UPDATED: 2022 Shrimp and Petroleum Festival poster unveiled

Andrea Matte created this year’s Louisiana Shrimp and Petroleum Festival poster by creating a scene she wants to see.

The riverfront is one of her favorite places to be. And “I love looking at boats when I go to the river,” said Matte on Thursday, when her winning poster entry was unveiled at the Bayou BBQ Bash Kick-Off at Hampton Inn & Suites.

The poster shows three boats afloat on a multicolored Berwick Bay with the Tri-City area’s iconic bridges above. An oil derrick represents the petroleum component of the festival. In the foreground of the acrylic work, one of the boats spills shrimp onto the dock.

The poster, based on an acrylic original, will have a special place in the festival’s history. It marks the return of the festival this Labor Day weekend after two straight years of cancellations because of COVID-19.

The work also represents the fulfillment of a long-deferred dream.

Matte is originally from the Mississippi delta, but moved to St. Mary Parish as a child when her father, Peter Vincent, became a coach at Central Catholic in 1974. He retired from Morgan City High in 2008. Her mother is Sue B. Hover, who recently retired from the Morgan City Court, and her stepfather is Donald Hover.

“I always wanted to be an artist,” Matte said. “My family talked me out of it. They told me to go to nursing school and make a living and then be an artist.”

She followed the advice. Matte has been a nurse for 30 years and currently works at Ochsner St. Mary. She’s married to Tim Matte, the director of the St. Mary Parish Levee District staff.

Then, five years ago, when daughter Paige entered college, Matte turned to art.

“My art name is Andy,” she said.

And now her poster is the symbol of Louisiana’s oldest state-chartered harvest festival.

“I love this town,” Matte said. “I love this festival. It’s a wonderful celebration of the Tri-City area.”