One of Central Louisiana’s longest-running cultural traditions will return this spring as the 58th Annual Tom Peyton Memorial Arts Festival opens April 17 at First United Methodist Church with a free reception open to the public. At the center of the festival is a juried art exhibit, which features 76 two- and three-dimensional works by local and regional artists selected through a competitive review process by guest juror Brooke Cassady, Assistant Professor of Studio Art and School of Design Gallery Director at Louisiana Tech University. Cassady brings professional experience in ceramics, fibers, metals, and interdisciplinary studio practice to the selection process, helping determine the works included in this year’s exhibition. Her work has been exhibited nationally in solo, invitational, and juried shows.
In addition to the juried show, there will be auxiliary exhibits, including Jo Jo’s Space and Time; a ceramics showcase by this year’s special exhibit artist WangLing Chou, Associate Professor of Fine Arts at Louisiana State University of Alexandria. WangLing’s work centers on transforming discarded materials into ceramic vessels that evoke animated animal forms, merging playfulness with conceptual depth. Using recycled trash as molds, she develops a graphic-novel–influenced visual language to explore themes of transformation and love.
Another will be the School Art Exhibit, which includes hundreds of works of students and their teachers from across Central Louisiana, ranging from preschool through high school. The School Art Exhibit will be judged by Cindy Blair, who joined the Alexandria Museum of Art in 2012 as Artist-in-Residence before becoming a full-time art educator in 2013. She has led a wide range of museum education programs, including youth, teen, and family art initiatives, and developed curriculum for educational tours and outreach programs. Prior to moving to Louisiana, she taught in schools across New York City and served as head teacher at the Pratt Institute’s Saturday Art School, where she introduced young children to foundational art concepts through storytelling. Visitors will also be able to participate in the People’s Choice Award by voting for their favorite student artwork.
Additionally, there will be a display of the church’s Urban Sketching community art ministry group, which requires no previous art experience, from various meetups over the past six months, showing a range of skill and technique, focusing more on the moment captured by the sketcher than artistic ability. This group shares their work not as a competition, but as a display of learning and appreciating what each has to offer.
A weekday evening highlight is the “Be Kind” concert, held in the church courtyard, bringing a community-centered musical experience into the heart of the festival. The concert will feature headliner H.B. Smith, whose career began in gospel and country music before expanding into jazz and R&B. He spent much of the 1970s performing in the nightclub circuit and continues to record and perform, including session work in Nashville. Joining him as a special guest is Lisa Spann, a versatile vocalist whose experience ranges from church choirs to rock bands across Louisiana. Spann has performed with numerous groups, including Kamikaze—winner of the 1994 Battle of the Bands at the Monroe Civic Center—and has collaborated with Smith on multiple occasions. Among her many memorable performances, she once sang “Happy Birthday” nose-to-nose with Morgan Freeman while holding his hand at Squire Creek.
For Children’s Day, elementary-age children are invited to join artists Cindy Blair and Olivia Helmer, a hands-on celebration of creativity and community. Participants will be guided in creating their own heart-shaped pinch pot—symbolizing caring, kindness, and connection, and serving as a handmade reminder that art brings people together and strengthens community bonds. Each ceramic piece will be kiln-fired and available for pickup in the church office after the conclusion of the festival. Blair has worked as a sculptor since 2008, using a range of materials including clay and glass, and has spent the past 17 years teaching art, including serving as museum educator at the Alexandria Museum of Art. Helmer has worked in ceramics since high school and has studied pottery traditions from around the world through her work as an art historian and museum curator.
Full Festival Experience at a Glance
Opening Reception: Friday, April 17 | 6–8 p.m. | Fellowship Hall • FREE
Kick off the festival with an evening of art, community, and celebration.
Awards will be presented at 7 p.m.
Daily Exhibits: April 18–26 | 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. | Fellowship Hall • FREE
(Closing at 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 26)
Explore the competitive art exhibit featuring two- and three-dimensional works by regional artists, alongside special exhibits including Jo Jo’s Space and Time, ceramics by WangLing Chou, Urban Sketching, and the School Art Exhibit student showcase.
Worship Services: Sunday, April 19 | 8:30 a.m. & 11 a.m. | Sanctuary • FREE
Featuring guest preacher Rev. John Cannon.
Live Music in the Courtyard – “Be Kind” Concert
Thursday, April 23 | 6 p.m.| Courtyard • FREE
Featuring H.B. Smith Jr. with special guest Lisa Spann.
Children’s Day: Clayful Hands to Hearts
Saturday, April 25 | 1 p.m. | Johnson Center • FREE
A hands-on workshop for elementary-aged children led by Cindy Blair and Olivia Helmer. Space is limited. Online pre-registration is required at http://www.tpaf.info.
The festival will give out various cash awards, including the prestigious $1,000 Tom Peyton Festival Award, continuing a long-standing tradition of recognizing excellence in regional art. Past recipients of the top honor include Jane Crowell, Wendy Starn, Sadako Lewis, WangLing Chou, and Michael Elliott-Smith, reflecting the depth and diversity of talent the festival has celebrated in recent years.
Founded in 1967 as the region’s first juried art competition, the festival has grown into a broad celebration of creativity, drawing artists, students, and visitors from across Louisiana and beyond. Over nearly six decades, it has expanded to include not only visual art but also programming in music, film, literature, and drama, while maintaining its original mission: encouraging the use and understanding of the arts as a meaningful and healthy form of expression. The festival was renamed in 1980 in honor of the late Rev. Tom Peyton, a former associate minister whose passion for the arts and education left a lasting mark on the community. Today, an endowment established in his memory, along with continued support from local sponsors and patrons, sustains the festival’s growth and accessibility. At its core remains the juried art exhibit, showcasing a wide range of two- and three-dimensional works by regional artists. As it approaches its sixth decade, the Tom Peyton Memorial Arts Festival remains both a showcase for regional talent and a reflection of the enduring role the arts play in shaping and strengthening community life in Central Louisiana.
Support for the festival comes from a wide range of local businesses and individuals, including Cheek’s Marine, Hixson Brothers Funeral Home, Kramer Funeral Home, Rapides Regional Medical Center, Red River Bank, Turner Teleco, Louisiana Occupational Health Services, and numerous family sponsors and memorial gifts.
Organizers emphasize that the festival is designed to be accessible to the entire community, with all exhibits and events offered free of charge.
For more information, visit www.tpaf.info.