Troy Broussard

Artists in Black History Month

(As we all know, February is Black History Month. This post is a simplified and revised version of a feature article that I wrote about artists in Black History Month for the Lake Charles American Press; it was published with my byline on February 3, 2008. A version was also published on my original TroysArt blog February 2008. Photographic images were provided courtesy of the Zigler Art Museum in Jennings, Louisiana. Also, please recognize that art historians often use the description Black American in defining the group apart from Caucasians. This term embraces those of African, Caribbean, and Creole decent. While the inclusion of Creole lineage is occasionally debated, it is generally accepted, and I have included Creole artists herewith.) John J. ...

By Troy Broussard|2016-02-10T23:19:50-05:00February 10, 2016|Artists|

Houston’s favorite BYOB Vietnamese: Huynh

Beverages at Huynh including the iced tea with sugar syrup and a BYOB. When I moved to Houston I found a world of cuisine that I could have never dreamed of before—growing up in rural Louisiana we thought that Mexican food at Casa Manana in Lake Charles was the bomb. And I had no idea that there was such a thing as Vietnamese cuisine—but I fell in love with it as soon as I tried it. Of course back at that time Kim Son was all the rage and seemed to be the pinnacle of Vietnamese cuisine in Houston. But lately I have a new restaurant obsession. My friends and I have rediscovered Houston’s favorite BYOB Vietnamese: Huynh. ...

By Troy Broussard|2016-01-20T11:36:20-05:00January 19, 2016|Food & Beverage|

Chasing ghosts at Hotel Galvez

An oil of Bernardo de Galvez anchors the haunted corridor at Hotel Galvez. My favorite nearby get-away is Galveston, Texas (TroysArt – Gung Ho on Galveston); and without question my favorite hotel on the island is Hotel Galvez (Troysart – The art of escape, the Hotel Galvez). This week I visited with Lake Charles gal-pal Courtenay Deats Guillory. And for as many times as I have visited the Galvez, this was the first time I ever heard of paranormal occurrences. That is how Court and I ended up chasing ghosts at Hotel Galvez. According to concierge Melissa Hall the most notorious spirit haunting the halls is a bride-to-be named Audra who stayed in room 501 in the 1950s. When her ...

By Troy Broussard|2015-11-28T20:12:00-05:00November 27, 2015|Destinations|

Remember that time I was on TV? The Big Switch

Troy Broussard of The Big Switch, cover of OutSmart Magazine, November 2002. Does anyone remember that time I was on TV? The Big Switch was a home design challenge sponsored by Houston PBS KUHT, Houston Chronicle, OutSmart Magazine, and Bassett Furniture. Emmy award winning Ernie Manouse hosted the two day challenge in which designers Jennifer Lowe and myself transformed the interiors of neighboring Habitat for Humanity homes. Not only did we have two days but we had a budget of $1,500, part of which we had to use at least one piece of Bassett furniture. The Big Switch was the most watched original program in the 2002 Houston PBS broadcast season. Incidentally, after the show aired I was ...

By Troy Broussard|2015-11-22T02:54:23-05:00November 22, 2015|Entertainment, Furniture & Design, Lifestyle, TroysArt|

Photo Friday: Roxanne Lasage

Bayou Nezpique by Roxanne LeGros Lasage. Once again the TroysArt Photo Friday featured pic comes by way of Roxanne LeGros Lasage of Jennings, Louisiana. Roxi is an avid outdoorsman, amateur photographer, and animal lover--readers might recall her beautiful mallard drake featured back in March (TroysArt – Roxanne LeGros Lasage). Today's beautiful snap occurred on Bayou Nezpique! Thanks for another great photograph, Roxi!

