Saturday morning began with a slight hitch as our bus driver learned about the problems that can result from the high sidewalk curbs of downtown Baton Rouge. (The problem being a stuck bus door that was unstuck while the group was touring the state capitol building.)

The tallest state capitol building in the U.S. is approached from a grand staircase of 48 steps, representing each of the then 48 states. On the interior, the two-story Memorial Hall is an amazing display of material and detail, including walls of Vermont and Italian marbles, a bronze relief map of Louisiana, rich murals, and priceless vases of porcelain and solid gold. During our tour of the capitol we also learned much about the man responsible for its creation, the legendary / notorious Huey P. Long. The fact that this eloaborate Art Deco structure was built in only 14 months stands as a testament to the power that "The Kingfish" held over the state. Bullet holes are still visible in the corridor where Long was assassinated in 1935, and his statue-grave sits in the center of the front gardens.

. Hill settled here in 1988, using a tent as his shelter on a small plot of property along Bayou Petit Caillou. Shortly after he built a simple home for himself, and in 1990 he suddenly started to assemble bricks and concrete into a fantastic environment of colorful sculptures. Religious in nature, the sculptural figures express struggle and pain along with deep spirituality. Hill included himself in many of the compositions, with bleeding heart, guided and lifted by angels. The central work in the garden is a 45-foot lighthouse, covered with clinging figures including ships, soldiers, cowboys, angels, and a Christ-like self-portrait. Without explanation, Hill left Chauvin and his incredible creation in early 2000, and is now reportedly living in Arkansas. Before he left town, a Nicholls State University art professor asked him asked, "Is this your vision?" Hill replied, "It's about living and life and everything I've learned."

Our guides for the tour were Kathy Chauvin and Jenny Authement of the Nicholls State University Art Studio. (The studio is just across the road from the garden and houses a small museum devoted to Hill and exhibits work by regional artists.)

Kenny Hill's Chauvin Sculpture Garden

From Chauvin it was northeast to New Orleans, to help celebrate the rebirth and rebuilding of the Crescent City. Our first stop was on the west bank of the Mississippi, in the Algiers District, to visit an old friend of the Orange Show, artist Charles Gillam and his Folk Art Zone. Gillam has used his love of woodcarving and painting to transform blighted properties into a refuge of revitalization. Gillam, who was born near Alexandria, grew up in the Lower Ninth Ward. As a teenager, he became fascinated with the artists of the French Quarter and asked them for discarded brushes and leftover paint. One of his first mentors was painter Willie White, considered one of the legendary folk artists of New Orleans. Several years later Charles found inspiration in the driftwood and cypress branches that he picked up along the levee banks of the Mississippi. From the found wood he began carving totems and figures, many dedicated to the giants of blues, jazz, and soul music. In 2000, the chance visit of artist Dr. Charles Smith, who was revisiting his hometown of New Orleans, led to a collaboration that became The Folk Art Zone. Charles and his family guided us through the two main components of the project, the Blues Museum as well as the exterior sculpture garden (including a moving tribute to the victims of the World Trade Center attacks). We are certain that over the next few years there will be even more incredible additions to The Zone, and we can't wait to get back.

Charles Gillam's Folk Art Zone
artist Charles Gillam

photo courtesy Charles Gillam
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