George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts

10/20/2026

Thanks to The Advocate (Baton Rouge, LA) for helping to spread the word about our 2027 Annual Scholarship Art & Songwriting Contest!

The George Rodrigue Foundation and Trombone Shorty Foundation launch the 2027 contest themed Rising Waters, Enduring Roots, honoring 100 years since the 1927 flood with art and songwriting.

10/19/2026

GRFA 2027 Annual Scholarship Art & Songwriting Contest Theme Announced! Visit https://georgerodriguefoundation.org/what-we-do/scholarship-art-contest/ for more details! Special thanks to our official Songwriting Contest partner Trombone Shorty Foundation!

10/08/2026

Thank you to all of our friends and sponsors who helped make our recent Aioli Dinner in Kenner a success! And an extra special thanks to our hosts Henry & Pat Shane! View all the pictures from the event here https://georgerodriguefoundation.org/get-involved/aioli-dinner-supper-club/aioli-dinner-supper-club-kenner-2026/

09/10/2026

Congratulations to our 1st Place Senior Winner of our 2026 Annual Scholarship Art & Songwriting Contest!

Mikayla Ringor
“The Sky Opened Up”
Senior
Caddo Parish Magnet High School, Shreveport

Watercolor

Undeniably, Louisiana is home to some of the most magnificent landscapes. It is not difficult to see the beauty of the sky reflecting off the bayou waters, the liveliness of the streets, and the harmony of the people tying it all together. However, Louisiana's shores have been slowly eroding due to rising sea levels and the damage from powerful storms. My watercolor piece, The Sky Opened Up, is a representation of how devastating storms can affect our communities, and how persistence shines through the destruction.

In the background, dark clouds slowly disappear to the sides of the scene. The warm colors in the center of the piece represent how support truly makes a positive impact on struggling communities.

The child in the foreground is holding a lighter up to his face. This is a symbol of how people can essentially "hold the light in their own hands," even in the face of trauma. He sits in front of the lake, embracing the aftermath of the storm as the sky opens up between the clouds.

When Louisiana's storms get increasingly more destructive, it is important to remember that balance is the key to recovery. Focusing on resilience and hope against the darkness of climate impacts allows people to keep calling Louisiana their home.

08/25/2026

Congratulations to our 2nd Place Senior Winner of our 2026 Annual Scholarship Art & Songwriting Contest!

Luci Lavery
“The Mysteries of Life”
West Monroe High School, West Monroe
Mixed Media

This piece symbolizes the unknowns of my future adult self and career as an artist. With graduation fast approaching, my career choices are up in the air. The paint brushes and paper on the shaky, sinking dock represent my fear that I may one day have to leave my creative side behind when I fully become an adult. Alligators in the murky bayou water represent the invisible nervousness that I feel around me with the looming decisions ahead. This mixed media piece of art also represents my excitement and confidence about my future life as shown with the light penetrating the dark bayou. The highlighted wildlife on the horizon show that no matter what my future holds, it will still be bright.

08/13/2026

Congratulations to our 3rd Place Senior Winner of our 2026 Annual Scholarship Art & Songwriting Contest!

Claire Rimmer
“Among the Cypress Trees”
Senior
Caddo Parish Magnet High School, Shreveport
Acrylic

My 16 by 20 inch acrylic painting, Among the Cypress Trees represents the contrast between the natural world and the world that people created. The scene shows some of the aftermath from Hurricane Laura, which caused devastation to many in Louisiana and Texas back in 2020. The house in the center of the painting belongs to a close family friend, who felt the effects of this storm first hand. However, surrounding the destruction of the house is a bright sunrise shining over Lake Calcasieu; the rays of light reflecting over the water and the Cypress Trees. The contrast between the darkness seen in the man made structures and the radiance of the natural elements that encompass it highlights the constancy of nature. While human structures may falter and unavoidable disasters may occur, the sun will always rise to shine again.

08/06/2026

Congratulations to our 4th Place Senior Winner of our 2026 Annual Scholarship Art & Songwriting Contest!

