Where Is She Now? Catching Up With the 2014 Art Contest Winner

Catching Up With Audrey Marsh, Winner of the 2014 Art Contest

This is a guest post written by Audrey Marsh, 1st Place scholarship winner in our 2014 Art Contest. Audrey is currently a student at Tulane University in New Orleans.

For as long as I can remember, art has been a central part of my life. When I was a kid, I could usually be found chalking pictures onto the patio or covering various pieces of furniture with craft paint. Drawing and painting were my first two loves, allowing me to recreate the world around me in my own way. I took a watercolor class when I was young, but for the most part I enjoyed teaching myself how to use different media, be it watercolor, acrylic, charcoal, etc. When I was in middle school I began doing commissioned work (generally portraits) and I continued into high school where I was also able to do other types of work including nature and city-life.

Sample of commissioned artwork prior to the GRFA Art Contest

In my senior year of high school, my art teacher encouraged me to enter the GRFA contest of which the theme was "Louisiana's Natural Beauty." I was very surprised when my design won and I received the scholarship. The fact that my work had been recognized out of all the entries greatly boosted my confidence as an artist, especially since there are so many talented young artists in Louisiana. Winning the GRFA contest helped me with college tuition but even more importantly helped me get my name out in the community. As I hope to stick around in Louisiana for a while, I believe this contest was the stepping stone that will allow me to become the artist I always knew I would be.

My original design "Piecing Together Louisiana" was created into a poster now sold at Audubon Nature Institute.

At Tulane University, I am working toward becoming a biomedical engineer. My hope is that in the future I will be able to design prosthetics for individuals with disabilities. While engineering may seem a surprising choice for someone interested in the arts, I believe that having an artistic side is very beneficial to succeeding in math and science. It's all about solving problems, which is not too different from drawing, painting, or creating. I have always believed that I could use my art in a direct way to help people, and biomedical engineering seemed to open a lot of doors for me as there are many design elements in which my creative side will come in handy. Despite all of the math and science classes in my schedule, I still have time to take art classes now and again. This semester I took an acrylic painting class, and outside of class I have been able to find several other creative outlets as there is no shortage of artistic opportunities in New Orleans. Since art is something I love, I always make time for it no matter how busy I am otherwise. In the words of Moffat Machingura: "Follow your dreams. I am not saying it's going to be easy, but I am saying it's going to be worth it."

A sample of my work at Tulane University

Entries are now being accepted for our 2015 Art Contest in partnership with the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation. Click the photo below to learn more.

Rodrigue Studio Donates 15 Pianos to the LSU School of Music

On Monday, December 1st, Christmas came early for students at the LSU School of Music. That day Hall Piano Co. delivered 15 new upright Steinway pianos for students to use in classrooms. This donation marks the culmination of three-year partnership between the Rodrigue Family and the LSU School of Music.

In September, the Estate of George Rdorigue unveiled a posthumous print called "Take Five" in an edition of 950, with proceeds from the sales used to purchase the pianos. Click the photo below to see footage from this exciting event!