Artistically Speaking

Karen Wink over at the American Press has produced a new series of web videos that spotlight locals who are bettering our arts community. This endeavor, called Artistically Speaking, is on its third edition which stars local musician and song writer Paul Gonsoulin. If you haven't seen Paul perform, you're missing out on one of the top musical talents in the Lake Area. His hands are in several bands, including Bobcat, Lucy in Disguise, and Hot Damn! I Shot My Man, and he works constantly to develop our music scene.


Check out Karen's video of Paul, which was shot at Central School Arts & Humanities Center!

LA Poet Laureate to Give Bicentennial Reading

With every city and town across the state celebrating the Louisiana Bicentennial all year long, Lake Charles is offering its own series of events to showcase its role in the state's history. The Arts & Humanities Council of SWLA and the Imperial Calcasieu Museum have partnered with the Lake Charles/SWLA Convention & Visitors Bureau to facilitate these events as a way to honor and celebrate our rich history, heritage, and culture.

On Saturday, May 12th, the current Louisiana Poet Laureate, Julie Kane, will give a special poetry reading at the Imperial Calcasieu Museum at 4 p.m. As part of the bicentennial, Kane has been commissioned to compose an original series of poems which use the history of Lake Charles and the bicentennial as inspiration, and this series will be revealed during the May 12th reading which will be held under the arms of the Museum's history 375 year-old Sallier Oak. A reception will follow the reading.

Kane's series will examine the intersection between landscape and identity while united the familiar images and symbols of Southwest Louisiana. "We are honored to have Julie immortalize Lake Charles in this way, and we can't wait for the big reveal," said Susan Reed, executive director of the Museum. "Julie is a true Louisiana poet with a great, fresh perspective of our state's identity. We want to really show the rest of the state how unique Southwest Louisiana is and how we tie into the state's 200 year legacy.

In her approach to the Lake Charles series, Kane picked up local folklorist Keagan LeJeune's book Always for the Underdog: Leather Britches Smith and the Grabow War, which details Southwest Louisiana figures that are closely tied to the region's history and identity. Kane also worked with the article "How Louisiana Became a State" by Ron Chapman which appeared in Louisiana Life. "In order to be inspired to write poems responding to the subject of Louisiana's statehood, I had to first feel a personal connection to the subject, and those two historians really brought the era and the politics to life for me," Kane commented.

Kane is also a non-fiction writer, editor, and translator and is the author of several books of poetry with many of her poems appearing widely in anthologies. Kane, who currently lives in Natchitoches, La., was appointed to the position of Louisiana Poet Laureate by Governor Bobby Jindal in 2011, and is a professor of English at Northwestern State University.

Also this month, the Arts Council and the Convention & Visitors Bureau will unveil downtown's newest public art display on Thursday, May 17th, at 2 p.m. Local artist Fred Stark was contracted by the Arts Council to create a bicentennial mural on the south side of locally-operated dessert shop Sweets & Treats. Stark's murals appear in sixteen states, and this large scale bicentennial-themed mural will illustrate our Southwest Louisiana connection to Louisiana's statehood. Composed in three different layers and timelines, the mural will show the visual history of Louisiana from 1812 to 2012.

That evening, Louisiana Public Broadcasting will host a free screening of the bicentennial documentary Louisiana: 200 Years of Statehood at the Benjamin W. Mount Auditorium at Central School at 7 p.m. The documentary is narrated by Harry Connick, Jr., and the public is invited to attend.

The season of bicentennial events in Lake Charles will continue in September with a unique George Rodrigue exhibit titled 200 Years: The Faces & Places of Louisiana. For more information on the reading, call the Museum at 439-3797. For more information on the bicentennial, contact the Convention & Visitors Bureau at 436-9588 or visit www.visitlakecharles.org/bicentennial.

1911 City Hall Presents Edward Woods Exhibition

The City of Lake Charles will present Poetry of Color, by Edward Woods at Historic City Hall Arts and Cultural Center. The exhibition will open with a reception hosted by Mr. Woods on Thursday, May 24 from 5:30-8pm.

Woods was drawn to art at an early age. In the 4th grade, he attended art classes for gifted children at a college in Michigan, where he was born. Later, his family moved to Iowa, Louisiana where he attended middle and high school. Although he had no further training, he surrounded himself with learning and researching art. After serving in the Navy, he returned home and his interest in art was reignited. Woods said, “I love to capture movement, motion, color, depth and atmosphere through the poetry of paint and art media. The excitement is in seeing the piece evolve as I push forward to create something that didn’t exist before.” Poetry of Color will hang through July 21. 

Historic City Hall is open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.  Admission is free, but donations are gladly accepted.  For more information, please call 491-9147 or visit www.cityoflakecharles.com.

