Monday, November 24, 2008

Holiday Hours

We will be closed this Thursday, November 27, for Thanksgiving, but we are open on Friday and all weekend.

We are also going to be closed on December 5-7 for our annual Gala.

Other closing dates:

December 24, 25, 31, and January 1.

If you've got family in town and y'all are looking for something to do, come on in.

Guest Blogger: Holly Dodd, Director of Marketing

At the Museum: LRMA a Hub of Holiday activity

As you watch your calendar rapidly filling with seasonal events and holiday parties, don’t forget to include your local museum and all it has to offer this time of year.

To kick off your holiday shopping with a flare, the LRMA Gift Shop will have a Holiday Open House on Tuesday, November 25. Along with unique items such as eclectic glassware and handcrafted pottery and baskets, there will be book signings by four Mississippi authors, including noted chef Martha Foose of Greenwood. There will also be a trunk show by jewelry artist Robbin Lee.

If the holidays inspire you to dance the night away, make plans to attend the Museum’s black-tie Gala on the evening of Saturday, December 6. The Can Can Ball: A Hip Cool Pop Art Gala will highlight the atmosphere of the 1960s Pop Art movement, made famous by artists such as Andy Warhol and Jasper Johns.

Not only will the decorations be candy for the eye and the food and music fabulous, but Gala patrons will be in for a real treat with the Live Auction. There will be lavish trips for the savvy traveler - one to the enchanting Emerald Isle and one to Nantucket for a week’s stay in a Victorian farmhouse. Ladies will swoon over a stunning diamond and pearl drop necklace from Juniker Jewelry of Jackson and can go home with their very own piece of jewelry created by Laurel native, Emily Ruffin of Taos, New Mexico. If something from the Far East strikes your fancy, then you’ll want to place a bid on an Oriental chest from S.D. Bateman Fine Furnishings. For the art collectors in the crowd, there will be works by Mississippi artists Pryor Graeber, Jackie Meena, Holly Wilson, and the late Lynn Green Root, as well as a watercolor by south Alabama artist Jo Patten. To attend the Gala, you need to be a member of LRMA at the Sponsor level or above. Call or stop by the Museum to become a member or to purchase your tickets.

If you’re looking for just one more outing for the kiddies during "the most wonderful time of the year," LRMA has you covered. There will be a free "Mommy and Me" holiday art activity Thursday, December 11, for little ones, and the following Thursday, December 18, there will be a Christmas Art Class for children in grades K - 6. There is a fee for the latter, so you’ll need to call the Museum to sign up.

The Lauren Rogers Museum of Art is at its busiest and best during the holidays, and we hope you will make it the hub of your holiday outings.

LRMA is located at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Seventh Street in historic downtown Laurel and is open 10:00 a.m. until 4:45 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 1:00 until 4:00 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is free. For more information, call LRMA at 601-649-6374 or visit the Museum’s website, www.LRMA.org.

Monday, November 17, 2008

Very Special Arts Festival

It's that time of year again! This past Friday, Lauren Rogers Museum of Art staff, along with the LRMA Guild, the Laurel Arts League, and the Laurel Junior Auxiliary, held the annual Very Special Arts Festival. This year's festival theme was "Superhero Spectacular" and spectacular it was! The kids created their own superhero capes, masks, mini-superheroes, and self-portraits. They also had their faces painted and took pictures with life-size painted superheroes. This festival is such a great program because it is only for students in special education, a group that is often overlooked and underserved. About 200 students participated, making this year's event a great success and a whole lot of fun!