The StoryHerons on the Bayou was launched in 2018 as what would hope to be the biggest public art project in Northeast Louisiana. After receiving a grant from the Delta Regional Authority, Brooke Foy started assembling a team to help make this dream come true. Brooke is an Assistant Professor of Art at University of Louisiana Monroe and has dreamed of creating this project since seeing the Tigers in Memphis, Tn. The opportunity presented itself and Brooke Foy and Partner, Emery Thibodeaux took the chance and ran with it. Brooke and Emery have been creating public works in Monroe/West Monroe for almost 10 years now including over 10 mural projects.
The first wave of Herons produced 51 herons that found new homes in the Monroe, West Monroe, and Rayville communities in 2019. The Herons on the Bayou team never imagined the project would have such a booming success in the first round.
After Wave 1 the team decided that the community could support more Herons in our community and that this was an amazing opportunity to fundraise for the Arts. After such a great success in 2019 the Herons on the Bayou Team took a year to revamp and relaunched Wave 2 in the Fall of 2020 bringing 36 more herons to the community. The second Wave of Herons were installed in the Summer of 2021. Each year the community reminds us how much they love art and this project. The response to the Herons has been amazing.
Download the 2021 Brochure with a map!
As we enter the Fall of 2022, we are thrilled to launch the LAST Wave of Herons on the Bayou. We will be allowing 13 more herons to be sponsored to cap our Herons at a grand total of 100 Herons. 100 HERONS is a dream for the team!
Each heron is a $7500 donation to the Downtown Arts Alliance and all proceeds will go to the creation of a Sunset Program. The Sunset Program will allow a very structured system on the spending of all funding raised. The goals for the funding are to add more public art in our area, opportunities for education on the Arts, funding for camps/workshops and other programing for all ages.
Read more about Wave 3
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, and as administered by the Northeast Louisiana Arts Council. Funding has also been provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, Art Works.
