George Rodrigue Foundation News

2012 Art Contest Finalists Announced

2012-01-19T15:22:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to all the junior and senior finalists!

On February 4, 2012, GRFA will award over $45,000 in college scholarships and art supplies to ten high school seniors and five juniors at an awards luncheon at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in New Orleans.

Click here to see all of the finalists!

2012 Digital Art Contest Launch

2012-01-17T12:38:00.000-08:00

Announcing our first ever Digital Art Contest! We are awarding $15,000 in scholarships to the five Louisiana high school students who design the best fully rendered 3D model!

Please share this with anyone that you think may be interested!

Steve Jobs Knew About Arts in Education

2011-10-13T12:42:00.000-07:00

From a great Huffington Post article by Inderpal Grewal entitled "A Lesson From Steve Jobs: Arts and Technology Education Are Related" about Steve Jobs and how his expertise in calligraphy taught him about innovation and the benefits of arts in education:

Calligraphy is both aesthetic and technical and these two facets cannot be separated. It is also a lesson in history, where Chinese scrolls, Islamic arts and the Illuminated manuscripts of the European Middle Ages can all be examined together. It provides a history of power of religion, monarchies and of communication and technologies at different periods of time. It also suggests that laborious and meticulous writing has its pleasures and can also be used as innovation. For Jobs, it was in his recollection of the Calligraphy course in his commencement address that made the difference that marked the Mac from other computers, and this difference was what millions of people and consumers‹appreciated. . . .

Humanities and arts cannot be pigeonholed as unnecessary or extra, as luxuries that we cannot afford now, as simply being about pleasure rather than about productivity. They are central to innovation, and to separate these is to the detriment of all of us.

School Leaders Share Findings From Arts in Education Model Development and Dissemination Grants

2011-10-11T11:47:00.000-07:00

Two high-need school districts in Jersey City, NJ and Long Beach, CA shared their findings regarding integrating the arts into the core curriculum at an April 6^th Education Policy Briefing at the U.S. Department of Education. Read their stories and successes here:

http://www.ed.gov/oii-news/oii-arts-integration-grantees-share-evidence-effectiveness

U.S. Department of Education Article on Arts Integration

2011-10-05T15:14:00.000-07:00

The USDOE Office of Innovation and Improvement (OII) released a feature online article this month entitled "‘It’s Déjà Vu All Over Again’ for Arts Integration.”

The article is a brief look at the research, resources, programs and initiatives in arts integration that have evolved in the 34 years since a national panel convened by David Rockefeller Jr. issued its 1977 report Coming to Our Senses: The Significance of the Arts for American Education.

The article compares and contrasts the findings from the 1977 report with those presented in the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities’ 2011 report Reinvesting in Arts Education: Winning America’s Future Through Creative Schools.

Launch of Our 2012 Art Contest!

2011-09-21T08:19:00.000-07:00

One lucky Louisiana high school junior or senior will get to work with George Rodrigue to design Louisiana's Official Bicentennial Poster! Plus, 15 winners will share in over $45,000 in scholarships and awards. For more information visit www.rodriguefoundation.org/artcontest

Amazing Federal Report on Arts Education

2011-09-15T09:50:00.001-07:00

If you have any interest in arts education then you must read this extensive report from the President's Committee on Arts and Humanities that outlines everything you could want to know.

The report does a great job of presenting the current state of the arts in schools and then looks at specific examples of school systems that have improved when they made the arts a priority.

Please read it and share what you learn!!

Reinvesting in Arts Education

About George Rodrigue Foundation

2011-08-22T19:59:00.000-07:00

LSU MOA Exhibit - Educator Preview

2011-06-29T17:11:00.001-07:00

Attention Teachers!

Be the first to see Blue Dogs and Cajuns on the River opening at the LSU Museum of Art at the Shaw Center in Baton Rouge!

All area educators are invited to attend a FREE workshop and exhibition preview presented by George and Wendy Rodrigue on Thursday, July 21, 2011 from 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. The workshop will include a lecture, walk-through and presentation of education resources for the k-12 classroom.

This event is free, but pre-registration is required.

Email marney@georgerodriguefoundation.org to register today!

Announcing Arts4Education.org

2011-06-13T09:24:00.000-07:00

A George Rodrigue Art Campaign

To commemorate the exhibition "Blue Dogs and Cajuns on the River: George Rodrigue from the New Orleans Museum of Art and other collections" from July 23 to September 18, at the LSU Museum of Art in the Shaw Center for the Arts in Baton Rouge, LA, artist George Rodrigue now starts a campaign to benefit arts and education in Louisiana.

Presenting

A Number One Tiger Fan
A signed silkscreen print by George Rodrigue
Open Edition
$500 + Tax and Shipping

Order online at www.arts4education.org

About Us

"Arts 4 Education" is a new art campaign created by Louisiana's Artist Laureate and creator of the Blue Dog series, George Rodrigue, in order to help art and education in Louisiana. After learning of his exhibit at the LSU Museum of Art, Rodrigue decided that he wanted to create a special silkscreen print in order to raise funds to help his home state.

Since 2001, Rodrigue has embarked on similar campaigns to help after the attacks of September 11 and after Hurricane Katrina. Through these efforts, Rodrigue raised millions of dollars for charity through his "Blue Dog Relief" print sales campaign.

Additionally, in 2003, together with the Tiger Athletic Foundation, Rodrigue raised more than $1 million to help build LSU mascot Mike the Tiger a new habitat. Following that success, Rodrigue and his foundation, the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts (GRFA), and TAF now join efforts with the LSU Museum of Art to promote and assist arts and education in Louisiana.

In 2009, Rodrigue founded the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts in order to bring attention to an issue important to him. Through GRFA, Rodrigue advocates the importance of the visual arts in the development of our youth. Programs include an annual arts scholarship contest, art supplies for Louisiana schools through “George’s Art Closet,” free access to nationally accredited lesson plans, school visits and art therapy and more.

"Blue Dogs and Cajuns on the River: George Rodrigue from the New Orleans Museum of Art and Other Collections," is an exhibition highlighting the progression of George Rodrigue's forty-year career. The exhibition features Rodrigue's Blue Dog paintings from a state-wide traveling exhibition organized by the New Orleans Museum of Art, as well as additional works from the artist's personal archives and local private collections.

The Tiger Athletic Program (TAF) is a private, non-profit corporation dedicated to supporting LSU and its Athletic Program. Proceeds from this campaign will help to improve educational programs for student athletes on LSU's campus. The LSU Museum of Art collects, conserves, exhibits, and interprets the fine and decorative arts entrusted to its care and stewardship, providing opportunities for research, education, and enjoyment to students, scholars, and visitors. For more information about the museum and the "Cajuns and Blue Dogs on the River" exhibit visit, www.lsumoa.com

Open House/Preview for Saturday's Art Walk

2011-06-01T09:09:00.000-07:00

We will be be having an Open House/Preview opening for this Saturday's Art Walk on Julia St. by the New Oleans Arts District.

Our official Grand Opening is not until August, but, we want you to come by and see our space and learn more about what we do!

When: Saturday, June 4, 2011, 6:00-9:00 PM

Where: 747 Magazine St. New Orleans

Hope to see you there!

New Foundation Offices!

2011-05-16T14:10:00.001-07:00

Announcing the opening of our NEW Foundation Offices in New Orleans, LA at 747 Magazine Street! We are officially in our new space and operating from our new location in the heart of the New Orleans Arts Districts (NOAD).

With over 3,000 sq. ft. we will be able to host student field trips, summer camps, teacher workforce development workshops, fundraisers, and many other events! Our space features some of George Rodrigue's most famous original paintings and we will have a Ribbon Cutting/Grand Opening Ceremony in July.

Until then, please enjoy some preview photos of our space.

Eagle Scout Print Benefits Boy Scouts and GRFA

2011-05-16T10:17:00.001-07:00

In honor of George Rodrigue receiving the "Distinguished Eagle Scout" award from the Boy Scouts of America, he created this limited edition silkscreen print called "Eagle Scout"

You can buy your print for $500 from the Sotheast Louisiana Council of the Boy Scouts by clicking here . Proceeds benefit the Boy Scouts and George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts.

