SHREVEPORT, La. (KSLA) – ArkLaTex Artistry’s Brittney Hazelton visited the R.W. Norton Art Gallery and learned about what makes this historic gallery so special.
Tucked away in a secret spot in South Highlands is an enchanting haven for the arts, R.W. Norton Art Gallery, 4747 Creswell Avenue. The gallery is a place for people to come and enjoy the beauty of creative expression, historic & contemporary art, and the beauty of nature in its botanical gardens.
Right after the Bloom! exhibition opened, Brittney Hazelton spoke with Emily Feazel, the designer of exhibits and special events at the R.W. Norton Art Gallery.
Finely built and made with room to expand, the building is likely over 100,000 square feet in size. It is a two-story facility with the first floor mainly housing the public area. The basement of the Norton is where the archives, vaults, offices, and storage for circulating art are. Feazel explains that the public only sees about 12%-15% of the actual building.
When was the R.W. Norton formed and why?
Built in 1966, the Norton was built by the son and wife of one of the overseers of the Rodessa oil fields, Richard W. Norton (1886-1940). Lovers of art, the Norton family collected a significant collection of fine art. In 1949, Richard’s wife and son, Richard W. Norton Jr, created the R.W. Norton Art Foundation in 1946. Eventually, the foundation built the R.W. Norton Art Gallery, basing its collection on the acquisitions from the Nortons.
”Norton senior had a large collection, and so when he passed away his wife and son wanted to do something in his honor for the city of Shreveport,” explains Feazel.
How did the botanical gardens get started?
“So, the botanical gardens grew out of a love for nature by Mrs. Norton. Somewhere for people to just come and have a really wonderful calm serene place right in the heart of the city to be able to enjoy and get away from the hustle and bustle,” says Feazel. “The museum was there first and it was just kinda woods behind it. And, the botanical gardens began growing and getting bigger and bigger. And, now we have the beautiful 40 acres we have today.”
R.W. Norton and the community
Feazel says that they have visitors from out of town more often than visitors from our community. Often, locals don’t even know the gallery exists.
“We get more visitors from out of town than we do locals. Which is always incredible to me, but yeah, most locals I talk to they say either they have never been in the museum or they have never been to the gardens. And, so for this to have been here for almost 60 years, its pretty incredible that the local community doesn’t take as much of an advantage and enjoy beautiful art and gardens as they should,” says Feazel.
What kind of art hangs at the R.W. Norton?
Both contemporary and current artists hang alongside historically renowned artists, including a large collection of Western art from artists Frederic Remington and Charles M. Russell. Each year, the R.W. Norton also hosts exhibitions, like Bloom!, that showcase local and contemporary modern artists.
Some of the oldest works are from ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, and Persia, including six tapestries dating from the 16th century.
“The fact that we have this in Shreveport is just, its special. Where else can you go in Northwest Louisiana to see Rembrant, to see Croissant, to see Remington and Russle,” says Feazel. “As well as giving artists, local and otherwise, an opportunity to showcase their work in special exhibitions. Like with the Bloom! exhibit on display right now, those artists who are incredibly talented contemporary artists are showing right down the hall from Auguste Rodin, showing right down the hall from Toulouse Lautrec and Alphonse Mucha. And, so to have your artwork in the same space as these incredibly talented masters of the arts, its so important.
Additionally, the gallery maintains a historic research library with a very large collection of books on fine arts, U.S. history, Louisiana history, and genealogy. Its non-circulating collection includes extremely rare books such as the double elephant folio of John James Audubon’s The Birds of America.
Feazel has always been passionate about the gallery since she was a young child, it was the very first museum she ever went too. She would explore its beautiful halls and botanical garden every Sunday with her grandmother.
“I grew up here. I feel like I’ve been here my whole life. And, so when I went to college I decided I wanted to study art history,” explains Feazel about her path to where she is now, working in the Norton.
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