Bright Lights Awards Show Advocacy for the Humanities

The LEH’s Bright Lights Awards in the Humanities Awards brings together people from every corner of our state – culture leaders from nonprofit, corporate, and government sectors, and is an annual melange of entertainment, cultural exchange, and recognition of the people and organizations who embody the best our state’s culture has to offer.

This year’s event, celebrated at Shaw Center for the Arts in Baton Rouge last week, presented by Entergy Louisiana and hosted by Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser, also brought forth a call for advocacy for the Humanities.

Shreveport native and Humanist of the Year William Joyce spoke about Louisiana as home, where he was able to express the full nature of his creativity, ultimately becoming recognized as an Academy Award Winner in 2012. Champion of Culture Dr. William Adams, Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities, delivered a powerful statement of advocacy for the Humanities in the cultural lives of all Americans.

The LEH is deeply appreciative of our sponsors, whose support for the Humanities made the event possible: Event Sponsor Entergy Louisiana; Artistic Production Sponsors Helis Foundation and BHP-Billiton; and Production Sponsor Jones Walker Law Firm. Table Sponsors were Brad Adams; Adams & Reese Law; Byronz Restaurant Family; Capital One Bank; Dr. Christopher Cenac, Sr.; Dorian Bennett Sotheby’s International Realty; Rosemary Ewing; Mark Gremillion; Ava Leavell Haymon; The Haynie Family Foundation; Hola Nola Foods; Josef Sternberg Memorial Fund; Postlethwaite & Netterville, Mrs. Bertie Deming Smith; and Union Pacific Foundation.

The evening concluded with dinner on the Rooftop Terrace – a picture-perfect ending to an evening of celebrating Louisiana’s unmatched history and culture, and the resolution that the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities continues to champion
that history and culture.