Latest news with #Banners
Scoop
06-05-2025
- General
- Scoop
38 Wellington Public Artworks Added To National Register Of 20th Century Public Art
Public Art Heritage Aotearoa New Zealand (PAHANZ) has added a further 38 works from throughout Wellington City to its website an online register of New Zealand's 20th Century Public Art. PAHANZ, a research initiative operating as a Charitable Trust, was established to find, document, and protect what remains of Aotearoa's 20th Century public art (works made and installed in public spaces between 1900 – 1999). Sue Elliott, co-director of PAHANZ said 'many of these works have been destroyed, covered over, or simply lost. Others remain undocumented and at risk due to a lack of public knowledge of their significance and value. Our website is New Zealand's first national register of these cultural treasures; launched with 380 works in mid-2023. 'Thanks to funding from Wellington City Council's Public Art Panel, we have researched a further 38 works for uploading. These works were prioritised to reflect works that were at risk; those that were likely to gain category 1 & 2 significance from our independent assessment panel; and those that increased the diversity of artists already represented on the database,' she said. The database can be searched by a number of factors including: the artwork, the artist, its location and date or medium. The 38 Wellington works include works by public art heroes such as: Jim Allen; Tanya Ashken; Roy Cowan; Gordon Crook; Neil Dawsom; Robert Jahnke; Robyn Kahukiwa; Molly Macalister; Milan Mrkusich; Beverley Shore Bennett; Lyndon Smith; Rewi Thompson; Cliff Whiting, and many others. And, they can be found dotted about the city in: The CBD; Botanic Gardens; Oriental Bay; Evans Bay; the National War Memorial; the High Court and the Civic Square precinct. Among them are four works that are in storage: Jim Allen's 'Copper Crystals' (1965) formerly of ICI House on Molesworth Street; Philip Trusttum's 'Northern Lights' (1987), formerly on The Terrace; Roy Cowan's abstract mural for the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (1971); and Lyndon Smith's, 'Mother-and-children group' (1964), which is currently inaccessible due to building strengthening work. Four works that face an uncertain future are similarly listed: one in Te Ngākau Civic Square (Rewi Thompson's 'Te Aho A Maui' (1991)); and three in the Michael Fowler Centre (Gordon Crook's 'Banners'; and 'Wall Hangings'; and Jock McEwen et al's two Pou (1983)). Co-director, Bronwyn Holloway-Smith said: 'The uploading of these works in Wellington has proved to be particularly timely given the spotlight on Civic Square and the Michael Fowler Centre with the proposed Te Ngākau redevelopment. 'By documenting, promoting, and seeking protections for Aotearoa New Zealand's 20th century public art we are highlighting the value of these creative contributions to public space, and raising awareness about the stories they embody to ensure this important aspect of our culture is accessible to future generations.' With 424 works now listed on the website, PAHANZ still has much to do, with a further 800 works to be researched that are lost/hidden/destroyed, or whose current status is not confirmed. These include 66 Wellington works yet to be audited and 41 lost/hidden/destroyed works.
American Press
30-04-2025
- Politics
- American Press
McLeod Lecture: Former governors say trust, compromise key to their successes
Stephanie Grace, editorial director and columnist for The Advocate, served as the moderator Tuesday night for the McLeod Series lecture that featured former governors John Bel Edwards and Charlie Baker. (Crystal Stevenson / American Press) Building trust by being honest with people and being willing to compromise are key attributes of being successful in government. That was the message Tuesday night during the McLeod Lecture — part of McNeese's Banners cultural series — which featured former governors John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, and Charlie Baker, a Republican. Baker is now president of the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association), and Edwards is practicing law with the Fishman Haygood firm of Louisiana, focusing on renewable energy matters. During the their time leading their states, both worked with majority legislative bodies of the opposing parties. On Tuesday both shared lessons learned on how to cross the aisle to bring people with opposing views together. Party affiliation Baker said he grew up in a home with a divided party affiliation — his father was a Republican and his mother is a Democrat. 'They used to debate the issues at our dinner table on Sundays and I used to have friends who would come over just to watch,' Baker said with a laugh. 'Basically, if you were going to sit at the table you had to play. My parents weren't fighting they were just having conversation so I grew up with this perspective that the two people I love most didn't vote for the same people, agreed sometimes and didn't agree a lot of times, but I never thought it was a contest or a fight.' Baker said he ultimately became a Republican because when he became old enough, the presidential choices were Ronald Regan and Jimmy Carter. 'Reagan was my candidate of choice in that election,' he said. 'Then over the years I got involved in state politics and supporting a number of Republican candidates — including two Republican governors I worked for in their cabinets.' Edwards also attributes his party affiliation to his parents' influence. 