Acadiana Center for the Arts

Stephan Collier

John Hathorn

February 9 - April 13, 2013

A Retrospective

John Hathorn�s work is best described as painting all about painting. That is, painting that

is not about a didactic approach to have the viewer learn something empirical, political, or

factual, but painting that lets you peek into a world of the artist who is hooked by love, curiosity,

passion, and obsession with this viscos, lyrical, sometimes cumbersome, illusive and beautiful

thing called paint. Paint in Hathorn�s hands works as a poetic medium. In his poetry, we visually

meander through each work, retracing his journey to seize what cannot be captured and that

which is sublime. Essences of spirit, emotion, and desire flame his extrasensory world.

John Hathorn occasionally selects a humble object and imbeds it or juxtaposes it to his work.

He selects a typewriter, a rock, a string, or a vile of salt for its personal appeal as well as its

universal allure. The objects work as a counterpoint to the frozen moment of artistic gestural

expression that paint allows. He speaks of things that are not tangible and then uses corporal

things only to render them elusive. This is John Hathorn�s language. Objects work as temporal

metaphors and concrete reality, simultaneously.

As John Hathorn�s work developed, he has introduced discernable script. It functions as a form

of abstracted mark-making as well as a physical language. It bridges a world of mere paint and

expressive voice. The result is poetry that lingers in a loop of reality, fantasy, art, and spirituality.

To experience Hathorn�s work is to hold onto a cloud. The vapor is something you know and

have seen for most days of your life, but yet you cannot grasp or hold onto its certainty; and with

that familiarity and uncertainty, you long to experience it again and again.

Hathorn grew up in Mississippi and was the youngest child of three in a family where education

was paramount. He chose an unlikely path as an artist. But his path afforded him a life long

journey to learn and explore as evident in the 30 years of work that is on display here at the AcA.

Hathorn, a resident of Lafayette, has been a professor of art at UL (formerly USL) for 31 years.

He is married to visual artist Mary Ellen Leger.

Enjoy.

Passion: The Art of Collecting
From the collection of the Georgia Museum of Art
on loan from Giuliano M. Ceseri

Giuliano Ceseri was one month old when World War II erupted in his home country of Italy. He was born the son of a tenant farmer on the Strozzi Estate in Ponte a Mensola, where his family had worked since the 1600s. When he was four, the Germans appropriated his family home for use as a radio station. The Ceseris were forced to live in the basement of the Strozzi�s villa. In the villa, for the first time, Giuliano was exposed to an abundance of art and antiquities, and his curiosity was ignited.

In 1951 after the war, Ceseri went to work in a factory that made nightlights of illuminated religious imagery and musical jewelry boxes. This same year, at the age of 11, he purchased his first work of art by Stefano Della Bella from a small antique shop run by the Contessa Mei. The etching engraving of a horse head and cavalryman is present in this exhibition.

In his early twenties, Ceseri left his home in Ponte a Mensola and moved to an apartment in Florence to work as a waiter. Between his shifts at the restaurant, he would scour antique and junk shops for treasures. His collection began to grow. But in 1966 Florence suffered a devastating flood and Ceseri lost all of his belongings. The only exception was the art that hung above the three-foot waterline. With his possessions depleted, Ceseri traveled throughout Europe as an art scout for a wealthy patron. From this he realized that his keen eye had significant business potential.

Ceseri opened a gallery in Florence in 1969. He specialized in art, antiquities, and converting candelabras into lamps. Here he amassed hundreds of works of art, and in 1974, he was invited to the U.S. to exhibit a portion of his collection at the USL art museum entitled, "America through a European Eye.� He has since lived in the U.S.

Ceseri�s passion for art has grown beyond half a century to an assemblage of more than 4,000 works of art, a fraction of which are on exhibit here at the AcA. Specializing in drawings, Ceseri also collects paintings, etchings, engravings, sculpture and antiquities. The collection spans from 4000 BC, with a Mesopotamian cuneiform to the present, including many works by contemporary artists. Some of the objects remain unsigned, but with Ceseri�s ardent eye and ability to patiently research art and artists, he has frequently matched the artwork to its creator. He remains an avid collector to this day and occasionally acts as a dealer.

Ceseri�s tireless pursuits have been driven by a passion to experience the art he so loves. He graciously shares with us in this exhibition the joy of finding works that speak to the human condition. His collection is unified by clarity of vision that only an artist himself can elicit.

� Mary Beyt

Reconfigure: Transformations of the Body
August 11, 2012 - October 13, 2012

FEATURED ARTISTS:

Marcello Boccacci, Leslie Dill, George Dureau, Stephen Hoskins, Harriet Kline, Donald Leblanc, Marino Marini, Eugene J. Martin, Ben Fox-McCord, Natalie McLaurin, Chicory Miles, Lisa Osborn, Michael Pajon, Gina Phillips, Chyrl Savoy, Filadelfo Simi, Robert Stickloon, Rufino Tamayo, Marcello Tommasi, Johnathan J. Wilson.

