Yesterday the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts and Lt. Governor Jay Dardenne announced the expansion of the Louisiana A+ Schools network to eight new schools across the state for the 2015/2016 academic year. The announcement took place at a student performance at The Dufrocq School in Baton Rouge, one of nine current LAA+ schools.
Executive Director Jacques Rodrigue and Lt. Governor Jay Dardenne are joined by students at The Dufrocq School to announce eight new LAA+ Schools.
"These schools have been chosen through a competitive application process by demonstrating their commitment to innovative learning and the importance of the arts in every classroom," says Jacques Rodrigue. "They join a network of 9 schools across the state of Louisiana and over 130 schools nationwide that are focused on whole school research-based transformation through the arts."
LAA+ Schools, the first whole school arts-integrated reform initiative of its kind to enter Louisiana, is a network that provides teachers with the essentials to think more creatively about how students can apply learning in the real world, and how they can present curricula to students in ways they learn best.
"Arts education yields comprehensive benefits to students and we need to do all we can to ensure its inclusion in our schools curricula," says Lt. Governor Jay Dardenne. "We wish the selected schools the best in shaping our students' creative minds."
Click the map above to learn more about all 17 member schools in the LAA+ network.
The George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts will be in Houston this Saturday from 10:00 am - 4:00 pm for another Community Art Day! Join us at the new exhibition Rodrigue: Houstonfor 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.
Houston Community Art Day
Rodrigue: Houston
West Ave. at River Oaks
2800 Kirby Drive, at the corner of Kirby and Westheimer, 2nd Floor
10:00 am - 4:00 pm
This event is free and open to the public!
Mark your calendars! Additional Houston Community Art Days are JUNE 13th and JULY 4th.
(Top) Actress Alfre Woodard strikes a pose with cheerleaders at St. Helena Arts & Technology Academy. (Bottom) Irvin Mayfield performs for students.
Actress Alfre Woodard and musician Irvin Mayfield, both Turnaround Artists, visited St. Helena Academy of Arts and Technology in Greensburg and Homer Elementary School in Homer, LA, to encourage students to pursue their academic goals. They had the opportunity to see some of the amazing creative projects the students have been working on, including theatrical performances and visual art installations.
Click the above photo to watch Jacques Rodrigue and Alfre Woodard discuss the importance of arts education on WWLTV.
While in New Orleans, Alfre Woodard joined Executive Director Jacques Rodrigue on WWLTV to discuss how GRFA and Turnaround Arts are impacting schools through the arts. After filming, Alfre and Jacques headed to Homer A. Plessy Community School where students were eager to greet their celebrity mentor.
Students welcome Alfre Woodard for her second visit to Homer A. Plessy Community School in New Orleans.
Thank you to our amazing Turnaround Artists for inspiring Louisiana students!
The Aioli Dinner Supper Club is pleased to announce that the next dining experience will be May 14, 2015, in Monroe, Louisiana, under the oaks at the fabulous home of Randy and Cherry Morris. Mr. and Mrs. Morris are not only Rodrigue collectors, but also enthusiastic supporters of the arts. They have graciously opened their home for one night to celebrate the arts with a dinner inspired by one of George Rodrigue's most famous paintings, The Aioli Dinner.
Join us for a four-course dinner with wine pairings prepared by Chef Eric Johnson, along with live Cajun music by The Vermillionairs, and live and silent auctions featuring rare Blue Dog items by George Rodrigue.
Proceeds from your ticket benefit Louisiana A+ Schools, a program of the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts.
Click here to read more about the "Friends of George Rodrigue" Champagne party and see the photo album.
Community Art Day and Grand Opening
Saturday, April 25th, was the grand opening for Rodrigue: Houston! GRFA provided family-friendly art activities including Blue Dog masks, coloring sheets, and face painting. Upcoming Community Art Days are May 16, June 13, and July 4. We hope to see you there!
Community Art Days are a great way for families to explore the exhibition.
Free Field Trips for Houston Schools
To coincide with the new exhibition, GRFA is providing free field trips to over 20 local schools to visit Rodrigue: Houston. Students have already begun visiting the show to see firsthand original works from George Rodrigue's career and to participate in art activities that encourage observation skills, storytelling, and the principles of visual art.
Students learn about the career of George Rodrigue and make their own works of art.
At a special luncheon in New Orleans, these talented juniors and seniors accepted their scholarships, had their original artwork on display, and were treated to special presentation by author Wendy Rodrigue.
Congratulations to our 2015 Art Contest Finalists!
