This week: Art from the ceiling to the floor

The summer doldrums have already begun, but there are still great things to do around town that don’t require being out in the sauna-like temps and may even keep the right side of your brain stimulated.

Every first Wednesday of the month finds new art on the walls (and sometimes off the walls) of the Baton Rouge Gallery. Today brings Amy James’s black and white photographs depicting her struggles as a single mother, Phyllis Lear’s sculptural works re-envisioning birds’ nests as chalices, and Kelly A. Mueller’s pattern-based, ceiling-hung installations (pictured, courtesy BR Gallery). The opening reception starts at 7 p.m. tonight.

And Sunday at 4 p.m., stop by the Gallery again for the ARTiculate Artist Talk with all three of the showcased artists discussing their techniques and inspirations. Go to batonrougegallery.org for more.

Over at the LSU Museum of Art, the second Saturday of the month is always free admission, which means you can see Gabriel Dawe’s giant rainbow-like installation using more than 37 miles of colorful thread in person. Also on the walls is the A Tale of Two Cities exhibit, featuring black and white photos of New York and Paris from the early 1900s, and a sister exhibit taken from LSU’s Textile and Costume Museum that features fashions from both cities during that same period. There are also art-making activities for the kids on Saturday as well, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. For more information, go to lsumoa.com.