Released: January 17, 2025
Advance registration is required by enrolling in the CE class
“Wendy and Me, 1997” by George Rodrigue, oil on canvas, 24 x 36 inches
Santa Fe Community College’s Continuing Education’s (CE) department in conjunction with Four Seasons Rancho Encantado will present the New Mexico premiere of “Blue: The Life and Art of George Rodrigue,” at 4 p.m. Sunday, March 2. Registration for the event is required by enrolling in the CE class. Registration assistance is available by emailing CE@sfcc.edu or calling 505-428-1676.
The CE department has offered a variety of popular classes taught by Wendy Rodrigue Magnus, the widow of acclaimed artist George Rodrigue (1944-2013). In September, the SFCC Visual Arts Gallery featured the artist’s work in “Dream Big: The Art of George Rodrigue,” organized by Wendy’s Life & Legacy Foundation, a non-profit organization that encourages the arts in education. The installation included 50 original paintings from Wendy’s private collection, including Rodrigue’s Cajun Series landscapes and portraiture, his paintings inspired by New Mexico, and his well-known Blue Dog canvases. SFCC partnered with Wendy to bring area school children to the campus for art and storytelling experiences within the exhibition. See more here.
The New Mexico film premiere of “Blue: The Life and Art of George Rodrigue,” will be presented at 4 p.m. Sunday, March 2 in the grand ballroom of Four Seasons Resort Rancho Encantado. The documentary is an intimate exploration of the iconic artist behind the Blue Dog series. After viewing the documentary, participants will be part of a lively Q & A session with producer Jim Dotson, director Sean O’Malley and George Rodrigue’s widow, Wendy Rodrigue Magnus. There is also an option to attend a four-course dinner following the film showing. Reservations for the dinner need to be made by calling Four Seasons Resort at 505-946-5700. See a trailer for the film at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBAI_Etenok&t=20s.
Continuing Education Director Benjamin Lincoln said, “The New Mexico film premiere is particularly timely. George Rodrigue’s art was inspired by the dynamic and rich culture of New Orleans, a city which is once again demonstrating courage and resilience.”
Background about the film:
Story Synopsis: The feature documentary “Blue: The Life and Art of George Rodrigue” paints a portrait of the world-renowned Cajun artist. George Rodrigue told the story of his exiled ancestors through brushstrokes, overcoming insurmountable adversity on a journey to become an international pop art sensation with his instantly recognizable, golden-eyed Blue Dog. “Blue” features interviews with George Rodrigue’s family, friends, curators, critics, collectors, and notable New Orleans’ figures, including Chef Emeril Lagasse, Drew Brees, James Carville, and former Mayor Marc Morial. Heavily influenced by the art of Andy Warhol, Rodrigue attended the ArtCenter College of Design in Los Angeles in the 1960s before returning home to paint Louisiana. After two decades of celebrating Cajun culture on canvas, Rodrigue achieved commercial success by turning a Cajun folklore character, known as the “loup-garou,” into the iconic Blue Dog. From teaching himself to paint while bedridden with polio, to being overlooked by art critics and museums for decades, to his valiant battles with Hurricane Katrina and cancer, George Rodrigue stayed true to his vision and in the process made us all happy to feel Blue.
Awards and Honors: “Blue: The Life & Art of George Rodrigue” has won the following awards: New Orleans Film Festival, Winner – Audience Award; Amsterdam New Cinema Fest, Winner – Best Documentary; IndieX Film Fest. Winner – Best Producer and Best Director; Asian Talent Film Fest, Winner Outstanding Achievement – Documentary; Bangkok Movie Awards, Winner – Best producer, Director, Documentary; Cannes World Film Festival, Winner – Best Biographical Feature Film; Oniros Film Awards New York, Finalist – Best Documentary; Swedish International Film Fest – Nominee.
Director’s Bio: Upon moving to Los Angeles, native New Orleanian, Sean O’Malley built his 25-year career in the unscripted television world, bringing his creative vision to more than 175 episodes of Discovery’s Food Paradise, and numerous other series under the Discovery umbrella of networks. Most recently, O’Malley partnered with celebrity chef Jesus Diaz, from Univision’s Despierta América, to produce Que Delicia: El Sabor De América. The groundbreaking series is an in-depth exploration of Latin American cuisine in the U.S., and the stories of the people behind the plates for Univision’s streamer, ViX. Blue marks his second feature documentary collaboration with WLAE, the first being the award-winning Fats Domino: Walkin’ Back to New Orleans in 2008.
