New Exhibits Unveiled at Shadows on the Teche

In July 2024, I had the wonderful opportunity to open five new exhibits that I wrote, designed, and installed at the Shadows on the Teche. They were funded by the Atchafalaya National Heritage Area and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

We hosted a members-only opening that welcomed 85 locals and resulted in a 20% increase in memberships.

Louisiana Education: Temporary exhibit on Education in Louisiana, integration, and Education and the Weeks Family. This exhibit features a compelling oral history of J.B. Henderson, the principal of a New Iberia school during desegregation.
Swiss Guard: Weeks Hall, the last private owner of the Shadows, frequently referred to his home as the Vatican, himself as “the Pope”, and his staff as his “Swiss Guard”. This exhibit is a biographical sketch of five of his longest-serving employees.
Beneath the Shadows: Archaeology exhibit and display detailing the work completed at the Shadows’ slave quarters in the 1970s and 1980s. This exhibit displays objects from the never before seen archaeology collection.
Lighter Side of Life: Explores Weeks Hall as a queer preservationist and artist. His involvement with “Dixie Bohemia” led to the preservation of the New Orleans French Quarter, the Shadows, and opportunities for friendships with many celebrities and socialites of his time. This exhibit features a video interview done by NBC with Weeks Hall in 1958.
A Picture, Unbroken: The largest of the five exhibits, A Picture, Unbroken begins with a memorial to the 1,112 people enslaved by the Weeks Family across their nine plantations and introduces visitors to the history of the establishment of Weeks Island and the Shadows through the American Civil War, Jim Crow, and the decline of the sugar plantation. This exhibit features multiple soundscapes, a display of an enslaved child’s clothing, and a Jim Crow-era Klan patch from Iberia Parish.

Curator, Adam Foreman
Graphic Designer, Kate Ferry

PRESS COVERAGE OF THE OPENING:

LPB-PBS Louisiana: The State We’re In (September 13, 2024)