Mark your calendars! The Aioli Dinner Supper Club has delicious plans for the fall. Join us at one of our upcoming dining experience in Lake Charles, Broussard, or Kenner, Louisiana, and support the arts in education programs of the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts.
At each four-course, wine-paired dinner we recreate George Rodrigue's iconic "Aioli Dinner" painting and honor the culinary legacy of the Creole Gourmet Societies from a century ago.
Kenner, LA Hosted by Henry & Pat Shane September 21, 2016
Special Guest:
The Honorable Jennifer Van Vrancken
Jefferson Parish Councilwoman, District 5
In addition to the upcoming Kenner event, the Aioli Dinner Supper Club is pleased to announce another dining experience this Fall in Broussard, LA!
Join us at the beautiful home of Dr. Bradley and Mary Chastant for a wine-paired, four-course meal inspired by George Rodrigue's iconic "Aioli Dinner" painting. This unique culinary experience supports the arts in education initiatives of the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts.
Guests mingle and admire The Bayou Collection during
Whitney White Linen Night
Thank you to everyone who made our Whitney White Linen Night event such a memorable evening! Hundreds of visitors in white linen clothing made their way to the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts to see The Bayou Collection and celebrate the 40 paintings by George Rodrigue that will remain on view through the end of the year.
Author Chris Segura (left) and Executive Director Jacques Rodrigue (right) with Bayou
The 40 Rodrigue paintings are based on Cajun ghost stories authored by Chris Segura in the 1984 publication Bayou (Inkwell Press). Segura joined the festivities and signed copies of the book throughout the night.
White Linen visitors of all ages got creative at an activity station, where they explored complementary colors and made their own Rodrigue fans to beat the summer heat.
This never before seen collection of 40 surreal paintings by George Rodrigue has been held in a private collection for over 30 years. Don't miss the chance to see this unique collection as it goes on view for the first time!
Teachers at Lake Charles Charter Academy participated in dancing, drawing, theater, and printmaking workshops to learn how to infuse the arts into all subjects.
Louisiana A+ Schools (LAA+) held two concurrent Summer Institutes last week in Lafayette and Lake Charles, providing professional development in arts integration to over 170 teachers.
For Lake Charles Charter Academy's faculty, this was their first LAA+ Summer Institute. During a full week of professional development, they were introduced to the A+ Essentials and attended sessions that gave them the skills and resources to use the arts in the classroom.
Teachers from J. Wallace James Elementary and Ridge Elementary increase their knowledge of arts integration methods at the Lafayette LAA+ Summer Institute.
Over 100 teachers from J. Wallace James Elementary and Ridge Elementary participated in a three-day Summer Institute in Lafayette. Both schools joined the LAA+ network in 2015 and are successfully using the arts in every subject in every classroom.
LAA+ Director Bethany France notes, "These schools have demonstrated their commitment to innovative learning and the importance of implementing the arts into every aspect of the classroom." She continues, "We've studied the benefits, and we're excited to finally see them come to life through these schools."
Read The Daily Advertiser's article and watch KATC's coverage of the Lafayette Summer Institute.
Featuring Never Seen Collection of 40 Rodrigue Paintings
Opening Whitney White Linen Night in New Orleans, the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts presents The Bayou Collection by George Rodrigue. Based on Rodrigue's research of regional myths and legends, these 40 canvases, painted between 1981 and 1984, represent Cajun ghost stories.
The paintings complement a text by author Chris Segura for the book Bayou (Inkwell Press), compiled for the 1984 World's Fair in New Orleans. Although rooted in his Cajun style, this important collection includes Watch Dog, Rodrigue's interpretation of the loup-garou, a French-Cajun werewolf or ghost dog, which seeded his most famous body of work, The Blue Dog Series.
Held within a private collection since 1984, The Bayou Collection premieres for the first time publicly on Whitney White Linen Night!
The Aioli Dinner Supper Club is kicking off our Fall dinner series at the home of Henry and Pat Shane on Wednesday, September 21.
Join us for a wine-paired, four-course meal inspired by George Rodrigue's iconic "Aioli Dinner" painting. This unique culinary experience supports the arts in education initiatives of the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts. Additional Fall Aioli Dinners will be announced soon!
September 21, 2016
Kenner, LA
Hosted by Henry & Pat Shane
Special Guest:
Jennifer Van Vranken
Jefferson Parish Councilwoman, District 5
Cuisine by Chef Andrea Apuzzo of Andrea's Restaurant.
Professional Development Coordinator Joins LAA+ Team
George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts is pleased to announce that Rachel Lock is our new Professional Development Coordinator for Louisiana A+ Schools! In this role, she will ensure consistency of all professional development functions involving LAA+ teachers, administrators, Fellows, and teaching artists.
