There should be a painted and dancing, colorful line running down the Texas St sidewalk from Artspace at 710 Texas to the Southern University Museum of Art at 610 Texas. Together these galleries comprise an almost perfect pair of evocative art experiences. Carolyn Coatney, coordinator, and Jeffrey Baker, facilitator, manage the extraordinary Southern Metro Campus gallery, officially called Southern University Museum of Art at Shreveport (SUMAS). It is filled with some 400 pieces of African statuary, paintings, fabrics and work in metal.
The 2-story Southern U gallery is what I would call downtown Shreveport's most ecstatic secret. The masks, clothing, instruments, utensils and figures are thickly populated and evocative; there is a surprise round every corner. The artwork was collected by Southern president Dr. Leon Tarver during a 15-year period of visiting the African continent, said Baker.
SUMAS is open Tuesday through Friday, 10 am to 5 pm. Saturdays it is open 10 to 4 pm. Entrance is free; tours are welcome. More info: 676-5520 or 678-4631.
2 comments:
Thanks, Robert. I feel like such a dope. I didn't even know it was there.
Thanks, Michael. For various reasons, tons of people have yet to realize it's there. I wish SRAC/Artspace and SUMAS would make a joint brochure to publicize their synergistic proximity.
Post a Comment