This #GivingTuesday Help Us Give the Gift of the Arts

Entering its sixth year, #GivingTuesday is a global day of giving fueled by the power of social media and collaboration. We know that many worthy organization need your support, but we hope you will consider contributing to the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts' mission of advocating for youth through the arts.

Your #GivingTuesday contribution supports arts in education for Louisiana's students and makes all of our programs possible. 

Scholarships

Through the Annual Scholarship Art Contest, we award $45,000 in scholarships each year to creative high school students across the state.

Art Supplies

Through George's Art Closet, we award custom art supply kits to schools in need across Louisiana.

Teacher Training

Through Louisiana A+ Schools (LAA+), now its own non-profit organization, we transform schools by providing whole faculties with ongoing training and professional development focused on arts integration. Over 700 teachers have been trained in 18 schools statewide, impacting over 10,000 students.

Every donation of $50.00 or more will receive a special GRFA Blue Dog lapel pin designed by George Rodrigue!

Thank you for your support!

Art Contest Deadline is Only 59 Days Away!

Theme:

Monsters, Myths, and Legends

Deadline to Enter: January 19, 2018

Awards: 15 finalists will share $45,000 in Scholarships!

Monsters, myths, and legends have always inspired artists. Throughout his career, George Rodrigue breathed visual life into these stories, using his imagination to invent images and scenes associated with the tales, particularly those of the Cajun people. As a young boy in New Iberia, Louisiana, George's mother warned him, "If you're not good today, the Loup-garou will eat you tonight!" Years later, it was Rodrigue's artistic interpretation of the Loup-garou, or Cajun werewolf, that launched his iconic Blue Dog series.

Watchdog (1984), the first Blue Dog painting by George Rodrigue, is his interpretation of the Cajun loup-garou legend.

This year we invite Louisiana high school juniors and seniors to use their creativity to bring a monster, myth, or legend to life through an original work of art.

We encourage students to explore their own regional folklore like George Rodrigue did; however, we also welcome them to create their own unique monster, myth or legend through their art.

George Rodrigue with his painting Creature from the Black Lagoon (1960), which was created when the artist was 16 years old.

In 2013, George Rodrigue created a new version of Creature, a one-of-a-kind piece on chrome.

Learn more and enter the 2018 Art Contest

Wendy Rodrigue Shares "Life and Legacy" of George Rodrigue with Students

The 18 schools that make up the Louisiana A+ Schools network have been in for a treat this Fall. As part of a special "Life and Legacy Tour", author Wendy Rodrigue has been visiting each of these schools to share the life and artwork of George Rodrigue.

She says of her experiences visiting the schools, "Touring Louisiana A+ Schools is a natural for me to further honor George. He believed, as do I, in arts integration in all aspects of life -- especially education -- which is why the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts has supported LAA+ Schools from its inception."

(Above) Wendy Rodrigue speaks to students at Rollins Place Elementary in Zachary, LA. (Below) Wendy shares George Rodrigue's final self portrait with students at The Dufrocq School in Baton Rouge, LA. 

The idea for the tour was born at The Dufrocq School in Baton Rouge, LA, when a student casually asked Wendy Rodrigue, "What did he look like?" From there, the idea of sharing his self portrait seemed like a great way to answer this question.

Now each of the 18 LAA+ Schools will receive George Rodrigue's final self portrait from 2013, which he created via digital composition. The framed image will be displayed prominently at each school and also features the following quote by the artist:

"Sixty years later I still paint the way I felt as a child. I emphasize to students how important it is to retain that innocence, and that it's okay to create art in this way."

George Rodrigue's final self portrait, created in 2013, was donated by Wendy Rodrigue to each of the 18 Louisiana A+ Schools.

Reflecting on the tour, she shares, "It is in large part because of George's efforts that the arts are a daily and integral part of the educational experience at Louisiana A+ Schools; and it is imperative that every student recognizes not only his art and name, but also his kind and beautiful face."

(Top left) Wendy shares original works of art by George Rodrigue with The Dufrocq School. (Top right) Principal Mary Harris helps unveil Rodrigue's self portrait at South Highlands Magnet Elementary in Shreveport, LA. (Bottom) Wendy reads "Why Is Blue Dog Blue?" to students at Messiah Montessori in Houma, LA. Read Houma Today's coverage of her visit to the school.

To read more about Wendy Rodrigue "Life and Legacy Tour" and the inspiration behind it, visit Musings of an Artist's Wife.

