South Baton Rouge pride

The Louisiana State Museum in downtown Baton Rouge launched “Pride of Place: Stories of Old South Baton Rouge” over the summer. The exhibit is linked to Lt. Governor Mitch Landrieu’s Louisiana’s African American Heritage Trail, which began last year. The launch also served to kick off the museum’s new free admission policy.

At the opening press conference, Landrieu described the exhibit as an example that “diversity is a strength, not a weakness.” He said Louisiana, and specifically Baton Rouge, could serve as a model for the nation, as evidenced by the storied history and future of Old South Baton Rouge and the partnerships that brought this exhibit and companion book, Old South Baton Rouge: The Roots of Hope, into fruition.

The multimodal exhibit features artifacts of the culturally rich African-American neighborhood from the early part of the 20th century. “Pride of Place” opens with a visual display of the evolution of Baton Rouge, including maps from 1858, 1910 and 1940. The work of acclaimed South Baton Rouge artists like Emerson Bell, Clifton Webb and Douglas Redd, as well as the instruments of famed local musicians like Buddy Guy and Herman Jackson, are on display. Large- and small-format photographs document the individual and collective intellectual successes of this community.

The year-long exhibit will also feature educational programming and regular additions to the collection.

For more information visit lsm.crt.state.la.us/BR/br.htm