Visitors to Downtown Shreveport are often surprised by the unexpected art they encounter downtown. They might turn a corner and come face-to-face with the 1,500 gallons of paint and 50,000 brush strokes that make up ‘Once in a Millennium Moon’, the giant mural on the side of the AT&T Building featuring the faces of local residents, or drive past the bronze sculpture of singer/songwriter Huddie ‘Lead Belly’ Ledbetter pointing toward Fannin Street, the place he first got his musical start. Locals, too, are often unaware at the variety of art and the increasing amount of art ‘infrastructure’ in Downtown.
Downtown is now home to 10+ professional galleries and exhibit spaces, 11 locations that sell or take commissions for custom art, two museums that focus on international art and more than 30 public art pieces that range from a giant lighted dog to a giant lighted bridge.
We realized that we had all this to show and no real way to package it because the schedules of the myriad businesses, galleries and spaces were all different. Second Saturday changes that.
On the Second Saturday of each month, the majority of our art-related venues and shops will be open from 10 am- 4 pm. Many will have special exhibits and even more special events. Most of these events and exhibits are free and all are open to the public.
On Saturday, June 11, you will be able to:
- Meet Artist Martin Welch at The Gallery at Andress, 717 Crockett Street, during a meet-and-greet, then watch a live paint session.
- Become part of a community ‘Portrait of Patrons’ artwork at Big Sun Studios, 619 Edwards Street. Stop by and your photo will be part of this art piece.
- Learn about ‘Herbal Medicines in Your Pantry’ from Lee Ann Monat of LionArt Creations at Andress Artist & Entrepreneur Center, 717 Crockett Street.
- Try your hand at Cartooning and Super Hero Design, Graphic Design, Illustration and Background Scene, and Cosplay as part of the upcoming ‘Batman’ exhibit at Artspace, 708 Texas Street.
- See the Fields exhibit at Minicine?, 846 Texas Avenue.
- Enjoy the Hoover Watercolor Society Spring Show at Bailey Gallery, 214 Texas Street.
- Watch (or try your hand at) glass blowing at Sanctuary Glass Studio, 421 Lake Street, or High Gravity Glassworks, 1200 Marshall Street.
- And Much More.
Plan an entire day of it! View and shop art for several hours in the morning, stop at one of our listed eateries for lunch and a brief rest, then start again. Second Saturday will be a monthly day of art in Downtown Shreveport and each month will feature different exhibits and events. The entire list of participating locations, events and public art/selfie stops can be found at downtownshreveport.com/second-Saturday-downtown. A digital map on the website will help lead you from place to place.