On May 12, 2011, George received his award at a special dinner. Pictured are Honorary Chairman of the event Billy Nungesseer with Wendy Rodrigue and George's original Scout Master, Donald LaBauve, with his son and fellow scout, Ronald.

For more information about George as an Eagle Scout and the award read Wendy's blog entry from"Musing's of an Artist's Wife" by clicking here.

George and Jacques Rodrigue Discuss Our Art Contest

2011-04-28T09:25:00.001-07:00

Monroe (that’s MUN-roe), Louisiana

2011-04-08T07:23:00.000-07:00

Entry taken in its entirety from Wendy Rodrigue's "Musing's of an Artist's Wife" original blog post. Learn all about our GRFA museum event, sidewalk chalk event, and George's Art Closet high school visit.

For a complete photo album of our Monroe trip visit here.

Until recently I thought I understood Louisiana, its ins and outs, its people, its terrain, and its history.

Yet we spent much of this past week in northeast Louisiana, and I found town after town unfamiliar, including our destination, Monroe, a city of cypress groves, 60,000 people, and tremendous state pride, located 270 miles north of New Orleans.

Monroe’s claim to fame is the birth of Delta Airlines, a small company started in 1924. They delivered mail to the rural South and, beginning in 1929, carried passengers, continuing until 1941 when Delta moved to Atlanta.

The locals place the accent on ‘Mun’ rather than ‘roe,’ a distinction I should have adopted easily, since I had a great uncle named with the same inflection. Yet I messed it up time and again, briefly reprieved when my stepson Jacques Rodrigue innocently flubbed the name Rayville when he introduced our 2011 scholarship winner who lives in the nearby town.

“It’s pronounced ‘Rayvul,’" chuckled the woman behind me.

(pictured above, George Rodrigue with GRFA 2011 First Place scholarship winner, Savannah Bridges, this week at the Masur Museum, Monroe)

We visited this part of the state for a tour organized by John Bullard, Director Emeritus of the New Orleans Museum of Art, in celebration of the museum’s centennial. Exhibition highlights include Blue Dog and Hurricane paintings from NOMA’s permanent collection, as well as Oak Tree and Cajun paintings from George’s private collection, and best of all (certainly for me), rarely-seen original paintings from local collectors.

The show, titled “Blue Dogs and Cajuns," also includes thewinning artwork by GRFA's sixteen scholarship winners. The exhibition premiered in January at the Imperial Calcasieu Museum in Lake Charles, Louisiana and travels in various forms during the rest of this year to Alexandria, Baton Rouge, and Shreveport. (schedule posted here)

“I’m very thankful to John Bullard and the New Orleans Museum of Art for scheduling this statewide tour and arranging my visit once again to the Masur Museum. Although my Cajun paintings appeared as well, this time the Blue Dog was the hit of the show.” – G.R.

(pictured above, George Rodrigue with members of the Advisory Council from the New Orleans Museum of Art, representing the museum during the Monroe events)

George Rodrigue visited Monroe often over the years. In fact, some thirty years ago the Masur Museum hosted an exhibition of his Cajun paintings.
“At the show I met Dr. Armstrong and his wife Gabriella, a purebred Italian, born in Italy. They liked my work and immediately bought a painting. We’ve been friends ever since.” – G.R.

“At some point they commissioned me to paint their family portrait. Yet each time I drove to Monroe to photograph the group, Gabriella was pregnant again. It took twelve years for them to settle down, and so I finally painted the family.” – GR

And indeed, that friendship remains stronger than ever. Ralph recently nominated George for the Distinguished Eagle Award, making him one of only six recipients to be honored in this way in the history of Louisiana Scouting (related post here). In addition, it was Ralph and Gabriella that sponsored this year’s Monroe exhibition and hosted the patron party in their home.

(pictured below, George and Wendy Rodrigue with members of the staff and museum board of the Masur Museum, including Ralph and Gabriella Armstrong, far right)

While in Monroe we also hosted “Sidewalk Chalk with George” at the Emily P. Robinson Community Center. In this case, the pictures say it all…

Generous with their attention, print space, and airtime, the press also flooded George on this visit. We are especially grateful to the News-Star daily paper, KNOE-TV, servicing Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi, and KEDM Public Radio, a personal favorite since George recently agreed to support public radio with a month’s design for the 2012 NPR calendar.

(pictured below, George Rodrigue with Hope Young, Features Editor for the Monroe News-Star. Read Hope's story here)

One evening we enjoyed an excellent dinner at Sage with Chef Cory Barr, a John Besh protégé. Chef Barr makes Chef Besh, the still-young New Orleans ‘Restaurant August’ legend, proud with his complementary yet unique culinary arts in the northern part of the state.

Finally, we visited Ouachita High School in West Monroe and launched the high school portion of “George’s Art Closet,” a program organized by the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts. Along with the students, George unpacked art supplies for Ms. Jones’s talented class, a gift possible through recent and generous donations to GRFA.

Afterwards we joined the students in the school’s auditorium, where they studied art with a special guest lecturer.

Leaving Monroe, George and I detoured, spending several hours at Poverty Point, a recently discovered Indian settlement in a remote area of Louisiana. I would tell you all about it, except that I just posted a story for Gambit on this ancient architectural and cultural wonder here.

We next bee-lined to Auburn, Alabama, where we present tonight our husband-and-wife painting demonstration/lecture for a special event at the Jule Collins Smith Art Museum at Auburn University. I’m not sure if I’ll blog about it or not, but if you’re so inclined, I hope you’ll follow along as I stumble through yet another cyberspace phenomenon, twitter.

Wendy

George and I dedicate this post, with special thanks, to MUN-roe residents Dr. Ralph and Gabriella Armstrong for their devoted friendship, generous sponsorship, and outstanding photographs (sprinkled throughout this story)-

How does George Rodrigue pronounce his name? Find out here-

2011 Art Contest Awards Luncheon

2011-04-07T15:04:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone who made our 2011 George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts Art Contest possible! On Mach 26, 2011, our 16 finalist from across Louisiana came to a special awards luncheon in their honor at the Sheraton Hotel New Orleans.

Every year, GRFA hosts a special art contest where Louisiana High School Juniors and Seniors can win their share of over $45,000 in college scholarships and prizes. This year, George Rodrigue asked students to pick a topic important to them and Louisiana in order to "Speak Out" with their art. In this our largest contest yet, we received 424 entries from 114 cities in Louisiana.

The 16 Finalists were chosen by our first round of judges in both the arts and education fields. Those finalists then were all invited to bring their artwork and their family and art teachers to our luncheon so that our second round of celebrity judges could rank their work accordingly. Our celebrity judges included musician Irvin Mayflied, artist and radio personality Garland Robinette, NOMA Director Emeritus John Bullard.

Our Executive Director, Jacques Rodrigue, served as master of ceremonies and we brought in Sean Hicks, our 2010 Art Contest overall winner, and Paul Leopolous from the THEA Foundation in Arkansas to be our guest speakers.

First, we announced our winner of our Junior Category, Paul Wright from the New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts.

Then, we brought up our top three finalists before an exciting announcement of our winner, Savannah Bridges from Rayville, LA complete with a "Big" check presentation and balloon drop!

Again, GRFA extends our appreciation to all of those who made this event possible. Our thanks to sponsors AT&T, Louisiana Public Facilities Authority (LPFA), Louisiana Education Loan Authority (LELA), The Sheraton New Orleans, GRFA Founding Members, first and second round art contest judges, Paul and Linda Leopoulos from the THEA Foundation, the Junior League of New Orleans for their volunteer services, the students of Broadmoor High School under the direction of Laurie Johnson for their ceramic centerpieces, Keith Adams for photography, Bennet Rhodes from Launch Media, and GRFA interns Erin Horton and Mary Anna Brown.

For even more photos from our great day visit our 2011 Art Contest online photo gallery on our website.

2011 Art Contest Finalists Announced

2011-03-04T08:30:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to our 16 Finalists for the 2011 GRFA Art Contest. They were chosen by our first round of judges out of over 400 entries from over 100 cities across Louisiana!

You can view all their entries here.

All 16 finalists will be invited to attend our awards ceremony at the New Orleans Sheraton Hotel on March 26th. At the ceremony, the winners will be ranked by a second set of celebrity judges in order to decide how the $45,000 in scholarships will be divided.

