To the Leader

 

The City of Lake Charles will host opening receptions for three new exhibits during Spring Art Walk at Historic City Hall Arts & Cultural Center on Friday, April 26 from 5 to 9 p.m. F.G. Bulber Youth Orchestra will perform throughout the evening in the third-floor gallery. The event will be open to the public with free admission, and refreshments will be served.

Louisiana Proud: The Cajun Experience is a tribute to old-time craftsmen and artists showcasing master artist Darrell Chitty’s deep respect for the vanishing Acadian culture. This is an artist who sees not just the surface, but down to the soul of such beloved characters as woodworkers and musicians, spinners and teachers, blacksmiths and gardeners, and others so necessary in early-day life.

Testing paint samples from these canvases might indicate a contemporary provenance, but the sensibility and soul in each could just as well date them back to Renaissance painters. Raised in Houma, Chitty throughout his life has been an accomplished musician, boat builder, world traveler, and scholar, besides having been twice named Louisiana’s Photographer of the Year. He will be present at the opening reception to speak with attendees.

His works on display are tributes to a subject dear to his heart, the authentic Cajun experience. The exhibition will hang in the second-floor gallery until June 30.

Also opening at Spring Art Walk on April 26 will be a multi-media collection by the Artisans Gallery. The group is comprised of more than 20 well-known local artists offering an array of ceramics, sculptures, jewelry, paintings and much more. Many works will be available for purchase. The exhibition will run through June 8.

A photography exhibit entitled PhoteauxBien by Jeanie Rhea, a DeRidder native, will also open on April 26. From Louisiana swamp scenes to magnificent plantations, from quiet sunsets to shrimp boats working the waters, from birds on the wing to local festival scenes; this exhibit showcases a Bayou State that is a rich paradise for photographers. Many works will be available for purchase. The exhibition will be on view until June 30.

While visiting the center, don’t miss the last chance to see HITNES The Image Hunter: On the Trail of John James Audubon in the third-floor gallery.

Historic City Hall is open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Admission is free. Charlestown Farmers’ Market is open on Bilbo Street behind the center every Saturday 8 a.m.-noon. For more information, please call 491-9147 or visit www.cityoflakecharles.com.