'My dad was a sheriff, like his dad and his grandfather and his great-grandfather, and my mother was a charity hospital nurse,' Edwards said. 'They were both very much Democrats. That just wasn't debated at all.' Edwards said there are a number of Republicans who believe the government is always bad, it cannot work and it cannot be fixed. 'If you put those people in charge of government, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy and you see exactly what we're seeing now in Washington,' he said. 'I just cannot be a Republican even though my party has oftentimes found considerable fault with me.' Relationships Baker served as the governor of Massachusetts from 2015 to 2023 and held cabinet positions under two of the state's previous governors. 'I knew a ton of people based on my time in state government and I had real relationships,' Baker said. 'I had professional relationships, personal relationships, and I worked with these people on all kinds of issues. They might have been Republican or Democrat, but I never really looked at them that way. I looked at them as a person I knew.' These types of relationships give local and state governments 'a little bit of an edge' over the federal government. 'It's easier and, I think, more traditional to have relationships — personal ones — with a lot of people you work with,' he said. 'You're just around each other all the time. That makes a big difference, in my mind, of how we got things done.' Edwards agrees. 'Personal relationships make all the difference in the world and it's still the case in Louisiana that you can have good, personal relationships with people in the other party,' Edwards said. 'The biggest impediment to having personal relationships with people of the other party is if you ever develop contempt for people just because they are in the other party. If you have contempt for somebody, you have no interest in sitting down with them. You don't care what they think. You don't really want their support for what they're trying to do. Trying to avoid that level of contempt, I think, is one of the most important things.' Baker said there were a lot of people he worked with while in government that he could trust. He hopes they felt the same of him. 'I could tell them exactly what I thought, why I was trying to get something done and I could say to them, 'I can help you on this. I cannot help you with that. I'm willing to do this. I'm not willing to do that.' I wasn't playing games. If you want someone to help you do something hard and it's challenging and difficult, if you don't trust the people you're trying to do this with your chances for success are not going to be very high.' Trust is a currency in and of itself, Baker said. Bipartisanship During the entirety of Edwards' time in the governor's mansion, the Republican Party had the majority in the House and the Senate. 'I'm very comfortable and happy by what we were actually able to do — all of it on a bipartisanship basis,' he said. 'But some folks would go home after the session and brag about not just what we accomplished but what they voted against. They were always in the minority, though. It didn't matter if they thought it was something good for the state, if I proposed it and if it was going to happen on my watch they would just as soon not have it.' Those are the people he didn't spend a lot of time with, Edwards said, because he knew he wouldn't win an argument. 'The time you spend with them trying is time you're not spending with those people you might be able to influence,' he said. Edwards said he tried during his term to not emulate in Baton Rouge what was happening in Washington, D.C. Baker said if there were other legislators in government who wouldn't support something he was passionate about, he would find someone else to sponsor the legislation. 'I'm perfectly happy with someone else taking all the credit because at the end of the day I don't care that much about that. I care whether that item actually makes it,' he said. Weather woes Baker was sworn in on Jan. 4 and during his first press conference on Jan. 20 he unveiled his budget plan. 'One of the questions I got asked at the press conference was if I put enough money in for snow removal. I said, 'It's 50 degrees outside. There's no snow on the ground. It's almost the end of January. I think we'll be fine.' On Jan. 28 it started snowing and it snowed 38 days in a row and the temperature never got above 25.' His approach during that time was to host press conferences three times a day to give updates. 'We did everything we could to give people guidance on what we were doing and why we were doing it and one thing people said after was they appreciated that we brought local folks to talk about particular problems in their communities and we didn't make it seem like it was about us,' he said. Baker also called mayors and asked what they needed — and had it delivered. 'If people see government actually responding quickly and aggressively to the problems that are there and not creating them it helped us make a first impression,' he said. Edwards said in March of 2016 — when he was governor for just two months — an afternoon storm came in and didn't leave for seven days. 'That was my first disaster and it became a federal disaster declaration,' he said. 'By the time I left office, we had 23 of those. FEMA brought down a special presentation because no other governor has ever had 23 major federal disaster declarations before.' Edwards said he did his best to communicate effectively, tell the facts as he knew them, and remain calm. 'It's not enough to speak so that you can be understood you're supposed to try to speak so you can't be misunderstood.'