The 15 scholarship winners with Jacques Rodrigue at the Art Contest Luncheon in New Orleans.
Sterling Anderson, our 1st place senior, was awarded a $6,000 scholarship.
Skyla Blady placed first for the juniors. Her painting will be featured in posters for the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundations' upcoming free music festivals.
Click here to view a complete list of the scholarship winners in the 2015 Art Contest.
What is the Chevron STEAM Zone? It's a place where families can participate in hands-on projects that bring together science, technology, engineering, arts, and math.
GRFA will be providing free creative projects on Saturday, April 11, and Sunday, April 12, at the Natchez Wharf. We hope to see you at the 2015 French Quarter Festival!
NAEA Honors Jacques Rodrigue at National Convention
The National Art Education Association (NAEA) presented Jacques Rodrigue, Executive Director of the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts, with the 2015 Distinguished Service Outside the Profession Award. This prestigious award recognizes outstanding achievement by individuals outside the field of art education and was presented during the NAEA National Convention in New Orleans last week.
(From left to right) Denise Tullier-Holly, President of Louisiana Art Education Association; Dennis Inhulsen, President of the National Art Education Association; Jacques Rodrigue and Mallory Page Rodrigue
NAEA President Dennis Inhulsen stated, "Jacques Rodrigue exemplifies the highly qualified art educators active in education today: leaders, teachers, students, scholars, and advocates who give their best to their students and the profession."
The George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts will be heading to Houston from April 25 - July 5, 2015, to coincide with Rodrigue: Houston, a new exhibition featuring the Blue Dogs, Louisiana landscapes, and Cajun paintings of George Rodrigue.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS: The next Aioli Dinner Supper Club event will be May 14, 2015, in Monroe, LA. More details to come soon at www.aiolidinner.com.
Scholarship Awards Luncheon
Last week, we announced the finalists for our 2015 High School Art Contest. On April 18th, we will be hosting a special awards luncheon in New Orleans for our 15 finalists, who will share $45,000 in college scholarships!
If you would like to join us for this special luncheon celebrating the artistic talent of Louisiana's youth, you can purchase your tickets here.
Thank you to all of the students who entered the Scholarship Art Contest this year! We received over 600 entries from across the state on the theme of Louisiana's Music.
Fifteen (15) finalists have been selected by our first round of judges. These high school juniors and seniors will share $45,000 in college scholarships, and one will be featured as a poster to be sold by the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation's free festivals including the Crescent City Blues and BBQ Festival, the Louisiana Cajun Zydeco Festival, the Congo Square Rhythms Festival, and Fiesta Latina.
Scholarships will be given out at our awards luncheon on Saturday, April 18, 2015, at the Sheraton Hotel New Orleans. Tickets to the event are now available to the public. Purchase yours today!
This past Saturday, the Aioli Dinner Supper Club celebrated the first in a series of special dinners re-creating George Rodrigue's iconic Aioli Dinner painting. Over 80 guests joined the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts on the beautiful grounds of Shadows on the Teche, an historic New Iberia home on the banks of Bayou Teche. We are thrilled to share that this event raised over $25,000 for our Louisiana A+ Schools program, which transforms schools from failing to thriving through arts-integrated curriculum.
(Left and bottom) Guests dine at one long table, much like the Creole Gourmet Societies did at the turn of the century. (Top right) Each guest was gifted a unique Blue Dog sculpture created by students at Epiphany Day School in New Iberia. Epiphany Day School is one of 9 schools that currently make up our LAA+ network. (Photographs by Max Cusimano)
Chef Greg Doucet and his team at Jolie's Louisiana Bistro provided a delicious four-course meal inspired by the early 20th-century rustic cuisine enjoyed by the people depicted in Rodrigue's Aioli Dinner.
Jolie's Louisiana Bistro provided a unqiue, four-course menu. (Photos by Max Cusimano)
To commemorate the evening, guests posed for photographs re-creating Rodrigue's Aioli Dinner painting. We were fortunate to have several guests in attendance who are descendants of the people depicted in the original work of art.
Thank you to everyone who attended the first event for the Aioli Dinner Supper Club and helped us raise $25,000 for Louisiana A+ Schools!
Be sure to visit www.aiolidinner.comto learn about this and future events for the Aioli Dinner Supper Club.
We are excited to share with you that the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts is the featured cover story for the March/April 2015 issue of Baton Rouge's City Social Magazine. The article offers a comprehensive look at our arts in education programs, as well as the creation of the foundation by artist George Rodrigue. We invite you to click the link below and enjoy the article "The George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts: Committed to Arts Education" on pages 12-14.
