Latest news with #AshleyRoyer
American Press
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- American Press
Emotional rescue: Emo Prom chance to relive teenage experiences
I t's time to party like it's 2005 — 'Let's All Cry at the Museum: An Emo Prom' is Saturday. The event runs from 6-8 p.m. at the Imperial Calcasieu Museum, 204 W. Sallier St. Emo Prom is open to ages 13 and older. Minors must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Tickets are $15. The night offers the opportunity to relive the early 2000s as true emo kids. Emo, or emotional hardcore, is a subculture characterized by expressive fashion and confessional alternative music. Creative Director Ashley Royer said genre-specific and themed subculture events strengthen communities by carving out safe spaces for self-expression. 'They offer a sense of belonging for those who may have felt like outsiders, while celebrating shared identity through music, fashion and nostalgia,' she said. 'These events spark creativity, support local artists and bring together different generations who connect over a common cultural moment. In doing so, they enrich the local cultural landscape and remind us that every voice deserves a place.' The inspiration for the event came from Maya the Bread Suppliah, who will be providing baked goods. Her idea was to dive deep into nostalgia with the community to create a space to connect, Royer said. Party-goers should prepare for a 'beautifully tragic night of emotional overload' and catharsis, with photo booths, comfort food and a perfectly curated playlist. 'We'll have a '90s and 2000s artifact table like a shrine to our misunderstood teenage souls, and a screening of music videos that once spoke to us louder than any guidance counselor ever could. It's not just a prom, it's a collective exorcism of our emo past,' she said. Guests will be able to get temporary tattoos at the Tat Table, scream into the microphone during 'sorrowful karaoke' and witness the crowning of the prom royalty. The members of the court will be chosen based on their outfits. Guests are encouraged to don their best emo regalia — skinny jeans, worn converse, smoky eyeliner — to show off their 'edge and dark romantic side.' For those who want to participate in more quiet expression, coloring sheets will be available. 'Not all emotions need a dance floor,' Royer said. Guests are invited to take a look at the exhibitions: 'Branch Out Summer Art Exhibit,' 'El Nuevo Constante: Shipwrecked,' 'Hall of Heroes,' and Ripples: Imperial Calcasieu Parish's Waterborne History.' Royer called it an opportunity to 'embrace the nostalgia together.'
American Press
31-07-2025
- Entertainment
- American Press
Art and soul: Museum keeps LC's heart of history, art repeating
Ashley Royer, interim director of the Imperial Calcasieu Museum, puts the art in he(art). She thrives on the enrichment it brings her life and wants to pass on that experience to each patron who walks through the museum's doors. 'I love talking about art and teaching history,' Royer told members of the Kiwanis Club of Lake Charles recently. 'We get a lot of students who, when they come through and hear something, their eyes sparkle. Stories are impactful, they encourage, they strike imagination but they also open out-of-the box thinking and creativity.' Over the school calendar year of 2024-25, Royer said the museum hosted more than 560 field trips — made up of both school classes and visitors from retirement home outings. The museum also impacted 648 artists during that same time period. The organization works daily to showcase the talent of local, national and international artists while providing the seat of historic heirlooms and documents from across the span of the city's history. 'We've been working hard, not only in our education and our arts but also in spreading the good word about our history,' Royer said. 'It doesn't seem like there is enough appreciation for our humanities. It slips away very easily.' To prevent that from happening, one of the newer programs the museum team has launched is the Historical Walking Tours. 'We learned very quickly not to do them at 2 p.m.,' Royer said with a laugh. 'We have a thing for the heat so the next ones will all be at 9 in the morning.' The tours —led by Anna Alamond, the museum's creative program manager —encompass downtown Lake Charles and tales of the city's early pioneers, architecture, the devastating toll of the Great Fire of 1910, and how residents rose from the ashes to rebuild and thrive. In the fall, six haunted candlelit tours will be added. 'Haunted history, which is one of my favorite exhibits, is the best excuse to talk about history with people,' Royer said. 'People come in the door with the tales of hauntedness and then we teach them history.' The museum is also hosting the 'El Nuevo Constante: Shipwrecked' exhibit which features never-before-displayed artifacts from the 1776 wreckage of the merchant ship that crashed off the coast of Cameron Parish during a hurricane. 'Right now you can see artifacts from that wreckage and you can see the different natural dye they had onboard and some of the 'allegedly illegally' untaxed metal signets,' she said. The exhibit is on display through Aug. 9. It will be followed by 'Seeing Nature, Through Eyes Open Wide' by Sue Zimmerman Aug. 21-Oct. 25; then 'Picture the Power: A Project of the Power Coalition Arts Framework'Sept. 11- Oct. 9; and then 'After the Eye: The Wake of Hurricane Laura' featuring the photography of Chad Moreno Nov. 6-Jan. 3, 2026. 'Really great things are happening at the museum,' Royer said. 'I'm really excited.' Royer, who has been serving as interim director for eight months, said though the museum is a small nonprofit, they are trying to make a big impact on the community.