Thank you again to everyone who participated.

(pictured: Last year's Art Contest Awards Ceremony)

George Rodrigue Visits Dufrocq Elementary

2011-02-28T19:06:00.001-08:00

Thank you to everyone who came to Dufrocq Elementary in Baton Rouge, LA on February 24, 2011 with us. We had a great day painting with all of their students and teaching them about art!

We attended the school as part of our George's Art Closet program. Dufrocq Elementary was one of 30 schools across the state of Louisiana that applied to our program that gives schools a year's worth of art supplies. We are trying to fund all 30 schools this year.

The local community group Forum 35 sponsored this school's art packet and provided volunteers to help us set up our art stations with the students.

Special guests like Craig Freeman of the Baton Rouge School Board even brought his own iPad in order to play our app "You Can Count on Blue Dog" with the students! Then, our executive director, Jacques Rodrigue, read our children's book "Why is Blue Dog Blue"

When the day was over all of the kids then enjoyed special Blue Dog cupcakes.

We would especially like to thank Baton Rouge Mayor Kip Holden for joining us as well. He even took a short art lesson from George and painted his very own Blue Dog.

All in all, it was a great day for all of the children and volunteers! You can view more photos from our great day here:

Dufrocq Elementary George's Art Closet Event

Executive Director Visits Ponchartrain Elementary

2011-02-22T15:07:00.001-08:00

We would like to thank all of the students and teachers at Ponchartrain Elemenetary in Mandeville, LA for hosting our Executive Director, Jacques Rodrigue, at their recent event.

On February 18, 2011, the school had a "Cultural Arts Day" where students interacted with artists of all kinds from around the state. As part of the event, Jacques had the opportunity to play our iPad App"You Can Count on Blue Dog" with all of the students.

Plus, what really made it special, was that for the entire week students collected art supplies to donate to our "George's Art Closet" program. It was so great to see that the students were eager to help other less fortunate students from around our state.

Lastly, we would especailly like to thank their art teacher, Paula Ourso, for making this day possible for all of us!

George Rodrigue Visits Baton Rouge School to Play Our iPad App

2011-02-09T15:11:00.001-08:00

Thanks to Mrs. Dore's class at Trintity Episcopal School in Baton Rouge for having us. From their blog :

"We had such a fun time making all of our Blue Dog Art last week and this week.We had a wonderful visit today with Louisiana Artist George Rodrigue. He came to our classroom to show us how he draws his Blue Dog pictures and use his new "You can count on Blue Dog" IPAD app with us. It was a wonderful way to combine art and technology. Over the week we made different types of art inspired by his Artwork and we even had a Blue Dog Cafe' in our dress up center. Enjoy these photos from todays events!"

View more pictures from our day here .

Saving an Oak Tree (for Romain)

2011-02-07T08:10:00.000-08:00

Reprinted from Musing's of an Artist's wife by Wendy Rodrigue:

“Actually, I thought about a specific old friend before a specific old tree,”

said George Rodrigue when he found out about the 250-year old Youngsville Heritage Oak, destined for destruction next month to make room for a temporary road.

George’s connection to the small Louisiana town called Youngsville, near Lafayette, was his best friend Romain Fruge, who lived there near the end of his life. Originally from Arnaudville (like all Fruges), Romain was in the military, retired as a colonel, and worked for years in the space administration.

He told us stories of meeting Martin Luther King, Jr., flying across the world on missions for the President, and exploding large balloons in space. After retirement in the early 1980s, Romain returned to the Lafayette area, eventually purchasing a house in the community of Youngsville, settled by the Acadians in the early 1800s.

Romain traveled with George and later the two of us, exaggerating our adventures with his presence. He loved women of all shapes, ages, and sizes, introducing himself as the ‘Radiator of the Universe,’ a man whose favorite sound was the swish of silk lingerie moving between a woman’s thighs, and whose favorite area on a woman’s body was “that place between the bottom of the panty and the top of the stocking, known as the garter gap.”

Together Romain and George visited Morvant’s Bar & Grill, probably the most famous place in Youngsville, a hamburger joint established more than fifty years ago. They traveled the United States and Europe opening art exhibitions, and they hit the road every few weeks in George's blue van, delivering paintings to clients. They spent nearly every day together for close to twenty years.

(pictured, Ken Bode, Romain Fruge and George Rodrigue, mid 1980s, Lafayette, Louisiana; for more on George's friend Ken Bode see the post "Fairs and Festivals")

George speaks about his old friend:

“Romain was the first person I knew who really loved oak trees.After he bought the house in a Youngsville subdivision, he complained that they cut down too many trees. In response, he bought two five-year old live oaks from some nursery in Lafayette, planting one in his front yard and one in the back. It was important, he said, for the next generation of people that would live in his house.”

(pictured, George Rodrigue photographs the Youngsville Heritage Oak, 2011)

George and Romain established their history not only through art and friendship, but also through Flora Levy, Romain’s bank teller in Lafayette for many years. She inherited late in life a large estate from her two brothers, leaving all of the money and land upon her death to the University of Louisiana at Lafayette (then called the University of Southwest Louisiana). During her later years she funded the Flora Levy Lecture series at USL, featuring such distinguished speakers as Walker Percy, Isaac Singer, and Bruno Bettelheim.

(pictured, portraits by George Rodrigue for the Flora Levy Lecture Series, 1980s; to see all ten portraits from this series, visit here)

As a last request before her death, Flora commissioned George to paint her portrait. The university, however, argued among its staff for years about placement, and so under bizarre circumstances it hung over Romain’s bed for more than a decade, until his death in 2002.

Today George avoids these sorts of conflicts and commissions. He painted the Youngsville Heritage Oak quickly, over about fifty hours this week, with a personal goal in mind. He’s on a mission, making prints of this painting to raise at least $250,000, with hopes that the city might move the road, cancel the road, or as a very last resort, move the tree.

(pictured, The Youngsville Heritage Oak, 2011, painting 30x40 inches; silkscreen print 26x34 inches; for a detailed development of Rodrigue’s oaks from the late 1960s to present, visit here)

“The city of Youngsville owns the tree. If this were my decision, the oak would stay exactly where it is, and the road would go around it.My goal is to stop them from making sawdust out of this magnificent monument to our Cajun heritage.
"This painting is typical of my classic oak tree style. I first started painting these trees in the late 1960s and early 1970s after returning from art school in California and realizing Louisiana’s unique culture and landscape compared to the rest of the country. I cut the shape of the oak off at the top of my canvas so that we see the sky from beneath the tree, just as one sees it while standing in the shade of the Youngsville Heritage Oak."

"The house in the painting stands today near this magnificent tree, and the horse and buggy (not as bygone as one might think) come from a photograph (above) I shot outside of a country store in the Fruge hometown of Arnaudville in 1967, when farmers in the area still used this form of transportation.” – G.R.

(Pictured above, George Rodrigue pleads with the public to help him save the Youngsville Oak)

I leave you with a short but sweet story about our friend Romain, who lived with us in Lafayette between 1997 and 1999. One evening around dinnertime he walked through the kitchen on his way out of the door, as he had every night since moving out of our house and to Youngsville a few months before. Still romantic and vain when it came to the ladies, he refused to wear his hearing aid, lest its appearance cramp his style.

“Romain,” I asked, “Do you want to stay for dinner? We’re having cannelloni.”

He looked at me sadly and replied,

“You’re right, Babe…I have been kinda lonely.”

Wendy

Learn more about saving the Youngsville Heritage Oak, and purchase the print featured in this post by visiting here

For the history of Rodrigue's paintings of oak trees from the late 1960s to present visit here

N.O. College Prep Visits Gallery to Play iPad App

2011-02-05T13:21:00.000-08:00

Thank you to all the students of New Orleans College Prep for joining us at Rodrigue Studio New Orleans on February 4, 2011.

The students had the chance to learn all about the history of the Blue Dog and George Rodrigue. Plus, they even go to play the counting app "You Can Count on Blue Dog"available as a free download for the iPad in Apple's iTunes store.