Director’s Statement: “I was drawn to this project because I grew up in New Orleans with deep Cajun roots,” said Director Sean O’Malley. “George persevered through multiple challenges in his lifetime on his odyssey from the small town of New Iberia, Louisiana to recognition as one of the most important artists of our time. I’m proud to have the opportunity to tell his moving and uplifting story.”
WLAE/6th Street Studios: WLAE was founded in 1982 when it was awarded a construction permit by the FCC to build an Educational Public Television station in the New Orleans community. The station began broadcasting on UHF Channel 32 in July 1984 and was licensed in 1985. The corporate entity, Educational Broadcasting Foundation, Inc., was created to provide broader and more diverse educational programming for Southeast Louisiana, and to address significant educational, cultural, and community needs through high quality local, regional, and national programming. WLAE broadcasts family-friendly programming, which includes their own award-winning documentaries and television series.
O’Malley Productions: Established in 2005 by veteran executive producer/director Sean O’Malley and seasoned writer, Jeannine O’Malley, O’Malley Productions is a full-service production company that creates entertaining and acclaimed primetime unscripted television. From series and specials on Food Network, Univision, PBS, Travel Channel, and Animal Planet to award winning documentaries and international programming, we hand craft each project. After 20 years in Los Angeles, O’Malley Productions moved to Knoxville, TN in 2020, where Sean and Jeannine reside with their twins, Charlie and Elizabeth.
Key Subjects: George Rodrigue: George Rodrigue was born and raised in New Iberia, Louisiana, the heart of Cajun country. His studies at the ArtCenter College of Design in Los Angeles spawned one of the greatest success stories in American art. Throughout his career he portrayed on canvas what he feared was his dying heritage – including its land, people, traditions, and mythology. One myth, the “loup-garou” spawned his most famous series, The Blue Dog. Throughout his career, Rodrigue enjoyed groundbreaking success. In 1974, as a young man of thirty, he became the first American artist in 100 years to receive an award from Le Salon in Paris, when he won an honorable mention for a painting of his mother’s school class. His book, The Cajuns of George Rodrigue (1976 Oxmoor House) was the first national publication on the Cajun culture and was chosen by the National Endowment for the Arts and First Lady Rosalynn Carter as an official Gift of State during the Carter White House. Published in five languages, Blue Dog (1994, Viking Penguin), sold more than 200,000 copies and is legendary in the world of art book publishing. During the 1990s and 2000s, Rodrigue’s creative partnerships with Absolute Vodka, Neiman Marcus, and Xerox Corporation catapulted the artist to worldwide fame. Rodrigue’s international presence included galleries in Munich, Germany, Tokyo, Japan, along with galleries in Carmel, California and New Orleans, Louisiana. Today museum exhibitions of his work routinely break attendance records. In 2013, at age 69, George Rodrigue died of lung cancer, thought to have been triggered by years of working with oil paints and varnishes in unventilated spaces. Today, his widow, Wendy, shares his original art and story with museums and school classes across the country through her Life & Legacy Foundation and Art Tour, a non-profit organization meant to educate and inspire others by way of Rodrigue’s painted, imaginary world.
Drew Brees: Drew Brees is the 2009 Super Bowl MVP-winning quarterback for the New Orleans Saints. He attended Purdue University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Management from the prestigious Krannert School of Management while lettering in football from 1997-2000. A two-time Heisman finalist, Brees led the Boilermakers to a Big Ten Championship and Rose Bowl appearance during the 2000 season. In that same year, he won the Maxwell Award as the nation’s top collegiate player as well as being named Academic All-American Player of the Year and was a recipient of the National Football Foundation’s post-graduate scholarship. In Brees’ five years with the San Diego Chargers and fifteen years with the New Orleans Saints, he has been elected to 13 Pro Bowls while being named 2004 Comeback Player of the Year, 2006 All-Pro Team, 2006 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year, 2008 and 2011 NFL Offensive Player of the Year, and Super Bowl XLIV Champion and MVP.
