L’Esprit de la Louisiane: Music of the Prairie

Inspired by the music of Southwest Louisiana, L’Espirit de la Louisiane (The Spirit of Louisiana): Music of the Prairie, is another example of Chestee’s transformative multimedia process.

 

She created 16 woodblocks, each inspired by a song. With these 21-by-14-inch blocks, she created hand-pulled, hand-colored prints. Then, she returned to the blocks, carving them into bas-relief, and completing them with color, stains and glazes.

 

Chestee conducted extensive research for this series, which highlights songs that have become Cajun standards. These tunes have wide-ranging roots, including traditional French and English ballads, the rhythms of Scotland, Africa and the Caribbean, and of course, the German waltz.

 

The exhibit includes a four-by-seven-foot oil painting, The Gathering, which depicts the blend of cultures that have contributed to traditional Cajun music: French, Spanish, German, Scotch-Irish, African and Native American.

 

The series is also accompanied by a book, “L’Esprit de la Louisiane: Music of the Prairie,” written by Christy Lawrence Viviano, and a music CD produced by Al Berard and Christy Lawrence Viviano (Over the Moon Productions Inc. and Garage Recording Studios). Musicians who contributed to the CD include: Philip Allemond, Dexter Ardoin, Morris Ardoin,  Al Berard, Blake Castille, Hadley Castille, Kevin Courville, Julie Landry, Michael Landry, and Bobby Michot.