Rodrigue — Cajuns to Blue Dogs (1/23)

2011-01-27T18:00:00.000-08:00

Thank you so much to Karen Wink at American Press for posting this video about our visit to Lake Charles. According to American Press:

Friday and Saturday, Jan. 21-22, marked the opening of George Rodrigue's art exhibit — "Blue Dogs and Cajuns: George Rodrigue and the New Orleans Museum of Art," at the Imperial Calcasieu Museum. The two-day opening celebration included a reception on Friday and "Sidewalk Chalk with George"

Louisiana Public Facilities Authority (LPFA) Grant Awarded to GRFA!

2011-01-26T19:40:00.000-08:00

New Orleans - George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts is proud to announce that we recently received a $50,000 grant from the Louisiana Public Facilities Authority (LPFA). The grant was awarded in coordination with the Louisiana Education Loan Authority (LELA), a division of LPFA. The entirety of the funds will go toward funding the scholarships that we award through our yearly Art Contest. In 2010, GRFA awarded over $35,000 in college scholarships and another $45,000 will be awarded in 2011.

According to LPFA officials, “We are honored to work with GRFA to help expand programs which emphasize the important role visual arts can play in the development of our youth throughout Louisiana.”

And, we would especially like to recognize LELA for being a continued partner of GRFA. LELA was instrumental in helping us to spread the word across the State of Louisiana about our Art Contest. With the help of LELA, we were able to let every school and guidance counselor in the Louisiana know about our scholarship program.

The Louisiana Public Facilities Authority is the premier conduit issuer of tax-exempt and taxable bonds in Louisiana. LPFA's primary mission is to further education, healthcare, economic development, and job creation in Louisiana and to make Louisiana a better place to work, live and raise our families. Since 1974, LPFA has issued over $20 billion in bonds to finance Louisiana's growth.

The Louisiana Education Loan Authority a division of the Louisiana Public Facilities Authority (LPFA), is a non-profit public trust established to bring financing assistance and advantages to the people of Louisiana.

GRFA Visits A+ Schools in Oklahoma

2011-01-25T16:00:00.000-08:00

On Monday, January, 25th the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts staff visited the headquarters of A+ Schools in Oklahoma City, OK. We attended a daylong workshop with our partner the THEA Foundation from Little Rock, AR.

Oklahoma A+ Schools® is Oklahoma’s only research-based arts-integrated and whole school network with a mission of nurturing creativity in every learner. Located on the campus of the University of Central Oklahoma, OK A+ provides schools with ongoing professional development, an intricate network of support, and an active research component conducted by university professors. Spanning the state and growing every year, this network of 65 schools represents every kind of school from early childhood through high school, in urban, suburban and rural Oklahoma.

As part of our visit, we even had the chance to see an actual A+ School in operation. We could easily see the excitement and motivation to learn in all of the students involved in arts-integrated learning at Russell Dougherty Elementary. Thank you to Principal Stafford for a great tour!

We want to thank everyone at A+ Schools and also the Kirkpatrick Foundation for sharing with the THEA Foundation and GRFA about how they operate a successful network of arts-integrated schools. We hope to one day use some of what we learned in the creation of a similar network of schools in Louisiana and Arkansas.

Lake Charles Exhibit Opens and a Sidewalk Chalk Event

2011-01-25T08:25:00.001-08:00

On Friday, January 21st, the Lake Charles' Imperial Calcasieu Museum launched their exhibit of "Blue Dogs and Cajuns"

The exhibit is on view through March 4th and it features paintings from the collection of the New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA) , the Sage of the Acadians from the Gauthier Family collection, and more.

In honor of the opening, George Rodrigue held a book signing and mingled with those in attendance.

Then, on Saturday, January 22nd, we participated in a sidewalk chalk even with local aspiring student artist's from the Lake Charles area. Each child got to draw their own Blue Dog while they watched George Rodrigue create his own masterpiece out of chalk.

Thank you to everyone who attended both events. The NOMA collection is on a state-wide tour all this year. For more information about tour dates visit here.

Visit the photo gallery here for a complete list of the day's events!

Artist George Rodrigue’s Blue Dog Goes Digital: Blue Dog 123 iPad App Released

2011-01-13T06:11:00.001-08:00

New Orleans, Louisiana --- The George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts (GRFA) is pleased to announce that the children’s educational app “You Can Count on Blue Dog: Blue Dog 123” is currently available as a FREE download for the iPad in Apple’s iTunes App Store .

This iPad app is a fun way for children to learn counting while enjoying the fabulous Blue Dog artwork of George Rodrigue. Each page displays a different piece of George's original art with countable objects. Through touch the objects can be counted in any order and children hear pronunciation plus see the number displayed. Randomly chosen numbers of objects in many pages makes this app more interesting to re-read and the beautiful art, combined with the story of Blue Dog's adventures, makes learning to count lots of fun!

The new app is the first app by internationally renowned Cajun artist, author, and creator of the Blue Dog series, George Rodrigue. The app was created in conjunction with the Louisiana Digital Gaming Initiative (LDGI) and the Academy of Interactive Entertainment (AIE). LGDI introduced AIE to Rodrigue and then three students at AIE’s Canberra, Australia campus created and programmed the app in their free-time outside of their coursework.

According to George Rodrigue, “I have fun with the computer as an artistic and creative tool no different than a paintbrush or clay. At the same time, children seem drawn to my art, especially the notion that they don’t have to paint things the way they really are. After two successful children’s books, I’m excited about my first iPad app, a natural progression in today’s computer world. In addition, this falls right in line with the mission of the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts, supporting youth development through art in education. I could not have been more thrilled than when the Academy of Interactive Entertainment’s students chose this app as their class project. Like the app itself, its creation by students once again reinforces the goals of GRFA.”

We would especially like to thank the people that made this app possible. Dr. Christopher Erhardt from AIE helped us to get this project started. Lea Bartlett, Head of School for AIE"s Canberra Campus, oversaw the students work. And, most importantly, we want to recgonize the great work that the students did in their free time. Mitchell Standen programmed the app and the art was adopted for the application by Maria Zelenskaya and Erin Slater. It is very inspirational to see that these students were willing to donate their time in order to help us make this app.

Louisiana Digital Gaming Initiative (LDGI) is founded and operated by Jeff Pellegrin. LDGI is a non-profit trade association of businesses and professionals of the video and electronic game manufacturing industry of Louisiana. For more information visit http://www.ldgi.biz/

Academy of Interactive Entertainment (AIE) Since its establishment in 1996, AIE has earned much recognition as Australia’s leading educator for the Computer Game Development and 3D Digital industries. AIE has grown significantly over the years and now has campuses in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra. For more information visit http://www.aie.edu.au/

The George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts (GRFA) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, which advocates the importance of the visual arts in the development of our youth. GRFA encourages the use of art within all curriculums and supports a variety of art educational programs. For more information, please visit www.georgerodriguefoundation.org or call 504-324-9614.

GRFA Now on Twitter

2011-01-09T11:52:00.001-08:00

Show us that you support arts in education! It's easy. Just follow us and be kept up to date in all of the latest trends and our latest news. Then, share what you learn from us with all of your friends.

@RodrigueFdn

It will truly take a grass roots movement to influence schools and government to change their perceptions about art in education. Then, hopefully, we can reverse the trend of declining art budgets!

Congratulations to Ms. Taylor's Class from Houston, TX for being featured in our Student Art Gallery

2011-01-07T06:58:00.000-08:00

To start the unit, students were introduced to the paintings of Blue Dog in several recognizable places (the White House, outer space, the swamp, a field) and some paintings of Blue Dog in entirely imaginary places (like a dream of Ancient Egypt, or one where he is a butterfly dog, or in a decorated background).

We even saw Blue Dog dressed up like people wearing a necktie; he was even dressed up as a clown! We then read George Rodrigue's own wonderful children's book Why Is Blue Dog Blue? which explains his thought process and the reasons he chooses to paint Blue Dog different colors. The book also introduces some colors the students never heard of before: salmon, mustard, cherry, avocado, chocolate, and apricot to name a few! 1st and 2nd grade used a tracer of Blue Dog.

The students selected the best placement on the paper for their dog, traced the outline, and then drew his face from observation. The environments and accessories were drawn free-hand with pencil and Sharpie first and then we did acolored pencil color study to practice our paint colors. The last step was adding color with acrylic paint. The students then wrote journals about their work in the style of George Rodrigue's book that explained their choice of place for Blue Dog and his color, too.

