French at Shreveport’s Centenary College of Louisiana.

As founder of the college’s press, Les Éditions Tintamarre, Kress is editing Franklin’s French works for publication. First appearing in 18th-century France, the writings are little known on this side of the Atlantic.

Franklin’s sly wit and style sparkles, even in another language, guests at Kress’ presentation will learn. His writings vary from a guidebook for Europeans traveling to America, to essays on the morals of chess, the divine qualities of wine, and the politeness of American Indians in southern states. 　

"He considered them more polite than the people who considered them savages," Kress says, chuckling.

Taking his own press to France, the ambassador strapped on his printer’s apron and published many of his own works. One of his more famous creations, Ephémère, or The Ephemera, concerns a conversation of flies of a species that live only twenty-four hours.

"It takes place in a garden," Kress explains. "It’s a discussion between an old fly about seven hours old, and young flies. He gives them the wisdom of the world."

The French quickly embraced the gout-ridden octogenarian as a wise, if quaint, frontier sage in humble clothing. Just as quickly Franklin learned the French ways of diplomacy: first, establish good, informal relations before sitting down to serious business. That meant rounds of receptions, parties, dinners, and dances to cement social friendships.

Word of his bon vivant lifestyle soon reached across the Atlantic. Here, skeptics groused that he was spending America’s money for his own leisure and luxury. He may have enjoyed his years in France, but he also looked after America’s interest, found the resources the nation needed to win a war, and had a little time to write in French.

R.W. Norton Art Gallery: 4747 Cresswell Avenue, Shreveport, LA 71106. Hours are Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and weekends, 1 to 5 p.m. There is no admission charge. No reservations are needed for Saturday Speakers, nor for First Saturday Tours. Other group tours of 10 or more may be scheduled by appointment. For more information about the Saturday Speaker series and other events, see www.rwnaf.org or call (318) 865-4201.

The Face of a Founder

R.W. Norton Art Gallery exhibits six works portraying Benjamin Franklin, including the famous 1778 bust by Jean-Antoine Houdon. Two others are 19th-century works, Benjamin Franklin and the Court of Louis XVI of France, by Baron A.E. Joly, and Declaration of Independence by Robert J. Bruce.

Three miniatures capture his likeness near or during his time in France. They include one by French artist Joseph S. Duplessis (whose portrait of Franklin graces the $100 bill), another by the artist, DeBrea, and a third by an unknown American artist.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Jennifer DeFratis

Tour and Special Events Coordinator

R.W. Norton Art Gallery

Phone: (318) 865-4201, ext. 100

Realism of Ruston Artist

On View at R.W. Norton Art Gallery

Shreveport, La. — A budding artist as a child in a poor family in East Texas, he could afford only a knife. So he carved. Today, with brushes, and colors, Albino Hinojosa of Ruston, Louisiana, fills canvases with the uncommon beauty of common items around him.

On August 11 at the R.W. Norton Art Gallery, thirty-four of those canvases go on exhibit in "Albino R. Hinojosa: An American Realist." The exhibition will be display through September 20 at the museum, which is open free of charge to the public, and showcases seven centuries of art in 24 rooms.

On Saturday, August 15, from 2 to 3 p.m., Hinojosa, or "Bino," as his friends call him, will guide a tour of the exhibit from 2 to 3 p.m., and will explain the concept and execution of each work. They feature a soft drink calendar, morning glories climbing a fence, five big persimmons, freshly picked tomatoes, a pulley, and pull toys such as cars, trucks, and trains, his family could not afford when he was a child.

Today Hinojosa fills his Ruston studio with just such toys and other objects from every day life he captures on canvas.

Capturing Moments in Time

"The earliest one dates to 1972," he says of the pieces in the exhibit. "I really had a love affair with it. I created it from nothing. I’m in my still-life phase now," he says. "I paint still lifes with objects in front of me," he says.

Working mainly in acrylics and Masonite as canvas, Hinojosa captures moments in time, such as a basket and tomatoes fresh from a garden, a lock on a weathered door, hollyhocks against a whitewashed fence—often with shadows from the slant of the sun.

Some reveal a disparate blend of elements, such as Rest Stop, in which a cedar waxwing perches atop a blacksmith’s anvil. In 102 in the Shade, the red mercury climbs high on a thermometer, part of a sign advertising a soft drink hanging by a nail on a paint-flaked door. The viewer can almost feel the heat as well as the promise of the sweet, cold treat.

Hinojosa finds still-life beauty in places overlooked, such as carpenter’s tools and a gardener’s watering can and trowel. Time seems to have passed in his depictions of wooden toys and cloth dolls, as if they’ve been left on the floor from an owner grown beyond childhood interest.

His First Artist’s Brush

Works in the exhibit span much of Hinojosa’s career from the early 1970s to his most recent efforts. A native of Atlanta, Texas, and the son of a Cherokee mother and Mexican-American father, Hinojosa grew up in nearby Kildare. He bought his first artist’s brush while a senior in high school.

A scholarship from Texarkana College, for which he is still extremely grateful, he says, allowed him to go to college. After receiving his bachelor’s degree from East Texas.

State University, he worked as a commercial illustrator as well as a teacher, then earned a master’s of fine arts from Louisiana Tech University. There he remained, eventually serving as associate professor in the school of art and architecture.

Throughout his career, he’s held numerous one-man shows, many in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas. He won The Holbein Award of the International Society of Acrylic Painters Exhibition in 2000, and best of show in that same juried exhibition in 2002. In 2005 he won Artists Choice Award in the International Guild of Realism Exhibition in Dallas.

Hinojosa retired in 2000 and turned another corner in his art career. Free from the pressure and time constraints from commission and commercial work, he began concentrating solely on the art he loves.

Works Speak for Themselves

"That released a lot of frustration and stress," he comments, and adds that in painting to please himself, he finds others love his works, too.

"I don’t paint to sell," he says. "These paintings I’m doing have improved in quality but they’ve got this realistic look to them. When people ask me things about my philosophy, I’ve always said, ‘My work speaks for myself. You see what you get, and that’s me.’"

Hinojosa says the event at the Norton will mark his largest exhibition to date.

"I’m really proud of this group of paintings," he says. "I’m borrowing some of them back from collectors. They all have some little something I cherish about them."

For More Information: The R.W. Norton Art Gallery and Gardens is located at 4747 Creswell Avenue, Shreveport, LA 71106. Hours are Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and weekends, 1 to 5 p.m. There is no admission charge. For more information, visit www.rwnaf.org or call (318) 865-4201.