Museum on Main Street: Water/Ways

The Smithsonian's traveling exhibit, "Water/Ways," was on display at Central Library from January 22 through March 5, 2022. In this interactive exhibit, everyone learned about our water, environment, and culture. 

The Cameron Parish Public Library collaborated with the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities and the Calcasieu Parish Public Library to present Museum on Main Street: Water/Ways. This traveling exhibit, sponsored by the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History and the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, engaged Louisiana communities in discussions concerning their environment and the central nature of water in our lives. In addition to the exhibit, there was a series of Zoom webinars exploring coastal erosion, Southwest Louisiana's relationship with water and industry, a film screening and discussion on the short film "Born on the Bayou, and a discussion on the film "Diversions," which explored the state of Louisiana's Coastal Master Plan.

Hope and Resilience Art Exhibit

• Artists were offered the opportunity to showcase their artwork in Calcasieu Parish Public Library's first virtual art exhibit. 
• Dates: June 1st - July 31st
• View gallery.

When and Where

• Friday, November 1, 2019 - Friday, November 29, 2019 at the Fontenot Memorial Library in Vinton, Louisiana.
• Monday, December 2, 2019 - Tuesday, December 31, 2019 at the Central Library in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
• Wednesday, January 1, 2020 - Friday, January 31, 2020 at the Iowa Library in Iowa, Louisiana. 

Who

• Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries

What

• Partnering with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, the Calcasieu Parish Public Library will have on display information about the endangered Whooping Crane (Grus americana). These birds are being reintroduced to Southwest Louisiana. Stop by and compare your height to the display, see the size of one of their eggs, and pick up some additional information on this majestic creature! This exhibit offers a history of the whooping crane, facts about the bird, a lifesize poster of the crane (can grow up to 5 feet tall!) and a replica of a whooping crane egg.     

• This exhibit explores the slave trade out of New Orleans and down the Mississippi River and the consequences of purchasing these people and breaking up their families. 
• "Purchased Lives: The American Slave Trade from 1808 to 1865" was on loan to Central Library through the Historic New Orleans Collection in collaboration with the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities.
• Presented by Entergy, with additional support from Find Your Park, National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Kabacoff Family Foundation. 
• This exhibit was located at the Central Library, 301 W. Claude Street in Lake Charles from January 18, 2018 through February 27, 2018.  
• There was an opening reception of the exhibit "Purchased Lives: The American Slave Trade from 1808 to 1865" on January 18th.
• John Keeling, a professor of history from McNeese State opened the exhibit with a discussion on the slave trade in New Orleans and throughout Louisiana. 
• To complement this exhibit, we hosted various programs from January 23, 2018 through February 27, 2018.

• "Beautiful hand-carved wooden rod puppets from Indonesia were on display at Central Library in 2015.
• The puppets, along with original silk screen fabric, are part of a collection were on loan from one of the Library's patrons.
• Known as wayang golek, those wooden doll puppets are operated from below by rods connected to the hands and a central control rod that runs through the body to the head and are most commonly associated with the Sundanese culture of West Java."

• Lincoln: The Constitution and the Civil War exhibit was housed at the Central Library (January 21st through March 6th of 2015)
• Central Library was proud to have been selected by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the American Library Association to bring the community a piece of our country's historic past.
• This exhibit presents the following themes of the Civil War: Constitution Crisis, Secession, Slavery, Civil Liberties, and Legacy.
• This exhibit was available on the main floor of the Central Library during normal library hours.
• Lincoln: the Constitution and the Civil War, a travelling exhibition for libraries, was organized by the National Constitution Center and the American Library Association Public Programs Office.
• The travelling exhibition has been made possible by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
• The exhibit is based on an exhibition of the same name developed by the National Constitution Center.
• Here's a brief tour of the exhibit.

• Remembering our culture from award-winning Louisiana musician and poet laureate, Zachary Richard presents readings from "Les Cenelles" – considered one of the most important publications of both Franco-Louisiana and Afro-American history.
• A collection of Creole poetry published in New Orleans in 1845.
• Details and KPLC article

• Take a journey on how various cultures have contributed AND influenced the world around us through different forms of the written word.
• Details.