Sunset's Margaret Brinkhaus displays gourds during new arts series

         Gourds are hollowed-out containers that can be used to decorate rooms, feed birds or hold water. But for Margaret Brinkhaus of Sunset, gourds are an artistic passion that she turns into purses, bowls, vases, baskets and kaleidoscopes.

    Brinkhaus demonstrates her passion during First Fridays with a Little Lagniappe, a new arts series from the St. Landry Parish Tourist Commission. The demonstration is set for 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, June 17 at the new St. Landry Parish Visitor Information Center on I-49 exit 23, just north of Opelousas.

Margaret Brinkhaus of Sunset

    Brinkhaus will focus on traditional uses of gourds and the drying process. She will display gourds in various stages of completion, along with some finished products.

    A member of the Louisiana Crafts Guild, Brinkhaus has presented at numerous workshops for Louisiana Folks Roots, Cite’ des Arts in Lafayette and numerous schools and libraries. She is also a member of the Natchitoches Art Guild, Baton Rouge Arts Market, Sunset Garden Club and the American Gourd Society.

    Numerous artists from St. Landry Parish will be featured during the First Friday series, which continues through Sept. 16. Admission is free. The remainder of the schedule includes:

·         July 1 –Mardi Gras in the Country: A Celebration of the Courir du Mardi Gras, a display of traditional masks and costumes with Georgie and Allan Manuel

·         July 15 – Anya Burgess, fiddle maker and musician

·         Aug. 5 – The Art of Debris: Mixed Media, Art Created from Found Objects with Trish Ransom and Michelle Fontenot

·         Aug. 19 – The Art of Mixed Media, with George Marks and hand-sculpted clay from Annie Hendrix

·         Sept. 2 – A Celebration of Creole Culture with Rebecca Henry’s native crafts and painter Jerome Ford

·         Sept. 16 – A Piece of Art is Worth a Thousand Words with former Louisiana Poet Laureate Darrell Bourque and Patrice Melnick

    The First Fridays with a Little Lagniappe series is held at the new St. Landry Parish Visitor Information Center, which held its grand opening May 23. With numerous environmentally-friendly features, the center promotes green construction and sustainable practices, both old and new.

    First Fridays with a Little Lagniappe is supported in part by a Grant from the Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council as administered by the Acadiana Arts Council.

    For more information, call the St. Landry Parish Tourist Commission at (337) 948-8004. Follow the center on Twitter @StLandryParish or on Facebook at St. Landry Parish – It’s Gumbo for Your Soul.