CONTINUUM | A LINEAGE Exhibition featuring Cissy Whipp & Robert Dafford

Name: CONTINUUM | A LINEAGE Exhibition featuring Cissy Whipp & Robert Dafford
Start: 2025-10-03T18:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-10-03T20:00:00-05:00
Location: 126 S Buchanan St, Lafayette, LA 70501-5944, United States

Schedule

Fri Oct 03 2025 at 06:00 pm to 08:00 pm

UTC-05:00

Location

126 S Buchanan St, Lafayette, LA 70501-5944, United States | Lafayette, LA

CONTINUUM | A LINEAGE Exhibition featuring Cissy Whipp & Robert Dafford
Join us on October 3rd for CONTINUUM, an exhibition built around the circles of influence created by performing artist Cissy Whipp and visual artist Robert Dafford, the inaugural Lineage Award recipients. In 2024, Basin Arts launched the LINEAGE award and residency honoring visual and performing artists who have contributed a lifetime’s worth of creativity to the Acadiana region and beyond. However, the LINEAGE Award is not only about honoring past achievements; it is also about investing in the future of our artistic community.
Following the 2024 LINEAGE Awards, Dafford and Whipp each embarked on a year-long residency project with Basin Arts aimed at sharing their immense artistic knowledge with Acadiana’s next generation of creatives. Dafford led a multi-session mural-painting workshop for area artists, which culminated in the co-creation of a 20-foot large-scale painting. Whipp led a three-part choreography workshop, inviting participants into her choreographic process. Workshop participants will perform a new dance at Basin Arts by Whipp, inspired by their learning together.
In addition to Dafford and Whipp’s creative work, CONTINUUM features contributions from movement and visual artists who have worked under, alongside, and in relation to both artists.
CONTINUUM | A LINEAGE Exhibition featuring Cissy Whipp & Robert Dafford
📅 Friday, October 3 | 6-8 PM
📍 Basin Arts NEW LOCATION | 126 S Buchanan St
🎟 FREE ADMISSION
Dance Performances by Cissy at 6:30, 7:00, and 7:30 PM
The 2024 LINEAGE Residency and Exhibition is supported by the Haynie Family Foundation, Lafayette Travel, Suzy Kimball, Robert Autin, Pilar & Michael Eble, Kelli Kaufman, Phillippa Mueller, Diane Broussard, and Rita Spalding.
ARTIST BIOS:
MARY FRANCES “CISSY” WHIPP has been working as a performer, choreographer, and dance educator for over 40 years. She co-founded Louisiana’s first professional modern dance company, Moving South Dance, Inc., toured for several years with Young Audiences of New Orleans, and performed in France and Belgium with La Compagnie Louisianaise. Ms. Whipp is an Artist Fellow with LA A+ Schools. She worked for the Louisiana Board of Regents’ LOUIS project to help write an OER (Open Educational Resource) Dance Appreciation course/textbook for dual enrollment. She is piloting it at UL Lafayette, where she is currently an adjunct professor.
ROBERT DAFFORD is one of the most prolific and successful American muralists working today, with over 350 large- scale public works completed throughout the United States, France, Belgium, England, and Canada. A native of Lafayette, Louisiana, Dafford has been designing and painting outdoor works professionally since 1970. His extensive portfolio includes the 2,000-foot-long, 60-mural project in Portsmouth, Ohio, and nearly 50 murals in Paducah, Kentucky. Dafford's work has earned him numerous accolades, including the Bronze Medaille d'Honneur de la Suresnes in France and an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Shawnee State University. His murals, which often focus on local history and culture, have been featured in prominent publications such as Smithsonian, National Geographic, and the New York Times. Dafford's projects not only beautify cities but also contribute to historic preservation, education, and economic development in the communities he serves.