On Louisiana Highways, Let the Good ARTS Roll

Sharp-eyed drivers in this and surrounding states should keep their eyes peeled for a new design brightening the backsides of Bayou State vehicles this month. Unveiled at the Louisiana State Capitol on April 18, the first-ever Louisiana specialty license plate celebrating the arts features work by Lafayette artist/author/illustrator Denise Gallagher, whose design was chosen from among 111 entries submitted to a juried competition run by the Louisiana Partnership for the Arts. 

Gallagher’s winning design features an egret, a book, a fiddle, a trumpet, a catfish, a crab, and the slogan “Laissez les ARTS Rouler,” all set against an aqua-blue background. To make it all work, Gallagher put on both her artist’s and graphic designer’s hats. “As an artist I love the visual language of Louisiana,” she explained. “I love where I live. I love folklore. So, I wanted to bring in the art, the food, the wildlife, the music, the literature of Louisiana. As a designer, I have to solve graphic design problems. On a license plate there’s not much room. So, I tried to boil the visual language down to the symbolism, while still giving it that Louisiana funk, that Louisiana grit, and doing it in my style.”

Gallagher, the author/illustrator of children’s books including A Tip Tap Tale (2016) and Moonsong (2021) credits children’s literature with teaching her how to make small images convey big ideas. Of the challenge of representing the arts on a license plate—a moving canvas that has an instant to deliver its impression—she said, “You have to think hard about the imagery—about how to quickly represent music and literature and fine art and the theatre arts. So, that part was choosing icons, then presenting them in a visual language most people can quickly understand.” 

Since Louisiana’s specialty Arts license plate will carry her message beyond the Bayou State, Gallagher was asked what impression she hopes it will make on drivers who spot it in Montana, say, or Maine. “I would love for people who see it to feel like Louisiana must have a real story to tell, a rich history to share,” she said. “And Laissez les ARTS Rouler: Maybe they’ll be intrigued and look up what it means, and get a taste of what Louisiana has to offer in music and art and food and literature, too.” 

The Louisiana Specialty License Plate Celebrating the Arts will cost $64, and will be available through the OMV website in six to eight weeks. Those wishing to reserve a plate ahead can email info@artsforlouisiana.com. Proceeds from plate sales benefit the Louisiana Partnership for the Arts, a statewide alliance of arts organizations, artists and advocates that empower the arts community to enhance quality of life for all Louisianans. artforlouisiana.com.