The George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts will be heading to Houston in approximately April - July 2015 to coincide with Rodrigue: Houston, a new exhibition featuring the Blue Dogs, Louisiana landscapes, and Cajun paintings of George Rodrigue. We are excited to bring a selection of our arts in education programs to Houston to engage the community with creative activities and share the artistic legacy of George Rodrigue.
Opening George's Art Closet to Houston Schools George's Art Closest was created to address the needs of teachers who face inadequate funding for visual art supplies in the classroom. Houston educators can submit an application for a custom art supply kit worth $1,000 and are awarded kits based on need and the content of their application. During Rodrigue: Houston, GRFA will provide approximately twenty-five $1,000 kits to Houston elementary, middle, and high schools. Houston teachers, the deadline to apply is April 1, 2015!
Field Trips
What better way is there to get students excited about visual art than with a field trip to a gallery? GRFA will be sponsoring at least 20 bus trips for local schools to visit Rodrigue: Houston, so that students can see firsthand original works of art spanning George Rodrigue's 40 year career. At the exhibition, students will receive an educational tour tailored to their grade level, as well as in-gallery activities that encourage observation skills, storytelling, and the principles of visual art. To book a free field trip for your students, contact Victoria at victoria@georgerodrigue.com or (973) 668-3670.
Community Art Days
During the exhibition Rodrigue: Houston, GRFA will host Community Art Days where families can tour the gallery and participate in creative projects including mask making, sculpture, and face painting. Community Art Day is a unique way for family groups to explore art history, create works of art, and most importantly, have fun together! GRFA anticipates hosting at least 4 Community Art Days.
More information coming soon about Rodrigue: Houston and our upcoming Community Art Days!
We are pleased to announce that a special Blue Dog silkscreen print is now available on CharityBuzz! Signed by artist George Rodrigue and musician Randy Newman, "You Can't Drown the Blues" is a one-of-a-kind piece that features a hand-painted frame by Louisiana artist Christy Works-Boutee.
Charitybuzz is an online auction site that provides extraordinary experiences and items that benefit charities making an impact. The winning bid for "You Can't Drown the Blues" will go directly to our programs that promote the development of youth through arts in education.
You can place a bid on this remarkable work of art until March 10, 2015. Please know that your bid helps us provide programs that are directly impacting Louisiana's youth through the arts!
We are so appreciative to Randy Newman for taking the time support arts in education by playing the Rodrigue Steinway and signing the print. Click here to see photos of Randy Newman playing the Rodrigue Steinway on January 17, 2015 in New Orleans.
Since 2009, George's Art Closet has been a program that addresses the needs of teachers facing inadequate funding for visual art supplies. Without a variety of supplies, it can be difficult for teachers to provide meaningful arts experiences for their students.
A sample custom art supply kit from George's Art Closet
George's Art Closet is now awarding two $1,000 custom art supply kits each month to select elementary, middle, and high schools across Louisiana. Want to learn how you can apply for a custom art supply kit for your school? Visit George's Art Closet on our website to learn more.
Menu Announced for 1st Aioli Dinner
Looking for a delicious and memorable way to support arts in education in Louisiana? Look no further than the Aioli Dinner Supper Club. Our first fundraising dinner will be March 14, 2015 on the grounds of Shadows on the Teche in New Iberia, LA. Chef Greg Doucet of Jolie's Louisiana Bistro will be preparing a special four-course dinner with wine pairings.
The deadline to enter our 2015 Art Contest for high school juniors and seniors has been EXTENDED to February 16th! Until 5:00 PM that day, we are accepting entries of original artwork related to the theme of "Louisiana's Music."
Finalists in this year's contest in partnership with the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation will share $45,000 in scholarship awards! If you know a creative high school junior or senior in Louisiana, please let them know about this opportunity.
Click here for information about the guidelines for the 2015 Art Contest. Good luck to all of the students who have submitted their art!
The Aioli Dinner Supper Club: Recreating An Iconic Work of Art
We invite you to join us March 14, 2015, for a unique dining experience honoring the art of George Rodrigue and his legacy through the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts. This event, hosted on the grounds of Shadows on the Teche in New Iberia, will be the first in a series for the Aioli Dinner Supper Club. All proceeds will benefit our Louisiana A+ Schools program!
