Baton Rouge Gallery unveiled a new exhibit on Wednesday featuring artists Leslie Friedman, Kathleen Lemoine, Craig McCullen and Van Wade Day. Each artist specializes in a specific medium and got to see the general public’s reactions to their work for themselves.
Baton Rouge Gallery President and CEO Jason Andreasen spoke of his satisfaction with how this month’s exhibition came together.
“This month’s show is very diverse regarding the mediums that the artists are using,” Andreasen said. “We have glassware, paintings, shaped wooden panels and screen prints on fabrics. We also have a diverse age range of the artists featured this month.”
Three out of four of this month’s featured artists are Louisiana-based, highlighting the talent that this state produces.
One of these artists in particular, Craig McCullen, has become known for his outstanding three-dimensional glassware pieces. McCullen has been working with glass since he was 18 years old and his exhibit at Baton Rouge Gallery, Backyard Jungle, is inspired by McCullen’s fascination with environmental design.
“Glass creates an environment through filtering light and what you see behind it,” McCullen said. “Because of that, glass adds a dimension that paint doesn’t have, and that’s movement.”
The glass enclosures featured in this exhibit encapsulate this concept perfectly, with the colored glass depicting habitats such as a bat’s cavern or a chicken shack.
The colored glass pieces that were affixed together to create the stunning pieces reflected brightly, changing form as you looked at them from various angles. Exhibit attendees allotted much of their visit time to observing McCullen’s exhibit in fascination and awe.
Baton Rouge Gallery has been a staple in the city’s contemporary at scene for some decades now. Their “First Wednesday” exhibits are free and open to the public, with the intention of sending the message that art is for everyone.
This concept has positively manifested itself in the crowds that frequent Baton Rouge Gallery’s monthly unveiling of their rotating exhibits.
“We have everyone here tonight from college students to the elderly,” Andreasen said. “It’s been so nice to see how this brings the community together and how all kinds of people are interested in the art scene that Baton Rouge doesn’t get enough credit for. This opening tonight is the biggest one we’ve had in a while, and I’m excited for what the future holds.”

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Patrons observe 3-D glass pieces by artist Craig McCullen. Wednesday, February 7th, 2024.