Lafayette, LA: The Hilliard Art Museum - University of Louisiana at Lafayette is pleased to announce its Creative Conversations programming series for the spring 2020 semester. These evenings of programming are scheduled to kick off on Wednesday, January 22 with a closer look at miniature artwork, and its role in contemporary art practices. During the fall and spring semesters, the museum features a weekly program, beginning at 6 pm, which are complementary to the current season of exhibitions and provide a cross-disciplinary approach to learning. Every Wednesday night, the museum offers free admission from 5-8 pm in an attempt to provide increased access to the arts for the people of Acadiana. This series brings in artists, curators, scholars, and performers and provides a space where the community can come together to learn from experts, and, more importantly, to talk with one another. In addition to the weekly Creative Conversations programs, the museum will continue to host monthly Toddler Times and Yoga in the Galleries classes that are free to enjoy. Toddler Time is on the first Wednesday of every month at 10 AM where families can enjoy song and finger play, story time, hands-on art activities, and free play. Due to the overwhelming success of this event, families are required to sign-up for the program ahead of time. Yoga in the Galleries is on the second Saturday of every month at 11 AM and is led by a local certified yoga instructor in one of the museum's exhibition spaces. These classes are donation based, and a $10/ class donation is encouraged. Program Descriptions Artist Talk: Faculty Miniatures Wednesday, January 22 | 6:00 - 8:00pm Chris Bennett, Assistant Professor in the Department of Visual Arts and curator of "Faculty Miniatures: Toward the Condensed and Not-Yet-Known" will deliver a lecture about miniatures as a contemporary art form. Blow-Out Book Sale! Saturday, January 26 | 10:00am - 5:00pm Come to the Hilliard Store for our annual blowout book sale! Select titles will be up to 50% off, and members can use their discount in addition to marked down prices. Curator Tour Wednesday, January 29 | 6:00 - 8:00pm Join the Hilliard's Curator of Exhibitions, Ben Hickey, as he leads in-depth tours of the exhibitions "The Art of Sir Winston Churchill" and "Vitus Shell: 'Bout It 'Bout It, The Political Power of Just Being" Panel Discussion: Architecture and Sustainability Wednesday, February 5 | 6:00 - 8:00pm UL Lafayette Professors of Architecture explore the role sustainability plays in the world of modern architecture, and how they integrate these themes into their own practice. This panel is presented in response to the exhibition "Robert C. Tannen | Box-City" Spring Exhibition Opening Reception Friday, February 7 | 6:00 - 8:00pm Exclusive Member Preview 4:00 - 6:00pm Join us in celebration of a new season of exhibitions! Members are invited to join us for an exclusive first look from 4:00 - 6:00pm. Cocktails and light refreshments are generously provided by Bread & Circus Provisions and Dripping Springs Vodka. A Conversation with Angela Stempel: On Being an Independent Animator in Los Angeles Wednesday, February 12 | 6:00 - 8:00pm Angela Stempel, artist and film director with clients including Adult Swim, "The New York Times" and Apple Music, will discuss her work as an animation director and a freelance cel animator, and independent filmmaker. Galentine' Day Thursday, February 13 6:00 - 8:00pm | $45 members, $50 non-members Enjoy a ladies' night out celebrating your girl gang at the Hilliard's first Galentine's Day event! Relax with wine from Wild Child Natural Wines, snack on delectable bites from Graze Acadiana, get a 5-minute massage, and walk away with some special giveaways from Shop Kiki, Frenchie's Modern Nail Care, and so much more! Gallery Tour with Vitus Shell Wednesday, February 19 | 6:00 - 8:00pm Join Artist Vitus Shell and Curator of Exhibitions Ben Hickey as they lead a tour and discussion of the exhibition "Vitus Shell: 'Bout It 'Bout It, The Political Power of Just Being". Find out more about Shell's artist practice and motivations, and how he chooses his subjects. Copies of Shell's new publication will also be available for purchase. Psychology and the Politics of Just Being Wednesday, March 11 | 6:00 - 8:00pm Trey Delcambre, a graduate student in the UL Lafayette Department of Psychology at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, will share how he approaches the need for diversity in the arts, how creative works are evaluated by popular