After New Iberia, the Aioli Dinner Supper Club will be hosting events in cities across Louisiana! Learn more:
We are pleased to announce that on March 14, 2015, the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts will be hosting the first in a series of historically-inspired dinners that will pay homage to George Rodrigue's iconic "Aioli Dinner" painting and raise funds for our Louisiana A+ Schools program.
The beautiful grounds of Shadows on the Teche will serve as the first location for the Aioli Dinner Supper Club. Located in New Iberia on the banks of the Bayou Teche, The Shadows is a registered home with the National Trust for Historic Preservation and was built in 1834.
Shadows on the Teche
George Rodrigue was born and raised in New Iberia and painted the folklore and traditions of his hometown, capturing the ancient Live Oaks and unique culture of Cajun country. We are excited to kick off the Supper Club in the landscape that inspired Rodrigue throughout his career.
After New Iberia, the dinners will occur across the state, with some hosted in private residences and others in restaurants and historic homes.
If you know any creative high school juniors or seniors in Louisiana, encourage them to submit an original work of art on the theme "Louisiana's Music." The deadline to enter is February 12, 2015!
Special Thanks to LPFA!
We are so grateful to the Louisiana Public Facilities Authority for their continued support of our annual Art Contest program. Once again they have generously supported the Art Contest with a donation of $25,000, helping us provide college scholarships to creative high school students across Louisiana. We applaud their commitment to education and the many other initiatives they support that enhance communities.
Jim Parks, Tricia Dubroc, and Martin Walke of LPFA stopped by the GRFA office this week to bring a donation of $25,000 for the 2015 Art Contest program.
The deadline to enter our 2015 Art Contest for high school juniors and seniors is fast approaching! Until February 12th, we are accepting entries of original artwork related to the theme of "Louisiana's Music."
Finalists in this year's contest in partnership with the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation will share $45,000 in scholarship awards! If you know a creative high school junior or senior in Louisiana, please let them know about this opportunity.
Click here for information about the guidelines for the 2015 Art Contest. Good luck to all of the students who have submitted their art!
NEW VIDEO: Students Talk Arts Integration and Louisiana A+ Schools
Why do students love GRFA's Louisiana A+ Schools program? See for yourself how arts integration is transforming their academic experience.
Last week, the students of Homer Elementary School in Homer, LA, welcomed a very special guest to their classrooms. Irvin Mayfield, a Grammy and Billboard Award-winning jazz trumpeter, was there to see first-hand how arts integration is transforming this Turnaround Arts: Louisiana school.
As one of three Turnaround Arts schools in the state, Homer Elementary School has been adopted by Turnaround Artists like Mayfield, who seek to inspire students to pursue their academic goals through the arts, as well as draw attention to the impact the arts are having on their school's revitalization.
In 2014, the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts was selected by the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities to implement the Turnaround Arts initiative at three schools in the state using the Louisiana A+ Schools method of arts integration. Already the teachers and students of our Turnaround A+ Schools are embracing the arts in curriculum -- creative projects line the halls, music can be heard in classrooms, and student engagement is reaching new heights.
New Video: Louisiana A+ Schools Students Talk Arts Integration, Academic Success, and FUN
We are pleased to present a new video featuring the students of Louisiana A+ Schools! Hear their perspectives on how arts integration transforms their classrooms, improves their academic performance, and brings out the best in students.
"We are thrilled to grow the A+ Network in Louisiana," says Jacques Rodrigue, Executive Director of GRFA. "We believe LAA+, the first whole-school, arts-integrated reform initiative of its kind for our state, has the potential to influence the way that all Louisiana students are taught."
How To Apply
If your school is interested in applying to be part of LAA+ Schools, the statewide application process first requires schools to submit a Letter of Interest to the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts. A link to this form, along with the 4 steps to the application process, can be found at www.aplusla.org.
Letters of interest are due January 23, 2015.
Please be aware that schools applying to LAA+ will be asked to provide a $75,000 payment that can be distributed over three years. Full and partial scholarships are available on a needs basis. Schools accepted into the LAA+ Schools make a commitment to a three-year implementation process. This includes customized professional development training for full faculty based on the school's needs, attendance at an annual LAA+ Summer Institute (including room and board), professional development for school leadership, and art supplies for the entire school. A sampling of schools may also be asked to participate in a 3-year quasi-experimental evaluation.
Deadline to Enter 2015 Art Contest is February 12!
George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts will award $45,000 in college scholarships to students whose artwork best represents Louisiana's Music! If you are a high school junior or senior in Louisiana, we invite you to submit an original work of art.
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.
