An Opportunity for Emerging Artists to Collaborate and Produce New Work!
About the North Louisiana Arts Interchange
The North Louisiana Arts Interchange is an opportunity for artists within North Louisiana to collaborate with other artists via the internet. Over the course of the program, participants will have the opportunity to collaborate directly with other artists in the program, eventually partnering into pairs to produce new work for the exhibition at the culmination of the program.
The Arts Interchange will occur from March until September in 2025. For the first 10 weeks, from March through May, the participants meet online once a week via Zoom during which they learn about and explore internet based collaboration through discussions and guest speakers. At the end of each week’s meeting, the participants are placed in pairs to work on assignments to complete before the next meeting. This pattern of discussion topics and assignments continues for the first 8 weeks until all the artists have worked directly with each other.
After having had the opportunity to work with each other, the artists decide their permanent pairs and produce new work for the North Louisiana Arts Interchange Exhibit on display in August 2025 at the Creatives At Work gallery located in Ruston, Louisiana.
This experience provides the structure and opportunity to experiment with online collaboration and further challenges each artist to leverage play and exploration to inform a finished work ready for public display.
2025 North Louisiana Arts Interchange Artists
Emma Baumann
Instagram: emma.c.ba
Cindy Blair
Instagram: cindyblairlightart
Daija Essien
Instagram: imdeeliberate
Heather Gill
Instagram: missnebulajones
Jansyn Jenkins
Instagram: justjansyn
Tom Richard
Instagram: tom.richard2
Jenn Wasserman
Instagram: jennbrookephoto
Dustin Young
Instagram: dstnyng1985
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Emma Baumann is a Ruston based multidisciplinary artist and fine art student who creates visual work in a variety of mediums including metal, wood, and paper. She often sources recycled and second hand materials for her pieces, in an attempt to give them second life while also being intentional about the environment. Acknowledging art’s impact on the environment is something she prides herself in speaking on often. Emma aims to create work that is healing for both herself and the viewer. She believes that art is capable of evoking emotional responses, and helping people to better understand themselves. She is honored to play a role in making emotional wellness and emotional understanding more accessible each day. She believes this furthers both inner growth and an outward feeling of community between people of all walks of life. In her process, she values a constant state of experimentation, and a willingness to grow. This is because of her belief that art should never be complacent.
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My sculptures were initially formal experiments in light, color and form. More recently I’ve been exploring the feminine and vaginal forms that were occurring naturally in my work. The forms now are more intentionally feminine and often, aggressively frilly. The goal being to make the viewer consider why such forms create feelings of joy and empowerment in some and revulsion or dismissal from others, due to their perceived feminine nature.
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Essien’s work explores the fluidity of identity and the nuanced ways in which Black women and other minorities navigate visibility and perception. Drawing from personal and collective histories, she investigate the tension between self-representation and societal expectations, often using the metaphor of a chameleon to reflect the need for adaptation. Through screen printing, painting, and digital media, she creates layered compositions that challenge dominant narratives and reframe agency in representation.
Influenced by artists such as Kara Walker, Hank Willis Thomas, and Ben Enwonwu, her practice engages with history, media, and cultural symbolism to interrogate how identity is shaped and consumed. By incorporating elements of abstraction and portraiture, she aims to blur the boundaries between the seen and unseen, the personal and the collective. Her work invites viewers to reconsider the complexities of identity beyond surface perceptions, fostering dialogue about belonging, heritage, and self-determination.
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Born and raised in West Monroe, Heather had a close bond with her grandparents, both creative souls. It was from them that Heather learned her earliest lessons in crafting and making, sparking a lifelong passion for art and creation. Their influence played a pivotal role in shaping Heather's artistic vision, imparting on her an appreciation for the tactile and a yearning to create with her hands.
After spending two decades in the banking sector, she harbored a deep-seated disdain for institutional operations. This experience further solidified her commitment to the individual expression and creativity embodied by art.
Heather's passion extends beyond her own creation. She has an innate desire to share her love for art and craft with others. She has taught papermaking workshops, sewing classes and kids' art camps. Her teaching extends beyond the borders of her local community. Heather traveled to Rwanda, Africa, where she taught former prostitutes how to sew, a testament to her belief in the power of art to uplift and empower. One of her latest projects is to bring pottery supplies and equipment to a village in San Cristobal Verapaz, Guatemala.
