EVERY OTHER YEAR, THE FRIENDS OF THE LOUISIANA STATE EXHIBIT MUSEUM UM THROW A PARTY FOR THE MUSEUM IN ORDER TO KEEP IT OPERATING AS WHAT HAS BEEN CALLED “THE CROWN JEWEL” OF THE LOUISIANA MUSEUM SYSTEM. THEY CALL THE PARTY “GLITZ AND GRITZ,” AND THIS YEAR IT’S HAPPENING AT 7 P.M SEPT. 27.
On the program this year is musical entertainment from Louisiana legend Dr. John and Windstorm. The George Rodrigue Blue Dog Steinway will be on display, and food and drinks will be served courtesy of Silver Star Catering and Thrifty Liquor.
“I think it’s going to be a wonderful evening for the museum,” Margaret Green, event chair, said. “This year, we are kicking off the 75th anniversary of the museum. It’s an anniversary celebrating a relationship between the museum and the community. If it wasn’t for the community, for their hands-on support, their financial support, their attendance, the museum would not be in existence today.”
This year’s installment of the fundraiser is titled “Let Them Eat Cake.” Green said, “We’re going to have a very special presentation during the entertainment portion of the evening. I’m not going to tell you what it is,” she said. “But it will be in good taste.”
Rodrigue, the Louisiana artist famous for his Blue Dog artwork, will send items for display and as part of the silent auction during the evening, Green said. Those will be in addition to the appearance of the Blue Dog Steinway that is currently touring the country as part of a fundraiser for the LSU-Baton Rouge School of Music.
The invitations for the evening go out the end of this month, and tickets for the event are available online, at the museum, and by calling 632- 2020. Individual tickets are $150 per person. Table sponsorships begin at $1,500, Green said, and will be located in a special tent area in the front of the museum.
Opened in 1939, the museum contains exhibits of Native American artifacts, Louisiana heritage, and dioramas depicting life and industry in the region. The building on the State Fairgrounds is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. Sitting on 6 acres, the museum faces Greenwood Road with a massive fresco by Conrad Albrizio; its circular main building lined with exhibits is flanked by an auditorium and the West Wing Gallery where the touring exhibits usually display.
Wayne Waddell, local legislator and businessman, is the museum’s director. He s u c c e e d e d longtime director Forrest Dunn who retired in 2010.
Glitz and Grits started in the 1980s, Green said, and was a means for the Friends to bring exhibits to the museum.
“When it began it was black tie, it was very formal. We’re a more laid back, more casual society today. We call it ‘Glitz and Gritz’ because you can come glitzy or gritty.” Green said outfits run the gamut from boots and jeans to designer couture.
The museum is part of the state museum system. Its maintenance and staffing are paid for by the state. Green said financing of the museum’s programs is handled locally.
“All exhibits are paid for and underwritten by the Friends,” she said. “They’ve provided furnishings for the galleries. They have provided outdoor furniture. The landscape and grounds committee does all the landscaping, the greenery, and the potted plants around the terraces.”
Green, who is also the chairman of the Regional Governing Board, said the Friends also underwrites the “greening” of the museum at Christmas. Students from Caddo Parish schools visit the facility and help to decorate the Christmas trees.
The exhibits can be expensive, Green said, especially the ones from the Smithsonian. Many of those exhibits require special handling like climate controlled storage, display and security.
“Some things we’ve had to bring in first class with their own airline ticket,” Green said. “They fly them in here with a curator, so that can be very expensive. The least expensive that we’re seeing now is $40,000.”
Green said the hope is this year’s Glitz and Gritz will help defray those costs and allow the museum to continue its mutually beneficial partnership with the region. That, and there will be some delicious cake and Dr. John at the right place at the right time.
– Joe Todaro