LAA+ Welcomes Rachel Lock
Lock has a Bachelor's Degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. She began her teaching career in 2008, where she developed an interest in using visual arts as a teaching strategy in her classroom. From there, she continued to expand her knowledge of arts integration in 2009 through the ICI Initiative, a program dedicated to promoting and modeling arts-integrated teaching strategies and ideas.
She has served on multiple arts integration committees, as well as most recently maintaining the role of Arts Liaison at her school. After witnessing first hand how the arts impacted her classroom, she decided to become a Louisiana A+ Schools Fellow in 2013. Since then, she has led multiple teams of Fellows during LAA+ Summer Institutes.
Print Donation Program
Does your charity or non-profit need a unique fundraising tool? GRFA's Print Donation Program is a wonderful and cost effective way to raise funds for your organization!
For a $500 donation to GRFA, you can choose from seven vibrant Rodrigue Estate Stamped silkscreen prints to use in an auction or raffle. If the print purchased does not provide the organization funds exceeding the original investment, it can be returned and GRFA will refund the $500. Since 2009, the Print Donation Program has helped over 1,000 charities raise over $3 million at their fundraising events.
These prints are not for sale through the Rodrigue Studio and are only accessible to the general public through this exclusive opportunity for non-profit and charity organizations.
The key to the success of our Louisiana A+ Schools (LAA+) program is the intensive, high-quality professional development that we provide to every educator in our statewide network of 18 schools.
This week at our Baton Rouge LAA+ Summer Institute, over 150 teachers from five schools joined our team for three full days of educational sessions, workshops, and special presentations where they developed the skills necessary to integrate the arts into all parts of the curriculum.
Teachers attended sessions on a variety of topics including strategic planning, the A+ Essentials, and more.
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Professional development sessions were led by our Louisiana A+ Schools Fellows, who are experts in arts integration. These individuals bring a variety of talents and experiences to the Summer Institute, and their leadership makes the LAA+ program so successful.
Our amazing LAA+ Fellows
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Schools that participated in this week's Summer Institute include:
St. Helena Arts & Technology Academy (Greensburg, LA)
We would like to give a big thank you to the Pennington Foundation for allowing us to host the Summer Institute on the beautiful campus of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge.
As we plan for our Fall 2016 Aioli Dinner Supper Club events, we invite anyone who has attended an Aioli Dinner to complete a short online survey. Your feedback will help us create richer guest experiences as we celebrate the legacy of George Rodrigue and raise funds for Louisiana A+ Schools.
Thank you for your feedback and for supporting GRFA through the Aioli Dinner Supper Club! Please note, all survey responses will be anonymous.
For the next ten months, original artwork from our talented 2016 Art Contest finalists will go on tour at museums and cultural institutions across Louisiana. The sixteen pieces in "Louisiana Celebrates Carnival" were created by high school juniors and seniors, who shared $45,250 in college scholarships at a special awards ceremony this spring.
Don't miss the opportunity to see these amazing pieces in person!
Click here to see the 16 student finalists of the 2016 Art Contest.
Testimony and Awards at State Capital
On Monday May 23rd, Jacques Rodrigue, Executive Director, presented to the Louisiana State House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations. Thank you to the committee for their interest in arts in education. We look forward to working with the representatives of Louisiana government to gain additional public support for arts integration through our Louisiana A+ Schools program.
Executive Director Jacques Rodrigue delivers a special presentation to Appropriations Committee in Baton Rouge.
Bethany France Honored at 2016 Louisiana Culture Awards
Congratulations to Bethany France, Director of GRFA's Louisiana A+ Schools program, for recently winning the Arts Education Award at the 2016 Louisiana Culture Awards, hosted by Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser.
The Arts Education Award honors individuals and organizations that, through education efforts, helped broaden the appreciation for the importance and value of arts and traditions in Louisiana. We are thrilled that Bethany has been acknowledged for her commitment to the students and teachers of the state through her leadership of Louisiana A+ Schools.
(From Left to Right) Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser, Bethany France, Louisiana State Arts Council Chairperson Mary Lee, Louisiana Division of the Arts Director Cheryl Castille.
The students at Lake Charles Charter Academy welcomed the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts into their classrooms to see the Rodrigue-inspired artwork already adorning the halls. As a Louisiana A+ School, their entire faculty will receive intensive professional development in arts integration, and all subjects will be infused with the arts. We are thrilled to expand our network into the Lake Charles and St. Francisville communities!
(Top) Principal Pamela Quebodeaux speaks during LAA+ announcement at Lake Charles Charter Academy. (Bottom left) A student shares his artwork. (Bottom right) Executive Director Jacques Rodrigue spent the morning with students, reading "Why Is Blue Dog Blue?" and leading an art activity.
