EVENTS & EXHIBITIONS

Pastoral Promises

Special Exhibition • 30 May - 4 August 2024

I long for rural and domestic scenes, for the warbling of Birds ... As much as I converse with Sages and Heroes, they have very little of my Love or Admiration ... -John Adams to Abigail Adams, 1777

Pastoral themes have been depicted in literature, music, poetry, and fine art throughout mankind’s history. These idealized rural settings with their languid livestock were quite popular in the early 19th century, especially in Germany, England, and France. American artists also contributed to the growing popularity of this genre with their portrayals of idyllic landscapes, noble peasants, and cattle and sheep offering an escape from the rapidly urbanizing cities. These artists explored the romance of an untouched nature and simple country life in serene settings, unsullied by the damaging effects of industrial progress. Ironically, the artworks of this genre were often favored by wealthy patrons, who had made their fortunes in the very same noisy, crowded cities they longed to escape.

From sheep and cows to rolling verdant hills and fields of wildflowers, the Elysian scenes featured in Pastoral Promises are sure to transport you to a simpler and slower time.  

NATURALish featuring Jared Chapman

Special Exhibition • 30 May - 4 August 2024

Jared Chapman is the author-illustrator of the popular books Vegetables in Underwear and Fruits in Suits. Other books he has written and illustrated include: Steve, Raised by Wolves, Pirate, Viking & Scientist, T.Rex Time Machine and Seals Are Jerks. He is the illustrator of It’s Not My Fault by Jory John, the Didi Dodo series by Tom Angleberger, and the Crab & Snail series by Beth Ferry. Jared was born in Louisiana, grew up in Texas, went to college in Georgia, and now calls the piney woods of northeast Texas his home.  

The R.W. Norton Art Gallery invites you to join us for our new exhibition, NATURALish, featuring author and illustrator Jared Chapman. In the artist’s own words, NATURALish is about things I daydream when I’m supposed to be working. It’s also what I mindlessly draw when I’m doodling in my sketchbook to avoid doing other, more pressing stuff. Apparently, I procrastinate a lot. Books and documentaries about nature are nice, but they never answer the questions I have – like, how do horses spend their weekends or do rocks get along since they’re stuck on the ground together? The pieces in NATURALish are answers to those questions. It is also the reason why I will never be asked to teach Science in a public school.  

Sisters in Art: Women in Print

Special Exhibition • Women's Gallery

This spring, the Norton welcomes Women in Print, our latest Sisters in Art exhibition, to our permanent Women’s Gallery. This exhibition offers a delightful look at a baker’s dozen of women artists whose medium of choice is printmaking. It includes the rich and varied works of artists such as Kyra Markham, Christis Tirado, Inga Britta Mills, Karen Whitman, Deborah Maris Lader, Dame Laura Knight, Peggy Bacon, and Clare Leighton.

These women have employed printmaking to address topics as diverse as personal identity, social issues, and even the creative process itself. Among the works of art selected for this exhibition are a number of new additions to our permanent collection featured here for the first time.  

CLICK HERE for the Digital Catalogue

Melodious Masterpieces

Do you hear music when you look at a painting? Does a specific scene touch your heart and make you hum a melody? Well, if so, we ask you to join our amazing social media followers who helped curate Spotify playlists full of the songs they hear when looking at pieces from the Norton's permanent collection.

Be sure to follow us on Spotify, Instagram, and Facebook for more music challenges. 

A Day at the Museum Coloring Book

Welcome to the R.W. Norton Art Gallery's coloring book! 

CLICK HERE to download the full coloring book. 

Once you’ve had your way with the Crayolas, please share your creations with the world via social media, using the hashtag #colorthenorton 

My National Gallery 

In Partnership Robinson Film Center 

Thursday | 1 August 2024 | 7:00 PM

The National Gallery of London is one of the world’s greatest art galleries. It is full of masterpieces, an endless resource of history, an endless source of stories. But whose stories are told? Which art has the most impact and on whom? The power of great art lies in its ability to communicate with anyone, no matter their art historical knowledge, their background, their beliefs.