Hurricane Harvey Relief: Schools Can Now Apply for a $2,000 Art Supply Kit

Open to Texas and Louisiana Schools Impacted by Hurricane Harvey

Thanks to the incredibly generous response of our friends and supporters, GRFA has raised significant funds through the re-release of the "We Will Rise Again" silkscreen print to support Texas and Louisiana schools impacted by Hurricane Harvey.

We are pleased to award special $2,000 art supply kits through our George's Art Closet program. The art supplies in each kit will be tailored to the needs of elementary, middle, or high school classrooms.

To be considered for a $2,000 kit, please use the link below to complete and submit your Harvey Relief application.

APPLY NOW

Thank you to everyone who has supported this campaign by purchasing the Hurricane Harvey edition of "We Will Rise Again." We will continue to sell this special print through the end of 2017 to raise even more funds for schools impacted by the storm.

We Will Rise Again, 2017 

A silkscreen print by George Rodrigue

27x18 inches

Open edition (closing Dec. 31, 2017)

Official Rodrigue estate stamped signature 

$500 plus shipping 

Read Now on Nola.com:

"Blue Dog print to benefit schools affected by Hurricane Harvey"

George Rodrigue photographed with "We Will Rise Again" (2005)

About "We Will Rise Again"

Each print includes a frameable statement by George Rodrigue, preceded by a message from his family:

We dedicate this special release of George Rodrigue's We Will Rise Again to all those affected by Hurricane Harvey and its devastating floods. Like all Louisianians, we recall the unconditional support and kindness shown towards us by our Texas neighbors following Hurricane Katrina. To you, and to our beloved home state, we share this artwork and these enduring words, written by George Rodrigue.

-Wendy, André, and Jacques, August 2017

"Those of us from south Louisiana grew up with the aftermaths of hurricanes Audrey, Betsy, Camille...and now Katrina. As in times before, 'We will rise again.' Tears and rising water threaten to drown us. But don't be deceived. The land may be under water, but the spirit of New Orleans and the culture of Louisiana hold their heads high.

We Will Rise Again shows the American flag covered with water. The blue dog is partly submerged, and its eyes, normally yellow, are red with a broken heart. Like a ship's SOS, the red cross on the dog's chest calls out for help.

Katrina hit me personally at ground zero. My immediate thought was for the safety of people I know, followed by the shock of seeing helicopters and boats alongside familiar street signs, as rescuers assisted people from rooftops and attics. For the second time in this young twenty-first century I sat at my easel weighted by personal sorrow and my desire to help, this time also reflecting on the devastation of my city and the suffering of my neighbors.

New Orleans has been home to my gallery and studio for sixteen years; it is where the Blue Dog was born. My wife is a third generation New Orleanian, and the Big Easy remains the 'big city' to my Cajun hometown of New Iberia. Wendy and I join thousands of New Orleans residents in our pledge to go HOME, to rebuild our city, and to pay tribute to those who lost their lives with a commitment to care for our citizens, embrace our culture, and make the good times roll...again."


-George Rodrigue, September 2005

Louisiana A+ Schools Board of Directors has First Meeting in Shreveport

In 2017, after three successful years of implementation, Louisiana A+ Schools has become its own 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. While still supported by the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts, LAA+ has created a statewide Board of Directors to provide leadership as they move forward with their mission and vision.

(From left to right, standing) Hollis Milton, Board Member and Superintendent of West Feliciana Parish Schools; Wayne Fernandez, Strategy Consultant for GRFA; Patrick Widhalm, Board Member and Head of School at Benjamin Franklin High School; Jacques Rodrigue, Board Chairman and GRFA Executive Director; Bethany France, Director of LAA+ Schools; Henry Price, Board Member and President of Shreveport Regional Arts Council; Christine Dunaway, Development Associate for GRFA; Judge Ulysses Gene Thibodeaux, Board Member and President of Lake Charles Charter Academy Foundation.

(From left to right, seated) Rachel Locke, Professional Development Coordinator for LAA+ Schools; Dr. Sonia Fields Gutierrez, Board Member and Chief Academic Officer for St. Helena Arts & Technology Academy; Mary Harris, Board Member and Principal of South Highlands Magnet Elementary.

Click here to see a complete list of the Board of Directors for LAA+ Schools and to read their biographies. 

The newly formed Board of Directors met for the first time last week in Shreveport, Louisiana, at LAA+ Lab School South Highlands Magnet Elementary. They had a special tour of this outstanding LAA+ School and observed arts integration lesson plans in action.

LAA+ Board of Directors visits classrooms at South Highlands Magnet Elementary to see how the arts are infused into every subject.