The Inaugural Dirty South Mug Competition and Show, sponsored by GAEDA and held since April at River Oaks Square Arts Center, displays mugs as true art. Over 125 entries were submitted via an online adjudication process, and 89 mugs from 22 states were selected–the furthest entry comes from artist Hesheng Chen in Seattle, while the closest entry came from River Oaks’ very own Carole Steele.
Guest Juror for the competition is nationally renowned potter Tom Coleman, who was also on hand for a two day demo session as part of the River Oaks Education Series sponsored by GAEDA. Considered by many potters as one of the best in the nation, Tom has been featured in numerous galleries, and has both written and been the subject of much published review in his fifty years of ceramics. Tom prefers to work with porcelain and stoneware, and has been part of the NCECA national clay conference for years as a lecturer and featured demonstrator.
“The final exhibit features well over 100 mugs. We have already gained national recognition from other art centers across the U.S and broadened our artist base, which was our ultimate goal. River Oaks has jumped on the national stage and made a huge impact and we could not be more proud,” says Rachael Dauzat, Executive Director for River Oaks. “At the same time, we are, of course, gearing up for Men Who Cook and Men Who Mix at River Oaks, which is one of our two major fundraisers for the year. Tickets usually sell out in advance–I recommend buying them before the event, we do not want to turn away anyone at the door. We are looking forward to seeing our men and all the guests on May 16th!”
The 2015 Men Who Cook & Men Who Mix Participants are:
- Nick Williams, Tommy Cupples & Alex Porras – Central Louisiana Home Health Team
- Rep. Lance Harris, Tony Martin, Daryl Terry
- Dr. Bradley Kirzner & Team – Alexandria Spine & Rehab Team
- John Gunter & Team – Word of Mouth Cafe Team
- Jack Brame, Daniel Quinn & Ben St. Romain – Red River Bank Team
- Brodie Paul, Vance Taylor & John Taylor
- Joel Ferrier, Gary Guillory & Harvey Guillory – England Oaks Team
- William Albritton, Lance Lopez & Jason Hawk – Crossfit Alexandria Team
- Kevin Corbyn, Rigby Maupin & David Broussard
- Jason Lavergne, Mike Jeansoone & Gary Bonnette
- Kevin Chapman, Keith Chapman & Greg Babin – The Roux Spoon Team
- Jay Blackmon & Team – Old South Fabricators Team
- Dr. Jonathan Hunter, Tom Spencer, Wayne Savoie – Lagniappe Homecare & Riverside Hospital Team
- Stephen Reed, Christian Williams & Daemon Wilkins – Inglewood Farms Team
- Dr. Michael Leddy & Kevin Garrigan – Mid-State Orthopedics Team
- Chris Soprano, Charles Soprano & Rick Ducote – Broken Wheel Brewery Team
- Lee Gwinn, Stephen Naegle & Team – Spirits Team
- Dr. John Gosserand, Dr. Taten Peterman & Dr. Michael Smith
- Dustin Matthews & John “Cotton” Dean – CLEDA Team
- Ray Gill & Team – Jack’s Drinks Team
- Paul Tellarico, Tim Tharp and Nate Krig – Tellarico Law Firm Team
- Darryl Monroe, Todd Leleux & Sherman Fookes
- Ernesto Lemoine, Steve Autrey & Josh Brackett
- Ben Russo, Mike Sibley, Jeff Andry, Terry Spruill, Darren Olagues – CLECO Team
- James McClung & Team – HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital Team
- Dr. Robert Fontane, Brandon Monceaux & Dr. Eric Daniel
- Thayer Spencer, Chris Nassif & Dr. Miguel Garcia – Bones & Fins Team
Rounding out the preparations for the upcoming summer months is all the planning for the popular Summer Arts Studio–River Oaks’ popular summer camp that also tends to sell out well in advance. “We have four fun-filled themed sessions again this year and the response has been incredible,” says Aubrey Bolen, River Oaks Artistic Director. “Two sessions are completely full with a waiting list already and the other two are filling up quickly. River Oaks is feeling the love!”
The Mug Show remains on exhibit until May 23rd, and was made possible in part by GAEDA.
