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IN THE GALLARIES...
SCULPTURE BY RICHARD SWENSON in the Colonnade Gallery
Beginning Tuesday, March 4th
Upon retirement from a career in oceanic acoustics research, sculptor Richard Swenson initially began restoring John Deere tractors to mint condition. The restorations left him with a significant pile of scrap metal from
which he casually began to select pieces that he welded together to make interesting forms. He first experimented with insect shapes, so varied in nature that they provided a wealth of inspiration. As his ideas and
sculptures grew in number and size, he began to visit junkyards and repair shops to acquire more machine scraps. Today, his metal menagerie includes what he calls “comic work”--small creatures, both of the easily
recognizable and the slightly fantastic sorts--and “artistic work,” or beautifully realized, life-size creatures such as horses and giraffes. He also enjoys making purely abstract sculptures.
Swenson prefers to work with the metal components in their original, machine-like form. Sometimes, he says, the shape of a gear, fender, or piece of chain suggests an image. At other times, the finished image comes to
mind first, leading him to seek the metal pieces that fit his vision. Swenson, wholly unmotivated by commercial interests, houses his pristine tractors and sculptures in large buildings on his property in rural
Mississippi.
JIM HENSON'S FANTASTIC WORLD
Beginning Friday, March 28th
Jim Henson (1936–1990) is the most widely known American puppeteer in modern television history. Creator of Kermit the Frog, Big Bird, and other beloved characters, Henson used his fanciful creatures, stories, songs, and
films to make a difference in people’s lives by promoting humor, warmth, and considerate behavior.
Jim Henson’s Fantastic World offers a rare peek into the creative genius of this multitalented innovator. On exhibit are more than 130 works of original art that chronicle Henson’s life and career, including drawings,
cartoons, and illustrated storyboards that demonstrate his visual thinking process. Completing the exhibition are puppets, television and movie props, photographs of Henson and his collaborators at work, and videos of
early commercials and television shows.
Today, Henson’s creatures, songs, and stories remain a powerful presence, delighting and inspiring new generations of youngsters and artists.
Members will receive a discount on admission to this special exhibition. All visitors who purchase tickets to both the exhibition and a planetarium show will receive a special package discount.
This exhibition was organized by The Jim Henson Legacy and the Smithsonian Traveling Exhibition Service in cooperation with the Henson family, The Jim Henson Company, The Muppets Studio, LLC, and Sesame Workshop. This
exhibition has also been made possible by The Biography Channel. Additional support has been provided by The Jim Henson Foundation and Cheryl Henson.
...RELATED EVENTS
Exhibition Extras
Fun with Costumes, Scrapbooks, and a Puppet Theater
Families can have loads of interactive fun when they visit Jim Henson’s Fantastic World! Our Discovery Backpacks for smaller children contain a costume they can wear while they tour the exhibition! And everyone will
enjoy browsing through the Henson scrapbooks and performing with puppets in the specially constructed Puppet Theater. Supported in part by the Smithsonian Community Grant Program; funded by MetLife.
ANOTHER FIRST AT LASM!
AT&T has granted LASM an award to purchase 20 iPods and produce a podcast for our visitors’ use in touring this exhibition. LASM is partnering with the Jim Henson Legacy to create audio commentaries featuring interviews
with a Henson family member, a colleague, and an exhibition curator, and showcasing music, voices, and clips created by Henson. LASM is the first museum in Louisiana to offer this new technology to its visitors. iPod
tours can be rented at the Admissions Desk for $3, and the audio component (only) may be downloaded from the LASM Web site. The podcast was produced for the Louisiana Art & Science Museum by Acoustiguide Inc. with the
assistance of The Jim Henson Legacy, through a generous grant from AT&T.
...LASM'S SPECIAL EVENTS
FIRST SUNDAY
Sunday, May 4th
1 p.m.-5 p.m.
Gallery Talk by Richard Swenson
2:15 p.m.
Sculptor Richard Swenson will discuss the development of his unique scrap metal creations from his earliest “bug” sculptures to his monumental works, and the intriguing processes by which he selects and combines the
sculptural materials to match his vision. Visitors enjoy FREE admission to LASM galleries and REDUCED admission to planetarium features.
IN THE PLANETARIUM...
