AND WE WENT: 60 YEARS AFTER THE BATON ROUGE SWIM-IN

Curated by Jonell Logan

July 5 - 27, 2023

open to the public, free of charge (Tue-Sun, 12-6pm)

AND WE WENT programming

All programming was offered free of charge, thanks to our sponsors

First Wednesday Opening Reception

July 5, 2023 / 6 - 9pm / Free and open to all / at BRG

The opening of And We Went: 60 Years After the Baton Rouge Swim-In was celebrated with many of the exhibition’s featured artists, live music from The Michael Foster Project, complimentary beverages, remarks from exhibition curator Jonell Logan, and a keynote address from four-time Olympic medalist swimmer Cullen Jones.

Photos courtesy of Heather J. McClelland

OLYMPIAN CULLEN JONES JOINS BRG & BREC FOR FREE SWIMMING LESSONS

July 6, 2023 / Free / at Liberty Lagoon & Brooks Pool

On Thursday, July 6, swimming equity advocate and four-time Olympic medalist Cullen Jones jumped in the water with area kids at BREC’s Liberty Lagoon and Brooks Pool to assist with their free-of-charge water safety classes (which have been part of the BREC Aquatics program since 2019). Registration (free) is required.

CURATOR & Artist Talk

July 9, 2023 / 4pm / Free and open to all / at BRG

And We Went’s curator Jonell Logan, in conversation with a handful of artists featured in the exhibition, explained the thinking and considerations that went into bringing And We Went’s featured works together to honor the 60th anniversary of the Baton Rouge Swim-In.

‘Baton Rouge’s Troubled Waters’ Screening, presented by DORLA

July 12, 2023 / 5:30 – 7:30pm / Free and open to all / at Capitol Park Museum

Dialogue on Race Louisiana (DORLA), in partnership with the Capitol Park Museum, screened the 2008 documentary produced by Louisiana Public Broadcasting, “Baton Rouge’s Troubled Waters.” The film details life in South Baton Rouge dating back to the 1940s, including “what happened when residents became weary after several young African Americans drowned in rivers, creeks and other water holes because segregation denied them access to City Park and its swimming pool.” The screening was immediately followed by a conversation between Maxine Crump of Dialogue on Race Louisiana, Judge Trudy White (who served as script writer and researcher for the film), and Executive Director of the Old South Baton Rouge Economic Redevelopment Group, Brittany Zeno.

Race in Conversation, presented by DORLA

July 14, 2023 / 6 – 7:30pm / Free and open to all / at BRG

Led by Dialogue on Race Louisiana, this hybrid event will center around a facilitated conversation that explores themes addressed by the exhibition and more. The first 20 to register will be invited to attend and participate in person alongside others joining via Zoom.

THE SOUNDTRACK OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT

July 16, 2023 / 4pm / Free and open to all / at BRG

This special discussion of the role that music played in the struggle for civil rights across America, moderated by Dialogue on Race Louisiana’s Maxine Crump, included musician and Southern University professor Herman Jackson as well as Dialogue on Race facilitator Bobby Thompson. While exploring the many ways that the soundtrack of the movement helped it move forward, the discussion led to more than one sing-along.

Baton Rouge Swim-In 60th Anniversary Commemoration

July 22, 2023 / 7:30pm / Free and open to all / at BRG

A special commemoration, held in the very location of the former City Park pool and the site of the Baton Rouge Swim-In, that lifted up the story of a pivotal moment in the local civil rights struggle. Attendees heard directly from participants of the Swim-In, learned why this story is still incredibly relevant 60 years later, and enjoyed an evening celebrating the bravery and the impact of those who helped end segregationist policy in Baton Rouge. The event included remarks from Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome, Councilwoman Carolyn Coleman (District 10), Debra George, Theda Martinez, Maxine Crump, Torrence and Thurman Thomas (co-founders of the nonprofit, Tankproof), and the debut of an original piece by Chancelier “Xero” Skidmore, commissioned specifically for this event.

The video above shows the Commemoration in its entirety.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO GO FIRST?

July 26, 2023 / 5:30pm / Free and open to all / at BRG

Dozens of attendees joined us for a unique conversation with Freya Anderson Rivers. Rivers was the first Black woman to attend Baton Rouge’s Robert E. Lee High School (now Liberty High School) in 1963 and the first to attend Louisiana State University a year later. Joining Freya in conversation was Dialogue on Race Louisiana’s Maxine Crump, who was the first Black woman to live on LSU’s campus, and Elvin “Tampoo” Dalcourt, the first person to swim in Brooks Park Pool.

AND WE WENT is made possible by:

UPCOMING EVENTS

This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. This program is also funded under a grant from the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. The views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this exhibition do not necessarily represent those of either the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities. It is also supported 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 Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge.

To learn more about Baton Rouge Gallery and its exhibitions or programming, call 225.383.1470