Artistic works from Nicholls State University spring 2019 Bachelor of Fine Arts graduates will be featured in an exhibit in the Nicholls Art Studio at the Chauvin Sculpture Garden from Sept. 7 to Oct. 13.

Kenny Hill, a reclusive bricklayer who had no professional art training, developed the Chauvin Sculpture Garden over the span of about a decade. 

He began creating sculptures around his house on Bayou Petit Caillou in Chauvin in 1990. The sculptures depict some biblical scenes, elements of Cajun heritage and personal struggles that Hill experienced in his life.

The sculpture garden was recently named the “Twelfth Most Amazing Sculpture Garden in the World” by bestvalueschools.com.

In 2002, the Kohler Foundation gifted the garden with its more than one hundred sculptures to Nicholls and opened it to the public.

The Nicholls State University art studio that is located on site was dedicated in the same year. The studio features pottery, paintings, photographs and sculptures by local artists. 

The sculpture garden is free and open to the public every day during daylight hours; tours can be scheduled. The art studio is also free and open from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday or by appointment.

The art studio has an exhibition space that features a different display every month. Every semester, Nicholls students who graduated with a BFA have the opportunity to display a selection of their works from their thesis exhibitions at the studio. 

“This time, there [are] some drawings, some photography and some graphic design projects. Those were [from] the students who finished in the spring, and that’s why it has that diversity in it. So, it’s a group show with different work in it,” Teresa Shannon, visiting assistant professor of art from Alaska said.