Lake Charles Civic Ballet Presents Spring Performance

Lake Charles Civic Ballet presents its Spring 2012 performance, Sunday, May 20, 3:00 PM at the Rosa Hart Theatre. Admission is Free. The ballet company will present four works, including Stars and Stripes and Sheer Whimsy, both classics from the LCCB Repertoire and new works from Elizabeth Gates and Andrew Anderson, as well as pieces featuring students of Lady Leah Lafargue School of the Dance. 

Stars and Stripes
Photo by Danley Romero

In classic LCCB style, Stars and Stripes beautifully displays the athleticism of the organization's performing company members. This patriotic crowd pleaser is perfect in this bicentennial year for Louisiana! The dancers demonstrate lightening fast pointe work in one of the variations performed by Adelaide Saucier, Katelyn Chargois, Margaret Lie, and Ashley Eaves. In another section, Anne Veillon, Tristan Morgan, Annabelle Bang, and Julia Basone dance with force through petit and grand allegro jumping combinations. And no tribute would be complete without our military men, Andrew Anderson and Adrian Durham. With strength, confidence, and ease, they partner the lovely ladies and LCCB, giving the audience the illusion that these red, white & blue beauties are floating like the stars on Old Glory!

Room for Happiness is a new work choreographed for the Spring Performance by Andrew Anderson. Set to electronic compositions, Fortune Soul by Blackmill and Room for Happiness by Kaskade, the piece has a modern feel. "I wanted to play with the contradicting emotions in the two different pieces of music. Fortune Soul is an upbeat melody with strong beats, very positive and feeing, while Room for Happiness is broken-hearted and distant but still with an uplifting message. The theme would be the struggle of breaking down the barriers that you fight with on a day to day basis, whether it be spiritual, emotional, mental, or physical."

According to Elizabeth Gates, Psalm of Spring was inspired by Spring itself. Ms. Gates selected Handel's Water Music Allegro for this work, and choreographed it on Adelaid Saucier, Katelyn Chargois, and Ashley Eaves. The piece premiered at the November 2011 Sneak Preview and Behind the Scenes with LCCB event at Central School Theatre, hosted by Heather Ieyoub of KVHP/FOX29. Gates says, "This Handel piece, in particular, was so vibrant I just imagined dancers in the place of rushing water of a stream or brook. I imagined after all the ice has melted off the hills and rocks and the water rushes out, giving life to all that need it. I really just wanted to play with the musicality of the dancers in the space; the pure joy of Spring beauty, movement, and music were my inspirations."

Sheer Whimsy
Photo by Danley Romero

Sheer Whimsy, created by Lady Leah Lafargue Hathaway, debuted in 1983 and has been pulled out of the LCCB repertoire once again. It is the story of a sad, male mime (Anderson) who cannot be cheered by the five happy female mimes (Saucier, Chargois, Lie, Eaves, Veillon), despite their best efforts! They coax him with bouquets of flowers that spring open in concert with the choreography. Finally, one of the girls (Saucier) determines that the only way to change his mood is to re-paint his mouth into a smile! Sure enough, the male mime is delighted when he sees his reflection and he joins the girls in the joyous finale. This piece calls to mind the voiceless comedy of Chaplin and provides enthralling character work and expression to draw the audience into the story.

For more information like Lake Charles Civic Ballet on facebook, follow @LC_CivicBallet on Twitter, or visit www.lakecharlescivicballet.com. The Lake Charles Civic Ballet is a 501c3 non-profit organization supported by grants from the Louisiana State Arts Council through the Louisiana Division of the Arts, City of Lake Charles, Calcasieu Parish Police Jury, Southwest Louisiana Convention and Visitors Bureau as administered by the Arts and humanities Council of Southwest Louisiana. LCCB received the 2001 Mayor’s Arts Organization of the Year Award.

Central School Theatre Dedicated to Ben Mount

From left: Ann Knapp; Senator Willie Mount; Friends of Central School chairperson Laura Leach

This past Saturday, Friends of Central School and the City of Lake Charles dedicated Central School's theatre to the late Ben Mount. Without the vision and dedication of Ben, we simply would not have Central School today as a comprehensive arts and cultural center for the region. It is with great excitement that our theatre has been renamed the Benjamin W. Mount Auditorium. If you missed out on the day's events, you can still come by Central School to see Central School: A Visual History in the Black Heritage Gallery which exhibits photographs and artifacts from the center's past as a historic elementary school. You can also purchase Friends of Central School t-shirts and ornaments on the Arts Council's website.

Downtown at Sundown About to Kick Off!

The City of Lake Charles announces the kick off the 2012 Downtown at Sundown series with the sounds of Boomerang. The event will take place in the street within the 600 block of Ryan between Division and Mill Streets from 6-9pm. The former site of the event will be open and available for parking cars. Downtown at Sundown features a variety of music from local and regional bands as well as food and beverage booths, table top galleries, and activities for kids. We want everyone to come downtown to patronize the businesses and see the ongoing “Streetscape” project. 

