Bennett Sewell's "It's What You Make of It" at Meadows Museum

Bennett Sewell's "It's What You Make of It" at Meadows Museum
Originally uploaded by sbctb

When it rains art and culture in Shreveport-Bossier, it pours. We have dry spells, just like anywhere, but those spells tend to end in a veritable gullywasher of art openings, festivals and performances. Take this weekend, for example: the 27th annual ArtBreak festival (the south's largest student art exhibition, April 29-May 1), the Texas Avenue Makers Fair (Saturday, April 30, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.), and the 4th annual ASEANA Spring Festival (also Saturday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.) are all happening at the exact same time within blocks of one another in downtown Shreveport. Notably, all three of these phenomenal events are free to attend.

And just as certainly as you can count on three or more major art events falling on the same day in Shreveport-Bossier, you can bet that some small but wonderful art exhibit's opening will come and go in the shadow of these better-publicized events. This weekend, that quiet, largely unheralded event is the opening of Bennett Sewell's "It's What You Make Of It" exhibit at Meadows Museum of Art. The inexhaustible Robert Trudeau pointed out the opening in this post just a few days ago, giving Shreveportblog readers a small glimpse at the beautifully bizarre creatures that live in the zoo of Mr. Sewell's imagination. Inspired by a conversation with Meadows Museum of Art Director Diane Dufilho, I went in search of more images of Sewell's work and found this phenomenal gallery by photographer Brian Lewis. If you have five minutes to spare, explore that gallery. You'll end up as thrilled as I am about seeing these pieces, which are assembled from garage sale and garbage pile finds, in person on Sunday, May 1, 1 p.m.-5 p.m. The exhibit runs through July 31, so you'll have plenty more chances to catch it. Meadows Museum of Art is located on the Centenary College campus, just north of the intersection of Kings Highway and Centenary Boulevard.

I'd like to thank photographer Brian Lewis for being so happy to share his work for the purpose of promoting Mr. Sewell's show. Every artist should have such an unselfish friend who also happens to be a gifted studio photographer! Thanks, Brian!