James Carville: James Carville is a political consultant who served as United States President William Jefferson Clinton’s Campaign Manager in his first run for the White House. For his work on the Clinton campaign, the American Association of Political Consultants named him Campaign Manager of the Year in 1993. He went on to serve as a senior political adviser to the president. Often referred to as the “Ragin’ Cajun” for his animated and colorful debating style and his roots in Louisiana, Carville began managing political campaigns in 1982. Before entering politics, he worked as a litigator at a Baton Rouge, Louisiana law firm from 1973-1979 and also had stints in the U.S. Marines and as a high school teacher.
Emeril Lagasse: Celebrity chef and world-renowned restaurateur. Lagasse practiced his art in fine restaurants in New York, Boston and Philadelphia until a job offer from Dick and Ella Brennan lured the young chef to New Orleans, where Lagasse helmed the kitchen for nearly eight years at their legendary restaurant, Commander’s Palace. In 1990, Lagasse set out on his own, opening his flagship, Emeril’s Restaurant, in New Orleans’ Warehouse District. Over the past 31 years, Lagasse has opened over 20 restaurants across the United States. Currently, Lagasse is the chef-proprietor of restaurants in New Orleans, Las Vegas, Miramar Beach, and aboard Carnival Cruise Line’s Mardi Gras Ship and Celebration ship. As a national TV personality, he has hosted more than 2,000 shows on the Food Network and is the food correspondent for ABC’s “Good Morning America. https://emerilsrestaurants.com/about-emeril/
James Michalopoulos: James Michalopoulos began his journey in 1951, the son of a prominent modernist architect father whose designs helped reshape downtown Pittsburgh. One of six children, he was raised in a home full of art, including paintings by his uncle, the influential surrealist painter William Baziotes. A strictly plein air painter, Michalopoulos, was challenged to find a winter locale to continue his work. In 1979, he was drawn to New Orleans as the last bastion of hippie bohemian culture in America. The city, and its “Culture of Celebration,” held an intense appeal. Perhaps most importantly, it was affordable, enabling artists of all types to find a home. He began sketching artists and musicians, houses and street corners. Fascinated by the duality of beauty and decay, the architecture of the city became his muse.
Marc H. Morial: As President of the National Urban League since 2003, Marc Morial has been the primary catalyst for an era of change and a transformation for the 100- plus-year-old civil rights organization. His energetic and skilled leadership has expanded the League’s work around an empowerment agenda, redefining civil rights in the 21st century with a renewed emphasis on closing the economic gaps between Whites and Blacks and rich and poor Americans. As Mayor of New Orleans from 1994 to 2002, Morial led New Orleans’ renaissance, and left office with a 70% approval rating. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in Economics and African American Studies, he also holds a law degree from the Georgetown University.
Wendy Rodrigue-Magnus: Wendy Rodrigue’s passion for art history delivered her to George Rodrigue’s French Quarter gallery in 1991, and as fate would have it, she began a lifetime with world-renowned artist George Rodrigue (1944-2013). The couple married in 1997. Wendy partnered with Rodrigue on the development of his career, including his galleries, museum exhibitions, and a dozen books on his art and education outreach within schools. Originally from the Florida Panhandle, Wendy attended Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, and received degrees in Art History and English, followed by the American University in Vienna, Austria and graduate school in Art History at Tulane University in New Orleans. After managing Rodrigue’s galleries for 28 years, including New Orleans, Carmel, California and Munich, Germany, Wendy turned full time to non-profit work focused on the arts in education, as well as the personal and artistic legacy of George Rodrigue. In 2017, she established the George Rodrigue Life & Legacy Foundation and Art Tour, a 501(c3) inspired by her late husband. Embarking biannually on coast-to-coast tours, she has personally delivered, in the past eight years, some 800 presentations. During these unique, unplugged sessions, Wendy shares original, museum quality Rodrigue paintings from her private collection, blending intimate installations with the art of storytelling. In November 2024, she will celebrate her 200th school at George Rodrigue’s alma matter, Catholic High in New Iberia, Louisiana. “I established the Life & Legacy Foundation because I believe, as did my late husband, George Rodrigue, in the importance of active, in person engagement through storytelling and the arts. This interaction nurtures curiosity and creative thinking, promotes honest dialogue, encourages respect for diverse opinions, and establishes imagination as the keys to it all.” Through her Life & Legacy Foundation, Wendy and her team organize museum exhibitions of Rodrigue’s work, accompanied by community lectures, as well as art tours for local schools. Today, when she’s not on the road for Life & Legacy, Wendy lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico with her current husband Douglas Magnus, also an artist, and a long-time friend to George Rodrigue.
