Historic City Hall: Exhibit shows there’s more to Rodrigue than Blue Dog
Published 4:42 pm Tuesday, January 27, 2026
George Rodrigue was born and raised in New Iberia in the heart of Cajun country.
Rodrigue was fascinated with the American West and its relation to Louisiana, which inspired more than 100 artworks over 50 years.
Rodrigue died in 2013 but his legacy lives on through his art.
Historic City Hall in Lake Charles has opened a new exhibit showcasing his artwork that was organized by the George Rodrigue Life and Legacy Foundation with Wendy Rodrigue, his widow, and features 58 paintings, four bronze sculptures and a life-size cow sculpture. The exhibit is featured on the second and third floors of Historic City Hall.
“This exhibit is something we wanted to bring to Historic City Hall because of the great legacy that George Rodrigue has in Louisiana and in the art world, his paintings have such a geographical tie to Louisiana and this area specifically so it was a perfect fit to bring this exhibit here to Historic City Hall,” said Payton Lundmark, director of cultural affairs.
The exhibition is organized around Rodrigue’s own words.
“West of Lafayette, near Crowley and Jennings, the land is flat. This was the beginning of the prairies that slowly moved geographically towards Texas,” Rodrigue said. “It was the perfect land for raising cattle, and in the late 19th century the Cajun cowboys drove their herds north through Shreveport and into Arkansas and Oklahoma to the railroad, to be sold and shipped up east.”
According to Rodrigue, these cattle drives became widely known as Cajun cowboys and guided their herds through the heart of the country. The expansion of the railroad eventually reached the cattle, bringing an end to the drives and closing a brief but significant chapter of Louisiana history.
Lundmark said she was most surprised by the scale of some of the paintings in the exhibit and is looking forward to showing more of George Rodrigue’s work than just the Bluedog, which he is widely known for. She said the paintings and artwork in the exhibit really show his scale and his perspective and the beauty of Louisiana in our history.
“This is an immaculate show and I highly encourage people to come out while Wendy Rodrigue is in town at one of our open to the public events, it’s an unique opportunity to get an insight to his work and his artistic legacy,” Lundmark said.
“Rodrigue: A Louisiana Cowboy” will be on view beginning Friday and will remain open until April 4.
Historic City Hall is located at 1001 Ryan St. and is open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. All events and programs are free and open to the public, though capacity is limited for select activities.