I love the imaginative and varied places and looks for Blue Dog the students came up with! They really captured the spirit of Blue Dog in these paintings. Visit our student art blog! www.sgpart.blogspot.com

View the entire gallery here!

2011 Louisiana Rodrigue Museum Show Dates Announced

2011-01-06T14:51:00.000-08:00

George Rodrigue tour of original paintings from the collection of the New Orleans Museum of Art:

“Blue Dogs and Cajuns”

Jan 21 – Mar 4, 2011

Imperial Calcasieu Museum
http://www.imperialcalcasieumuseum.org/
Lake Charles, LA
Opening reception: Jan 21

April 1 to April 23, 2011

Masur Museum
http://www.masurmuseum.org/
Monroe, LA
(including GRFA Art Contest Finalists)
Opening reception: April 1

July 24 – Sept 18, 2011

Louisiana State University Museum of Art
Located in the Shaw Center for the Arts
http://www.lsumoa.com/
Baton Rouge, LA
Opening reception: July 24
(GRFA Art Contest Finalists to Governor’s Mansion)

Sept 23 to early November (exact closing date TBD)

Louisiana State Exhibit Museum (LSEM)
http://www.friendsoflsem.org/
Shreveport, LA
Opening reception: Sept 23
(including GRFA Art Contest Finalists)

Rodrigue Designed Louisiana White House Christmas Tree on Display

2010-12-21T09:16:00.000-08:00

The Louisiana White House Christmas Tree located behind the White House in Ellipse Park is now on display. It features ornaments designed by George Rodrigue and made by students at Galliano Elementary in Galliano, LA.

Read the National Park Service press release about the Louisiana White House Christmas Tree here.

See pictures of the ornaments being made and the finished Louisiana White House Christmas Tree here.

SWAFSAA Donates $5,000 to GRFA

2010-12-16T14:22:00.001-08:00

On December 16, 2010, the Southwest Association of Financial Aid Adminstrators (SWAFSAA) donated to us over $5,000 as part of their annual meeting that was held in New Orleans this year. We were selected as the non-profit beneficiary because of our ongoing relationship with The Louisiana Education Loan Authority (LELA).

Thank you to everyone at SWAFSA and LELA for helping us. Your donation will go a long way to helping students get on the right path to higher education.

The Art Contest

2010-12-08T11:00:00.001-08:00

Just in time for the launch of our George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts (GRFA) 2011 Art Contest

Wendy Rodrigue writes a blog post about art contests in her blog Musings of an Artist's Wife

George Rodrigue entered two art contests in his life and failed at both. By ‘failed,’ I'm not talking about the fact that he lost, but more significant that he was disqualified or learned a hard lesson about cheating.

“Nothing in life is fair,” my mother used to say.

And maybe she was right. But in the end perhaps that's not a bad thing. In George’s case his contest experiences taught him life lessons; they helped him understand people and, most important, that no one reaches their star by proxy. Either you work hard and make it on your own, or it doesn’t happen.

The first contest George entered was in 1954 at the Sears Roebuck Catalogue Store in New Iberia, Louisiana. In those days, according to George, the Sears store was nothing more than a small room with a row of catalogues and a woman behind the desk. To shop at Sears, one visited the so-called store, chose their items from a catalogue, and placed their order accordingly.There was no merchandise on hand, no fitting room, and nothing relating to the department stores of today.

For some time, in an effort to widen its reputation beyond automobile tires, Sears hired actor Vincent Price as their cultural ambassador. He traveled across the country with art exhibitions for the store. In fact, it was one of these shows (in Baton Rouge) that first exposed George a few years later to paintings by professional artists. (Remember, there were no museums or galleries in southwest Louisiana in those days).

In keeping with this direction, the New Iberia store, too small for an exhibition, held an art contest for local grade school students.They produced a coloring sheet so that each child worked on the same image.

“I knew that no one colored better than me in my class,” says George. “I remember going to Sears with my mother to turn in my picture, and I remember staring at that tool set, knowing it would be mine.”

At age nine, recently recovered from polio, young George wanted nothing more than to win the child’s tool set offered as a prize. As described in the recent post “The Ghost of Christmas Past,” his mother was not fond of gifts, and if he didn’t win it, he knew he would never have one.

From an early age, if George wanted something beyond necessities such as food and clothing, it was up to him to buy it.By the time he was a teenager he earned money by working inhis father’s tomb business and by selling his paintings of swamp monsters. He also took the occasional portrait commission, until the director of the local funeral home refused to pay him the agreed-upon price of fifty dollars (below, a hard lesson learned).

(pictured, Portrait of George Burgess, 1959, a painting that hangs in George’s studio today)

He didn’t win the tool set. Rather, the boy who sat behind him in the third grade and who “couldn’t color at all” took it home. His aunt, the manager at the Sears Roebuck Catalogue Store, presented him with the prize.

Ten years later, now in his early twenties, George Rodrigue entered his second and final art contest. It was in Morgan City, Louisiana, and he was disqualified from the start because the contest’s organizers thought he passed off antique landscape paintings as his own. (For more on this story visit here).

(pictured, Landscape with Cabin and Oak, 1970, 32x36 inches, oil on canvas; for the history of George’s landscape paintings see the post “Early Oak Trees”)

It’s ironic, given this track record, that George launched last year his own art contest for high school seniors through the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts. With sixteen winners and $35,000 in scholarship awards, the contest was an enormous success, as rewarding for George, I believe, as for the winners.

Remembering the rigged Sears contest, he avoids judging himself, ensuring fairness as much as possible with guest judges and nameless entries. Remembering his own academic struggles, he eschews G.P.A. requirements, test scores, and declared majors, hoping all juniors and seniors in Louisiana, regardless of their grades, will find confidence in their creative abilities and give this competition a try.

Launched a few weeks ago, this year’s contest offers more than $40,000 in scholarship prizes and includes cash awards for high school juniors.

(pictured, last year's first place winner, Sean Hicks of Hackberry, Louisiana, now a student at McNeese State University)

In some cases schools provide matching scholarships, as in the case of Alexandra Olivier of Gretna, Louisiana (pictured below with George Rodrigue), who attends Savannah College of Art and Design. Her $1500 GRFA scholarship quickly turned to $7500, as SCAD matched the award for four years.

George visits with these winners at a luncheon in their honor and follows their progress during the year, hosting an art show of their works within his Royal Street Gallery. The exhibition travels to several venues throughout the state, including the Louisiana Governor’s Mansion in Baton Rouge, the Old Courthouse Museum in Natchitoches, and the Louisiana State Exhibit Museum in Shreveport.

For more information on the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts 2011 Art Contest visit GRFA’s fabulous new interactive website: www.georgerodriguefoundation.org.

Wendy

Coming later this week: “The Greatest Gift”

As of 12/7/10, I also write a blog for GAMBIT, the New Orleans Weekly paper. To read the first post, "Dolores Pepper" visit here.

GRFA in Little Rock and Lake Charles

2010-11-23T09:33:00.000-08:00

Blog post taken from Wendy Rodrigue's Blog "Musings of an Artist's wife"

Reflections On an Insane Yet Wonderful Week

“How long were we gone?” asked George Rodrigue. “A week?”

“More like 48 hours,” I replied…

…as we recalled our visit to Little Rock, Arkansas last weekend, where we raised funds and awareness for arts education through events for the Thea Foundation and the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts.

Between us, in just two days, we flew to Little Rock and back, where we presented three lectures, attended two cocktail parties, painted (in George’s case) and auctioned off an original painting, judged an art contest, toured the Thea Foundation offices and the neighboring Argenta Community Theatre, shared meals with clients, foundation supporters, and community leaders, visited a private art collection, and toured the Clinton Library.

“Did you forget to tell me that you’re running for office?” I asked George earlier this week, as I organized my list of thank-you notes.

(pictured, a painting demonstration and lecture in the Clinton Library, Little Rock)

Upon our return, we drove two hours west for the day, where I spoke to an audience of sixty women --- university professors, philanthropists, and friends --- about my search for identity as the wife of a famous artist. Presenting at the University Art Museum at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette for the Women of Vision Lecture Series, we raised funds for the UL Foundation, as I explained my life’s journey through the art of Egypt, Austria, my mother, and of course George Rodrigue.* For some reason I’ll likely never understand, my audience hung in there as I spouted on, knowing full well that every woman in the room has a life just as (if not more) interesting.

