Louisiana celebrates: special exhibits and events throughout the state recall the biggest land deal in U.S. history

Travel America, March-April, 2003 by Darlene P. Copp

SHE POINTS OUT THAT PRESIDENT Thomas Jefferson 'first expressed interest in New Orleans, to control its port. He hadn't planned on spending as much as he did."

But how could he resist Napoleon's offer of 828,000 square miles for $15 million, one of the greatest real estate bargains of all time? Jefferson April 30, 1803, acquisition catapulted the Lewis and Clark saga into the American psyche and eventually 'resulted in all or part of 15 states.

Louisiana's bicentennial observances of the landmark deal are staggered throughout 2003, covering every region of the state. Focusing on the Purchase itself or its historical backdrop, celebratory events include the sedate and the expected, such as exhibitions and reenactments, along with the partying and inventiveness Louisiana is famous for. In fact, when the state's Bicentennial encouraged the expression of talent, artistic organizations at local, regional, and statewide levels responded with enough productions, compositions, and showings to keep the celebration in high gear all year.

New Orleans has outdone itself in planning bicentennial happenings, climaxing with invitations to President Bush, the President of France, and the King of Spain to relive the Louisiana Purchase transfer ceremony on December 20, 2003. Ushering in the anniversary year, the Historic New Orleans Collection on Royal Street is presenting "A Fusion of Nations, A Fusion of Cultures: Spain, France, the United States and the Louisiana Purchase" through May 20. Seeing original letters, treaties, newspaper stories, paintings, and other items culled from archives in France, Spain, and the U.S. makes this a once-in-lifetime opportunity.

A premier exhibition entitled "Jefferson's America & Napoleon's France: The Arts of the Republic and the Empire" fills the New Orleans Museum of Art from April 12 through August 31. The artworks, jewelry, furniture, and other interior decor on display will give museum goers "a different way to look at history, maybe more fun, more accessible," says Curator Victoria Cooke.

She explains that political leaders selected paintings and furnishings to convey their images of themselves, as in Thomas Jefferson's common man against the larger-than-life Napoleon Bonaparte. Cooke describes how Jefferson carefully considered what kind of chair to sit in as president when the rest of the world's leaders were sitting on thrones, while Napoleon intentionally revived the decorative arts industry smashed by the French Revolution.

To reflect the ideals of these men, exhibit items include the velvet-bound Purchase agreement signed by Napoleon, a swan armchair designed for Empress Josephine, furniture made by Monticello slaves, and Jefferson's scientific instruments. Jefferson's and Josephine's shared love of gardening inspired the "Monticello and Malmaison" exhibit at the New Orleans Botanical Garden April through August to illustrate their gardens' designs, furniture, tools, and plant specimens.

Places in New Orleans significant during the Purchase era are highlighted on various bicentennial walking tours. Friends of the Cabildo, a building where the land transfer took place, offer Louisiana Purchase Tours centered on Jackson Square every Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday at noon throughout 2003. Gray Line has expanded its daily 1 p.m. French Quarter tour to focus on Purchase history.

Across Louisiana, special cultural events resound the Purchase theme. Claiming an operatic tradition dating back to 1796, the New Orleans Opera Association will debut an opera based on the Baroness Pontalba's life, against the intrigue of the Louisiana Purchase, October 2-4. New Orleans is one of eight places through June to host the new musical work "A Magnificent Investment," commissioned by the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra. April performances of the new "Lewis and Clark, The Musical" take place in Lake Charles, while "Corps of Discovery," an opera based on the Lewis and Clark expedition, bows in during October in Monroe and Shreveport.

In Baton Rouge, several original documents on loan from the National Archives, along with a multimedia introduction that features the 15 Purchase states, have been added to the permanent exhibit on the Louisiana Purchase at the Old State Capitol through mid-August. At the city's Louisiana Arts and Science Center, an exhibit on Empress Josephine takes center stage mid-October through January 2004, showcasing personal items and furnishings from the Bonapartes' summer home, Malmaison. In nearby St. Francisville, the 32nd annual Audubon Pilgrimage, March 2123, opens homes built around 1803 and focuses on the Purchase's exclusion of the West Feliciana parish.

Cajun Country celebrations are centered at Lafayette, where the University of Louisiana has lined up two remarkable art exhibits. Starting September 20, "Rodin: A Magnificent Obsession" will contain 72 sculptures by the French artist. Then, from December 20 through March 2004, "Painting in France 1803-2003" presents a survey of French genius with an impressive selection of masterworks on loan from major French and American museums. Throughout 2003, the folklife village of Vermilionville offers a changing schedule of musical performances along with Purchase-themed dinners priced at $18.03. For sheer fun, the 17th Festival International de Louisiane, considered one of the top festivals in the world, takes over in downtown Lafayette April 23-27.