HURRICANE ON THE BAYOU
Large format film
This new large-format film carries audiences behind today's news headlines on a journey deep into the soul-stirring heart of Louisiana— before, during, and after the unprecedented devastation of Hurricane Katrina.
Unfolding against the poignant backdrop of the most costly natural disaster in America's history and featuring state-of-the art computer-generated special effects depicting Katrina's fury, Hurricane on the Bayou
follows a group of four musicians as they uncover the electrifying culture of New Orleans; explore beautiful, alligator-filled bayous on airboats; recount their personal stories of Katrina; and, most important, bring
focus to the rapidly disappearing wetlands that are New Orleans's first line of defense against deadly storms. Although these wetlands are vanishing at the astonishing rate of one acre every 30 minutes, the wealth,
culture, vitality, and future of New Orleans depend on their preservation.
EXTREME PLANETS
Through June 28th
Imagine a world where an ocean of molten rock breaks against a pitch black shoreline of molten lava. . . . Imagine a world where the rocks glow in luminescent shades of pink, blue, and green under a madly spinning
burned-out star. . . . LASM’s newest sky show, Extreme Planets, transforms these imaginings into reality! Armed with the latest scientific methods of detection, astronomers have begun to discover worlds so bizarre that
they once existed only in the pages of science fiction. Since the mid-1990s, more than 300 planets circling neighboring stars have been discovered, and astronomers estimate that there may be as many as 10,000
extrasolar planets, or planets beyond our solar system. Come join us on an immersive voyage to discover the actual locations of the weird and strange environments of our imagination!
DIGITAL UNIVERSE SKY SHOW
Through June 28th
Learn about the night sky as never before. Using the world's most extensive, accurate three-dimensional mapping of the universe, the planetarium's new digital software takes the audience on a magic carpet ride through
the night sky for an up close encounter of the planets of our solar system. The journey continues beyond the solar system, through the stars of our Milky Way Galaxy, past distant galaxies, and to the edge of our known
observable universe. A brief tour of the seasonal night sky and constellation identification is included.
THE DINOSAUR PROPHECY
Through May 31st
Long before the massive extinction of dinosaurs 65 million years ago, many species of this fascinating creature had simply disappeared. In order to solve four famous cold cases from the age of dinosaurs, The Dinosaur
Prophecy takes you to their “graveyards” to study their bones and reconstruct how they lived and died. Never before have so many types of dinosaurs come to life in full dome-sized reality. Audiences will also see the
feathered Sinornithosaurus of China, and the T-rex and Triceratops that survived until their final extinction. Included is a tour of the seasonal night sky, identifying current visible planets and constellations.
...EVERY SATURDAY IN MARCH
Cosmic Rock Hall of Fame
Through May 31st
An intense visual music show based on a Rock Hall of Fame theme that brings down the house with full-dome, high resolution computer animation.
Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon
Pink Floyd’s legendary album returns, enhanced by all the capacities of the planetarium’s technology. This is a totally new digital revolution in sight and sound that immerses you in one of the rock’s all-time
favorite albums. Surround sound and incredible animated images create an unforgettable experience.
Universe Gallery Exhibit
Visitors from Outer Space
The planetarium currently has a large collection of meteorites on display in its Universe Gallery. These outer-space visitors vary in size and composition, some weighing more than 235 pounds! Images taken from
space of large-impact craters caused by huge meteorites striking the earth are also on display.
LASM INFORMATION
For information
on programs and group tours, please call
344-5272 or go online to www.lasm.org
 LASM is located at 100 South River Road, across from the
Old State Capitol, in downtown Baton Rouge.
MUSEUM HOURS
Mondays......................Closed
Tuesdays, Fridays.........10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Saturdays....................10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Sundays.......................1 p.m.-5 p.m.
PLANETARIUM SHOWS
Shows on the hour
Mondays......................Closed
Tuesdays, Fridays.........10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Saturdays....................10 a.m.-8 p.m.
Sundays.......................1 p.m.-5 p.m.
ADMISSION
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Galleries |
Galleries & 1
Space Theater Show |
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Adults |
$6 |
$8 |
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Children (2-12)
Seniors (65+) |
$5 |
$7 |
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LASM MEMBERS |
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Adults |
FREE |
$5 |
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Children (2-12)
Seniors (65+)
Groups of 15+ |
FREE |
$4 |
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