American Press
29-05-2025
- General
- American Press
Historical walking tour focuses on the story of Lake Charles
Lake Charles' first City Hall was constructed in 1903. Before that, city council members met at homes, hotels or the second floor of the city's then-fire station at the corner of Iris and Cole streets. (American Press Archives) T he Imperial Calcasieu Museum is stepping beyond its walls to highlight and preserve Lake Charles' rich history this weekend. Starting at 2 p.m. Friday, ICM will host the first of three guided historical walking tours through Downtown Lake Charles. The 'Story of Lake Charles: Historical Walking Tours' will bring the city's history to the forefront in the locations of landmark events. The tours offer locals and tourists alike an opportunity to learn about landmark events and showcase influential figures who helped shape Lake Charles into what it is today. Ashley Royer, interim executive director, said the tours are a continuation of ICM's undertaking to preserve the area's history and culture, and will allow the museum to take this mission out of the confines of the building and into the area it honors. 'It is a way to take them out and about and just travel within the footsteps,' Royer said. The museum, which has operated since 1963, has curated the tour using precious — and scarce — primary sources such as Maude Reid's scrapbooks, as well as oral histories and input from area historians, to script the tour. Anna Alamond, an ICM creative specialist, will serve as docent for the tour. Royer said the walking tour is a chance for people to hear the accurate history of Lake Charles in a digital world of misinformation. 'If you imagine 20 years ago, everything's in the newspaper, everything's in a paper format, and we've moved to a digital format and part of it is that we're losing,' she explained. 'There's been mistranslations of the history that's going out.' History requires one to look backward and forward. And this is an important practice, Royer said, especially considering recurring themes the area is experiencing. The 1910 fire consumed the downtown area, but Lake Charles became a more developed city after the tragedy. Now, Lake Charles is in recovery from an onslaught of natural disasters, coupled with a pandemic. 'We think it's important because it's not just knowing what happened before, but what's happening currently,' Royer said. 'And I think it's important that history is a two-way street. You have to look back and forward. 'And there are just some really unique individuals who played a part in our development. I feel like you should know their stories.' The tour begins and ends at the Historic City Hall Arts and Cultural Center, 1001 Ryan St., and will last about two hours. Two more guided history tours will be offered in June. Tickets can be purchased on ICM's website. The cost is $20 for adults and $15 for seniors, military and children. Children ages 4 and younger admitted free.
American Press
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- American Press
Culinary Canvas Progressive Dinner offers something for the senses
(Special to the American Press) F riday offers an indulgent and enriching experience that exists at the intersection of the visual and culinary arts. The Culinary Canvas Progressive Dinner is a night of food and art that takes diners on a culinary journey, making stops in three cultural locations in Lake Charles: the Imperial Calcasieu Museum, the Historic City Hall Arts and Cultural Center and the Residency at the Museum studio. Transportation to each location will be provided. Each ticket is $125 and can be purchased online. From 6-9 p.m. guests will take a journey fueled by a love for art, guaranteed to be an 'enchanting evening,' said ICM interim Executive Director Ashley Royer. The evening will start with appetizers at the ICM, located at 204 W. Sallier St. Dinner will start with seafood-stuffed pate choux dough balls paired with crawfish, rosemary grits and a crawfish cream sauce prepared by chef Benny Gray. Dominique Espree, a self-taught mixed media artist whose vibrant work weaves themes of connection and expression through bold textures and neo-expressionist style, will be featured at the first location. Guests will be transported to the Historic City Hall for the entree. Chef Lyle Broussard will serve pan-seared beef tenderloin with a butternut squash puree, spring vegetables, applewood bacon and mint-chive oil. The main dish is paired with Maaliyah Symoné Papillion, a member of the Atakapa-Ishak Nation who creates art that honors her cultural heritage and reflects a deep commitment to environmental preservation. Guests will be treated to a little lagniappe. Local musicians Dominique Darbonne and Wesley Royer will perform as a duet as they dine. The night ends at the RATM studio where guests will get to meet the artists and see their recent works. Chef Diana Schutte will prepare mango mousse dessert cups, custard slices and tiramisu cake. This stop features artist Kat Bertrand. Her portrait work strikes a delicate balance between whimsy and melancholy, exploring the emotions and relationships that shape each individual. Culinary Canvas serves as a way to introduce the new residents of ICM's RATM — a program that annually supports three area artists — each year. The residents create collections to be displayed in local museums and participate in events to connect with their community. Their first event comes weeks after the residency began. The residents and chefs collaborated to marry the two mediums to create a layered, synchronous experience. This process lead to the creation of unique dishes. Schutte created a special custard that reflects the use of black and white in Bertrand's work; Broussard will incorporate edible flowers into his dish because Papillion uses plants in her art. Wine and non-alcoholic pairings will be available at each stop. The combination of several mediums allows guests to experience 'different transformative layers' of creation, Royer said. 'They've been meeting together and brainstorming color, plating, and how they are going to present this. … And so everything you're going to get to eat, not just the flavors, but like the presentation, is basically living artwork that you're going to consume.'
