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FOR IMMEDATE RELEASE
Contact: Mark Tullos
(337) 482-1369
resources@louisiana.edu
HILLIARD MUSEUM ANNOUNCES
SPRING 2009 EXHIBITIONS
PISTOLS: DAZZLING FIREARMS AT THE AUTRY NATIONAL CENTER
January 17 through May 30, 2007
LAFAYETTE, LA - The Autry National Center is celebrating over twenty years of collecting exceptional firearms with its first exhibition drawn from its extensive collection. This exhibit brings together over fifty of the most magnificent decorative and historically important American firearms from the Autry’s permanent collection, selected for their extraordinary quality, condition, and elegance. Pistols: Dazzling Firearms was organized by the Museum of the American West, Autry National Center in Los Angeles and will open on January 17, 2009, and run through May 30. The Lafayette Pistols exhibition is the only one offered in the American south and a rare opportunity to view one of the finest collections of its kind in the world.
Highlights of the show include Wild Bill Hickok’s Model 1851 Navy revolver, Annie Oakley’s Smith and Wesson, and six presidential guns designed by the Colt Company, including one designed for President John F. Kennedy. One of the most elegant and unique pieces in the collection was a gift from Jackie Autry to Gene Autry on his eighty-first birthday. The remarkable Autry-Tiffany Dragoon, the product of a collaboration between Leonard Francolini and Tiffany & Co. designers, is elaborately decorated with two well-known paintings of the American West: Frederic Remington’s A Dash for Timber and Buffalo Hunt, Chase by George Catlin.
The exhibition will explore the political, social, and historical aspects of the decorative pistols; the influence of iconic Western painting; and the artistic talent of firearms engravers. This exhibition reveals how art, historical events, and popular culture have shaped the design and symbolism of decorative firearms.
MORE THAN WORDS: ILLUSTRATED LETTERS FROM THE SMITHSONIAN’S
ARCHIVES OF AMERICAN ART
February 7 through April 18, 2009
Personal letters from some of the most important artists of the 19th and 20th centuries will soon be on display as part of the new Smithsonian traveling exhibition, More Than Words: Illustrated Letters from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art was organized by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Services and Archive of American Art. The exhibition provides a unique look into the lives of key artists, including Thomas Eakins, Frida Kahlo, Marcel Duchamp, Dale Chihuly and Andy Warhol, through handwritten letters to family members, friends and business associates. The exhibit will remain on view through April 18, 2009 before continuing a 10-city national tour.
“The personal letters featured in More Than Words uncover new insights into the personalities and creative processes of some of America’s finest artists,” said Liza Kirwin, the exhibition’s curator and curator of manuscripts at the Archives of American Art. “In this age of modern technology, the works are designed to inspire us to communicate more thoughtfully and remind us to cherish handwritten, personal communications.”
Each writer’s unique style provides interesting clues about their personality. While some of the letters were sent as personal notes, others explore the travels or business relations of the artists. Most of the letters include drawings, caricatures, watercolors and collages that further shed light on each artist’s individuality. A book that complements the exhibition has been published by Princeton Architectural Press (2005) and will be available in the museum store.
Organized by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service and the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
GEORGE RODRIGUE: IMAGES OF HOME
January 17 through September 5, 2009
A native of New Iberia, Louisiana, Rodrigue’s early paintings (1970s) center on his Cajun background and childhood memories of family outings, Cajun customs, portraits of family, friends and neighbors, and the landscape of this area. Live Oak trees and interpretations of legendary myths infuse Rodrigue’s “Cajun” works with a sense of mystery, humor, and joie de vive characteristic of this southwest Louisiana culture.
UAM will showcase selected works from its permanent collection along with works borrowed from local and regional collections. The exhibition, organized by the Paul and Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum will be on view January 17 through September 5, 2009.
BEVERLY ERDREICH: METAPHOR BOXES AND DRAWINGS
February 7 through April 4, 2009
Erdreich’s work is an installation composed of eight mixed-media drawings each paired with an assemblage of found objects and manipulated materials. Though the works exist independently, they are made more powerful and poignant in relationship to one another. Each pairing presents a point of view which exposes the confusions, dichotomies and contradictions found in societal messages surrounding violence, substance abuse, prejudice, religion, and loss of childhood innocence. The exhibition was organized by the Paul and Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum.
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The Paul and Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum in Lafayette, Louisiana is Acadiana’s architectural landmark and the largest art museum between Houston and New Orleans. The Museum features a variety of changing exhibitions and a continuing schedule of lectures and programs. Come enjoy the Museum and the beauty of University of Louisiana at Lafayette campus just blocks away from the galleries, shops, and famous restaurants of downtown Lafayette and the Oil Center.
Hours and Admission:
Tuesday –Saturday 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Sunday and Monday- Closed
General Information:
Please visit http://museum.louisiana.edu or call 337-482-2278
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