(pictured, Selket guarding King Tut's tomb)

“But you’ve got to go to my lecture,” I pleaded with George that morning. “I’m a bit nervous about this one, and I need your support.”

Instead he spent the day signing his new silkscreen prints, claiming,

“If I’m there, Wendy, everyone will want to talk to me.”

Oh Brother…

Just as I understand better after visiting Arkansas how the city of Little Rock must have flipped when Bill Clinton became President of the United States, I can see how the Lafayette ladies would have flipped over George’s presence. I too still swoon at times when he talks about his art with that Cajun drawl. (You should be wrinkling your nose at the sap here, so go right ahead; nevertheless, it’s true).

Instead George spent the day only a few blocks from my speech, at his warehouse signing his newest silkscreen prints titled, appropriately, I’m the Real Thing. (for the story behind this coke machine visit here)

Yesterday we left our house in New Orleans early for another marathon day, this time in Lake Charles, Louisiana, sixty miles west of Lafayette, and more than three hours drive from our house.

While there, we hosted an informational luncheon for forty people to raise funds and awareness for the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts (GRFA). We followed with a lecture and painting demonstration for more than four hundred people in the historic 1912 auditorium of the Central School Arts and Humanities Center, where George painted a Blue Dog for the crowd while I shared stories from his art and life.

From there we toured Lake Charles Memorial Hospital and reunited the painting Doctor on the Bayou (1982, 30x40, below) with its artist, followed by a reception for several hundred people in the hospital’s atrium, where we sold silkscreens of the classic painting to raise funds for the hospital’s foundation, as well as our own.

(For a detailed history of this painting visit here.)

(pictured above, Jacques Rodrigue and George Rodrigue at Lake Charles Memorial Hospital, November 11, 2010)

It wasn’t until we reached our garage at 1:00 a.m. that we realized (and no longer cared) that we’d forgotten to eat.

At day's end we had a key to the city of Lake Charles (courtesy of the mayor), money for scholarships and student art supplies (through GRFA), several pieces of Blue Dog cake (courtesy of the Arts and Humanities Council of Southwest Louisiana and especially the marvelous Lake Charles bakery artist, Kelly Lowe of the Stacked Cake Company), an invitation to return in January for the opening of a museum exhibition of George’s work (courtesy of the New Orleans Museum of Art), and fond memories and stories of the 1984 ballet, Ghosts of Rodrigue, based on his Cajun paintings.

“It’s weird. I’m startin’ to feel like Marilyn Monroe,” said George, as he washed his face.

“Say what?” I turned with surprise from the side of the bathtub, where I sat rubbing my feet. “Used? Depressed? Blonde?”

He explained,

“It’s like I’m two different people. I can’t believe they’re talking that way about me. I can’t believe all of those people showed up because of me.”

I looked at him, not knowing what to say. After all, in many ways this is a typical week.

“Why two people?” I asked. "Why Marilyn?” (Why not John Wayne or Johnny Cash?, I thought...)

“Well,” he mumbled through the toothpaste, “They all make a fuss over me, and then I come home and everything’s normal, like I’m a regular guy.”

You’re delirious. Go to bed.

Wendy

Pictured above: Marilyn Monroe with the Blues Brothers -Jacques, Wendy, George, and André, May 2004. For more on George’s sons, visit here.

*Also see "The Muse"

For a related post visit "Defining Success"

Defining Success (Finding Fulfillment)

2010-10-26T08:31:00.000-07:00

Taken from Wendy Rodrigue's blog "Musings of an Artist's Wife" regarding our recent launch of George's Art Closet:

“If you help others, you will find the happiness you want. This is the secret they don’t tell you at school.” Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche

How do we end up in our personal (and public) situations? How do children with big problems, those born into poverty, ignorance, and crime, find real happiness inside a box of paints or a piece of cake?

I saw them with my own eyes, two hundred K-3 kids at New Orleans College Prep, a public charter school for grades K-8, expanding soon to K-12, available tuition-free to all children in Orleans Parish, regardless of demographics. With dedicated and highly skilled teachers and a hands-on principal, this school instills a desire for college from day one with strict academics and discipline, a code of honor complete with advanced concepts and vocabulary, and a tremendous amount of fun, such as the zoo, sports, music lessons, art therapy, and dance.

In a school in which more than eighty percent of their parents lack a high school diploma, these students have their eyes set on college and their hearts set on the person sitting next to them.

One little boy grabbed my hand to show me not only his own painting, but also that of several of his friends. They painted hearts and sunshine and flowers. Their dogs weren’t just blue, but also purple and yellow and red. When I told one child, “Look at your painting! You’re an artist!,” she smiled big and opened her arms wide,

“We’re all artists, Ms. Wendy!”

I spent much of this week thinking about growing older and about life’s circumstances. I should have been born twenty years earlier, I thought to myself as I toasted John Bullard, a dear friend and the former director of the New Orleans Museum of Art, who recently retired after thirty-seven years.

Looking around the room, I couldn’t help but wonder what I was doing there, why I was included among this distinguished group. I fought back thoughts of losing my friends, so many of them approaching seventy, eighty, and even ninety, and all of them significant contributors to the arts in the New Orleans community.

(pictured, cakes for the students of NOCP, donated by New Orleans' culinary artists: Chef Matt Murphy and Chef Thomas McGovern of M Bistro at the Ritz-Carlton, and Chef Ziggy Cichowski of the Maple Street Patisserie)

This aging conundrum weighed on my mind since presenting a lecture the day before to The Freedom Foundation of Valley Forge. With their modest budget these dedicated Americans, most of them senior citizens, devote their efforts to sending at least one student a year to school in Washington D.C. They speak of changing our community, instilling a sense of pride in young people so that they appreciate our country and understand the importance of practicing and preserving its values:

“…To share with others our appreciation of the benefits and obligations of freedom…” from the “Bill of Responsibilities” of the Freedom Foundation of Valley Forge.

George and I ended our week with a painting demonstration and lecture for the Louisiana Art Educator’s Association during their fall conference in Baton Rouge. The two hundred teachers from all levels came from around the state for a weekend devoted to (according to their flyer) “altering our ideas and passions as a necessary continuous process of growth, both personally and professionally.”

You are my favorite type of audience, I told them, as George painted for an hour alongside me. They already understand Louisiana terms such as loup-garou and Jolie Blonde, and their art knowledge opens my discussion of Rodrigue to comparisons with Degas, Picasso, and others, along with an easy understanding of his academic roots, namely the 1960s art scene.

These teachers share the arts with their students. They are the administrators of our goals through the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts. Without them, none of it works.

(pictured, art supplies donated to New Orleans College Prep by Forum 35 and the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts)

What did we do with our time before we had a foundation? I asked George Rodrigue this week.

“Book tours and museum shows,” he reminded me.

Oh yeah, I forgot.

Wendy

I was surprised when a friend of my sister’s asked her recently,

“Are you ever jealous of Wendy?”

My sister explained the closeness of our relationship and the fact that we share each other’s good fortune (...to my great relief, sighs Aunt Wendy):

“No, I’m not jealous” Heather said, “and besides, she’s tired all of the time!”

*Sprinkled throughout this post: photographs from our afternoon at New Orleans College Prep

*Special thanks to Forum 35 of Baton Rouge, Char Thian of the Ritz-Carlton New Orleans, Chef Matt Murphy and Chef Thomas McGovern of M Bistro, Chef Ziggy Cichowski of the Maple Street Patisserie, our wonderful GRFA staff and interns, and the many volunteers that helped us create a special afternoon for students at NOCP

Coming later this week: “Doctor on the Bayou”

Charitybuzz Auction Benefits GRFA and LA/SPCA

2010-06-04T13:36:00.000-07:00

From Charitybuzz's auction site:

George Rodrigue has created this one-of-a-kind artwork exclusively for charitybuzz to raise funds and awareness for his foundation, the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts and the Louisiana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (LA/SPCA). Rodrigue has added hand embellishments using colored paint pens, as well as a pencil sketch, to create this original mixed media piece. The Three Amigos, an original silkscreen print, measures 22 X 28

Art Contest Finalist's Artwork On Display in Rodrigue Studio

2010-05-07T15:12:00.000-07:00

GRFA is pleased to announce that the GRFA Art Contest finalist's artwork is now hanging in the new Rodrigue Studio in New Orleans. The art will hang there for the next few weeks at 730 Royal St. in the French Quarter. Come by and see it if you can!