Louisiana A+ Schools is now accepting applications for the full-time position of Professional Development Coordinator.
The Professional Development Coordinator supports the vision, motivation, coordination, and evaluation for all academic training activities across the Louisiana A+ Schools (LAA+) program. Working in close partnership with LAA+ Directors, this position ensures consistency of all professional development functions involving LAA+ teachers, administrators, Fellows, and teaching artists.
On May 7th, the Aioli Dinner Supper Club gathered in Shreveport at the Frierson Plantation for a delicious meal to raise funds for GRFA's arts in education initiatives. With a generous matching grant from the Windgate Charitable Foundation, our Shreveport friends and supporters were able to raise $110,000 for Louisiana A+ Schools, our most ambitious statewide program.
Click here to view a photo album for the Shreveport Aioli Dinner Supper Club event.
Our photographer for the evening was Hunter Sloan, a scholarship recipient in the 2014 Art Contest, who is now pursuing an undergraduate degree in photography in California.
Thank you to the many people in Shreveport who made this dinner a tremendous success! We also extend our gratitude to Mary Harris, principal at South Highlands Elementary Magnet and Event Chair for the dinner. Her school is one of 18 in the Louisiana A+ Schools network that benefit from funds raised by the Aioli Dinner Supper Club.
The Aioli Dinner Supper Club would like to thank our Baton Rouge friends and supporters for making our May 4th Aioli Dinner such a memorable night. That evening, with a generous matching grant from the Windgate Charitable Foundation, we were able to raise $90,000 for Louisiana A+ Schools, our most ambitious statewide program.
Click here to view a photo album for the Baton Rouge Aioli Dinner Supper Club event.
With the expansion of the Louisiana A+ Schools program to 18 schools, the Aioli Dinner Supper Club is playing a crucial role in the number of teachers and students impacted by arts integration in the classroom. Thank you to our friends and sponsors who made this dinner a success!
We are excited to announce that the upcoming Shreveport Aioli Dinner event has SOLD OUT. Tickets are still available for the Baton Rouge Aioli Dinner on Wednesday, May 4th, but few seats remain. Get your tickets today and join the Aioli Dinner Supper Club for a special dining experience inspired by George Rodrigue's iconic "Aioli Dinner" painting.
Tickets are going fast for next week's Baton Rouge and Shreveport Aioli Dinner Supper Club events. Don't miss out on these special dining experiences inspired by George Rodrigue's iconic "Aioli Dinner" painting.
On Saturday, April 16th, the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts awarded $45,250 in college scholarships to 16 talented Louisiana students. Finalists in the 2016 Art Contest represent cities across the state including Jefferson, Marrero, Gretna, Baton Rouge, Shreveport, DeRidder, Zachary, and Lafayette.
At the Awards 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 2016 Art Contest winners!
Junior and senior scholarship winners with Jacques Rodrigue at the Art Contest Luncheon in New Orleans.
Kourtney Aultman, our 1st place senior, was awarded a $6,000 scholarship.
Nathan Vogel placed first for the juniors.
Click here to view a photo album from the Luncheon and see the complete list of the scholarship winners in the 2016 Art Contest.
On the way to the museum, students visited the Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock, AR, for the Student Presidential Tour. Activities included an orientation film, a tour of the Oval Office, Cabinet Room, Life in the White House, and the current temporary exhibit.
(Top) Students from Homer Elementary School explore the galleries at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. (Bottom) Having fun while experiencing outdoor sculptures!
Through writing, discussion, and sketching, students analyzed sculptural works at Crystal Bridges to gain a deeper appreciation of three-dimentional art. They also had the opportunity to explore the museum's trails and enjoy outdoor artworks.
They then visited the Amazeum where their skilled education team actively interacted with students and chaperones to inspire curiosity and discoveries. On their trip back to Homer, LA, participants stopped in Little Rock and experienced the extremes of science with liquid nitrogen and vortex cannon demonstrations at the Arkansas Museum of Discovery.
Exploring Art at French Quarter Fest
What a beautiful weekend for French Quarter Festival! With a record attendance of over 750,000 people, many families made their way to the Chevron STEAM Zone to participate in hands-on projects that brought together science, technology, engineering, art, and math.
GRFA's team worked with children to create a "Life Cycle of an Oak Tree" and shared examples of the oak tree in the art of George Rodrigue.
We were so excited to partner with Chevron once again for this action-packed weekend!
(Top left) A young artist shares her completed "Life Cycle of an Oak Tree" project. (Top right) Hundreds of children and their parents visited GRFA at the Chevron STEAM Zone. (Bottom) GRFA's French Quarter Fest team included dedicated educators from our Louisiana A+ Schools program.
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.
