Local teacher wins gumbo poster contest

Published 5:00 am Friday, September 16, 2022

The Greater Iberia Chamber of Commerce chose Lexi Renard as the winner of this year’s poster contest for the World Championship Gumbo Cookoff.

Renard unveiled the poster Wednesday at the chamber’s office in downtown New Iberia.

“I have always had a sense of pride of being from south Louisiana,” Renard said in a prepared statement. “The culture, the food, all of it. It is so rich and full of pizazz. I am inspired by simple, everyday events.

“I have tried to embrace the Cajun lifestyle and embody it in my artwork, she added. “I love using metallic paints to add emphasis in my paintings. The way that the artwork changes in different light settings is impeccable. My goal is to create artwork that brings pride to this beautiful state that we call home.”

Each year the Greater Iberia Chamber of Commerce seeks out many artists to make the yearly poster that displays in many homes and businesses around the area and around the nation.

The World Championship Gumbo Cookoff is the chamber’s primary fundraising event, and draws in people from all over the state and country to compete for the distinction of having the best gumbo.

This year’s Gumbo Cookoff takes place Oct. 8-9 in downtown New Iberia.

Posters will be on sale Sept. 19 or at the cookoff.

For more information on the Greater Iberia Chamber of Commerce, visit www.iberiachamber.org.

Renard, who lives in Delcambre, is married with two children and graduated from Loreauville High School in 2006.

Renard graduated from Loreauville High School in 2006 and continued her education at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, studying education. Renard currently teaches talent visual arts in Iberia Parish.