A Jubilee on Display

Back in 1953, as Baton Rouge was still developing into the city we recognize today (with far fewer strip malls and many more trees), local artists Barbara Beaucoudray, Dale Hammond, Kathleen Willie, and Mrs. Curtis Barton requested a meeting with Jay Broussard, the original head of the Louisiana Art Commission (the only art commission in the country, back then). At a time when funding and support for the arts was even harder to come by than it is today, they sought Broussard’s help in drafting a charter for something unheard of in Louisiana at that time: an Artists’ Guild.

They presented their charter at the Old State Capitol, which soon enough became the newly-formed Art Guild of Louisiana’s meeting place. Under Beaucoudray’s leadership as the Guild’s original president, the group presented their first exhibition on the fence of the Old State Capitol, thus solidifying their place as a resource for artists and art enthusiasts in Baton Rouge. “Art is a necessary phase of life, fundamental to the cultural growth of our state,” Beaucoudray once said of the Guild’s role in Louisiana.

The group continued to expand both in membership and scope as the years went on. In 1978, it obtained non-profit status, which allowed the Guild to sponsor more exhibitions, workshops, art festivals, scholarships for high schoolers pursuing visual arts, and two LPB art programs. In 2003, a partnership with BREC provided them with a new home in BREC’s Cedarcrest Park Building, better known as The Studio in the Park—where the Guild today hosts workshops, meetings, and open artist studio sessions.

Today, the Art Guild of Louisiana is a vibrant and active community of around 150 local artists. They range from decorated professionals whose work has been shown in galleries across the nation, to beginners picking up paintbrushes for the first time, seeking guidance on where to even begin. Besides connecting art-minded residents, the Guild provides infrastructure and support that can be hard to come by in the arts.

Judi Betts, who at 86 years old is a renowned watercolor painter, retired public school art teacher, and lifetime member of the Guild since she first moved to Baton Rouge in 1956 as well as a former president, says that the group is how she was able to first become part of a community of fellow artists in Baton Rouge; introducing her to many of her lifelong friends. “It was a happy situation for me, and I got to know some of the local people,” Betts said. “Generous, that’s the word I’d use to describe the Art Guild. They’re kind to people that haven’t painted before, and they’re very receptive to people who have painted.”

The Guild marks its jubilee anniversary this year, looking back on seventy years of connecting artists and providing them with opportunities in the Bayou State. To celebrate, an exhibition of artworks by 31 former Guild members including living artists like Greg Kiger, Stan Routh, and Judi Betts; as well as some who have passed on, like Mary Jane Cox, will be on display through the month of June in the Louisiana Archives. 

To celebrate the group's Jubilee anniversary, an exhibition of influential former Guild members' artwork will be held at the Louisiana State Archives from June 2–29. A closing reception will take place on June 29 from 5 pm–7 pm. Admission is free. artguildlouisiana.org.