Baton Rouge, Louisiana — The LSU Museum of Art is pleased to announce it is a recipient of two 2026 Southeastern Museums Conference Publication Awards. The museum received a Bronze Award for its Annual Report and a Bronze Award for The Bayou Collection by George Rodrigue exhibition catalog. Both projects were designed by LSU Museum of Art Marketing and Communications Specialist Sarah Amacker. The SEMC Publication Design Competition showcases the best in our profession and provides benchmarks for regional publication efforts in southeastern museums.
2024–2025 Annual Report for the LSU Museum of Art.
The LSU Museum Art’s Annual Report includes details on exhibitions, programs, and events from the past year, highlighting key accomplishments, community impact, and future initiatives. Click here to read this annual report online.
The Bayou Collection by George Rodrigue catalog. Photo by Charles Champagne.
The Bayou Collection by George Rodrigue is a traveling exhibition featuring forty original paintings created by Rodrigue between 1981 and 1984 to accompany Chris Segura’s book Bayou (1984). Inspired by Cajun folklore, ghost stories, and the mysterious landscapes of Louisiana’s swamps, the collection offers audiences an in-depth look at a pivotal period in Rodrigue’s artistic career. The exhibition also highlights Watch Dog, a transformative work that marked the early beginnings of Rodrigue’s iconic Blue Dog series. Through the exhibition catalog, the LSU Museum of Art shares the history, cultural significance, and artistic vision behind this remarkable body of work, bringing Rodrigue’s enduring Louisiana legacy to audiences beyond Baton Rouge.
Museum publications can play a vital role in an institution’s educational mission, documenting exhibitions and collections through high-quality design and production and showcasing the depth of scholarship. Expectations and standards were exceptionally high for this year’s applicants. The 2026 SEMC Publication Design Competition received a record-breaking number of applications from a wide variety of museums across the southeast.
The SEMC Publication Design Competition recognizes and rewards excellence in graphic design in Southeastern museum publications. The competition encourages communication, effective design, creativity and pride in work, and recognition of institutional image and identity. Recipients of the awards were judged by an appointed jury of museum professionals across the region who specialize in graphic design.
Award winners will be celebrated at the 2026 Annual Meeting Awards Luncheon on September 30, 2026, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina as well as in the Winter 2026 Edition of INSIDE SEMC, a digital publication of the Southeastern Museums Conference. This designation recognizes the LSU Museum of Art’s contribution to professional standards in Southeastern museums. Congrats to all of the awardees! Click here to see the full list of winners.
ABOUT THE SOUTHEASTERN MUSEUMS CONFERENCE
The Southeastern Museums Conference (SEMC), a nonprofit membership organization, is an association of museums, museum staff, independent professionals, and corporate partners. We focus on the Southeastern United State including: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Puerto Rico, and US Virgin Islands.
SEMC works to:
Provide educational and professional development opportunities
Improve the interchange of ideas and information.
Encourage respect and collegiality.
The Southeastern Museums Conference (SEMC) is dedicated to providing a safe, inclusive, and welcoming conference experience for everyone. We do not tolerate discrimination or harassment in any form.
For more information about the Southeastern Museums Conference, visit https://www.semcdirect.net/.
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