A Night to Honor Herman Mhire

We invite you to be a part of the celebration recognizing Herman Mhire, Founding Director of the Hilliard Art Museum, and support education and expansion initiatives at the Hilliard. Our Gala at the Museum, A Night to Honor Herman Mhire, will take place on Thursday, October 24, 2024. The gala will also include the premier of the special exhibtion RODIN: TOWARDS MODERNITY, curated by Herman Mhire and organized to commemorate the Hilliard Art Museum's 20th anniversary.

A native of Lafayette, Louisiana, Herman Mhire joined the faculty of the Department of Visual Arts at the University of Louisiana Lafayette in 1977 where he taught courses in drawing, basic design, printmaking, art history and arts administration. He served as Curator of the College of the Arts Fine Arts Gallery until 1983 when he was appointed Director of the University Art Museum.

In 2001, Mhire secured a lead gift of $5 million from Paul and Lulu Hilliard to build the $8.5 million Hilliard Art Museum which opened in 2004. He collaborated with the Eskew+Dumez+Ripple architectural firm of New Orleans on the design of the new Hilliard Art Museum which received numerous state and regional design awards and the 2005 American Institute of Architects National Honor Award. Mhire has received multiple honors from the University including Distinguished Professor, Lifetime Achievement Award, and Professor Emeritus.

Mhire has been a practicing visual artist for more than 50 years and has exhibited his studio work regionally and nationally. He is the Founding President of Festival International de Louisiane, the largest annual international music festival in the United States with an attendance of 300,000 and an economic impact of $49 million annually. In 2005, the Minister of Culture of France named Herman a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters.

Tickets to the cocktail reception, seated dinner, exhibit preview and symposium are $500. For more information, including additional sponsorship opportunities, contact Ben Hickey at [email protected].

Host or Publisher Hilliard Art Museum