The Art Collections and Gallery’s primary mission is to increase the knowledge and understanding of our diverse global contemporary culture through the micro-lens of the vast visual histories and cosmologies of the descendant communities of Louisiana. The Art Collections and Gallery believes in the power of art to change communities. It facilitates this transformation through the organization and production of exhibitions, publications, educational materials, conferences, lectures, workshops and other public programs, with a particular emphasis on the study, presentation, preservation and promotion of art produced by Louisiana-based artists and artists of African descent throughout the world.