Celebrate Louisiana art with the exclusive opening of Weeks Hall, Avant Garde, an exhibit showcasing rarely displayed works by William Weeks Hall the last private owner of the Shadows-on-the-Teche. The event will be Sat., May 10 from 4 – 6 p.m. at the Shadows Visitor Center (320 E. Main St., New Iberia) and is free to attend, but space is limited. Register online to secure your spot.
The exhibition will present a curated collection of his works spanning his entire career, from his early drawings as a young boy to paintings completed later in his life. The exhibit will run from May 10 to July 26 and can be viewed at the Shadows Visitor Center Thursday-Saturday from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
About Weeks Hall:
Despite being a mediocre student who never graduated high school, Weeks Hall’s early pencil drawings reveal his budding artistic talent. Ultimately, his talent and passion for art allowed him to attend the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, where he studied from 1913-1918.
After World War I, Weeks Hall embarked on an almost two-year European tour, expanding his horizons and deepening his appreciation for European art and architecture. In 1922, Weeks Hall returned home to New Iberia where he began restoring the Shadows, a project that would last the rest of his life. Throughout the painstaking restoration of the home, Weeks Hall continued to paint.
Additional programs in this series:
- June 7 at 10 a.m.: Murals & Street Art: Preserving & Sharing Community Culture – Join Paul Schexnayder on a downtown murals tour that celebrates murals and street art. Ticketed event with light refreshments.
- July 17 at 5:30 p.m.: Clementine Hunter and Louisiana Folk Art – Continue to celebrate Louisiana art with Tommy Whitehead, author of Clementine Hunter: Her Life and Art. Join the Shadows for a virtual webinar partnering with the National Trust’s Historic Artists’ Homes and Studios. Virtual only.
About Shadows-on-the-Teche:
The Shadows-on-the-Teche, National Trust for Historic Preservation site, opened to the public in 1961 with the mission to preserve the buildings, landscape, collections, and historical integrity of the site; to research and interpret through education programs a 19th century southern Louisiana plantation economy and community and their evolution; and to encourage an appreciation of and interest in historic preservation.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation, which owns and operates the Shadows-on-the-Teche, is a private, non-profit organization. The Shadows does not receive funding from federal, state, parish, or city government. The site supports itself through admissions, special programs and events, and donations to the Friends of the Shadows. For more information, visit their website.
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