LA State Exhibit Museum to present ancient mound sites

An extraordinary exhibit of the black and white photography, “Shared Earth: Ancient Mound Sites of Louisiana” opened Sept. 26 in the West Wing Gallery of the Louisiana State Exhibit Museum.

Presented by Friends of LSEM Inc., the traveling exhibit organized by the Masur Museum in Monroe will feature original photographs by Jenny Ellerbe of mound sites along the Mississippi River basin in Northeast Louisiana. Dating to as early as 4000 B.C., these Native Americans built permanent settlements for their hunter-gatherer communities. The exhibition will also display museum artifacts from Dr. Clarence H. Webb, Ralph and Lorraine McKinney, and Michael Beckman collections from Poverty Point and other mound sites.

Jenny Ellerbe worked in partnership with Poverty Point station archaeologist Dr. Diana Greenlee to document the site in preparation for the UNESCO World Heritage application. Together they published a book, “Poverty Point: Revealing the Forgotten City,” combining the art of photography and the science of archaeology in their interpretation of the culture. This spring, Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities presented the publication with its prestigious Humanities Book of the Year award.

The Friends of the museum will host a reception, program and book signing on Sunday, Oct. 16, from 2-4 p.m. with the artist Jenny Ellerbe and archaeologist Diana Greenlee.t “Shared Earth: Ancient Mound Sites of Louisiana” will be on display through Nov. 13. Regular museum hours: Mon.-Fri., 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The museum is located at 3015 Greenwood Road. Admission is free and tours are available by appointment. For more information about the Friends of Louisiana State Exhibit Museum, go to www.laexhibitmuseum.org

This year’s ATHENA Awards Luncheon will be held at 11:30 a.m., Oct. 12, at the Sam’s Town Hotel & Casino. To register for this event, visit www.shreveportchamber.org/bus-devconnect. Tickets are on sale for $40 and table sponsorships are available for $500.

2016 ATHENA NOMINEES

Corine W. Ambler, Shreveport Job Corps Center

Jazmin Janiece Jernigan, Aesthetic Innovations Inc.

Pamela D. Barker, Magnolia School of Excellence

Deneé Locke, Closets in Order Teresa L. Caine, Kelly Services Inc. Jamie Bradford Lopez, SOBO Promotional Products Ree J. Casey-Jones, Ree J. Casey, Attorney

Debbie Martin, Roberts and Murphy Inc. Dianne Clark, Northwest LA Technical College Tiya “Ty” Scroggins, Scroggins Consulting, LLC Shondale T. Coleman, Magnolia Manor Margaret Scott Shehee, Kilpatrick Life Insurance Tracy Hadwin, Fire Tech Systems Inc. Sarona M. Snyder, Vintage Realty Rosie Lee James, University Health Dr. Kimberly Woods, All the Way Chiropractic