American Press
29-04-2025
- Politics
- American Press
McLeod Lecture Series to feature former governors Edwards, Baker
Former Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards served two terms, from 2016 to 2024. (Special to the American Press) By Sonny Marks A Democrat governor from a red state meets a Republican governor from a blue state. They will meet Tuesday night in Lake Charles, in an event open to the public and free of charge. Former governors John Bel Edwards (D) and his Massachusetts counterpart Charlie Baker (R) will speak at 7 p.m. at the Tritico Theatre on the McNeese State University campus, in this year's McLeod Lecture, part of McNeese's Banners cultural series. A reception for the public will begin at 5:45 p.m. outside the theater in the Grand Gallery of the Shearman Fine Arts Center. Doors to the theater will open at 6:30 p.m. Edwards and Baker will speak about working with majority legislative bodies of the opposing parties. The moderator of their discussion will be Stephanie Grace, editorial director and columnist for The Advocate. The McLeod Lecture Series honors the late Bill McLeod of Lake Charles, who was a district judge and state legislator. McLeod died in 2003, and the first Lecture Series event was held in 2004. The annual series focuses on timely, historical aspects of Louisiana politics, and on efforts to promote good government and public service. The two governors both served two terms, Edwards from 2016 to 2024, and Baker from 2015 to 2023. Discussion points in the lecture may include their early lives and what positioned them to lead their states, challenges they faced and how they dealt with them, keys to their success and accomplishments, what might they do differently if given the opportunity, thoughts on how to cross the aisle to bring people with opposing views together, and advice for young people about democracy, voting, getting involved, running for office, and public service. Baker is now president of the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association), and Edwards is practicing law with the Fishman Haygood firm of Louisiana, focusing on renewable energy matters. As governors, both sought middle ground. Baker's positions put him at odds with the leader of Massachusetts' Republican Party. On the other side, state Democrats pushed back against the governor's effort to expand the list of offenses for which a criminal suspect could be held pre-trial without bail for 120 days if the court determined the person to be dangerous. Baker put money into public transportation and expanded broadband internet access to areas of the state that lacked infrastructure. His administration propelled the planting of more than 35,000 trees and spurred the investing of more than $1 billion to deal with climate change. Baker signed legislation requiring utilities to use sources of clean energy. Edwards grew up the son of a sheriff, graduated from the U.S. Military Academy, and served as an Army Ranger. He was against abortion and his views on guns were moderate. The day he was first inaugurated as this state's governor, the majority-Republican House of Representatives refused Edwards' choice as house speaker and voted in their own. For the previous hundred years, Louisiana governors traditionally picked the speaker of the house. He expanded Medicaid, joined efforts to combat climate change, and invested in education. In his last term in office, the Legislature overturned Edwards' veto of congressional maps that would have maintained only one majority-Black district. It was the first veto override of a Louisiana governor in 31 years. Later that year, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed a legal challenge to the map, thus providing, at least temporarily, for a second majority-Black district in a state in which one-third of the state's voters are Black. The late Bill McLeod served 23 years in the Louisiana Legislature and was dean of the Southwest Louisiana delegation. He was one of the Young Turks, reform-minded legislators in the late 1960s and '70s who supported and sponsored numerous changes in state government. One of McLeod's hallmarks was to set up a card table and folding chairs outside of grocery stores throughout his district to allow constituents to provide him their input prior to each legislative session. In addition to the Lecture Series created to honor McLeod, the Southwest Louisiana Legislative Archives were formed at McNeese from the same initiative. Related professorships and student stipends were also created at the university. This year's McLeod Professors are Victoria Jeansonne (Political Science) and Lindsay Ayling (History). The McLeod Students are Louis Gilley (Political Science) and Tanner Milner(Political Science).
