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Did you know that the Shaw Center for the Arts is not the only modern downtown building with breathtaking views and a world-class museum experience within?

The Louisiana State Museum is an award-winning building across Spanish Town Road from the State Capitol. It’s a Baton Rouge jewel that too many of us have not yet experienced.

Now is the perfect time to visit the museum to catch an unforgettable exhibit before it’s taken down Oct. 13. FLOODWALL is the creation of New Orleans artist Jana Napoli, and it gives museum visitors a profound perspective on how Hurricane Katrina affected the people and families of New Orleans.

In the days and months following the storm, Napoli collected hundreds of drawers from flooded and abandoned neighborhoods and set about cataloguing and restoring them.

She created the installation with Rondell Crier and Whirlwind Creative. They mounted the drawers as a massive wall standing 8 feet tall and stretching 96 feet. Embedded within the drawers are audio devices that project the voices of their former owners, their stories replacing what the drawers once held.

This multidimensional art installation of flood-ravaged belongings is worth your time, but the exhibit comes down Oct. 13.

The Shaw Center for the Arts has certainly grabbed its share of attention, largely because of the dynamic tenants inside: Tsunami, Capital City Grill, the LSU Museum of Art and the Manship Theatre. Those entities enjoy the benefits of robust marketing and a vibrant mix of public and private ownership.

Maybe the new state museum is less widely known because it relies on the state for marketing and promotion. With little fanfare the museum celebrated its first anniversary in February. It’s amazing to me how few people have visited this gem right in our backyard.

The architecture alone rivals that of the Shaw Center and includes a stunning covered pool and clean, open spaces within. There are two permanent exhibitions—Grounds for Greatness: Louisiana and the Nation and Experiencing Louisiana: Discovering the Soul of America. The displays take you through the heart and soul of our culture: the Louisiana Purchase, Sportsman’s Paradise and Mardi Gras traditions throughout the state. And you can see musical artifacts from some Louisiana greats such as Fats Domino, Buddy Guy, Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown and Aaron Neville.

You can visit on your own or set up a tour for your group. Admission is $6 for adults, $5 for children. Visit lsm.crt.state.la.us/BR/br.htm, or call 342-5414.

Visit this museum for yourself—it’s well worth it.

Don’t trash the Rouge

Nothing galls our readers more than our trashy, littered streets. We hear more complaints about Baton Rouge’s tendency toward unkempt public spaces and litter-strewn vacant lots than just about any other civic topic. This month’s cover story (page 60) delves into what Baton Rouge is doing—and what we still need to do—to clean up our city. Writer Jeff Roedel examines a promising program undertaken by Cincinnati, Ohio, which approached its litter problem in a systematic way. First, they defined the worst areas, then targeted the worst offenders by appealing to their own personal sense of pride. “Don’t trash the ’Nati” became a catch-phrase that even kids and teens utter to self-enforce, and to keep their city clean.

Viva Italy!

Passionate entrepreneur and restaurateur Louis DeAngelo is teaming up with Junior Achievement to provide a lucky family with a seven-day trip to Rome and La Costa Bella, Italy. Since opening his first restaurant at age 19, Lou has come to own eight popular restaurants and a specialty food and produce company.

Lou explained to me recently that the original idea was simply to send a family to Italy to experience Italian lifestyle and food. Then he thought about the values Junior Achievement teaches and promotes, realizing he aspires to similar goals: helping kids learn about free enterprise and discover their authentic selves.

I was once a student of Junior Achievement, which helped instill in me a financial foundation that serves me even now. More recently, I was a volunteer teacher, and I’ve seen first-hand the important role Junior Achievement plays. I share Lou’s vision and support his effort.

Raffle tickets for the trip to Italy go on sale at all DeAngelo’s restaurants Sept. 1, with 100% of proceeds going to the Baton Rouge Junior Achievement chapter. And who knows—next time you order a calzone, you might find yourself a few thousand miles away, saying, “Un calzone, per favore!”