GRFA Donates $25,000 of Art Supplies to Houston Schools

Since the opening of Rodrigue: Houston in April, the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts has brought exciting Education Outreach opportunities to hundreds of students in the Houston community.

Executive Director Jacques Rodrigue receives a special thank you card from students at Field Elementary for their custom art supply kit. Click here to view photos from Jacques' visit to Field Elementary.

We are excited to announce that twenty-five Houston schools were awarded $1,000 custom art supply kits through our George's Art Closet program, which provides free supplies to art teachers and schools whose funding does not otherwise allow for the expense. Houston schools that were awarded custom art kits through George's Art Closet include:

Sorters Mill Elementary 

Johnston Middle School
Marshall Middle School 

Sheldon Elementary
Lee High School 

Crespo Elementary School
Waltrip High School 

Tijerina Elementary School
Cesar Chavez High School 

Early East College High School
Field Elementary 

Fleming Middle School
Ernest McGowen Elementary 

Crockett Elementary School
Burnet Elementary School 

Anderson Elementary
Roosevelt Elementary School 

Jeff Davis High School
Barbara Jordan High School for Careers 

Eastwood Academy
Pleasantville Elementary School 

Parker Elementary
Whittier Elementary 

Jefferson Elementary School
Mandarin Chinese Language Immersion Magnet School

By July, we will have hosted 50 separate groups of students at the Rodrigue: Houston exhibition at West Ave. at River Oaks. Each of these groups receives an educational tour of the gallery and then participates in an art making activity.

Click here to view a photo album from our Houston Education Outreach.

Aioli Dinner Supper Club Raises $40,000 in Monroe

The Aioli Dinner Supper Club had a delicious time in Monroe, LA! Last week over 35 guests joined the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts at the home of Randy and Cherry Morris, who are not only Rodrigue collectors, but also enthusiastic supporters of the arts in education. We are delighted to share that this event raised over $40,000 for our Louisiana A+ Schools program, which just announced the addition of eight new schools in our statewide network.

Click here to view a photo album for the Monroe Aioli Dinner Supper Club event.

Chef Eric Johnson prepared a four-course dinner inspired by the rustic cuisine of the historic Creole Gourmet Societies of Southern Louisiana.

With the expansion of the Louisiana A+ Schools program, the Aioli Dinner Supper Club is playing a crucial role in the number teachers and students impacted by arts integration in the classroom. Thank you to our friends in Monroe for supporting arts in education through the Aioli Dinner Supper Club!

Join the next Aioli Dinner Supper Club dining experience!

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GRFA Announces EIGHT New LAA+ Schools

Yesterday the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts and Lt. Governor Jay Dardenne announced the expansion of the Louisiana A+ Schools network to eight new schools across the state for the 2015/2016 academic year. The announcement took place at a student performance at The Dufrocq School in Baton Rouge, one of nine current LAA+ schools.

Executive Director Jacques Rodrigue and Lt. Governor Jay Dardenne are joined by students at The Dufrocq School to announce eight new LAA+ Schools.

"These schools have been chosen through a competitive application process by demonstrating their commitment to innovative learning and the importance of the arts in every classroom," says Jacques Rodrigue. "They join a network of 9 schools across the state of Louisiana and over 130 schools nationwide that are focused on whole school research-based transformation through the arts."

LAA+ Schools, the first whole school arts-integrated reform initiative of its kind to enter Louisiana, is a network that provides teachers with the essentials to think more creatively about how students can apply learning in the real world, and how they can present curricula to students in ways they learn best.

"Arts education yields comprehensive benefits to students and we need to do all we can to ensure its inclusion in our schools curricula," says Lt. Governor Jay Dardenne. "We wish the selected schools the best in shaping our students' creative minds."

Click the map above to learn more about all 17 member schools in the LAA+ network.

2015/2016 New Louisiana A+ Schools:

Howell Park Elementary, Baton Rouge

Park Elementary School, Baton Rouge

Rollins Place Elementary School, Zachary

J. Wallace James Elementary School, Lafayette

Ridge Elementary School, Duson

St. Helena College and Career Academy, Greensburg

Messiah Montessori School, Houma

ReNew McDonogh City Park Academy, New Orleans

This Saturday: Houston Community Art Day

The George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts will be in Houston this Saturday from 10:00 am - 4:00 pm for another Community Art Day!  Join us at the new exhibition Rodrigue: Houston for creative activities for the whole family.  Make your own Blue Dog mask, color your own Blue Dog, have your face painted, and enjoy original works of art by artist George Rodrigue.

Houston Community Art Day

Rodrigue: Houston

West Ave. at River Oaks

2800 Kirby Drive, at the corner of Kirby and Westheimer, 2nd Floor

10:00 am - 4:00 pm

This event is free and open to the public!

Mark your calendars! Additional Houston Community Art Days are JUNE 13th and JULY 4th.

Celebrities Visit Our Three Turnaround Arts Schools

Last week, our three Turnaround A+ Schools received special visits from celebrity mentors who are part of the national Turnaround Arts: Louisiana program. Turnaround Arts is an initiative of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities that seeks to transform schools through the arts.

 

(Top) Actress Alfre Woodard strikes a pose with cheerleaders at St. Helena Arts & Technology Academy. (Bottom) Irvin Mayfield performs for students.

Actress Alfre Woodard and musician Irvin Mayfield, both Turnaround Artists, visited St. Helena Academy of Arts and Technology in Greensburg and Homer Elementary School in Homer, LA, to encourage students to pursue their academic goals. They had the opportunity to see some of the amazing creative projects the students have been working on, including theatrical performances and visual art installations.

Click the above photo to watch Jacques Rodrigue and Alfre Woodard discuss the importance of arts education on WWLTV.

While in New Orleans, Alfre Woodard joined Executive Director Jacques Rodrigue on WWLTV to discuss how GRFA and Turnaround Arts are impacting schools through the arts. After filming, Alfre and Jacques headed to Homer A. Plessy Community School where students were eager to greet their celebrity mentor.

Students welcome Alfre Woodard for her second visit to Homer A. Plessy Community School in New Orleans.

Thank you to our amazing Turnaround Artists for inspiring Louisiana students!

Next Aioli Dinner Event Announced

The Aioli Dinner Supper Club is pleased to announce that the next dining experience will be May 14, 2015, in Monroe, Louisiana, under the oaks at the fabulous home of Randy and Cherry Morris. Mr. and Mrs. Morris are not only Rodrigue collectors, but also enthusiastic supporters of the arts. They have graciously opened their home for one night to celebrate the arts with a dinner inspired by one of George Rodrigue's most famous paintings, The Aioli Dinner.

Purchase your tickets today!

Join us for a four-course dinner with wine pairings prepared by Chef Eric Johnson, along with live Cajun music by The Vermillionairs, and live and silent auctions featuring rare Blue Dog items by George Rodrigue.

Proceeds from your ticket benefit Louisiana A+ Schools, a program of the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts.

WATCH NOW:  The Aioli Dinner Supper Club

www.aiolidinner.com