American Press
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- American Press
High-energy JigJam ready to take SW La. by storm
The iGrass band JigJam will perform Friday, April 25, in Bulber Auditorium for the McNeese Banners Series. (Special to the American Press) By Mary Richardson JigJam, an Irish group self-described as 'what happens when virtuoso Irish playing jumps the pond and runs through the wide-open fields of bluegrass and Americana' will perform at 7 p.m. Friday, April 25, in the historic F.G. Bulber Auditorium for the McNeese Banners Series. Banners Director Brook Hanemann said the people of Lake Charles are in for 'some foot stompin', high-energy badassery!' Hanemann said that Lake Charles people will recognize the Irish roots of JigJam. 'Once you've stood in the wild wind of Ireland, you recognize it instantly in JigJam's music,' she said. 'It's joyful, untethered, and full of the kind of jubilant rhythm that feels like it's leaping straight off the Irish hillside.' She said their music will speak to Southwest Louisiana: 'There's something about the Irish spirit — generous, funny, fierce — that speaks to the South. It feels like home and a celebration all at once.' Band members, all Offaly- and Tipperary-born, debuted at the Grand Ole Opry in 2023 and received a standing ovation from the sold-out crowd on country music's most renowned stage. The group was joined that night by Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, Steve Earle, Lauren Alaina, and many more. In their words, they started 'the first wave of attack in the new Irish invasion of Americana' on that night. Founding members of the 'iGrass' (Irish Bluegrass) quartet are Offaly-born Jamie McKeogh (lead singer and guitar) and Daithi Melia (five-string banjo and dobro). In 2016, they were joined by Tipperary-born Gavin Strappe (mandolin and enor banjo), and this year they were joined by Kevin Buckley (fiddle). Reviews for the group have been positive. One reviewer described them as 'the best Irish band in bluegrass' and 'sparkling, infectious,' adding that 'these lads have been hailed as Ireland's answer to New Grass Revival.' Another said that 'iGrass and JigJam is what happens when the Irish find their prodigal son.' a TICKETS: $20 each. Included in all Banners memberships and sold at the door. Advance tickets are available at All events are free to McNeese and Sowela Technical Community College students and children 12 and younger.
American Press
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- American Press
Voices of hope: Ukrainian group brings their earthy message of resilience to LC
YAGÓDY, a Ukrainian folk group making its first U.S. tour, will be in Lake Charles on April 24 to introduce Southwest Louisiana to 'songs of wild tribes.' The group's music is rooted in Ukrainian, Bulgarian and Serbian folk songs. (Special to the American Press) By Mary Richardson T he Ukrainian group YAGÓDY will present an ethnodrama performance designed to be a testament to the country of Ukraine and the spirit of its people for the McNeese Banners Series in the F.G. Bulber Auditorium at 7 p.m. April 24. 'We snagged them the night before they will perform at Festival International in Lafayette,' said Banners Director Brook Hanemann. 'This is their first tour in the United States, and I'm sure you will never forget this performance.' YAGÓDY consists of women who have created a unique sound featuring what they describe as 'immersive ethno-drama' with primal percussion and hypnotic vocal harmonies. They revive and reinterpret folk songs, while dressed in the traditional clothing and ornately embroidered costumes of Ukraine. They describe their performance as 'the songs of wild tribes. This is the voice of your ancestors. This is live energy. It is a dance with voices. This is how our nature smells. This is how our blood sounds.' The group debuted a self-titled album, YAGÓDY, in 2020, which introduced the world to their unique, powerful renditions of Ukrainian, Bulgarian and Serbian folk songs. In 2024, the group won over audiences at the Eurovision Song Contest with their original song 'Tsunamia,' and placed fifth at the national selection finals. The group was founded in 2016 by actress and vocalist Zoriana Dybovska. Dybovska left her home in Donetsk in 2015 because of a Russian military invasion. She moved to Lviv, where she gathered a group of musicians and fellow educators to create a project to 'breathe new life into ancient Ukrainian sounds.' The musicians are Dybovska — vocals, percussion instruments; Vasylyna Voloshyn — vocals; Tetiana Voitiv — vocals, Tibetan bowl, percussion instruments, and drymba; Nadiia Parashchuk — vocals, accordion, Vadym Voitovych — bass guitar, Teimyraz Gogitidze — drums, Vasyl Parashchuk — cymbals. The lineup of musicians who play in Lake Charles might change. Hanemann said, 'Ukrainian artists live with the reality that they may be called home at a moment's notice. However, despite the unpredictability, what remains constant is the depth, spirit, and power of their performance. Every note feels like a heartbeat of preservation, and it's an extraordinary thing to witness.' a TICKETS: $20 each. Included in all Banners memberships and sold at the door. Advance tickets are available at All events are free to McNeese and SOWELA Technical Community College students and children 12 and younger. Free full-season memberships — with tickets to all events in the series — will also be given to first responders, educators, active and retired military and seniors 80 years and older. Sign up for the free memberships at the door or contact the Banners Series office at 337-475-5997 or email rpartin2@