Heather Gill is not just an artist, but a teacher, a boat builder and a life-long student of creativity. She is a symbol of how diverse experiences and a love for art can lead to a life filled with expression and fulfillment.
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Begin again; never over is the mantra that has guided my artistic spirit since I first buried my hands in clay. Guided by my ancestors who survived generations of terror, I know of the beauty in perseverance, creation from destruction, and joy in repetition. The symbol of the Ouroboros is even ancient, but it still clings to me. As a black nonbinary individual, I understand what it is like to be judged on my appearance and not my intentions, which is why the Ouroboros’s foreboding promise of mass destruction breeds inspiration. I add unsightly elements to my vessels to challenge their traditional meanings. Inspired by the idea of communication that a prized vase sparks, I want to arouse a conversation about what it means to try again, to forgive, and to be disgusted. Emotions are the sinew of my artwork, as I represent the world around me. Sometimes, it's the disgust from the mildew in the bathtub you try to ignore; other times, the yearning for a culture that your body knows but your mind does not. I carve snakes and sculpt mold to connect beauty and revulsion, a sentiment further amplified by their placement on commonplace items. My work speaks for me without the use of words.
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Tom Richard (he/him/his) is a visual artist with interests in how frivolity relates to history. His work has been in numerous national juried exhibitions including "Heroes" at Central Michigan University, "After School Special" at the University Art Museum in Albany, NY, and "Metamorphosis" at the Regional Art Museum in Fort Smith, AR. He has had over 50 solo exhibitions at venues including the Arkansas Museum of Fine Art, the Historic Arkansas Museum, Baton Rouge Galley, and museums, galleries, and art centers throughout the United States. He is a professor and gallery director at the University of Arkansas at Monticello.
I make paintings and mixed media drawings that are presented in a traditional gallery or museum setting.
My work is often irreverent and playful as I combine images of toys from my childhood, thrown tomatoes, chewed bubble gum, peeps, and candy with more dreadful images of screaming or frightened people, targets, road signs, viruses, and bomb explosions. The images are arrived at using processes of subtractive value drawing, direct painting techniques of mixing color on the surface, glazing painting techniques, and empirical methods of drawing where the outline takes president.
My work address issues of history, of making history, of reflection, and of present by combining depictions of specific art historical references with contemporary imagery that allow the viewer to move, conceptually, from whimsy to dread, and back again.
I work in series. Some take 3-6 months to complete. Others take decades. I work on multiple pieces and different series at the same time. The work is presented where pieces can be seen as both singular and as operating within the series as a whole (much like Duchamp, Warhol, Jasper johns, Rauschenberg, or even Jungian concepts of psychology.)
It is our duty as artists to be a barometer of our times. While my work is not overtly political, it relates to the fact that we are living in a time of unrest, seriousness, and frivolity.
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Jenn Brooke Wasserman is a photographer with over thirty years of experience and a true passion for blending the past with the present. Her unique approach to photography can be seen in her use of both new digital technology and traditional film processes. With a Bachelor's degree in Photography from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, as well as a Master's in Photography and a Master of Fine Arts in Photography from the Academy of Art University, Jenn brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to her work. She constantly strives to push the boundaries and challenge conventional techniques, resulting in captivating images that evoke nostalgia while still remaining relevant today. Through her art, she encourages others to reflect on their own past and appreciate its significance in shaping our present.
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As an artist, reflects my exploration of the interplay between nature and human emotion, abstract expressions of identity, vibrant, earth-tone compositions that evoke a sense of connection and grounding". My creative process is rooted in with experimenting with textures, colors, and forms to evoke visceral reactions," "blending traditional techniques with contemporary narratives while also aiming to create pieces that resonate on both personal and universal levels.
I am deeply inspired by the organic patterns found in natural landscapes, the stories embedded in cultural heritage, the dynamic energy of urban environments which I translate into visual narratives that invite reflection and dialogue. My goal is to not just create art, but to foster a space where viewers can find their own meanings and connections.
My desire to participate in arts interchange stems from a profound belief in the power of artistic collaboration and cultural exchange. Engaging with diverse perspectives not only enriches my own creative practice but also contributes to a broader, more inclusive artistic dialogue. Through arts interchange, I aim to share my work, learn from fellow artists, and collectively inspire new ideas and approaches that transcend individual experiences.
I am excited about the possibility of contributing to and growing within a community that values artistic diversity, innovation, and the transformative power of art.