Capitol City Contemporary 4: Food, Glorious Food

The Louisiana Art & Science Museum may be known for its more ancient artifacts—a 2,300-year-old mummy and a 66 million year old Triceratops skull are among its most famous residents—but it's just as excited to showcase the dynamic work artists are producing today. This June, the Art & Science Museum unveils the fourth round of the Capitol City Contemporary, a series featuring the work of local and regional artists curated around the current theme: food.

The subject is delectable in more ways than one. Because the series is from the work of local artists, there is a particular emphasis on Louisiana's unique cuisine and the culture surrounding it (a treat for natives and visitors alike). The exhibit also works as a complement with Feast for the Eyes: The Story of Food in Photography, adding to the conversation of how food is portrayed in art.

Part of the mission of the popular series is to bring the Baton Rouge community into contact with its artists, encouraging “the public to embrace the arts and encouraging the artist community to produce work,” as Chief Curator Elizabeth Weinstein noted when Contemporary made its debut in 2014.

The museum invites its members to strengthen that connection with a special preview reception to be held on June 14 at 6 pm. Don't miss your chance to be among the first to explore the new CCC exhibition as well as meet the talent behind the creations and delve into the local arts scene!

“It's a chance for those who support the Museum to come and meet artists who actually live and work in the Baton Rouge area and a little bit beyond,” says Nick BeJeaux, Audience Engagement & Public Relations Manager for the Museum. “This kind of access is not typically associated with museums. The general public usually associates the works housed in them with artists that have been out of the picture, so to speak, for a long time. Here, our members will be able to engage one-on-one with the hearts and minds that created the works on our walls.”

Capitol City Contemporary opens for display on June 13, but this exclusive preview reception is an event open only to LASM members.

Not a member yet? You still have a chance to sign up for membership online, or even become one at the door. There's minimal paperwork, and you get access to the most appetizing art exhibits in downtown Baton Rouge, sips and nibbles (only appropriate, given the subject matter), and insights from working artists—not to mention free admission to the museum for a year.