Upcoming Exhibitions
Ed Pramuk, Midnight Greenhouse at a Lake, 2022. Acrylic on canvas. Courtesy of the artist.
A Dream about the Real:
Art by Edward Pramuk
On view January 28–April 25, 2027
A Dream about the Real: Art by Edward Pramuk celebrates the extraordinary career of one of Louisiana's most influential abstract artists. The exhibition brings together paintings, prints, and mixed-media works drawn from the artist's collection, including many that have rarely or never been exhibited publicly.
A nationally recognized painter and LSU Professor Emeritus, Edward Pramuk spent more than six decades exploring the poetic intersection of abstraction, memory, music, nature, and imagination. Rooted in the traditions of Abstract Expressionism, his work moves fluidly between conceptual and figurative imagery, creating richly layered compositions that reflect both lived experience and an interior world of memory and emotion.
Throughout his distinguished 35-year career at Louisiana State University, Pramuk shaped generations of artists while fostering interdisciplinary collaborations among the visual arts, literature, philosophy, and music. His lifelong passion for jazz inspired celebrated series honoring legendary musicians including Billie Holiday, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, and Bill Evans. Together, his work as an artist, educator, and mentor has made an enduring contribution to the region’s artistic and cultural landscape.
Louis Marx, Uncle Wiggly Car, c. 1935. Color lithographed tin. Gift of the Friends of LSU Museum of Art.
Learned by Heart:
From Verse to Object
On view February 4–May 3, 2027
Recall your favorite childhood nursery rhyme. Passed from generation to generation, these familiar verses were shared with us by parents and grandparents, just as we share them with children today. Filled with fanciful characters, ridiculous situations, and memorable rhythms, they are often among the first things we learned by heart.
The exact origins of many Western nursery rhymes are unknown. Contemporary folklorists suggest that many drew upon popular European ballads, songbooks, folk songs, and stage productions, while others have roots in centuries-old oral traditions or early literature. While some verses were intended for children, including lullabies, counting rhymes, and singing or dancing games, others originated in the adult world of popular ballads, tavern songs, political jibes, historical tales, riddles, and religious beliefs. Over the centuries, these verses evolved and became increasingly associated with the young as the Age of Enlightenment (late 17th century–early 19th century) introduced the concept of childhood being a distinct stage of life, when a person could be shaped by nurturing, experience, and education.
This period witnessed a rise in literature written specifically for young audiences and, by the nineteenth century, growing scholarly interest in collecting and preserving oral traditions, including stories, songs, poems, and rhymes. In In the decades that followed, James Orchard Halliwell-Phillipps published The Nursery Rhymes of England (1842) to document traditional English folklore and tales. While the book was not the first written record, it became an important early anthology, with a lasting impact on the preservation and study of children's literature.
Learned by Heart visually explores popular Western nursery rhymes, lullabies, riddles, amusements, tongue twisters, and singing games that shaped many of our childhoods. Objects from the Museum’s permanent collection are paired with familiar verses, inviting viewers to discover unexpected connections between art and poetic memory.
Sponsor an Exhibition
Your support helps the LSU Museum of Art bring extraordinary exhibitions and meaningful educational experiences to our community. Contributions directly support exhibition-related expenses, including artwork loans, transportation, installation, educational programming, interpretive materials, and public engagement initiatives. Because each exhibition carries unique costs and opportunities, sponsorships play a vital role in making world-class art accessible to audiences throughout Baton Rouge and the Gulf Coast region.