Doodle Virus
August 11, 2012 - October 6, 2012

The AcA's Side Gallery will host Doodle Virus, which will feature postcard doodles, altered postcards
and collaged postcards from artist who have previously exhibited at the AcA. All work will be a 4''x6''
format and will be for sale to the general public. The second month of the exhibition everyone is
invited to doodle and submit his or her postcards to be hung along with the exhibiting artist. The show
will truly by contagious.

Prospect Lafayette
November 12, 2012 - January 28, 2012

Jonathan Hicks

The most exciting development for Acadiana's visual arts scene is the selection of AcA as a satellite location of Prospect.2 New Orleans. Prospect.2 is one of the most highly anticipated contemporary arts events in the United States. The exhibition entitled Prospect Lafayette will open in the Acadiana Center for the Arts Main Gallery for a complimentary viewing during the 2nd Saturday ArtWalk, November 12, 2011 from 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. and will run through January 21, 2012.

This exhibition is coordinated with the opening and closing of Prospect.2, the most significant international arts bi-annual in North America, for which it will comprise both an annex and a historical overview. Prospect Lafayette will feature works by Icelandic artist Ragnar Kjartansson as well as Bruce Davenport, Jr., Dawn Dedeaux and significant works originally shown in Prospect.1 including Willie Birch and Prospect.1.5 artist Regina Scully, Jonathan Hicks and Tameka Norris. AcA is proud to partner with Prospect.2 and would like to thank Prospect curator Dan Cameron for assembling this exhibition.

Lost and Found: Louisiana's Landscapes Revisited
February 11, 2012 - April 28, 2012

Aubrey Edwards

Lost and Found: Louisiana's Landscape Revisited focuses on the use of the landscape as impetus and inspiration for artist. "Landscape art has been admired throughout Louisiana's history. In this exhibition, the landscape may be referenced or act as an impetus for creativity. However, a transformation of the bucolic occurs. This reinterpreted "Landscape affords the viewer a unique experience of our beloved setting. The show attempts to expose the bounty of reinterpretations that are currently being explored in our state. This show includes artist:
Philip Gould, Fonville Winons, Robert Polidori, Aubrey Edwards, Lee Deigaard, David Webber, Courtney Egan, David Sullivan, Jessica Bizer, Ralph Bourque, Alexander J. Drysdale, Reggie Rodrigue, Hannah Chalew, Thomas Deaton, Jonathan Ryan, Meghan Fleming, Brandon Ballengée, Rachel Jones, Kathy Reed and Steve Breaux, and Luis Cruz Azaceta

From the Collection of Burnell Lemoine Part II
January 14, 2012 - February 4, 2012

From the Collection of Burnell Lemoine: Part II focuses on the painting, sculpture and ceramic works in the collection of Burnell Lemoine. Mr. Lemoine began collecting works in the late 1960s while working as a middle school social studies and language arts teacher in Lafourche Parish public schools. Mr. Lemoine amassed more than 1200 individual works of art over the last 40 plus years of which over 25 works are on display here. In his quest for discovering new works, Mr. Lemoine often became friendly with the artists and then began to collect their work. Mr. Lemoine described his love for art and its ability to capture southern culture and it�s history. The Clementine Hunter, George Rodrigue, Noel Rockmore and many others are a testament to his vision. Mr. Lemoine retired in December of 2011 as Superintendent of Schools for the Lafayette Parish School System with more than 45 years of public service. Mr. Lemoine played an integral part in the development of the arts in the public school system, launching the PACE program (Primary Academic Creative Experience), which provides nearly 7000 sessions of arts-integrated lessons to students in grades K � 3 every year and the Pelicans on Parade painted sculpture project.

Southern Open 2012

The Southern Open is a competitive juried exhibition featuring artists from the 5 southern states of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. Taking place in the Main Gallery at the AcA, Southern Open 2012 includes all types of original media: painting, drawing, sculpture, photography and video/DVD provided by visual artists over the age of 18.

Exhibition to Open

May 12

David Sullivan

The AcA is excited to announce the artists that will participate for Southern Open 2012. Seventy-five pieces of art created by 31 artists will be showcased in the Main Gallery.

The Southern Open is a competitive juried exhibition featuring artists from the 5 southern states of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. Taking place in the Main Gallery at the AcA, Southern Open 2012 includes all types of original media: painting, drawing, sculpture, installation, photography and video/DVD provided by visual artists over the age of 18.

Congratulations to the following artists who have been selected to participate!