Jacques Rodrigue: Jacques Rodrigue serves as the Executive Director of the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts (GRFA) and is also the owner and operator of Rodrigue Studios, the art gallery founded by his late father, renowned artist George Rodrigue. Jacques holds a bachelor’s degree in general business administration from Louisiana State University and a law degree from Tulane Law School. At Rodrigue Studios, Jacques is deeply committed to preserving and promoting his father’s artistic legacy, including the celebrated Blue Dog series and its rich depictions of Cajun culture. His efforts focus on legacy stewardship, which encompasses a wide range of projects that protect and advance the significance of George Rodrigue’s work. These efforts include safeguarding copyrights and intellectual property, ensuring that George Rodrigue’s iconic works are not misused or improperly reproduced. Additionally, Jacques oversees the licensing of his father’s artwork for appropriate commercial uses, ensuring that these partnerships maintain the integrity of the art while expanding its reach. Jacques also plays a vital role in organizing museum exhibits and documentary film projects that celebrate his father’s contributions to art and culture, ensuring that George Rodrigue’s work continues to inspire and engage audiences. In his role as Executive Director of GRFA, Jacques advocates for an arts-integrated education system that utilizes the arts to enhance the teaching of all traditional subjects. Through the Foundation, Jacques ensures that George Rodrigue’s legacy not only survives but thrives in educational contexts, inspiring future generations of artists and students alike. Jacques is also the founder of the Louisiana A+ Schools program, which began as an initiative of GRFA and, under his leadership, transitioned to become a part of Louisiana State University in 2023. This program aims to revolutionize education by equipping both pre-service and current educators with the tools to incorporate the arts into every classroom and subject area. His contributions to arts education have earned him several prestigious awards, including Louisiana’s Arts Education Award and the National Arts Educators Association Award for Distinguished Service Outside of the Profession. Jacques resides in New Orleans, Louisiana, with his wife, artist Mallory Page, and their young son, Roman.
Key Quotes: “George didn’t paint what Louisiana looks like, George painted what Louisiana feels like.” – Wendy Rodrigue Magnus
“Dad was an icon, not just for Louisiana, but for all of America.” – Jacques Rodrigue
“I can’t think of a symbol that represented a person as much as Blue Dog represented George Rodrigue.” – Drew Brees
“George always painted through George’s eyes and his eyes always remembered Louisiana” – Emeril Lagasse
“George was definitely a pioneer in terms of his expression of Cajun life” – James Michalopoulos
“George Rodrigue with the Blue Dog created an iconic brand. Something so identifiable with New Orleans, with its culture, and its uniqueness.” – Marc H. Morial
“There was an official government push to effectively destroy the Cajun culture. And George had paintings that illustrated this.” – Clancy DuBos, Journalist
“The more I stayed in Los Angeles, the more different I knew I was. That was the first time I really realized that South Louisiana was different, the people are different. I wanted to paint my early childhood feelings.” – George Rodrigue
Note to reporters: To set up interviews about the film with Wendy Rodrigue-Magnus or film director Sean O’Malley, please contact Director of Continuing Education Benjamin Lincoln via email at Benjamin Lincoln or call 505-428-1734.
Santa Fe Community College celebrates its 40th Anniversary as the pathway to success for individuals and the community. SFCC provides affordable, high-quality programs that serve the academic, cultural, and economic needs of the community. The college welcomes over 10,000 students per year in credit, noncredit, workforce training, personal enrichment, and adult programs.
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Visit sfcc.edu or call 505-428-1000.
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