Internationally Renowned Louisiana Artist George Rodrigue – Creator of Iconic “Blue Dog” Series – Celebrated in First Career-Spanning Documentary to Premiere Nationally on Public Television Stations and PBS.org Starting May 29, 2025
BLUE: The Life and Art of George Rodrigue Unpacks Cajun Artist’s Success and Legacy, With Rare, Never-Seen Visuals, New Candid Interviews with Family and Notable Admirers and Excerpts from Rodrigue’s Final Interview
NEW ORLEANS, LA (April 28, 2025) – From his iconic “Blue Dog” paintings to his acclaimed, authentic bayou-inspired works, George Rodrigue played an integral role in visually and publicly elevating Cajun tradition and folklore and Southern life to people around the world. As a vigorously collected and highly revered figure, Rodrigue (1944-2013) is regarded as one of Louisiana’s most important artists, having been named the state’s official Artist Laureate and remains a key force in contemporary American culture.
BLUE: The Life and Art of George Rodrigue is the first-ever career-spanning documentary on Rodrigue’s remarkable journey as an artist – bringing to life an inspiring story on how he overcame immense adversity to become an international Pop Art sensation with his instantly recognizable, golden-eyed Blue Dog. BLUE: The Life and Art of George Rodrigue will premiere nationally on public television stations starting May 29, 2025 (check local listings) and will also start streaming on May 29 on PBS.org. WLAE in New Orleans is the presenting station for the film, which will be distributed by American Public Television. Visit the WLAE Film Website to learn more.
A recipient of numerous awards and an official selection at film festivals over the last six months, BLUE is an intimate portrait of resilience and creativity, of the world-renowned Cajun artist who told the story of his exiled ancestors through brushstrokes. BLUE offers a rich, in-depth look at George Rodrigue’s life and work through new, candid interviews with his family, curators, critics, collectors, and notable admirers, including chef/restaurateur Emeril Lagasse, former New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, political strategist James Carville, former New Orleans mayor and President of the National Urban League Marc Morial, artist James Michalopoulos, along with family including sons Jacques and Andre Rodrigue, second wife Wendy Rodrigue-Magnus and first wife, Veronica Hidalgo Redman. The film also includes rare footage, unseen for nearly fifty years, offering an up-close look into Rodrigue’s reflections on his roots and artistic inspirations.
“I hope audiences see BLUE as a tribute to George Rodrigue’s enduring impact on art and culture in Louisiana and around the world. His story as an artist is layered and deeply inspiring. From his majestic oak trees and evocative Cajun portraits to the iconic Blue Dog, his masterworks weave an extraordinary narrative and serve as a powerful testament to his perseverance and the deep impact he and his art have had on so many lives,” says director/producer Sean O’Malley.
Produced by the award-winning team and executive producers of Fats Domino—Walking Back to New Orleans, A Tribute to Toussaint, and Irma Thomas: The Soul Queen of New Orleans, the intimate documentary follows Rodrigue’s life and career, from his childhood in New Iberia, Louisiana – the heart of Cajun country, through his rise to international acclaim with the Blue Dog series. After being confined to bed with polio in the third grade, Rodrigue began painting—famously turning over a paint-by-numbers canvas to create his own original work.
Inspired by the works of Andy Warhol, Rodrigue studied art at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and later at the ArtCenter College of Design in Los Angeles, before returning home to document the fading Cajun culture through his series depicting oak trees with moss-laden limbs and Cajun people of the past with evocative works like his first masterpiece, “The Aioli Dinner” (1971) and “Jolie Blonde” (1975). “The more I stayed in Los Angeles [for art school], the more I realized how different I was. Louisiana is different. The people are different. I wanted to paint my early childhood feeling,” said George Rodrigue in a newly restored interview from the 1970s, included in BLUE. It was important to Rodrigue that the Cajun traditions and people were portrayed, which were rarely depicted in art: “We had a different food, we had different music. There was nobody to record the last 200 years why we were here.” As George Rodrigue commented in another interview: “They [the Cajuns] had to go to live in the swamps, you know? They were not allowed in New Orleans. They were not allowed in the populated areas. This is what I want to show: the pain, the suffering of all these people.”
In the 1960s and 1970s, critics in the art world dismissed or struggled to understand Rodrigue’s paintings, while museums and galleries wouldn’t show his artwork. His first ever review for a solo exhibition in Baton Rouge in 1970 called his work “Painter Makes Bayou Country Dreary, Monotonous Place.” He learned early that no press is bad press, since folks flocked to see what the “flat and drab” paintings were about, and Rodrigue ended up earning more money than he ever had in his life. The rejection from art institutions also motivated him to work harder to gain more visibility by hanging up his paintings anywhere, including restaurants and bank lobbies. Rodrigue said in a newly-restored interview that he had been told that he’s a “genius in marketing,” but said “no, I’m a genius at painting.”
