February 8th - May 10th, 2025 at Acadiana Center for the Arts

This exhibition takes a look at a variety of stories which intertwine the work of artists, community groups, Indigenous Peoples, and science-led efforts to restore the ecological balance to the area known as the Cajun Prairie. Visitors will see the well known landscape paintings of Elemore Morgan Jr and photography from Lucius Fontenot’s Mémoire de la Boue (Memories of Mud) series. Visitors will see also collaborative projects, some of art and some of science. One such is an art installation between Rush Jagoe and Maaliyah Symoné. Maaliyah explains that, “through her artwork, she reimagines plants not just as subjects or props but as co-creators and storytellers.”

Alongside the work of artists, this exhibition will showcase some of the work being done by scientists and naturalists who have taken to “rewilding” sites of the prairie. The Cajun Prairie Restoration Project in Eunice, Louisiana, Atelier de la Nature Aurore & Brandon Ballengée’s Eco-Campus in Cecilia, Louisiana and the Acadiana Native Plant Project based in Arnaudville, Louisiana. These organizations are spearheading local efforts to rebuild the biodiversity of prairie soil and bringing about positive change within the natural ecosystem of the coastal prairie.