This film gives voice to those whose lives have been touched by the Gallery – from security guard to director, everyday visitor to celebrities and members of the royal family. Claudia Winkleman, Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam, Jacqueline Wilson and HRH Princess Eugenie all let us in to their deeply personal connection with the National Gallery. Documentary, 90 min., NR.

CLICK HERE for tickets.

The screening will be held in Theater 1, RFC’s 124-seat capacity theater and followed by a panel discussion with RFC Education Director Rachael Hansil, R.W. Norton’s Designer of Exhibits & Special Events Emily Feazel, Studio Artist & Caddo Parish Talented Arts Educator Josh Chambers, and Student Artist & Filmmaker Zoë Brown. 

The Boy Wizard Museum Hunt

Thursday-Sunday | 1-4 August 2024 | During open hours

Come one, come all, those of you with magical genes! The Norton is celebrating the birth of boy and girl wizards throughout the area with a temporary school of sorcery from 1 August through 4 August 2024. During that time, the museum will host witches, wizards, and magical artefacts to titillate the inquiring minds of the gifted via a museum hunt.

There’s fun to be had for the whole family, so put on your wizarding robes (Yes, we mean it! If you want to be a wizard, don’t be afraid to dress like one!) and come on down to the Norton during our regular hours from August 1-4 to conjure up some fun! 

**Pick up a scavenger hunt at the front desk during open hours. Then, once you complete the hunt, be sorted into a house! 

The National Gallery of London at the Norton Tour

Friday | 2 August 2024 | 1:30 PM

The R.W. Norton Art Gallery invites you on Friday, August 3rd at 1:30 PM, to join us as we explore works from our permanent collection made by artists that we share in common with The National Gallery of Art in London, England! This tour will feature amazing paintings, sculpture, prints, and poster art from artists such as Edgar Degas, Rosa Bonheur, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, and many more. Take a trip to The National Gallery without leaving home!

If you can not make the event after reserving a ticket, PLEASE call or email Emily Feazel at (318) 865-4201 ext 130 or emilyfeazel@rwnaf.org to release your ticket(s) and allow other guests to attend. 

CLICK HERE to reserve your FREE ticket.

Reel Adventures: The Godfather

Friday | 13 September 2024 | 5:30-8:00 PM

Do you like movies? Do you like exploring behind the scenes and learning the nuts and bolts of movie making? If so, please join us for Reel Adventures: The Godfather! It’s like a book club, but MUCH better! Along with good fun, food and drink, prizes awarded, and more.

It works like this: We pick a movie that is either available free of charge, or at minimal cost, on one or more digital platforms. You watch this movie in the comfort of your own home, and then we meet at the museum for a discussion led by film expert and director Jeffrey Goodman, intermixed with trivia and games.
We will be providing complimentary water, soft drinks, a signature-themed mocktail, and light hors d’oeuvres. However, you are encouraged to bring whatever snacks strike your fancy.

The Godfather is a 1972 American epic gangster film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who co-wrote the screenplay with Mario Puzo, based on Puzo's best-selling 1969 novel of the same title. The film stars an ensemble cast including Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Richard Castellano, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard Conte, and Diane Keaton. It is the first installment in The Godfather trilogy, chronicling the Corleone family under patriarch Vito Corleone (Brando) from 1945 to 1955. It focuses on the transformation of his youngest son, Michael Corleone (Pacino), from a reluctant family outsider to a ruthless mafia boss.

The Godfather is available on Paramount+, YouTube, and Amazon Prime with a subscription and to rent on Apple TV and Google Play for $3.99.

So, we look forward to seeing you!  

CLICK HERE for tickets. 

Twilight Talkies

Join us for our Twilight Talkies series on the first Friday of each month! Starting in April and lasting through October, we show a family-friendly movie on the front lawn of the museum for FREE!!  Bring your chairs and blankets and enjoy a movie under the stars.  Sing, dance, and have a GREAT time! Local food trucks will be on hand with yummy treats to enjoy.

Movies start at dusk. 

Food trucks available from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm (Check our social media for a list of trucks.)

No Pets Allowed at this Event

• September 6: Grease

• September 20: The Secret Life of Pets sponsored by Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers 

• October 11: Hocus Pocus sponsored by Ivy B Photography