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Contact: David West (west@nsula.edu
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News Bureau
Northwestern State University
Natchitoches, LA 71497
(318) 357-6466
5/1/2003
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NATCHITOCHES- Marie Tilleux Davis can't remember a time in her life when she wasn't creating art. Davis will share some of the works she has created over the past 50 years in an exhibit in the Orville Hanchey Art Gallery at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches May 5-30. Admission to the exhibit is free and open to the public.
Davis, a 1953 graduate of Northwestern in art education, will display 40-50 works in several media including oils, watercolor and pastels.
'I found four works that I had in my show at Northwestern 50 years ago that I will be able to show," said Davis, who lives in Grand Cane. "I thought I had lost all my works from Northwestern in a house fire. I also found some still lives from by MFA show in 1979 and a lot of recent work.
"There wasn't a time I didn't draw. I took art in high school, studied art at Northwestern and later taught art."
While a student at Northwestern, Davis edited the Potpourri in 1952, was Miss Potpourri in 1953, served as Student Senate president. She was on the State Fair Court for three years, and was named Outstanding Senior Woman and chosen for the Senior Hall of Fame.
In recent weeks, Davis has been putting together her show. She has been preparing cards on each work with the date they were created.
"I noticed that I stuck with a lot of subjects things that were interesting to see," said Davis. "I saw things like French coffee pots or white paper bags and there were works where I played with light or color."
Davis and her husband, Dr. Lawrence Davis, a faculty member in the College of Nursing at NSU, will receive their Second Diploma from Northwestern May 9, marking the 50th anniversary of their graduation. That day, Marie Davis, will take her classmates on a tour of her exhibit.
"I love Northwestern and thought it was silly not to do something with my work, so it came together in association with the 50th anniversary of our graduation," she said.
After spending time raising a family, Davis began teaching art at Hammond High School and headed the school's Fine Arts Department. She taught for 23 years at Hammond High and also earned a Master of Fine Arts Degree in painting at LSU.
Davis took part in dozens of workshops and presentations while a teacher. She was active in the Louisiana Art Education Association (LAEA), as regional director, conference chair and president. Davis has had 11 solo shows, and has participated in numerous invitational group shows. In addition to numerous awards for her work, she has also been lauded as LAEA Art Educator of the Year, LAEA Retired Art Educator of the Year and for outstanding service within the profession.
"Art is one of the most important, necessary subjects you can have in school," said Davis. "You can develop your own initiative and that can lead to future success. Art is a way to have improved learning, higher achievement levels, and a way to build one's self-esteem. I was able to see my students go on to careers as architects, set designers and in other fields."
Davis has remained active in painting and other professional art activities after retiring. She is art chair of the Friends of Barnwell Garden and Art Center, Shreveport, Hoover Watercolor Society president, and is active in the Louisiana Watercolor Society, the Shreveport Art Club, and serves as RAEA President.