Paint the Night RED

Louisiana Art & Science Museums’s annual fundraising gala is already known as one of the best parties for a cause on the city’s calendar, but this year’s promises to be an especially good time. The theme is RED, coinciding with both the bicentennial of the City of Baton Rouge and the opening of a new exhibition: The Red That Colored the World, an exploration of the science and cultural importance of the vivid red dye carmine. Carmine comes from the cochineal beetle (really a scale insect, but hey), which naturally lives on certain Central American cacti. Indigenous people used it before colonization, and after European contact, the dye spread around the world, coloring clothes, food, lips, and nearly anything else that needed to be red until the rise of synthetic dyes in the 19th century. The fascinating science and huge cultural impact of this buggy hue make it a perfect fit for the museum, and to extend the idea to theme the annual gala was too good an opportunity to pass up.

Partygoers can expect the very best food and drink the city offers, along with excellent live music. An added draw is the silent auction, which offers tickets to shows and events, travel, sets of bottles of wine, and much more, with all proceeds supporting the museum’s mission of bringing arts and science exhibits and programming to the Capital Region. The gala takes place September 22, from 7:30 pm-10 pm, at the museum. For more information about gala tickets, sponsorships, donations and mobile bidding, visit lasm.org or call (225) 344-5272, ext. 151. Dress is cocktail attire or coat and tie.