Join Basin Arts for our annual LINEAGE Gala, a festive & immersive evening honoring the artists among us & inspiring the next generation in Lafayette, LA. This event is generously sponsored by First Horizon Bank, Downtown Lafayette, City Club, Kiki, Haynie Family Foundation, LFT Fiber, & Energy Solutions Technology.

On Wednesday, September 9th, we celebrate & honor the 2026 LINEAGE Award recipients, esteemed community artists Musician, Chubby Carrier & Visual Artist, Lynda Frese. And, we'll celebrate the culmination of our 2025 LINEAGE Residency with Visual Artist, Francis Pavy, and Dancer/Educator/Choreographer, Grace Hamilton-Mayfield.

LINEAGE / An Evening to Support Basin Arts!
Honoring the artists among us & Inspiring the next generation

Wednesday, September 9th 6:00-10:00 P.M.
Basin Arts | 126 S. Buchanan St, Lafayette, LA 70501
$200 per person

Attendees will be fêted with cocktails and a seated dinner by City Club, musical entertainment, and many more artistic surprises!

Proceeds from the night will directly support Basin Arts’ programming including artistic residencies, public art projects, exhibitions, performances, and professional development opportunities for artists artists throughout the year. By attending, guests will not only enjoy an unforgettable evening but also play a pivotal role in nurturing our region's vibrant artistic ecosystem for generations to come.

The LINEAGE Award honors visual and performing artists who have contributed a lifetime’s worth of creativity to the Acadiana region and beyond, whose practice embodies the community values of Basin Arts, and those who have laid the foundation for future artistic generations.

Following the award presentation, the artists will participate in a LINEAGE Project at Basin Arts, engaging with artists through workshops, critique nights, and other programs specific to the honoree’s practice as a way to pass their artistic lineage on to future generations.

We hope you will join us for a night of elegant dining, surprising creativity, and intimate connections inspired by art to support more art making in our community!

Thank you to our generous sponsors First Horizon Bank, Downtown Lafayette, City Club, kiki, Haynie Family Foundation, LFT Fiber, & Energy Solutions Technology.

ABOUT THE LINEAGE AWARD RECIPIENTS

Chubby Carrier

Grammy Award-winning musician Chubby Carrier is a third-generation Zydeco artist who has spent more than 35 years sharing the rich musical traditions of Louisiana with audiences around the world. He began performing at just eight years old as the drummer in his father's band before taking up the accordion at age 14. In 1989, he formed Chubby Carrier & The Bayou Swamp Band, launching an internationally acclaimed career that has taken him across the United States, Canada, and Europe.

In 2010, Carrier received the Grammy Award for Best Zydeco or Cajun Music Album, and in 2011 he was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame. Today, he remains one of Zydeco's most celebrated ambassadors, dedicated to preserving the genre's vibrant legacy by sharing its history, culture, and traditions with the next generation through performances, education, and mentorship.

Lynda Frese

Lynda Frese is an internationally recognized visual artist whose photography, painting, and printmaking explore the rich intersections of history, culture, spirituality, and the natural world. After earning her BFA and MFA from the University of California, Davis—where she served as a teaching assistant to renowned painter Wayne Thiebaud—she launched her career with a major exhibition at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art as a recipient of the SECA Art Award.

In 1986, Frese joined the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, where she taught photography and design for 30 years, shaping generations of artists before being named Professor Emerita in 2016. That same year, she was honored as Louisiana Artist of the Year in recognition of her sustained contributions to the arts and her compelling explorations of Southern history and culture.

Frese's work has been exhibited extensively throughout the United States, Europe, and South America and is held in the collections of major institutions including the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, the High Museum of Art, and the Hilliard Art Museum. She has received numerous prestigious fellowships and artist residencies, including the Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center, the American Academy in Rome, the Bogliasco Foundation, and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Andy Warhol Foundation.

A lifelong innovator, Frese continues to push the boundaries of her practice through exhibitions, publications, and interdisciplinary collaborations. Her acclaimed retrospective, Holy Memories & Earthly Delights, surveyed four decades of artistic achievement, while her recent exhibition, Far-Out, reflects her ongoing fascination with mystery, mythology, and the unseen. Through a career defined by curiosity, experimentation, and generosity, Lynda Frese has left an enduring mark on Louisiana's cultural landscape and continues to inspire artists and audiences alike.

ABOUT BASIN ARTS

Basin Arts is Lafayette's "Container for Creativity" focused on supporting Louisiana artists towards a sustainable practice with the goal of increasing access to professional contemporary arts experiences and creating authentic relationships between artists and the greater community.

Our work is multifaceted but our mission is simple:
We support artists.
We support artistic creation.
We connect community to artists.
We connect artists to community.

Our programs include artist residencies, public art projects, our signature art rental program - BARE Walls, art exhibitions, critique night, movement classes for adults, unique performance events, and more!

Basin Arts is passionate about fostering creativity, collaboration, and community through artistic innovation within a supportive environment. We believe the arts are a powerful vehicle for improving overall quality of life, and we are committed to engaging the community through inclusive and diverse artistic programming.

Learn More: https://www.basinartslafayette.com/

LINEAGE 2026 / An Evening to Support Basin Arts

Join us to celebrate the 2026 LINEAGE Award Recipients, Chubby Carrier and Lynda Frese