DepARTures
Baton Rouge Gallery partners with the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport and Visit Baton Rouge to display local art in the concourses
There’s no denying that beyond the food and the people, Louisiana’s art—music, visual, and beyond—plays a vital role in drawing tourism. Now, visitors who fly into Baton Rouge will have a chance to take in local art and culture before even stepping outside of the airport. This is thanks to a new partnership between Baton Rouge Gallery and the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport sponsored by Visit Baton Rouge, which is snappily named “BRG@BTR”.
“BRG@BTR is a celebration of art in Louisiana and a recognition of the vital role culture plays in tourism for our city and our state,” explained President/CEO of Baton Rouge Gallery Jason Andreasen at a ribbon cutting for the new airport gallery spaces on November 16. “It is our hope that this program introduces visitors to the wealth of creative talent in our area while reminding locals using the airport of how much artists bring to the community.”
Artworks by around two dozen visual artists are already on display, with plans in store to rotate the displays out regularly with art in a variety of mediums from Baton Rouge Gallery’s roster of more than seventy local artists. The hope is that the rotation will allow repeat visitors to continually enjoy the exhibitions, and thereby deepen their appreciation for the art and culture of Baton Rouge. In addition to viewing the artwork, travelers will be provided with information on the artists, and how to purchase the works featured in the program.
“It is our hope that this program introduces visitors to the wealth of creative talent in our area while reminding locals using the airport of how much artists bring to the community.” —Jason Andreasen, President/CEO of Baton Rouge Gallery.
As of now, the artists whose work is slated for inclusion are John Alleyne, Jamie Baldridge, Danielle Burns, Mary Ann Caffery, Rob Carpenter, Samuel J. Corso, Mary Lee Eggart, Leslie Elliottsmith, James Flynn, Rosemary Goodell, Randell Henry, Theresa Herrera, Michael W. Howes, Kathryn Hunter, Ross Jahnke, Brad Jensen, Kelli Scott Kelley, Brian Kelly, Eleanor Owen Kerr, Leslie Koptcho, Phyllis Lear, Kathleen Lemoine, Matt Morris, Kelly A. Mueller, Thomas Neff, Nonney Oddlokken, Isoko Onodera, Jacqueline Dee Parker, and Van Wade-Day.
“It’s been an honor to work alongside the Baton Rouge Metro Airport and Visit Baton Rouge—not to mention our incredible team at BRG—to bring this special project to life inside the state’s second largest airport,” Andreasen said.