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Thursday, June 25, 2015

"Rodrigue: Houston" Extended to July 19


"Rodrigue: Houston" Extended to July 19, Final Community Art Day is July 18


Nearly 5,00 people, including 800 students, have visited "Rodrigue: Houston" since its opening on April 25th. The Rodrigue family is grateful to the Houston community for their enthusiasm and interest and will be extending the exhibition (originally closing July 5th) an additional two weeks to July 19th.

The George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts will be hosting a final Community Art Day in Houston on Saturday, July 18th. We hope you and your family will be able to join us for a fun day of free Blue Dog art activities, face painting, and more!



Click here to view photos from previous Community Art Days in Houston.






Louisiana A+ Schools Welcomes New Professional Development Director


George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts is thrilled to announce that Kathleen O'Shaughnessy is our new Professional Development Director for Louisiana A+ Schools! In this role she will manage direct support to our statewide network of Pre K-12 schools in all areas of arts integration, including training, coaching, curriculum development, and assessment.

With over 29 years of experience in schools, O'Shaughnessy has taught in every grade from first through eighth, in public and private schools, but she found her calling in middle school reading and writing, and has worked in that capacity for over 20 years. She is passionate about teaching and learning with other educators.

She has taught as an adjunct in the College of Education at University of Louisiana at Lafayette and has led many summer institutes for their National Writing Project. She served as Curriculum Coordinator and Dean of Faculty at Episcopal School in Acadiana, and most recently was Head of School at Epiphany Day School.

O'Shaughnessy identifies as a "teacher nerd" and admits to being an obsessive reader and sharer of professional literature and teacher ideas. For the past two years, as principal at Epiphany Day School, she has seen firsthand what a powerful and positive effect the A+ Essentials can have on a school and is excited to promote and nurture those positive effects through the Louisiana A+ Schools network.

Monday, June 8, 2015

Join the Fun on Saturday in Houston!


Houston Community Art Day and Book Signing

The George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts will be in Houston this Saturday from 10:00 am - 4:00 pm for a Community Art Day! We invite you to join us at the Rodrigue: Houston exhibition for a day of creative activities for the whole family. Make your own Blue Dog mask, color your own Blue Dog, have your face painted, and enjoy original works of art by artist George Rodrigue. This event is free and open to the public!



Houston Community Art Day
West Ave. at River Oaks
2800 Kirby Drive
2nd floor
10:00 am - 4:00 pm



Our friends from Pinkberry will be serving complimentary cool treats from 1:00 - 3:00 pm!





Saturday's events will also feature a special book signing from 1:00-3:00 pm for the recently published Rodrigue: The Sanders Collection. Co-authors Jacques Rodrigue and Houston businessman, philanthropist, and Rodrigue collector Don Sanders will be signing copies of the book, which features over 70 never-published Rodrigue works from Sanders' private collection.





Also available for the first time is a special limited edition of 100 books signed by foreword author and baseball pitching legend Nolan Ryan. This edition will be available for $250 and for sale only at Rodrigue: Houston beginning Saturday, June 13th. All proceeds from this edition support the art education initiatives of the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts.

Can't make it to the book signing in Houston? Purchase your copy of Rodrigue: The Sanders Collection here.




Mark You Calendar: 
JULY 4TH is the next Community Art Day



 

Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Jacques Rodrigue to Give Free Lecture at "Rodrigue: Houston"



Saturday, June 6, 2015
2:00 - 3:00 PM
Rodrigue: Houston
2800 Kirby Drive
2nd Floor



About the Lecture

Join Jaques Rodrigue, Executive Director of the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts, as he explains his father's artwork on display at Rodrigue: Houston.  Jacques will trace George Rodrigue's history including his early days in New Iberia, LA, art school in California, early career painting Louisiana landscapes and Cajuns, the origin of Blue Dog, and the formation of the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts.


About the Speaker

Jacques Rodrigue graduated from Louisiana State University in General Business Administration and later received his law degree from Tulane Law School in 2007. He currently lives in New Orleans, where he serves as House Counsel for Rodrigue Studios, his late father's art gallery. As Executive Director of GRFA, he publicly advocates for an arts-integrated education system, oversees the Foundation's Annual Scholarship Art Contest, and directs the Louisiana A+ Schools (LAA+) program. LAA+ trains teachers how to teach using the arts in every classroom and every subject. Jacques is also a member of the Louisiana State Arts Council and is the 2013 winner of Louisiana's Arts Education Award and the 2015 National Arts Educators Association Award for Distinguished Service Outside the Profession.



Watch Jacques' TEDx Talk below to learn more about the history of artist George Rodrigue and the formation of the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts.