The Economy of Art

The downtown Baton Rouge office of Fishman Haygood is not a typical law office, outfitted with leather wingbacks, mahogany paneling, and mass-produced prints framed in heavy wood. At Fishman Haygood, clients are met with strong, vibrant color and a contemporary aesthetic the minute they step into the waiting room: a streamlined

orange couch, a black and yellow mural of Escher-esque loops and swirls, and a conference room peopled by colorful, pop-art characters. Each wall in the space is adorned with an international collection of contemporary art handpicked by Charles Landry, a partner at Fishman Haygood, with the expert help of Baton Rouge art dealer and gallery owner Ann Connelly. 

Landry’s workspace clearly differentiates his firm in the market, an approach that he hopes the community at large will take. “Arts and culture are so important,” said Landry. “It truly is what distinguishes a community from a place that people work, to a place people want to live.” 

Renee Chatelain, executive director of the Greater Baton Rouge Arts Council, agreed. “We celebrate the thoughtful initiative of businesses like Fishman Haygood, that understand the vital connection between the arts and a successful business community. A talented and qualified workforce must have these components, and we want these people to choose Baton Rouge.” 

Landry started off loving traditional art—fine furniture, antiques, English engravings, landscapes. But the aesthetic turn he made at his new law office was purposeful. “Not to say the past should be ignored, but what we wanted to do at the office was design a space that would be appealing to younger people. It’s hard to recruit people to Baton Rouge and also hard to have people stay here. We want people to see things like this and say, ‘This is where I want to live and work.’” 

His office, however, is just one aspect of Landry’s commitment to the cultural health of his city. Landry, who enjoys giving his time and legal expertise to help bring these projects to fruition, was instrumental in making the Shaw Center for the Arts a reality. “It was an extraordinary effort,” he said. “I believe as important as the revitalized Hilton was to downtown, the Shaw Center is what made people believe that we could have a viable downtown that you would want to come to. 

“We wanted to say that Baton Rouge was starting its move into the future, and the Shaw Center was the tipping point. I’m so thrilled to have a little piece of making that a success. The bigger reward is the community. Baton Rouge has been extraordinarily good to me.”