Southern Open 2012:

Chad Aldridge, Richard Armendariz, David Armentor, M R Barry, Kathy Baus, Heather Bause, Joe Bennett, David Bogus, Sesthasak Boonchai, Matthew Broussard, Shanna Dantonio, Lee Deigaard, Keith Dorwick, Troy Dugas, Kurt Dyrhaug, Terry Grow, Sandria Hu, Weston Lambert, Colin Miller, Emee Morgan, Stephanie Patton, Pat Phillips, Alex Podesta, Akasha Rabut, Alice Raymond, Gregory Reuter, Cynthia Scott, Trish Simonite, Brian St Cyr, David Sullivan, Jonathan Vaughan

Each year the AcA curator chooses a single juror who then selects which artwork will be included in the Southern Open. This year, juror Rene Barilleaux, Chief Curator and Curator of Art after 1945 at the Mcnay Art Museum in San Antonio, Texas, sifted through 750 pieces of artwork submitted by over 150 artists to select the finalists.

This years juror's pick is Lee Diegarrd and runner ups are Alex Podesta and David Sullivan. Lee Diegarrd will receive a solo exhibition as part of the AcA Side Gallery Series during May 2013.

Southern Open 2012 Juror Rene Barilleaux

Rene Paul Barilleaux is Chief Curator and Curator of Art after 1945 at the McNay Art Museum in San Antonio, Texas. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from The University of Southwestern Louisiana in 1979, and a Master of Fine Arts degree from Pratt Institute in 1981. Prior to the McNay, Barilleaux held curatorial positions at the Mississippi Museum of Art; Halsey Gallery, College of Charleston, South Carolina; Madison Art Center, Wisconsin; and Museum of Holography, New York.

Since joining the staff of the McNay in 2005, Barilleaux organized solo exhibitions of the work of Lynda Benglis, Judith Godwin, Jane Hammond, Joseph Marioni, Ernesto Pujol, and Sandy Skoglund, as well as American Art Since 1945: In a New Light and Recent Acquisitions: Modern and Contemporary Art. He collaborated with fellow McNay curators on Neither Model nor Muse: Women as Artists, and in spring 2011 organized the award-winning exhibition and book New Image Sculpture. Barilleaux's next major exhibition for the McNay, Andy Warhol: Fame and Misfortune, opens in Feburary 2012, accompanied by a book of the same title.

In addition to exhibitions created for the institutions listed, Barilleaux organized exhibitions presented at the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; and MIT Museum, Cambridge, Massachusetts, among others. In addition, he taught courses in art history and museum studies at the College of Charleston and Millsaps College, Jackson, Mississippi.

Luba Zygarewicz
May 12, 2012 - June 2, 2012

Thread, el hilo de mis dia

Luba Zygarewicz was born in Chile, in 1965, grew up in Bolivia, and moved to San Francisco
at the age of 15. Zygarewicz says, "My work is in response to life situations and my daily struggle
as a woman to be a wife, a mom, a teacher, and an artist. Thus, she gravitates to creating
pieces that in time accumulate to a large whole, while daily working a bit a time with mundane
materials readily accessible.

Her new exhibition entitled Thread expresses a journey and an investigation of how to make visible
that which invisibly passes by : time.

Luba received her BA in Visual Arts from Loyola University, New Orleans in 1989 and her MFA from
San Francisco Art Institute in 1994.

Lynda Katz, Works in Porcelain Clay

May 12, 2012 - June 30

The exhibition will include functional and decorative porcelain vessels inspired by local flora and fauna.
For more info on Lynda's work click the links below:

http://www.apu.apus.edu/academic/faculty-members/bio/2637/lynda-katz
http://countryroadsmagazine.com/Profiles-People-Places/lynda-katz-of-patience-and-pottery

Another Time: Paintings by Carolyn Scalfano Faulk and Eric Todd
June 9, 2012 - August 4, 2012

Generic Art Solutions

July 14, 2012 - August 4, 2012

The New Orleans-based art duo Generic Art Solutions has spent a good amount of time examining the relationship between real life gun play and its' portrayal in entertainment media. Beginning with their title "Bullet Proof", the artists have bisected what would otherwise be an exclamation of inpenetrability in exchange for a strategic disassembly of Hollywood's codified and glorified fictions.

For example, their "Motel Suite" is a series of 18 photographs taken in a New Orleans area motel where they have created a mysterious narrative involving two heavily armed men doing mundane things like eating chips, brushing their teeth, and cleaning their guns. These vignettes portray subtle shifts between fatigue, tension, and uncertainty as the duo (played by the artists Vis and Campbell) waits for the call to execute their mission. These photographs are a voyeuristic look into the psychology of "killing time" before the "hit" rather than the glorified "kill time" scenes dominant in so many Hollywood movies. But who are these men, and which side of the law are they on? This information, like the nature of their mission itself, is not all together clear. This abstract narrative provides a more intimate look into the nature of modern violence and a measured examination of mysterious covert activities that requires these men to walk the tightrope that is strung up between good and evil.