2015 Regular Session ENROLLED
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 68
BY SENATORS PEACOCK, ADLEY, BUFFINGTON AND TARVER
A RESOLUTION
To commend the Louisiana State Exhibit Museum for its importance as a depository of
history, a major tourist attraction, and an educational center for children and adults.
WHEREAS, the Louisiana State Exhibit Museum in Shreveport was completed in
1939, as one of Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal projects by the Works Progress
Administration (known as the WPA) and is an affiliate of the prestigious Smithsonian
Institution; and
WHEREAS, the circular building, designed by Edward F. Neild, is an architectural
jewel, layered inside and out with marble, granite, and polished aluminum and surrounds a
landscaped courtyard that features hand-cut limestone; and
WHEREAS, Neild was a Shreveport native, member of the American Institute of
Architects, who designed many public buildings in Louisiana, including the Capitol Annex
building in Baton Rouge and buildings around the country, most notably, the Harry S.
Truman Presidential Library in Missouri; and
WHEREAS, while the beauty of the building and grounds is reason enough to draw
attention, the original artwork in the building is impressive; and
WHEREAS, the WPA celebrated the importance of public art, as well as well-
designed public buildings, and the original artworks in the museum include a monumental
fresco on the front portico of the museum executed by famed muralist Conrad Albrizio,
which introduces the public to the beautifully rendered scale dioramas that portray snapshots
of Louisiana life in the 1930's; and
WHEREAS, a topographical map by sculptor Duncan Ferguson centers the Rotunda
and serves to draw visitors into the facility immediately upon entering; and
WHEREAS, also in the Rotunda, additional artwork illustrates the cultural geography
of Louisiana and numerous Louisiana artists contributed murals that portray Louisiana
landscapes and historical events; and
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WHEREAS, the West Wing gallery displays rotating art exhibits and houses one of
the most extensive collections of Louisiana Native American artifacts, from prehistoric
periods to the present, and is home to the permanent exhibit of the Poverty Point Diorama,
illustrating the life of people indigenous to Louisiana; and
WHEREAS, the new Native American Gallery displays a Caddo culture log boat
excavated from the Red River that is believed to be one thousand years old and is an
impressive thirty feet in length; and
WHEREAS, during the month of April, 2015, the museum has hosted an exhibit
titled Louisiana Icons: Symbols of our Heritage which features a collection of oil, acrylic,
and watercolor works, also in the West Wing Gallery; and
WHEREAS, the Louisiana State Exhibit Museum welcomed sixty-five thousand
visitors in 2014, of which more than 16,000 were school students from the Shreveport and
Bossier City area; and
WHEREAS, currently in its seventy-sixth year of chronicling the archaeological,
historical, and natural history of Louisiana, the Louisiana State Exhibit Museum in
Shreveport is certainly an important treasure of Louisiana culture.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
does hereby commend the Louisiana State Exhibit Museum for its importance of being a
depository of history, a major tourist attraction, and an educational center for children and
adults.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
director of the Louisiana State Exhibit Museum, Wayne Waddell.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
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