Three local venues partner to display a multi-site art exhibition

On the cusp of its 60th anniversary, Baton Rouge Gallery is undertaking its biggest show to date.

BRG’s President and CEO Jason Andreasen says he has been excited to show a broader range of contemporary art over the last few years. The gallery has worked with curators to bring art from across the country to the Capital Region, but an exhibit that debuts on Aug. 1 will be its largest showcase yet.

“Free As They Want To Be: Artists Committed to Memory” is a traveling exhibition that was created by the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in 2022. The show explores the role of film, photography and art in remembering the history of slavery in the United States. Other themes include identity, migration and the African diaspora. From Aug. 1 to Aug. 23, these works will be on display around East Baton Rouge and West Baton Rouge.

Given the size of this exhibition, the gallery is not large enough to house the entire collection on its own. The Baton Rouge Gallery worked with the collection’s curators to find the best way to feature the entire work. Luckily, Southern University and the West Baton Rouge Museum had the capacity to join in this project. The entire exhibit will be displayed across the three locations.

The venues’ histories add another layer to the story that “Free As They Want To Be” tells.  Before it housed local art, the Baton Rouge Gallery was once a segregated poolhouse where, in 1963, the Baton Rouge swim-in was staged. Additionally, Southern University is the largest HBCU in Louisiana and the West Baton Rouge Museum’s exhibits recount the history of cotton production, slavery and Black history in the state.  

Andreasen hopes these additional details enhance the experience and invoke a deeper connection.  

“I think the show poses questions,” Andreasen says, “and invites viewers to consider, ‘What is the legacy of slavery? How does that play into the understanding of the country, but also our city?”

Many prolific contemporary artists have works in this collection, which includes pieces in mixed media, sculpture, photography, film and projection.

Andreasen says he is excited to bring artists of such popular stature to Baton Rouge.

“You’re really talking about artists who are at the forefront of contemporary art, and to have their works come to Baton Rouge as part of a single show is really, really exciting, and not necessarily an opportunity we get as a city very often,” Andreasen says.

Another way the exhibition connects to the Capital Region is through the inclusion of works by local artists. After the BRG team told the curators about the city’s art scene, the curators selected pieces to display alongside the collection during its stay in Baton Rouge.

For Andreasen, the opportunity to show local works alongside these national names is one of the most exciting opportunities for BRG.

“It is as much about making sure that there’s representation of our local artists in this discussion as well, just as our local sites are going to be part of this conversation,” he says.

A few free educational programs will accompany the exhibit throughout the month. Programs include talks and panels led by local artists, professors, and curators, as well as a spoken-word and live musical performance.  

This multi-site exhibition is the first of its kind for BRG. To help more people see the full show, a free charter bus service will provide transportation to the locations on Aug. 8 and Aug. 22 for those who register.

​“Hopefully this show gives somebody who lives in any one of these three areas the reason or the prompt to go visit another side of town, you know, grab lunch on that side of town,” Andreason says.

​“Free As They Want To Be: Artists Committed to Memory” will be on display at the Baton Rouge Gallery, located at 1515 Dalrymple Dr.; the Southern University Art Gallery, located at 8229 Elton C. Harrison Dr.; and the West Baton Rouge Museum, located at 845 N. Jefferson Ave., from Aug. 1 to Aug. 23.