Boomerang has been rockin' the region since 2006, and it's been one wild ride. Like a good pot of gumbo, Boomerang mixes it all up. Start off with a big serving of funk, toss in some classic rock, sprinkle it with country, serve it with a little dab of top 40 and you get an enjoyable party experience that can cater to anyone's tastes. They don't just serve in a bland 'ole gumbo bowl, they decorate it with bell bottoms, afros, glittered shirts and gold fish inlaid clodhoppers. Band members are Billy Cormier, lead guitar; J. P. Booth, drums; Victor Montgomery, lead vocals and rhythm guitar; Greg Richardson, keyboards; and Rod Lavergne, bass. For more info about Boomerang go to http://www.theboomerangexperience.com 

Beverage sales will be facilitated by B.A.A.K. of Southwest Louisiana (Benefiting Area At-risk Kids) and will benefit the Harbour House. Harbour House ETC provides intervention and prevention services which address the issues affecting youth and families who are in at risk situations.

“Since we’ve opened, Harbor House has served almost 7,000 admissions,” said Dunn.
It is one of ten programs belonging to the Educational and Treatment Council, Inc. (ETC).  The ETC is a private, not for profit social service agency providing intervention and prevention services which address the issues affecting youth and families who are in at risk situations. They are funded, according to Dunn, “through a variety of local money – parish money – as well as some state contracts and federal grants." Their major fundraiser for Harbor House, ‘Jokes, Jazz, and Just Desserts’, will be held in September at L’Auberge Hotel and Casino in Lake Charles.

 The five parish Southwest Louisiana area is their main area of focus. Eighty-five percent of admits to Harbor House come from Calcasieu parish while 15 percent come from outlying parishes and from out of state, although the out of state numbers are very small.

Quite a large number of the children admitted will have substance abuse issues, be one or more grades behind where they should be in school, have some kind of mental health issue, have a history of runaway behavior, suffer from some form of child abuse or neglect, or be a repeat admit. Seventy percent, according to Dunn, will have come from the juvenile justice or foster care system. For these children, Harbor House offers 24 hour supervision by trained youth care workers, individual case management by Bachelor degree level case managers, individualized and family counseling from Master degree level counselors, continuing education on site through Calcasieu Parish School Board, specialized programs (such as substance abuse awareness, social skills training, and conflict resolution, among others), and group counseling.

Dunn emphasized that however disconnected from society these children are through their situations, they still “have their own hopes and dreams for the future”. Some of them can’t be reached and are lost to suicide, drugs, or incarceration. But the majority of them can be reached and can go on to become productive, law abiding citizens.

Top of FBottom of Form

It is through the philanthropic support of The American Press, CITGO, Delta Downs Racetrack Casino & Hotel and Entergy that this popular, family-friendly event is sustained. The music line-up will be: May 18, Boomerang; May 25, Chris Ardoin and NuStep; June 1, Soul Vacation; June  8, City Heat.

           

If inclement weather prevails, the concerts will be held inside the Lake Charles Civic Center. Concert goers are encouraged to bring their lawn chairs, however, no outside beverages or pets are allowed on site. For more information, call the City of Lake Charles Arts and Culture Department at 337-491-9159 or visit on Facebook or www.CityOfLakeCharles.com

The Arts Council is on Team Joshua!

In case you haven't turned on the television in the past several weeks, Westlake native Joshua Ledet has taken FOX29's American Idol by storm! After showcasing his incredible vocal talents, Joshua has made it to the top five, but he needs your help in continuing his journey. Southwest Louisiana is rallying together to make our hometown singer a star.

A graduate of Westlake High School, Joshua started singing at the age of three in his father's church. Before he won over the hearts of the judges and the country on American Idol, Joshua worked for the Calcasieu Parish Recreation Center in Westlake.

Catch Joshua each Wednesday from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on FOX29 or head over to Westlake for the viewing/voting party at the Westlake Multi-Purpose Complex at 6:30 p.m.  Be sure to vote for Joshua after each performance! If Josh makes it to the top three, American Idol will make a special trip to Southwest Louisiana to film Josh's hometown return to meet his supportive fan base. Voting opens after the performances each Wednesday from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m., so make your voice heard and vote for Josh!

There are three easy ways for you to vote:

1.  Toll-free Voting:  To vote, simply watch American Idol on FOX, from 7-9 p.m. and dial Josh’s assigned telephone number starting at 9:01 p.m. until 11 p.m. Votes are unlimited when calling or texting.
2.  AT&T Text Voting: Joshua Ledet will be assigned his own SMS/text message short code number each Wednesday. AT&T wireless customers only may text the word ‘VOTE’ to Joshua’s 4 digit short code numbers.
3.  Online Voting: If you have a Facebook account, you can also vote online at www.AmericanIdol.com. Online voting is limited to 50 votes per account.

Voting will open at the end of each performance show on Wednesday night at 9:01 p.m. You will have at least two hours to cast your votes.  The results will be broadcast on FOX Thursday at 7 p.m.