The University’s Foster Hall is known for its art classes and Subway sandwich shop, but most students don’t realize the historical building has plenty more to offer.
Foster Hall houses a museum and art gallery that could be considered some of campus’ hidden gems. The Foster Gallery and LSU Museum of Natural Science are alternatives for students to consider when looking for something to do, and they’re completely free.
Foster Gallery primarily showcases student artwork. LSU School of Art  Galleries Director Malia Krolak said the gallery has new exhibitions almost every month and encourages students to stop by. Most of the student artwork is for sale and can be purchased at a decent price. 
Foster Gallery assistant director Jonathan Mayers said the gallery is popular among people who have been in or follow the art program or are among those who visit the museum but most students he sees aren’t even looking for the gallery or museum at all.
“The most popular question we get is, ‘I heard that there was a Subway in Foster. Where is that?’” Mayers said. “We give directions to Subway more often than not.”
Mayers said while some people don’t realize there’s an art program where students can major in things like painting and drawing, even fewer notice there is an art gallery on their own campus.
“A lot of people don’t even know that their fellow classmates are artists here,” Mayers said. “Their work is being displayed, and [students] can buy it.”
Mayers said the gallery is preparing for its first show of the semester titled “Landscape Relationships.” The show will feature landscape architecture artwork and run from Jan. 30 to Feb. 27. Mayers said there is currently no work in the gallery because they are preparing for the show.
Across the hall from Foster Gallery is the LSU Museum of Natural Science.  The museum was founded in 1936 strictly as a research museum but opened its doors to the public in 1955 featuring exhibits.
This research museum is one of the nation’s largest and most diverse, housing more than 2.5 million specimens, including different species of birds, amphibians, reptiles, mammals and fish.
The museum’s outreach coordinator Valerie Derouen said not all of the museum’s collections are on display because they are mainly being used for research, but people from all over the world come to study the specimens. 
“It’s a small museum to the public,” Derouen said, “But behind the scenes is where the main action happens.”
However, visitors will find the first Mike the Tiger on display along with a recording of his roar. They also will see hand-painted dioramas depicting everything from a tropical rainforest to a desert habitat, as well as
Louisiana landscapes.
Derouen said most people at the University don’t know the museum exists, and the staff is working to change that. Derouen’s position as outreach coordinator is dedicated to bringing awareness about the museum to both the University and the public.
“When people hear about it and see it, they think it’s really cool and they’ll tell their friends, but word of mouth is pretty much how [news] spreads,” Derouen said. “We have social media, and it’s slowly spreading, but I think getting the word out there to students is our main problem.”
Derouen said museums are important because they broaden an individual’s knowledge and understanding of the world, and the staff has several plans to increase their involvement around campus such as setting up an informational table in Free Speech Plaza. She hopes this will encourage students to visit the museum.
Foster Gallery is open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays from noon to 4 p.m. The LSU Museum of Natural Science is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Both are free and open to the public. 
You can reach Greta Jines on Twitter @TheGretaJines.