Louisiana's Bicentennial!

Our Louisiana heritage and identity is over 200 years in the making, and 2012 marks our statehood's bicentennial birthday! The Arts Council and the Imperial Calcasieu Museum are working closely with the Lake Charles Convention & Visitors Bureau to give Southwest Louisiana a series of bicentennial events and programs throughout the year. In the next few weeks, you'll see a plethora of events that help promote our bicentennial, and we are coordinating our own to headline our Southwest Louisiana connection. Over the next few days, we'll spotlight each of our bicentennial events as well as our Lake Charles centennial celebrations.

Fred Stark

We're thrilled to announced that downtown Lake Charles will see the addition of a new public art project this spring! On the south side of the locally-operated dessert shop Sweets & Treats, local artist Fred Stark will paint a large scale bicentennial and centennial themed mural that will illustrate our own connection to Louisiana's long history. 


You may have heard that four Lake Charles landmarks will also have a reason to celebrate. After the Great Fire of 1910, which destroyed over a hundred buildings in only four hours, Lake Charles development boomed as residents came together to rebuild many of the structures that were leveled in the fire. Composed in three layers and timelines, Stark's mural will show the visual history of Louisiana from 1812 to 2012 and will include our local ties to our centennial anniversaries of Central School Arts & Humanities Center, the historic Calcasieu Parish Courthouse, Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, and Margaret Place Historic District.

Stark is the owner of Fred Stark Design & Illustrations, and his work, which is perhaps best known locally through the scenic designs of the Lake Charles Civic Ballet, spans across over sixteen states. The mural is set to be completed during the spring of 2012. For more information, call the Arts Council office at 439-ARTS.