The Folk Art Gallery at the LSU Museum of Art will feature works on loan from the American Folk Art Museum in New York through Art Bridges’ Partner Loan Network.
Baton Rouge, Louisiana — The LSU Museum of Art has been awarded a $25,000 Learning and Engagement Grant from Art Bridges, the national nonprofit foundation dedicated to expanding access to American art. The grant will support five interconnected wellness and community engagement programs accompanying the museum’s new Folk Art Gallery, opening on June 30, 2026 and featuring works on loan from the American Folk Art Museum in New York through Art Bridges’ Partner Loan Network.
Established in 2017 by philanthropist Alice Walton, Art Bridges works to expand access to American art across the United States by supporting partnerships between museums of many sizes. Through the Partner Loan Network, artworks that might otherwise remain in storage are activated through exhibitions and community-centered programming.
The Folk Art Gallery marks the LSU Museum of Art’s first concentrated presentation dedicated to self-taught and visionary artists. Featured works on loan from the American Folk Art Museum include paintings by Jimmy Lee Sudduth, Mose Tolliver, David Butler, Sam Doyle, Purvis Young, and Mary T. Smith. The gallery opens on June 30, 2026.
The grant responds to a growing need for spaces that encourage reflection, creativity, and human connection. According to the CDC, approximately one in three U.S. adults experience loneliness, while college students continue to report rising levels of stress, anxiety, and depression. Through this initiative, the LSU Museum of Art is expanding its role as a community-centered cultural space by bringing restorative arts experiences into galleries, classrooms, hospitals, and campus spaces.
The initiative is rooted in the belief that art can foster connection, creativity, and personal renewal. Together, the programs are projected to serve more than 4,300 participants across the Baton Rouge community through free, hands-on experiences designed to support emotional well-being and reduce barriers to arts participation.
“These programs allow us to bring the stories and resilience of self-taught Southern artists into direct conversation with the real lives of our neighbors — students under pressure, patients in recovery, educators who give so much of themselves. We are deeply grateful to Art Bridges for this investment in our community and for their belief that great art belongs to everyone.”
The Five Programs
The grant will support five free interconnected programs inspired by the self-taught artists featured in the Folk Art Gallery and programming will run from September 2026 through April 2027:
• Art Break at the Museum — A monthly drop-in wellness series for teens and adults inspired by works on view.
• Art Break: LSU Campus Outreach — Creative pop-up programs delivered to high-stress academic departments including Veterinary Medicine, Nursing, Law, and Architecture.
• Art Break: Baton Rouge General Hospital Outreach — Artmaking experiences for patients, caregivers, and healthcare workers at Baton Rouge General Mid City in partnership with the hospital’s Arts in Medicine Program.
• Tiger Chill Night — A dedicated evening for LSU students featuring guided art activities and live performances designed as a creative break from academic pressures.
• Educator Chill Nights — A two-part program supporting the creative and professional renewal of K–12 and university educators.
Learn More about The Folk Art Gallery at the LSU Museum of Art
In addition to works from the American Folk Art Museum, the Folk Art Gallery will feature artworks by Dr. Charles Smith, Thornton Dial, Richard Dial, Clementine Hunter, Mary Proctor, Mr. Imagination, James Harold Jennings, and others drawn from the LSU Museum of Art’s permanent collection and private collections.
The Folk Art Gallery will be on view at the LSU Museum of Art beginning June 30, 2026.
For more details about artworks featured in this gallery and programming schedule, visit www.lsumoa.org/folkartgallery.
Attention Teens & Adults! Upcoming public Art Break programs inspired by works in the Folk Art Gallery
Inspired by themes of resilience, identity, care, spirituality, and creative expression found throughout the Folk Art Gallery, the Museum’s expanded Art Break programming invites participants to connect with art through relaxed, hands-on experiences focused on wellness and community.
Each Art Break session invites teens and adults to participate in relaxed, wellness-focused artmaking experiences inspired by self-taught artists featured in the gallery:
Art as an act of SPIRIT on Saturday, September 19, 2026 from 1–4 PM
Create a painting inspired by the work of Purvis Young, a self-taught artist who painted with spiritual urgency from whatever materials he could find.Art as an act of FREEDOM on Saturday, October 24, 2026 from 1–4 PM
Make a sculpture inspired by the work of David Lee Butler, a self-taught artist whose cutouts and dynamic forms remind us that freedom is something we can shape with our own hands.Art as an expression of IDENTITY on Saturday, November 21, 2026 from 1–4 PM
Create a collage inspired by the work of Mose Tolliver, a self taught artist who developed a bold visual language.Art as an act of CARE on Saturday, December 12, 2026 from 1–4 PM
Make a textile artwork inspired by the work of Mary T. Smith, a self-taught artist whose practice was an act of independence and tender witness.Art as an act of HARMONY on Saturday, January 23, 2027 from 1–4 PM
Create a mixed-media drawing inspired by self-taught artist Jimmy Lee Sudduth, who used materials like mud, sugar, and found scraps of wood to create paintings of his world.Art as an act of HEALING on Saturday, February 20, 2027 from 1–4 PM
Make a friendship bracelet inspired by self-taught artist Sam Doyle’s paintings of friends, family members, and leaders of his community.
Art as an act of RESILIENCE on Sunday, March 7, 2027 from 1–4 PM
Experiment with printmaking to create multiple images through repetition, inspired by the resilience of the artists in the Folk Art Gallery.
Art as an expression of VOICE on Saturday, April 17, 2027 from 1–4 PM
Create a zine to tell your own story through visuals and creative writing, inspired by the artists of the Folk Art Gallery.
ABOUT ART BRIDGES FOUNDATION
Art Bridges Foundation is the vision of philanthropist and arts patron Alice Walton. The mission of Art Bridges is to expand access to American art in all regions across the United States. Since 2017, Art Bridges has created and supported programs that bring outstanding works of American art out of storage and into communities. Art Bridges partners with a growing network of more than 220 museums of all sizes and locations to provide financial and strategic support for exhibition development, loans from the Art Bridges Collection, and programs designed to educate, inspire, and deepen engagement with local audiences. The Art Bridges Collection represents an expanding vision of American art from the 19th century to present day and encompasses multiple media and voices. Learn more at www.artbridgesfoundation.org
ABOUT THE AMERICAN FOLK ART MUSEUM
The American Folk Art Museum in New York City is dedicated to the work of self-taught artists from the United States and beyond. Through exhibitions, collections, and educational initiatives, the museum fosters greater understanding and appreciation of folk and self-taught art traditions. Learn more at www.folkartmuseum.org
ABOUT THE LSU MUSEUM OF ART
Located in downtown Baton Rouge in the Shaw Center for the Arts, the LSU Museum of Art is dedicated to inspiring discovery and learning through exceptional art experiences. The Museum presents rotating exhibitions, educational programs, and community initiatives that connect diverse audiences with art from across Louisiana, the South, and beyond. Summer 2026 Hours: Closed on Monday, Tuesday–Saturday is 10 AM–5 PM, and Sunday from 1–5 PM. For more information, visit www.lsumoa.org, call 225-578-3000, and follow the museum on social media @lsumoa for exhibition and program updates.
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