The Center includes the LSU Museum of Art, the LSU School of Art Glassell Gallery, the 325-seat Manship Theatre, classrooms, Tsunami, a rooftop sushi restaurant, and a park.

Among other collections, the museum includes the largest assemblage of Newcomb Pottery in the United States.

The skin of the Shaw Center for the Arts is made of translucent channel glass manufactured in Germany by Glasfabrik Lamberts.

The Shaw Center received the American Institute of Architects Gulf States Honor Award in 2005 for its "aggressive concept with a good contrast of materials" and "effective mapping of façade upon the plaza" [1].

The Shaw Center has won several awards for design excellence including: The architects are The LSU Museum of Art opened in March 2005.