January 14th till March 11th

Life and Landscapes along Louisiana Highway #1 is an exhibit of work by members of the Associated Women in the Arts (AWA), which will run from January 14 through March 11, 2012.  This art collection was inspired by the historic highway that traverses the great state of Louisiana. The exhibit will help kick off the Louisiana State Bicentennial (1812-2012). An opening reception, which is free and open to the public, will be held on Saturday, January 14 from 2pm to 4pm.

This exhibit visually describes the story of Louisiana’s life and landscapes from the northwest corner of Louisiana at the Louisiana-Texas-Arkansas border extending to Grand Isle, Louisiana. Members of the AWA traveled along LA Highway #1 with sketchbooks and cameras to record places and people along the historic highway. Sometimes the artists chose to paint plein air and other times they painted back in their studios. The artists found many uniquely Louisiana scenes to paint, including sugar cane fields, farm buildings, waterways, and quaint shops and homes from a bygone era.

An honored member of the AWA was Norma Roy who is originally from Marksville, Louisiana. Her father, Lewis Peter Roy, Jr., was instrumental in unifying the string of highways that tied together the route from North Louisiana to Grand Isle.  Although the highways were connected, they each had a different assigned number. Mr. Roy was successful in convincing legislators to designate the highway as LA Highway 1.

The AWA is an organization of women artists living in Baton Rouge and surrounding areas from Hammond to Plaquemine and Gonzales to Clinton.  The organization was formed in 1980 by several of Louisiana’s leading women artists including Libby Johnson, Rhea Gary, Dixon Smith, Kathy Miller Stone, and Ann Warner.