Our Mission

Atelier de la Nature (French for Nature’s Workshop) is a STEAM education center, nature reserve and sculpture park located in the heart of Louisiana's Atchafalaya region. Our mission is to connect people to our region’s special nature and culture through creative, interdisciplinary programs that integrate art with science to inspire ecological and community stewardship.

Started in 2017 by Dr. Brandon Ballengée (Artist and Biologist), Aurore Ballengée (Project Manager & Sustainable Food Educator) and their children Victor and Lily, Atelier de la Nature is based on 30-acres of former agricultural fields that are being rewilded through native habitat restoration. The physical campus includes a 2,400 square foot workshop with a 800 square foot covered pavilion used as a classroom, meeting space, performance venue, general workshop, and “lighthouse” shelter during power outages and severe weather events. The land also includes over a mile of public nature trails with interpretive signage, campsites, and a growing sculpture park composed of ephemeral site-specific artworks.

the Atelier de la Nature’s STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art & Mathematics) education programs use active learning methods that combine art with science and nature-based education. We offer guided nature walks, eco-workshops, art-and-science educational programming, sustainable cooking workshops, mental and physical wellbeing programs and more!

Atelier de la Nature is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Donations are tax-deductible.