We are so proud of all of the finalists. The artwork will next move on to be displayed at the Louisiana Governor's Mansion in Baton Rouge and at Louisiana School for Math, Science and the Arts in Natchitoches.

Thank you once again to everyone who made this year's art contest a success!

GRFA Art Contest Luncheon

2010-04-13T09:47:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone who attended the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts 2010 Art Contest Luncheon on March 27, 2010 at the Sheraton Hotel in New Orleans.

We would especially like to congratulate Sean Hicks from Hackberry High School in Hackberry, Louisiana for taking the first place prize of a $5,000 college scholarship.

Overall, we had over 300 entrants into our contest from all over the state of Louisiana in our first year. Thank you to everyone who entered and to all of the teachers and parents who encouraged the talented high school seniors of Louisiana to participate.

Sixteen finalists attended our luncheon. The top 10 received college scholarships ranging from $500 to $5,000. And, we awarded each finalist a $250 gift certificate for art supplies and an original silkscreen print by George Rodrigue entitled "Ain't Dat Super: We Blues Dem Away".

Again, thank you to everyone from the GRFA staff for making our first annual GRFA Art Contest such a success!

More photos from the event and a list of all of our winning entries available on the GRFA website.

Times Picayune Article On Our Class Visit

2010-03-25T11:30:00.000-07:00

A great article from New Orleans' Times Picayune Sunday March 21st edition outlining our visit to Bissonnet Plaza Elementary in Metairie.

Click on the image to read the entire article.

Students Help GRFA

2010-03-08T19:26:00.000-08:00

Thank you to everyone at Bissonet Plaza Elementary in Metairie, LA for having George in their art classroom on March 5, 2010 and for helping the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts.

All of the students created their own Blue Dogs by making sculptures out papier mache and then painting them. These dogs will be used as the centerpieces for the 2010 George Rodrigue Art Contest Awards Luncheon.

Marney, GRFA's Director of Education, visited the classroom days before George's arrival to teach the children about George's work and to let them know about their project. Then, the kids sketched out how they wanted to design their own Blue Dog.

When George arrived, they all got to work in order to bring their sketches to life by painting the papier mache Blue Dogs that they made. The students all asked George many questions about him and his art while they told him their own plans for their dog.

George was even able to sketch on their chalkboard and give all of the students an art lesson. He talked about the history of his work and gave them suggestions on how to approach their art.

Again, thank you to everyone at Bissonet Plaza Elementary for helping us. We know everyone at the GRFA Awards Luncheon will love the centerpieces for the tables!

*Unfortunately, there is not a lesson plan online yet for this project. However, anyone could be creative and create their own dog by building their own papier mache dogs to paint.

GRFA Art Contest Finalists

2010-02-22T16:06:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts 2010 Art Contest Finalists! We would like to thank all of you that entered. We were thrilled to receive over 300 entries in our first year from across the state of Louisiana.

Our winners will be chosen at an awards luncheon on March 27th.

More information here.

We Blues Dem Away (Ain't Dat Super)

2010-02-18T12:55:00.001-08:00

Announcing the release of the newest George Rodrigue silkscreen

"We Blues Dem Away (Ain't Dat Super)"

$500*

Now available for online purchase!

*A major portion of the proceeds will go directly to the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts.

More information about the print can be found here.

LELA Scholarship

2010-02-17T15:47:00.000-08:00

The Louisiana Education Loan Authority (LELA) played a major role in helping our first annual George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts Art Contest to be a success. Now, we want to let you know about one of their great programs. From a letter from LELA:

Governor Bobby Jindal has officially proclaimed the month of February as Financial Aid Awareness Month! In connection with Governor Jindal’s proclamation, the Louisiana Education Loan Authority (Lela) has launched its ninth annual statewide campaign to inform college bound students and their parents that financial assistance is available for college and to apply early. In addition to reminding students of the immediate need to complete their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), we encourage Louisiana high school seniors to participate in Lela’s “Cash for College - What’s Your Story” scholarship contest.

Lela will award $6,000 in scholarships to Louisiana high school seniors through its “Cash for College” contest. Three $1,000 scholarships will be awarded through the “What’s Your Story” segment of the contest where seniors submit a brief “story” and photo online telling us why they want to attend college. In addition, six $500 scholarships will be awarded through random drawings.

To learn more please visit LELA's Financial Aid Awareness Month's Website.

Charitybuzz Auction Benefits GRFA (Update)

2010-01-19T09:29:00.000-08:00

In honor of Valentine's Day 2010, George Rodrigue has created this one-of-a-kind artwork exclusively for charitbuzz to raise funds and awareness for his foundation, the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts. "Love Me Forever" is an original silkscreen print from 2001. In January 2010, Rodrigue added hand embellishments using gold and silver paint pens, as well as a pencil sketch, to create this original mixed media piece. "Love Me Forever" measures 20 X 27 and it will be mounted and shipped flat.

Bid on this special piece now!

Charitybuzz Auction Site

(UPDATE) The auction has now ended and the print sold for $6,000! This will go a long way to help our foundation reach its goals. Thank you to everyone who placed bids. We are looking forward to doing more work with CharityBuzz. So, be on the lookout for new and exciting auction items!

George Rodrigue Visits Baton Rouge High School

2009-12-03T10:49:00.000-08:00

On December 2, 2009, George Rodrigue visited with students at Baton Rouge Magnet High School in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. During the two-hour visit to their art studio classroom, Rodrigue gave students an insight on what it takes to be an artist.

He traced his beginnings as a young student in New Iberia, Louisiana through his professional art training at the College of Art and Design in Los Angeles, CA. Rodrigue was also able to give them a bit of an art history lesson on how art has evolved and the importance of knowing how art has changed over time.

The purpose of the visit was to help further along the mission of George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts to help develop our youth through art in education. Additionally, Rodrigue gave insights to the high school seniors on how to approach their entries for this year's first annual GRFA Art Contest for Louisiana High School Seniors.

George was so happy to be able to donate a collection of his books and a signed and dedicated "We Are Marching Again" print to the school for display.

We want to again thank principal Nanette Greer and art teacher Heather Hogg for allowing us to come to their school. And, we would especially like to thank all of the students that sacrificed their sleep in order to meet us before school at 5:00 A.M. for the lecture and art lesson. It was a great day for us and our foundation!

Rodrigue on WWL-TV (CBS) New Orleans

2009-11-11T10:10:00.000-08:00

Watch the YouTube video of:

WWL-TV (CBS) Channel 4 New Orleans Morning News

George and Jacques Rodrigue discuss the new children's book "Are You Blue Dog's Friend" and the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts 2010 Art Contest. Interview by Eric Paulsen.

George Rodrigue and Art Contests

2009-10-27T09:32:00.000-07:00

In honor of our launch of the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts Art Contest, Wendy Rodrigue gives us some history on George and art competitions in her blog. And, she gives contestants some great advice on how to win the contest:

What will he look for in judging these works? The foundation's website lists several categories, all of which I’m sure he’ll take into consideration. But if you’re reading this, and you’ve decided to go for it, remember these tidbits:
-George Rodrigue was confused and offended when he was disqualified from an art contest simply because his work did not look like everyone else’s.
-He claims that the only artist to ever inspire him is Salvadore Dali, because he had fantastic, original ideas.
-The best piece of advice he ever received is to “treat your painting as though it is a jewel, because if it is precious to you, it will be precious to others as well.”
-Never, ever paint giant magnolia blossoms.

(Make sure you read the whole blog entry if you plan on entering!)

Rodrigue Creates Miniature House for Charity

2009-10-21T14:11:00.000-07:00

From the New York charity Women in Need press release:

DESIGNER “HOUSES” TO BE AUCTIONED FOR WOMEN IN NEED

New York, NY—renowned designers, sports stars, Broadway performers and other VIPs have come together to decorate papier mache houses for Women In Need, one of New York City’s largest providers of shelter and services for homeless families. Working with the theme “Home is Where the Heart Is,” the participating designers have created one-of-a-kind gems--the perfect feel-good gift or decorative item for the holidays.

