'Art in the Rafters Quatre' Art Show/Market set Oct. 6

 

   Local artists and their art are the focus of the popular “Art in the Rafters” -- the Avoyelles Arts Council’s fall art exhibit and membership drive.
   Now in its fourth year, the event returns to the Avoyelles Courthouse Square this Thursday (Oct. 6) with a dazzling showcase of painting, photography and sculpture to be displayed in the upstairs balcony of Bailey’s on the Square and in an outdoor art and vendor marketplace on Ogden Street. 
   “Art in the Rafters” features amateur and professional artists. It also includes crafts workers like Dale P. Bordelon, known for carving pirogues using the same methods as the Indians. The event also coincides with the Arts Council's annual membership drive.
   “Our membership has grown immensely from this event because our community can actually see art in action,” Arts Council President Allison Ravare-Augustine said.
   “‘Art in the Rafters’ is meant to inspire people and conversation about local culture,” Arts Council board member Donny Gagnard said. “This is the only forum some of these people have for displaying their art.” 
   Gagnard is also the chairperson for the exhibit.
   There is no vendor fee for artists to participate in either showing or selling their wares during the event. Some booth space was still available as of press time for this edition.
   The art exhibit hanging in the upstairs “Rafters Gallery” at Bailey’s is a collection of local and regional art covering a broad range of subjects, including many inspired by Louisiana customs and nature.
   Stunning photography and contemporary canvases add diversity and other points of view to the exhibit. A few showcase the creative talent of some of the parish’s youth.
   Hors d'oeuvres and live entertainment by the critically acclaimed Cenla Brass Band will add to the enjoyment and festive atmosphere of the event.
   A few of the artists featured in the exhibit include Leah Moreau Morace of Effie, Annie Aymond of Marksville, Longbridge native Corey Gagnard, Danielle Ford of Marksville and Corey Scott Mayeux of Marksville.
   Morace is an artist in residence at The River Oaks Art Center in Alexandria and is also an Arts Council board member. Her vibrant canvases often depict Louisiana's exotic marsh birds or marine life -- often set against richly textured backgrounds of varying hues.
   Aymond has been painting for 10 years and is known for abstract color studies that incorporate mixed media and gold leaf. 
   Corey Gagnard is a painter and carpenter who does intricate, sometimes whimsical and often very colorful pieces using various media. He currently resides in Rapides Parish.
   Ford displayed, and sold, her first painting at the very first ‘Art in the Rafters’ exhibit while she was still in high school. She continues to create interesting pieces of art.
   Photography has always been a passion for Mayeux, who has been a photographer for five years and recently started C.S.M. Photography. His love of architecture and history is reflected in his photographs. Mayeux is also an Arts Council board member.
   For more information, call  Donny Gagnard at (318) 359-6828 or Van Roy at (318) 240-3495.