culture, and the ways on which artistic expression can be used to inspire political participation. Reflecting on these issues through current findings in the field of psychology and outside literature, Delcambre will urge his audience to consider the rich resource of the own stories. Musical Performance by Myron Saul Wednesday, March 18 | 6:00 - 8:00pm Local artist and alternative hip-hop musician Myron Saul will perform tracks from his latest album #linkinthebayou Envision Da Berry: A Counter-Localism for the Future of the Small-Town American South Wednesday, March 25 | 6:00 - 8:00pm Phanat Xanamane, an urban designer with a background in architecture, will present a retrospective look of the work completed by his community organization, Envision Da Berry. This not-for-profit organization uses art and community engagement to create connections that have successfully revitalized areas of New Iberia into vibrant, tourist-centric locations with cultural, culinary and historical significance. Disruption of the Self: The Political Power of Just Being Wednesday, April 1 | 6:00 - 8:00pm Valin S. Jordan, Assistant Professor of Diversity Education and Founder of Yoga4SocialJustice ™, will deliver an impactful and powerful workshop combining yoga and social justice education. Attendees will engage in self-inquiry and partner activities illuminated by direct-teaching of social justice content in connection to the exhibition "Vitus Shell: 'Bout It 'Bout It, The Political Power of Just Being". Participants should come prepared to participate in a yoga class, and provide their own mat. Louisiana's Coastal Crisis and Our Window of Opportunity Wednesday, April 8 | 6:00 - 8:00pm James Karst, the Director of Communications and Marketing at the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, discusses the crisis facing Louisiana's disappearing coast line, and the steps that his organization - and all of us- can take to prevent further devastation. Masculinity's Paradoxes: Pavel Fedotov and the Picturing of Russia's Men in the 1840's Wednesday, April 22 | 6:00 - 8:00pm Dr. Allison Leigh, Assistant Professor of Art History in the UL Lafayette Visual Arts Department, explores how the works of the Russian painter Pavel Fedotov embody ideas for masculinity which shaped men's lives in the 1840's. Spring Exhibitions at the Hilliard University Art Museum Vitus Shell: 'Bout It 'Bout It, The Political Power of Just Being December 6, 2019 - May 2, 2020 The Art of Sir Winston Churchill January 17, 2020 - March 21, 2020 This exhibition is organized by America's National Churchill Museum at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri, and is presented at the museum in honor of our founding donor, Paul Hilliard, with support from the UL Lafayette Foundation, Badger Oil and media sponsorship from The Advocate. Malaika Favorite: The Alchemist February 7, 2020 - June 3, 2020 Robert C. Tannen | BOX-CITY February 7, 2020 - May 16, 2020 Upon request, high-resolution images and full artist biographies are available. Interviews may also be arranged. These events are generously supported by Disceaux Dicki. Museum Hours, Admission & General Information The Hilliard University Art Museum is located at 710 East Saint Mary Boulevard, on the campus of University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Museum Hours are: Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM; Wednesday, 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM; Saturday, 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM; closed Sunday and Monday. General Admission: $5 Adults, $4 Seniors (62+), $3 Students (5-17). FREE for Members, UL Students/Staff/Faculty with identification, and visitors under 5. For general information, please visit HillliardMuseum.org or call 337-482-2278. About the Hilliard Museum The Hilliard University Art Museum operates on the campus of University of Louisiana at Lafayette, and was originally founded in 1964 as the Art Center for Southwestern Louisiana. Featuring a state-of-the-art modern facility that was erected in 2004, the museum houses more than 2,200 objects in its permanent collection, and is the largest art exhibition space between New Orleans and Houston. The Hilliard serves a wide range of educational and cultural needs by fostering cross-disciplinary intellectual discourse on campus, and throughout the region. At the core of the Hilliard's mission is to collect, preserve, interpret, and exhibit the art of our time, while celebrating the great diversity of Louisiana's heritage
