Northwestern State University of Louisiana’s Creole Heritage Center is celebrating a rather important milestone this year: their 25th anniversary. This celebration marks 25 years of research into Natchitoches’ Creole community and beyond.

In anticipation of the 25th Anniversary Soirée that is being held on Oct. 12, 2023, the Creole Heritage Center invited three Louisiana-based artists (each with their own unique stories to tell) to present their work in an exhibition appropriately titled “Elemental Threads.” The exhibition opened on Sept. 15, 2023.

Although Angelbert Metoyer, Annie Moran and Ayo Scott all have their distinct styles and methods of visual storytelling, each piece is ultimately interconnected in such a way that it represents the rich cultural heritage present in Louisiana.

When guests enter through the upstairs doors of the Orville Hanchey gallery, they are almost immediately greeted with Angelbert Metoyer’s work. Metoyer’s work is best known for its utilization of non-traditional materials, such as coal and gold dust; and the almost mystical and surrealistic quality in his pieces.

According to the artist statement available on the Creole Heritage Center’s website, Metoyer stated that he has “been interested for a long time in returning to Natchitoches” to exhibit his work.

Metoyer’s work demonstrates a strong connection to African culture, as evidenced by his work, “Song Keeper (God Is).” The piece is part of a larger series titled “Red Clay and Violet Light” and it uses coal, gold dust and palo santo to depict a shamanic figure kneeling as though she were supplicating to the heavens.

Another piece of his that I found truly interesting was “Return in peace with everything on your shoulders,” which is also part of the “Red Clay and Violet Light” series. As is a trademark in his work, Metoyer pulls from a variety of media (in this case, mixed media, collage, gold leaf, and oil pastels) to create one magical piece.

Annie Moran, an artist who is a Cane River native with strong ties to New Orleans, often uses the motif of birds in her pieces, which can symbolize freedom and taking flight into unknown territory.

In addition to her work with watercolor, she is also known as a fine jewelry designer.

Although she has worked with a variety of media, her watercolor depictions of various birds were on full display at the exhibition.

For example, her piece “Flamingo A” and “Flamingo B” may appear to be two separate pieces, but they are intended to be viewed as one. One thing I found to be particularly interesting was the contrast of the figures of the flamingos and the black background on which it was painted. The contrast allowed the majestic creatures to be the center of attention.

However, another piece by Moran employs that same motif of birds, but in a more unconventional fashion.

“The Eyes of the Golden Eagle” depicts an Indigenous shaman wearing a robe adorned with images of golden eagles and a ceremonial mask/headdress combination of sorts. I enjoyed how the painting employed Moran’s trademark bird motif in a way that honors Louisiana’s Indigenous heritage.

Ayo Scott is a New Orleans native who employs vivid acrylic colors in an almost chaotic, but childlike manner. His work deals with the themes of childhood, innocence and youth. Sometimes, sunflowers are a very present motif, as evidenced by some of the works in this exhibition.

A piece that Scott exhibited that particularly stood out to me was “Wonder-ful P.” It depicted a young Black girl in a Wonder Woman costume standing atop a red tricycle with Lego blocks surrounding her.

To me, the piece symbolizes the importance of representation, and the magic of childhood. Young children need to be able to see representation of themselves in the media, and the impact of positive representation is immense.

In addition, “Makin’ Our Mark” shows a young Black child at work with various paints and tools of artistic creation. This symbolizes carrying on the great traditions of art to the next generation and even future generations to come.

“Elemental Threads” closes on Oct. 29, 2023. Information about the exhibition can be found on the Creole Heritage Center’s website.