Chauvin Sculpture Garden

03/31/2026

Join us for our Annual Gathering at the Chauvin Sculpture Garden on Sunday April 12 where we will unveil the newly restored sculptures after 3 years of repair and strengthening after being damaged by Hurricane Ida. Waylon Thibodeaux starts at 10 am. The Boat Blessing passes at Noon. The Cajun Preserves play after the Blessing. We will have food, music, folk art demonstrators, and a lot of bayou fellowship. We hope to see you there ! 5337 Bayouside Drive on the banks of Bayou Petit Caillou. Thanks so much to our supporters Ruth Arts and the LA Division of Arts !

01/22/2026

Great day meeting this wonderful group as we toured the historic Oleander Hotel! 🙌
📣 Project Update from the Town of Grand Isle
We’re excited to share that a professional historic preservation team is on Grand Isle this week thanks to a newly awarded grant from the Louisiana State Preservation Office.
Through this grant, approximately 2,400 Louisiana Historic Resource Inventory (LHRI) architectural survey forms will be completed across the Town of Grand Isle. This important work will create a strong baseline of documentation to support future grant opportunities, improve access to historic preservation funding, and assist with long-term planning efforts.
The project team includes staff from CICADA, a New Orleans–based architecture and planning firm, Gambrel & Peak – Historic Preservation Consulting, and graduate students from Tulane University’s School of Architecture and Built Environment Historic Preservation Program. The project will continue into the summer, with much of the field documentation taking place over the next few months.
We appreciate the community’s cooperation as the team works throughout the island and look forward to the lasting benefits this project will bring to Grand Isle’s historic and cultural resources. We’ll continue to share updates as the project moves forward.

11/17/2025

Debra Cunningham, age 70, of Chauvin, LA passed away in a tragic house fire on Saturday, September 20, 2025.

A memorial visitation will be held in her honor on Wednesday, November 19, 2025 at St. Joseph Catholic Church, Chauvin, Louisiana from 10:00 am until the Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00 am.

Debra was a kind and generous person. She spent her days working with the community at the Chauvin Sculpture Garden in Chauvin, LA. Debra never met a stranger and enjoyed meeting new people. She worked at Walmart, Rouses, and Price Mart in the Deli. Debra loved animals. She would feed and care for all the raccoons and the birds. Debra was a treasure and will be missed by all who knew her.

Debra is survived by her brothers: Dean (Vivian) Neil, Jacob Neil, and Jamie (Sabrina) Neil; Godmother, Elaine Lapeyrouse; nephews: Rusty Neil, Jacob (Alex) Neil, and Albert (Tabitha) Neil; and neices: Amelia Neil and Gracie Neil.

Debra was preceded in death by her husband, Kurt Cunningham; companion of 30yrs, Keith Peters; and parents: Edia Neil and Julius Neil. Online condolences can be given at www.samartfuneralhome.com. Samart Funeral Home of Houma, Bayou Blue is in charge of arrangements.

09/20/2025

Dear Friends of the Chauvin Sculpture Garden,

We are heartbroken to share the terrible news that Debra Neil Cunningham passed away today,
Saturday Sep 20, 2025.

As the next door neighbor to the Chauvin Sculpture Garden, Ms. Debra often acted as a hospitality tour guide,
following in the footsteps of her father Mr. Julius Neil, as a kind and enthusiastic
steward of the Garden. Since her family helped support Kenny as he built the entire garden,
she was one of our most valuable resources for sharing first hand knowledge on the life of Kenny Hill.
She was always very generous with her stories of Kenny, and gave many tours in French for international visitors.
She was also very supportive of all our events and very tolerant of the heavy traffic, crowds, music,
and slight disruptions to the usually very peaceful setting of the Chauvin Sculpture Garden.
Her gentle heart and kindness will be missed by everyone associated with the Chauvin Sculpture Garden.

Thank you for your support for the Neil family during this time of mourning.

Dr. Gary LaFleur
President
Friends of the Chauvin Sculpture Garden

07/09/2025

This exhibit can be viewed during weekend docent hours: Saturday and Sunday 11-4 throughout July

11/11/2024

The Team from the "Carry On" Series did a great job helping us to tell the story of the Chauvin Sculpture Garden, as an important component of Terrebonne's Art Scene. Thanks for your great work !

In this episode of Carry On, we examine Houma's art scene and how art can positively impact communities. Our special guests are Dr. Gary LaFleur, Hans Geist,...

11/11/2024

05/30/2024

2024
Summer of
Folk Art:
10 month Countdown til
2025 Chauvin Folk Art Festival

Nicholls Gallery at Chauvin Sculpture Garden open all summer Sat-Sun 11-4 or by appointment.

05/28/2024

Kenny Hill integrated an awesome spirit of patriotism into his visionary art site, the Chauvin Sculpture Garden. He pays homage to the battles of WWI and to the veterans of WWII. As of today, May 27, his tribute to the victory at Iwo Jima has been restored to its full glory with the 48 state flag integrated back into place, by Greg Elliott and his art conservation team: Kimberly Arp, Dennis Sipiorski, and Andrew Cuneo. A perfect way to celebrate Memorial Day in Chauvin.

05/07/2024

Please consider supporting the Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program by donating to BTEF through the GiveNolaDay site today. Thank you for your commitment to our estuary.

GiveNOLA Day, an initiative of the Greater New Orleans Foundation, is a one-day online giving event. For 24 hours, everyone who loves our region can support their favorite local causes by donating to one or more of 700+ participating nonprofit organizations.

05/01/2024

Thanks to Board Member Dylan Maras for
documenting this beautiful day at the
Chauvin Sculpture Garden Picnic and Blessing of the Fleet Celebration which occurred Sunday April 14, with help from Ruth Arts, Atchafalaya National Heritage Area, Kohler Foundation, Nicholls Foundation, Bayou Culture Collaborative, Cajun Music Preservation SocietyNational Endowment of the Arts and many family and friends.

Each year as the shrimp boats float pass to be blessed before the season starts, locals and travelers gather to wave and celebrate their journey. The Chauvin Sculpture…