Makalya Rhodes
“Paw Paw T-Earl’s Boat, The Native Dancer at Rest”
Homeschool, Dulac
Graphite/Pencil

The title of my drawing is named Paw paw T-Earl’s Boat, The Native Dancer at Rest. I used Prisma Color- color pencils and Strathmore 3000 series poster board. I started in early November drawing this piece and it took me over two months to complete. My drawing depicts my late grandfather’s shrimp boat, the Native Dancer just as the morning sun is rising. I choose to draw the boat as it once was, in its glory and not how it spent its last years sunk and rotting in the bayou. The Native Dancer, once a beloved family sh*****ng vessel, was shining proudly when docked in Bayou Grand Caillou of Dulac when owned by Earl Thibodeaux. He built the wooden, 56 feet long, 19 feet wide shrimp boat. Its first maiden voyage was in September of 1981. My grandfather was proud of his boat and maintained it with great care. Sadly in November 2009 my grandfather was losing his battle with cancer. He made the heartbreaking decision to sell his beloved boat just a few weeks before he passed away. The boat that he built and worked to provide a living for him to take care of his family would now provide for him to be laid to rest. The boat’s name was changed and years later sunk in the bayou. Just recently, as part of a clean up the bayou effort, the boat was picked up and destroyed to remove it from the waterway, now it to finally at rest. My grandfather was not afraid of death, but worried I would not remember him as I was only two years old at the time of his passing. I will always remember him, and wanted to dedicate my senior year drawing to honor him and his legacy.

07/29/2026

Join us for an unforgettable evening at The Aioli Dinner Supper Club on Thursday, September 24, 2026, from 6:30-9:30 p.m.!

Hosted by Henry and Pat Shane at their home in Kenner (just outside of New Orleans), this special event features a four-course, wine-paired dinner and an exclusive tour of one of the largest private collections of original George Rodrigue artwork with nearly 100 original paintings rarely seen by the public.

Proceeds benefit the arts education programs of the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts.

For tickets and more information visit aiolidinner.com/event/the-aioli-dinner-supper-club-kenner/

07/14/2026

Congratulations to our 5th Place Senior Winner of our 2026 Annual Scholarship Art & Songwriting Contest!

Sarah Gordon
"Hidden in Plain Sight”
St. Joseph's Academy, Baton Rouge

Mixed Media

My piece is about the truth behind plantations and their background history of slavery. Through the use of intense crosshatching I chose to represent the lost history of slavery to the shadows. Showing in the lighter section of the piece is a wedding, to show how people tend to visit plantations as entertainment for the pretty views, without knowledge of the dark history behind the tall buildings. In the shadows of the plantation is a large crop field with slaves working hard to get sugar cane, commonly found in Louisiana. Farther back under the shadows of clouds are slave cabins with people in the distance who where once taken advantage of because of their race. I wanted to bring to light the darkness behind plantations, as they have become a spot of common excursions without full knowledge of the painful history behind them.

07/07/2026

Congratulations to our 1st Place Junior winner of our 2026 Annual Scholarship Art & Songwriting Contest!

Dare Macchione
“Life Through the Bayou”
New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, New Orleans

Acrylic

This is an acrylic painting based on a photograph I took while walking through City Park. I wanted to capture the ethereal illumination of the sunlight through the trees. This idea drew me in because of how all the figures have a halo of light framing them. This piece depicts a mother and daughter watching the White Ibis birds. I wanted to show the relationship between people and nature. In a time when man and the natural world have such a complex relationship, with global warming, pollution, deforestation, I wanted to make a piece to show some light in the dark times. The sun illuminates the leaves and the figures from behind, showing family and community connecting with one another through nature. These ideas are shown through this simple, almost mundane scene. This scene of two families of different species that have the same interest in each other. I remember when I was a little girl, feeding the birds and ducks in City Park with my mother. How fascinated I was with the birds and the trees, and how the roots stuck out of the ground like knees. When we are children, everything seems so big and meaningful, even if it’s just as simple as trees. I try to continue that feeling when I make and find my art. Now that I am a teenager, it's easy to take the world for granted. So being in that mindset helps me slow down and appreciate the beautiful life around me. The world is in such a confusing time right now, it's hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I hope my work helps other people slow down and see life in this way sometimes, too.