By Troy Broussard|2015-11-13T13:27:54-05:00November 13, 2015|Photo Friday|

The art of yachting Puerto Vallarta

Kirk Longmire, Troy Broussard, & Kristy Phillips toasting on a yacht in Puerto Vallarta. Paraphrasing Carly Simon, I walked into the party like I was walking onto a yacht… and I was walking onto a yacht! It was a party too. TroysArt readers know that I recently spent time on the west coast of Mexico and this as promised is the second of two posts about the adventure (see: TroysArt – Our swank soiree in Sayulita) specifically dedicated to the art of yachting Puerto Vallarta. But first a refresher of our cast of characters. We were all guests of Rob Taylor and Kristy Phillips celebrating Rob’s birthday in Sayulita. Also present were Rob’s son Trey Taylor and his girlfriend ...

By Troy Broussard|2015-10-20T02:35:36-05:00September 26, 2015|Destinations, Lifestyle|

Our swank soirée in Sayulita!

“Dinner with great friends and this memory" by Raj Kalra, Sayulita. Though I had never heard of Sayulita, Mexico, I jumped at the opportunity when invited by Houston attorney Rob Taylor and his beautiful girlfriend Kristy Phillips to celebrate Rob’s birthday. A variety of photos and tags went up on social media over the past week followed by an avalanche of questions. So naturally this TroysArt post is about what to expect and where to go based on our swank soirée in Sayulita! But first we must define the motley crew assembled for the occasion. The group included: Rob’s son Trey Taylor of Houston and his girlfriend Elizabeth from Orange; Rob’s daughter Lacy Taylor from San Francisco with her boyfriend Scott Tukel; Arkansas attorney Bob ...

By Troy Broussard|2015-09-26T10:58:25-05:00September 24, 2015|Destinations, Lifestyle|

Photo Friday: Heywood Building by Samuel Gladden

The ruins of the Heywood Building, Jennings, LA, by Samuel Gladden. The other evening I called my father in Jennings; he was grumpy because a terrible storm was moving through Louisiana and knocked his cable out. That very storm also brought down a landmark. Today's Photo Friday feature depicts the ruins of the Heywood Building, courtesy of Samuel Gladden. Yes, the very same Heywood Building featured just a few weeks ago (TroysArt – The Heywood Building: painting a Louisiana landmark). "Here is the beautiful but sadly soon-to-be-demolished Heywood Building in Jennings, Louisiana," he lamented on social media. "It's sad to see unique buildings go." Dr. Gladden is an author and Associate Dean for the School of Human Sciences and Humanities ...

By Troy Broussard|2015-09-11T10:22:43-05:00September 11, 2015|Photo Friday|

What I thought of Go Set a Watchman

What I thought of Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee... Controversy swirled around the release of Go Set a Watchman, the second work published by Harper Lee. Lee of course won a Pulitzer Prize for her beloved, best-selling American classic To Kill a Mockingbird. This manuscript was “recently discovered” in a bank vault in 2014 and, assumed to be lost, is the work Lee submitted to her publishers before To Kill a Mockingbird. And after some great advice and rewriting her important novel of race relations in rural America emerged. I pre-ordered my copy and would have been long finished if not for other novels on my bedside when it arrived. Nevertheless, this is what I thought of ...

By Troy Broussard|2015-08-28T10:52:53-05:00August 19, 2015|Literature|

The new Bryan Museum has WOW factor

The Bryan Museum, Galveston Welcome to the newest museum on the block, the Bryan Museum. Opened just a month ago in Galveston the Bryan Museum is located in the magnificent old Galveston Orphan’s Home on 21st Street. The museum is home to the largest collection of Southwestern art and artifacts in the world. I visited this week. J.P. Bryan is the founder and CEO of Houston-based Torch Energy Advisor and he’s a descendant of Moses Austin, the father of Stephen F. Austin. Over the years he and his wife Mary Jon Bryan amassed a vast collection of over 70,000 pieces spanning 2,500 years of history. Word is that Bryan shopped for years for a permanent home for the ...

By Troy Broussard|2015-08-13T16:02:15-05:00August 13, 2015|Destinations, Galleries & Museums|

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