Over the past 25 years, Women In Need has provided housing, help and hope to homeless families. Contrary to popular conceptions of homelessness in New York City, families constitute 80 percent of all New Yorkers in the shelter system. Every night, approximately 10,000 families sleep in NYC shelters, including more than 16,000 children. WIN helps a great many of those children, and the rest of their families, in six transitional shelters in Manhattan, the Bronx, and Brooklyn as well as permanent supportive housing throughout the city.

The auction will take place starting November 9th on charitybuzz.com and will end on Monday, November 30th. Houses have been designed by Sean Avery; Lidia Bastianich; Victoria & David Beckham; Halle Berry; Mary J. Blige; Chris “Ludacris” Bridges; Bobbi Brown; Cast of the Broadway Musical Hair; Sean “Diddy” Combs; Oscar de la Renta; Cheyenne Jackson; Donna Karan; Monica Rich Kosann; Dylan Lauren; Richard Leach for Park Avenue Autumn; Deborah Lloyd for Kate Spade; Jennifer Lopez; Isaac Mizrahi; Moby; Debra Messing; Josie Natori; George Rodrigue; Cameron Silver for Decades; Justin Timberlake & Trace Ayala; Today Show Anchors; Diane Von Furstenberg; Vera Wang. Additionally, Parsons The New School for Design collaborated on several of the house designs. Several of the houses have been embellished courtesy of CRYSTALLIZED™ – Swarovski Elements.

Saks Fifth Avenue will feature the houses in their Manhattan flagship windows from November 5th – 9th. The auction will launch at an event hosted by Park Avenue Autumn on November 9th in New York City. Event co-hosts include Myla Lerner & Larry Kramer; Deborah Roberts & Al Roker; and Karin & Steve Sadove.

For more information about the auction or Women In Need, please visit
www.Women-In-Need.org

GRFA 2010 Art Contest

2009-10-19T13:05:00.000-07:00

Announcing the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts 2010 Art Contest. We are offering $30,000 dollars in college scholarships to Louisiana High School seniors. Students are asked to create a piece of visual art based upon George Rodrigue's theme "Louisiana: The State We Love"

Help us spread the word!

Learn more information here:

GRFA 2010 Art Contest

George Visits a 4th Grade Art Class in Memphis, TN

2009-10-01T12:26:00.000-07:00

From Wendy's Blog:

George presented his ideas for an hour to an art class of one hundred fourth graders at Memphis’s Presbyterian Day School. They are recreating his painting The Millennium (which makes George the only artist to actually visit, since their previous projects were The Mona Lisa, Starry Starry Night, and American Gothic). Once again, as with the NOMA tours, I was reminded of young children and their ability to see and ask great questions. Their overriding curiosity was in how George processes his thoughts. One child asked, “But explain to me how you figured that out?” And another, “But how did you think of doing it that way” And yet another, “How did you know that was a good idea?”

Read the rest of Wendy's account of their time in Memphis and their visit to the Le Bonheur's Children's Hospital and Graceland on her blog here.

GRFA and Children's Hospitals

2009-09-30T08:09:00.000-07:00

Another important way that GRFA will help develop our youth is by teaming up with Children's Hospitals to try to help lift their patients spirits through art. Recently, George visited Le Bonheur Children's Medical Center in Memphis, TN to conduct an informal workshop with some of the children there.

You can read about the visit in this article from the Memphis Commercial Appeal:

"Artist George Rodrigue Visits Hospital to Share Famous Character"

Lt. Governor Landrieu announces $50,000 Arts Education Dana Foundation Grant

2009-08-19T14:49:00.000-07:00

We at GRFA are please to see that Louisiana is continuing its efforts to infuse our education with the arts. From an August 19, 2009, press release from Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu's office:

BATON ROUGE – Lt. Governor Mitch Landrieu today announced that the Dana Foundation has selected the Louisiana Division of the Arts, an agency of the Office of Cultural Development in the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, to receive a $50,000 States Arts Learning Initiative Grant. This award follows the success of the Louisiana team at the 2008 Education Leaders Institute, hosted by the National Endowment for the Arts. At the Institute, the team focused on creating a model for the implementation of Act 175 . . . these funds will be used for the planning and implementation of a model school program for our state. This is a comprehensive arts education program that will be implemented in select Louisiana public schools during the 2010/2011 school year.

In Louisiana, arts education has become a key component for policies and initiatives ranging from economic development to school improvement. Landrieu championed arts education curriculum in 2007, working with legislators to unanimously pass a bill requiring the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) to develop, adopt, and implement a visual and performing arts curriculum in public schools.

We look forward to working with the State and offering any help that we can in order to bring more arts in education to the classroom.

Print Sales to Non-Profits

2009-07-30T14:28:00.000-07:00

GRFA offers a unique opportunity for other non-profits by allowing them to purchase a signed silkscreen print of our choice for their fundraising event for $500. (Limited to one print per year per organization).

These prints are specifically designed as a fundraising vehicle for non-profits to raffle or auction directly to their supporters. They are not for sale in any Rodrigue Gallery or elsewhere to the general public. These prints are highly collectible and even priceless, because they are only accessible to the general public through a donation to a non-profit organization.

In the past two years, similar prints have raised thousands of dollars at fund-raising events. However, if the print you purchase does not provide your organization with funds exceeding your original $500 investment, GRFA will accept the print’s return and refund your $500.

History of Relief Efforts

2009-07-30T14:07:00.000-07:00

Blue Dog Relief began on September 11th, 2001, when Rodrigue created God Bless America in response to the tragic events of that day. The edition of one thousand prints sold out within weeks, raising $500,000 for the American Red Cross. This experience clarified for Rodrigue how he could sell his artwork to benefit causes important to him.

Perhaps foreshadowing GRFA, Rodrigue designed Honesty in 2003, raising $350,000 for the International Child Art Foundation. With ICAF he hosted a week long workshop for children from one hundred countries and all fifty states on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Together these children of varying languages and backgrounds created a “Pyramid of Peace,” using art as the international language.

But it was following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in August 2005 that Blue Dog Relief moved to the top of Rodrigue’s priority list. With the prints We Will Rise Again, You Can’t Drown the Blues, Throw Me Something F.E.M.A., and We Are Marching Again, Rodrigue raised $1.5 million for the Southeast Louisiana Chapter of the Red Cross, the New Orleans Museum of Art, the United Way, the Brees Dream Foundation (pictured) and countless smaller non-profits.

To date, George Rodrigue’s relief efforts, combined with the enthusiasm and generosity of his collectors, have raised $2.5 million towards helping our world. With the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts, Rodrigue embarks on a new mission to focus primarily on child development through the visual arts.

George Rodrigue Foundation

2009-07-20T18:47:00.000-07:00

In 2009, George Rodrigue formed GRFA as a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. In addition to providing financial assistance in the arts and other areas, GRFA will plan, develop, and implement a series of unique educational art programs that are specially designed to enhance and expand art curriculums, despite continuing state and federal cutbacks.

GRFA Objective

2009-07-20T17:39:00.001-07:00

Student success at any age depends on self-confidence, specifically the belief in one’s own ability to walk on the moon, or fight fires, or raise a family, or perform on Broadway. Research proves that personal growth benefits from creative expression and that artistic accomplishment provides students the self-esteem needed for success in all areas of life. However, due to budget shortfalls and misperceptions, schools find it increasingly difficult to incorporate art in education.

George Rodrigue wants to reverse this trend. As a young boy he dreamed of being an artist, and as an adult he credits the support of his parents and teachers with helping him realize that dream.

Over the years, Rodrigue has assisted numerous non-profits, not only in the arts, but also humanitarian organizations, disaster relief, animal welfare and others. But today, although not entirely abandoning other worthwhile causes, his primary focus is to expose children to education in the visual arts, hoping to inspire in others an early and on-going creative passion similar to his own.

GRFA Mission

2009-07-01T14:20:00.000-07:00

The George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts (GRFA) advocates the importance of the visual arts in the development of our youth. GRFA encourages the use of art within all curriculums and supports a variety of art educational programs.