2023 Residents
2023 Residents
We are delighted to introduce and announce our three talented resident artists: Robbie Austin, Chuck Morgue, and Camille Vizena! We are thrilled to have these three incredible artists as our first cohort, and we can’t wait to see the things they will create over the next year. From exhibitions and workshops to public art installations and community projects, we are excited to engage with the community and share our love of art with everyone.
In addition, we would like to express our gratitude for all the applicants who applied for our residency program. We received a wealth of talent and passion, and it was a difficult decision to choose just three artists. We appreciate the time and effort each applicant put into their application and are grateful for the opportunity to connect with so many talented individuals. Thank you for your interest in our community, and we look forward to staying connected with you in the future!
Meet Camille Vizena, one of our first cohort of resident artists for the inaugural year of Residency at the Museum:
Vizena, a Lake Charles native who has taken a multifaceted approach to her work, is casting her gaze towards large scale printmaking as she begins her journey with us. “My work delves into the interplay between internal and external examination, childhood influences on perception, and the resulting tension and contradiction in self-experience. My drive with this body of work is to capture the connection between the people and place in Lake Charles by creating a series of woodcut portraits that reflect the community’s present and past. I want to reveal the essence of this special place while highlighting the individuals who call it home.” “Given the time and space I have the ability to create an amazing series of contemporary art – something that the Lake Charles community could be proud to say it helped produce.”
Meet Robbie Austin, one of our first cohort of resident artists for the inaugural year of Residency at the Museum:
Morgue, a Sulphur-based artist who is self-taught, blends expressionism and pop art to create subjects ranging from mental health to pop culture and social commentary. For him, art and creativity have been his life since childhood.
“Creativity is first nature to me. Expressing my thoughts and feelings through art is the only way to avoid spontaneously combusting. I hope my work connects with others in a visceral way, fostering understanding and empathy. This opportunity will help me focus everything I have into each new work. I have always felt like an outside, and there is a certain pride that comes with that, but I would like to come inside for a while. Out of the weather. I’ll bring snacks.”
Meet Robbie Austin, one of our first cohort of resident artists for the inaugural year of Residency at the Museum:
Austin grew up in Lake Charles before following his artistic journey to California. While there, he earned his MFA at UCLA and immediately began exhibiting in Los Angeles and New York. His current work has been an exploration of unique materials revealing themselves after hurricanes Laura and Delta.
On his work, Austin cites that these “field book papers [have] been a project I’ve stuck with the longest in my artistic endeavors… [this is] my nod and celebration of embracing the culture and landscape that has quietly informed my artistic influence and trajectory… I want to get my work seen by the folks that inspired it. I don’t want to stop there, though. I’ve crossed pivotal thresholds in the shadows of the Sallier Oak. This residency invokes nostalgia and calls forth artistic ambitions that need to be realized within walking distance of Charlie’s Lake.”
