“One of the ways that we know who we are as human beings is through art,” Brittainy Pope, Executive Director of the Bossier Arts Council said. 

There are many places to see art in our community, and here are a few locations you can visit to not only view amazing pieces but also support wonderful businesses that give money right back to our community. Don’t miss these places to explore art in Bossier: 

Bossier Arts Council

630 Barksdale Blvd

The entire purpose behind the Bossier Arts Council is to create, promote, and support the arts in Bossier Parish.

“There need to be spaces where artists can come to be able to tell their stories,” Brittainy Pope, Executive Director of the Bossier Arts Council said. “There needs to be a space for that and as a local arts council, that is part of what we do.”

There are two main galleries in their space, the East Bank Gallery and the Virginia Cook Gallery, that showcase specific exhibits for two months. Artists can express their desire to have a show in their space. From there, they move to the Gallery Committee, composed of local professors, professional artists, and art professionals in the region, and they review their work. From there, they determine if they are ready for a show or not. 

Once they have decided they are ready, the staff at Bossier Arts curate the show. They will determine what pieces should be displayed based on various reasons that help them come together for an overall story. 

Currently, in their main gallery, they are displaying the Annual Student Art Show that showcases artwork from Kindergarten through twelfth grade Bossier Parish Students. Their work is totally up to their creativity and submitted by their teachers to the Gallery Committee. Students selected to be displayed not only receive the benefit of having their work displayed, but they also receive a cash award that is also matched to their teacher to help with funds for their classroom. 

This organization turns 45 years old this year and is continuing to create, promote, and support the arts in our area. They can use your help by increasing foot traffic in their galleries, participating in their annual ArtIni fundraiser, becoming an annual member, or being a set of hands to volunteer at their various markets and events throughout the year. 

SAS Gallerie

540 Boardwalk Blvd

SAS Gallerie is located on the Boardwalk and features a main gallery of work in the front of their space. They also offer paint parties through Sanctuary Paint Party. Across the river, they have a glass-blowing studio. Each space is owned by the Sanctuary Art School non-profit company. 

Currently, SAS Gallerie’s exhibit features curated photographs from Northwest Louisiana photographer Gregory Ellis. This “Intimate Views” collection is said to reflect the authentic experiences that all of humanity can relate to. 

Although their current collection features mostly photographs, they frequently change their displays to reflect different artist’s mediums whether that be sculptures, paintings, or even drawings. For their collection in their art space, each piece and artist is selected by the director of the space, Eric Hess. They do aim to work with emerging and local artists to provide them with spaces to display their work. Through their non-profit work, they even provide scholarships to take growing talents to the next level. 

With SAS Gallerie being located at the Louisiana Boardwalk, you can stop by when you’re supporting other local businesses as well.

“The Boardwalk is the perfect place for people to walk around,” Bess Deford with SAS Gallerie said. “It’s always good because people will come in that don’t have any art experience or anything and they’ll be able to ask questions about it and feel inspired.”

Live! Casino & Hotel 

711 Live Casino Blvd

When you walk into the new Live! Casino and Hotel lobby, you can tell the owners are passionate about the arts and it’s translated by the beautiful architecture, sculptures, and artwork featured throughout. All pieces in the main area are actually inspired by the Red River. Not only is the work influenced by the local area but there are pieces designed and created specifically by those in the Shreveport-Bossier Area. 

When the casino opened, they had an open call for artist submissions to be featured in spaces throughout the resort. Through this open call, over sixty submissions were presented and there were twelve that were selected. Each of the artists selected were awarded $1,000 and a spot on the wall in this new business. One artist among the twelve is Bossier artist Erica Branch with Branch Heart Art. Her piece “Joie De Vivre” is vibrant and fun and brings together old classic casino and cocktail feels with bright colors. Her piece is just one of the many outstanding works throughout the location. 

“What you’ll find on our property, and every Cordish Companies’ Property, is an infinite love for art,” Shelli Murphy, Advertising and Public Relations Manager for Live! explained. “Especially the art that comes from our community. Art is important and our local artists are important.” 

As Live! Resort and Casino continues to grow in our community, they hope to continue to work with local artists to showcase the talent found right in our area.