Ceci O’Keefe Neustrom never pictured herself as an artist. Growing up as an older daughter in a family of 13 children in Mississippi, Ceci was a nurturer who took care of things…she cooked, sewed, and cleaned. “Art was never a part of my life.” We taped this episode at the offices of BBR Creative with […]
Rafael Garcia – Proprietor of Cafe Habana City, Shares His Journey as a Cuban Dissident Who Built a New Life as a U. S. Citizen
Rafael Garcia, proprietor of Café Habana City, Lafayette’s first Cuban restaurant, joins Discover Lafayette to share his story of gaining political asylum in the U. S. Rafael relocated to Lafayette with several family members on March 31, 1998, and as he remembers, “we landed at 11:45 a.m. after taking four flights to travel from Havana […]
Pavy Art + Design – Acadian Inspired Textiles by Francis X. Pavy and Cathi Pavy
Francis X. and Cathi Pavy joined Discover Lafayette to talk about Pavy Art + Design, their contemporary line of Acadian-inspired textiles derived from the iconic artwork of Francis X. Pavy. While Pavy Art + Design is primarily focused on business-to-business sales, individuals can also buy direct. Cathy says, “Our goal is to get into showrooms […]
BrainArt Alliance’s BJ and Kim Lanclos Smith – Advocating for Art as Therapy for Traumatic Brain Injuries
BJ Smith, and his mom, Kim Lanclos-Smith, joined Discover Lafayette to discuss how their world was forever changed when BJ suffered a traumatic brain injury as a result of an ATV accident at the age of 15. BJ is now an artist, and has found joy painting with acrylics for the past five years. He […]
Heather Blanchard, CASA Executive Director, on its Mission to Advocate and Support Children in Foster Care
Heather Blanchard, Executive Director of Court Appointed Special Advocates of South Louisiana (“CASA”) joins Discover Lafayette to discuss their mission to help children and families when there has been abuse or neglect. Heather is a passionate spokesperson for CASA, having first served the organization in her first job after college, then served on its board […]