The one-hour film explores the origins of the Blue Dog, first painted in 1984 and inspired by the Loup-Garou—a “crazy werewolf dog” from Cajun lore—and was modeled after Rodrigue’s family canine, Tiffany. What started as a ghost story illustration evolved into a global pop icon in the early 1990s, featured in presidential portraits, high-profile ad campaigns for Absolut Vodka, Neiman Marcus, and Xerox, and acquired by celebrity collectors including Sylvester Stallone and Whoopi Goldberg. By the 2000s, the Blue Dog had developed into more abstract and minimalist interpretations, and through the combination of his imagery and titles, Rodrigue utilized his work to make comments on life. Rodrigue used the Blue Dog to reflect on life and loss, raising millions for relief efforts following Hurricane Katrina and 9/11. By this time, art institutions and critics warmly embraced his works, with positive reviews and retrospective exhibits around the country.
BLUE: The Life and Art of George Rodrigue includes never-before-seen photos, captivating, newly-restored interviews with the artist– as well as excerpts from his final, deeply personal interview. Newly-revealed visuals include Rodrigue’s photographs of models who he would then emulate in his classic paintings. Among the revelations in the film is the cause of his death in 2013 – his son, Jacques says he believes his dad’s terminal lung cancer resulted from inhaling fumes from the oils and spray varnishes he used in his third-floor studio, where he created as many as 1,000 Cajun paintings, offering a cautionary tale.
George Rodrigue’s impact on art and culture continues to resonate, particularly in classrooms and among artists who draw inspiration from cultural heritage in contemporary work. In 2009, he established the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts, which supports arts education through scholarships, competitions, and programs across Louisiana and beyond, and is still active today. As a dedicated advocate for arts in education, Rodrigue firmly believed that creativity is a vital part of every child’s development.
“BLUE is an up-close and personal portrait of my dad and his groundbreaking work,” said Jacques Rodrigue, Executive Director of the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts and George Rodrigue’s son. “The documentary beautifully captures the visual evolution of his art, his deep love for Cajun culture, the rise of the Blue Dog as a pop icon, and his unique place in the story of American art. Dad was — and still is — an icon, not just for Louisiana, but for the entire country.”
BLUE: The Life and Art of George Rodrigue had its U.S. premiere at New Orleans Film Festival in October 2024, where it was named Winner of the Southern Feature Audience Award. It was also named Best Documentary at Amsterdam New Cinema Film Festival 2024 and Best Biographical Feature Film at the World Film Festival in Cannes-Remember the Future, as well as winning top honors at the Bangkok Movie Awards, IndieX Film Fest, and Southeast Academy International Film Festival. It was also an official selection at various film festivals. The film had a special sneak preview on Louisiana PBS stations in December 2024 as a tribute to Rodrigue’s home state.
BLUE: The Life and Art of George Rodrigue was produced by WLAE New Orleans’ 6th Street Studios, in association with O’Malley Productions. The film was directed by Sean O’Malley and produced by O’Malley and Trisha Johnson Reece. Executive producers are Jim Dotson, Ron Yager and Bruce Smith. It features original music by the Grammy-winning musicians, Lost Bayou Ramblers. Major funding was provided by Don A. Sanders Family Foundation, Haynie Family Foundation, Henry & Pat Shane, Raising Cane’s, Humana, Eric and Jaclyn Dixon, Lipsey’s, Lafayette Convention and Visitors Commission, Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, among many other generous sponsors.
For more information on BLUE: The Life and Art of George Rodrigue, visit https://wlae.com/rodriguebluedogfilm, Facebook at https://facebook.com/RodrigueBlueDogFilm/ and Instagram at @rodriguebluedogfilm.
BLUE International Premiere concurrently with the Venice Film Festival with Bruce Smith (fundraiser for WLAE/BLUE), Sean O’Malley (Director), Jacques Rodrigue (son of George Rodrigue), Ron Yager (WLAE President), Jim Dotson (WLAE Vice President and General Manager)
About WLAE:
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.
About 6th Street Studios:
Executive producers Jim Dotson and Ron Yager of 6th Street Studios and WLAE-TV are the Emmy award-winning team and executive producers of BLUE: The Life and Art of George Rodrigue, Fats Domino—Walking Back to New Orleans, A Tribute to Toussaint, and Irma Thomas: The Soul Queen of New Orleans. Throughout their nearly 40-year collaboration, Jim and Ron have earned dozens of Telly, Emmy, Gabriel, National Public Media Awards and Press Club of New Orleans Awards for their direction and production of special events, concerts, television series and documentary films.
About 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 episode. 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.
About American Public Television:
American Public Television (APT) is the leading syndicator of high-quality, top-rated programming to the nation’s more than 350 public television stations. Founded in 1961, APT distributes 250 new program titles per year and nearly one-half of the top 100 highest-rated public television titles in the U.S. APT’s diverse catalog includes prominent documentaries, performance, news and current affairs programs, dramas, how-to programs, children’s series and classic movies. APT also licenses programs internationally through its APT Worldwide service and distributes Create®TV — featuring the best of public television’s lifestyle programming — and WORLD™, public television’s premier news, science and documentary channel. More information at APTonline.org
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