Interior design students in the second-year studio taught by Ruth Z. McCoy Professor Marsha Cuddeback and Associate Professor T.L. Ritchie took a field trip to Poverty Point October 18–20, 2013. The Poverty Point Reservoir and Historic Site Field Studies trip was intended to build on the students’ studies of building rituals and artifacts.
Students and faculty spent two days and nights at the Poverty Point State Historic Site in the lodges at the reservoir. During the first day they toured the earthworks and Indian mounds and participated in an earth oven and an atlatl spear-throwing demonstration. That evening, they took a moonlight walk to the top of the Bird Mound under the Hunter’s Moon (full moon). On the second day, the students made a series of light studies in nature and designed and made an artifact to be used in their next design studio project.
About Poverty Point State Historic Site
Poverty Point State Historic Site is located in the northeast corner of Louisiana. The site features ancient Native American earthworks that date back to 12 centuries BC and is an engineering marvel, the product of five million hours of labor. A museum includes an audio-visual presentation and numerous artifacts found on the site. An archaeological laboratory, picnic areas, restrooms, and self-guided hiking trails complete the facility. Poverty Point visitors may explore the culture of a highly sophisticated people who left behind one of North America’s most important archaeological sites. Visit nps.gov/popo/index.htm for more information.
About LSU Department of Interior Design
The LSU Department of Interior Design program emphasizes creative problem solving, research and analysis, and graphic skills. Student activities are supported in the design studios, which form the core of the educational experience. Liberal arts, business, communication, and technical courses are required and complement the program’s strong emphasis on design. For more information, visit interiordesign.lsu.edu.