Tom Peyton Memorial Arts Festival
The Annual Arts Festival of First United Methodist Church, Alexandria, Louisiana, was established in 1967 to encourage use and understanding of the arts as a means of healthy expression. The First Annual Festival presented the first juried art competition in Central Louisiana.
For more than 50 years, the Festival has offered a variety of exhibits as well as programs of music, film, literature and drama. The Festival was renamed in 1980 to honor the memory of The Rev. Tom Peyton, a former associate minister whose ministry to the entire community’s arts and educational efforts was especially significant. An endowment in Peyton’s memory contributes to the Festival’s budget, which is otherwise supported by patrons’ gifts and grants. The Festival enjoys the guidance and services of the church’s staff and the use of its facilities. The core of the Festival remains the juried art exhibit.
56th Annual Tom Peyton Memorial Arts Festival
April 12 – 21, 2024
Jeff Mickey, Juror
Jeff Mickey is a Professor in the Department of Visual Art & Design at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, where he is the area head for the Sculpture Program. He received his BFA from Arkansas State University and MFA from The University of Memphis.
Jeff was a child during the sixties and early seventies. He grew up with chemistry sets, microscopes and science books that were provided by his parents, who encouraged him to find out more about the world around him.
He states, “As I get older, I find that I am as interested in the myths of things in our culture as I am about the environment and the way it works or the science that can explain it. I want to find connections in myself and the world around me and explore situations or objects that describe these connections.”
Jeff has lived in Japan, California, Delaware, Tennessee, and Arkansas. He is now teaching and working in Hammond, Louisiana.
Exhibits and Events
Exhibits are open daily, April 13 – 21, from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. and close at 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 21. All exhibits and events are free and open to the public.
Competitive Exhibit
Uncertain Times
School Art
Opening Reception
Kick off the arts festival at 6 p.m. on Friday, April 12. The reception features an awards presentation at 7 p.m. and a gallery talk by Juror Jeff Mickey.
The Fourth Wall
Art song presented by Tiffany Bostic-Brown, Terrance Brown, and members of the Rapides Symphony Orchestra. The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. in the sanctuary on Saturday, April 13.
Opening Sunday
The Rev. Kennon Pickett, senior pastor at Blackwater UMC in Baton Rouge, is the guest minister for the worship services at 8:30 a.m. and 11 a.m.
Children's Day
BRUSHES & BRIGHT STARS: A VAN GOGH CELEBRATION FOR YOUNG ARTISTS is a hands-on experience where children can create their own masterpieces inspired by The Starry Night. Pre-registration required.
Uncertain Times Exhibit
Samuel Joseph Corso
Artist Statement
UNCERTAIN TIMES
I began creating this body of work in late 2021 and continued through 2022. Like so many people living in forced isolation in those years, I found myself contemplating how we would manage and survive the new world order. My fears about the multinational pandemic, drastic changes in the environment brought on by global warming, and the chaotic state of our political system all played a part in my apprehension. I thought that a portfolio of paintings would best expresses my feelings about the situation that we all face and chose oil paint and canvas as a medium. I decided on the landscape as a motif to materialize the themes and subtitled each piece to further explain the relationship of the abstract landscapes in context of those themes. The concept of the series is titled “Uncertain Times.”
Intentionally ambiguous and thematic in color, the resulting compositions leave much to the viewer’s imagination. However, subtitles offer a point of reference. “War and Peace” or “Dawn or Dusk” suggest opposing dualities while “Storm at Sunup,” “Trade Winds,” “Wildfire,” “Burning of the Cane Fields” and “Troubled Waters” create suspense as to what, where or when the unexpected might occur. Conversely, a few pieces portray glimmers of hope that all is good, as in “Hope Springs Eternal,” “Where is Heaven” and “Sailing Away.”
Although there is no timeline as to when any of these challenging situations we are experiencing will be resolved, the uncertainty of the outcome creates and questions my expectations of the future.
View the full exhibit by Samuel J. Corso each day during the Tom Peyton Memorial Arts Festival. The exhibits are open daily from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. and close at 2 p.m. on April 21. All exhibits and events are free and open to the public.
School Art Exhibit
April 12 – 21, 2024
School Art Exhibit
The School Art Exhibit is a special exhibit to showcase works made by Central Louisiana students (K – 12) and their teachers. The exhibit features artwork in six categories and awards are given to six students – one in each student category and an overall Judge’s Choice Award that recognizes a student who shows outstanding potential.
Award recipients are given their awards during the opening reception on April 12, 2024. All recipients will be notified prior to the opening reception. Teacher art is exhibited but not judged.
Entries
Complete the School Art Entry form online. Guidelines for submission include:
- Artwork must be presented in a professional manner and ready to hang. 2D art must be matted (black or white) and canvases must be framed or stretched. A table will be available for small sculptures.
- Artwork must be at the church by Thursday, March 28, 2024 at 3 p.m. The office will accept artwork during regular business hours (M-Th from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.)
- An opening reception, including the presentation of student awards, will be Friday, April 12, from 6-8 p.m. Award recipients will be notified in advance.
