Houma artist wins contest

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Open windows and a doorway on an elevated shotgun home cede to a hodgepodge of icons associated with Terrebonne Parish in the painting chosen as the official poster for the third-annual Best of the Bayou Festival.


Donna Arata, of Houma, submitted the painting. The icons inside the house include Southdown Plantation, St. Matthews Episcopal Church, an alligator, a shrimp boat, a Mardi Gras-themed umbrella and other wildlife and seafood.

“When I thought of the title of the festival, I wrote down all the things that make South Louisiana/Houma special,” Arata said in a printed statement.

Best of the Bayou, a two-day music festival that also features local art and cuisine, returns to downtown Houma for the third consecutive year Sept. 27-28. Better Than Ezra, Rockin’ Dopsie, Amanda Shaw and Baby Bee are among the scheduled performers.


An annual festival tradition is the open poster-design contest, for which the only artistic requirement is that participants demonstrate the spirit of the festival and interpret the best aspects of “the bayou.”

As the winner, Arata receives $250. Her artwork will be reprinted and sold at the festival, with all proceeds going to the Best of the Bayou Foundation. Arata will sign copies of purchased posters at some point during the festival.

“Winning this competition has given me clarity as an artist,” said Arata, who has painted professionally for the past three years after working as an art teacher for seven years. “I have embraced my Cajun heritage. I am inspired by the simple things around me. I am doing what I love, and hopefully that harmony is reflected in my work.”


Houma artist Donna Arata’s painting, which includes glimpses of Southdown Plantation, St. Matthews Episcopal Church and a Mardi Gras-themed umbrella, was selected for the Best of the Bayou festival’s poster. The two-day concert is set for Sept. 27-28.

COURTESY PHOTO