New Orleans Museum of Art

Canceled Due to Weather | Yoga in the Besthoff Sculpture Garden Every Saturday
2025-01-11 08:00 - 09:00 (America/Chicago) | Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden, 1 Collins Diboll Circle, New Orleans , LA, 70124
This outdoor program has been cancelled due to weather.
Take in the beauty of NOMA’s Besthoff Sculpture Garden during outdoor yoga sessions every Saturday morning.
Class is $10; $5 for NOMA members. Registration remains open until 3 pm the day before class. Please bring a digital or printed version of your ticket to class. Enter at the main entrance gate to the Besthoff Sculpture Garden on Dueling Oaks Drive. Please bring your own mat.
REGISTRATION AVAILABLE SOON
These classes are outside and will be canceled for severe weather. Registrants will be notified of cancellation via email by 5 pm the day before class. Call 504.658.4128 or email education@noma.org with any questions.

Gallery Talk on Thomas J Price’s Time Unfolding
2025-01-22 12:30
Join us in the galleries each Wednesday for weekly talks with artists, curators, and other special guests. During these casual conversations, we’ll take a close look at different works currently on view at NOMA.
This week, join Eric Blanchard, NOMA Sculpture Garden Lead, in the Besthoff Sculpture Garden for a discussion on Time Unfolding by Thomas J Price. This work was recently installed as part of the Besthoff Sculpture Garden’s 20th anniversary.
The Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden is free and open to the public seven days a week. When you arrive, please wait at the Besthoff Sculpture Garden office for directions.

Studio KIDS! (Ages 6–12)
2025-01-25 10:00 - 12:00 | New Orleans Museum of Art, 1 Collins Diboll Circle, New Orleans, LA, 70119
Join us at the museum on select Saturday mornings for Studio KIDS! youth art-making workshops. We’ll take inspiration from artwork in the Besthoff Sculpture Garden and then return to the studio to make our own creations with a teaching artist.
Registration is $30; $25 for members. Advance registration is required and includes all art-making materials.
Register Now

Black History Month Gallery Talk with Big Chief Dow Edwards
2025-02-05 18:00 - 18:30 | New Orleans Museum of Art, 1 Collins Diboll Circle, New Orleans, LA, 70119
Every week, NOMA hosts gallery talks in the museum and the Besthoff Sculpture Garden led by curators, artists, and other special guests. These lively, participatory conversations provide a moment to take a close look at one work—or a selection of works—currently on view.
For the month of February, weekly gallery talks will focus on topics and artworks in celebration of Black History Month. This week, join Big Chief Dow Edwards of the Timbuktu Warriors for a conversation about his Spyboy Shango Suit currently on view in Sand Ash Heat: Glass at the New Orleans Museum of Art.
Included with museum admission, which is free for Louisiana residents every Wednesday courtesy of The Helis Foundation’s Art for All initiative. When you arrive at NOMA, check in at the admissions desk for directions to the appropriate location.

To celebrate Black history & Black futures all year round, visit and support some of these Louisiana museums and cultural institutions:

Amistad Research Center
Ashé Cultural Arts Center
Backstreet Cultural Museum
Baton Rouge African American Museum
Baton Rouge Black History Trail
Community Book Center
Creole Heritage Folklife Center
George & Leah McKenna Museum of African American Art
House of Dance & Feathers
Le Musée de f.p.c.
Louisiana Civil Rights Trail
New Orleans African American Art Museum
River Road African American Museum
Southern University Museum of Art at Shreveport
TEP (Tate, Etienne, and Prevost) Center
Whitney Plantation

Black History Month Gallery Talks
2025-02-12 12:30 - 13:00 | New Orleans Museum of Art, 1 Collins Diboll Circle, New Orleans, LA, 70119
Every week, NOMA hosts gallery talks in the museum and the Besthoff Sculpture Garden led by curators, artists, and other special guests. These lively, participatory conversations provide a moment to take a close look at one work—or a selection of works—currently on view.
For the month of February, weekly gallery talks will focus on topics and artworks in celebration of Black History Month.
Included with museum admission, which is free for Louisiana residents every Wednesday courtesy of The Helis Foundation’s Art for All initiative. When you arrive at NOMA, check in at the admissions desk for directions to the appropriate location.

To celebrate Black history & Black futures all year round, visit and support some of these Louisiana museums and cultural institutions:

Amistad Research Center
Ashé Cultural Arts Center
Backstreet Cultural Museum
Baton Rouge African American Museum
Baton Rouge Black History Trail
Community Book Center
Creole Heritage Folklife Center
George & Leah McKenna Museum of African American Art
House of Dance & Feathers
Le Musée de f.p.c.
Louisiana Civil Rights Trail
New Orleans African American Art Museum
River Road African American Museum
Southern University Museum of Art at Shreveport
TEP (Tate, Etienne, and Prevost) Center
Whitney Plantation

Studio KIDS!: Fantastical Creatures (Ages 5–12)
2025-02-15 10:00 - 12:00 | New Orleans Museum of Art, 1 Collins Diboll Circle, New Orleans, LA, 70119

Black History Month Gallery Talk with Felicita Feli Maynard
2025-02-19 12:30 - 13:00 | New Orleans Museum of Art, 1 Collins Diboll Circle, New Orleans, LA, 70119
Every week, NOMA hosts gallery talks in the museum and the Besthoff Sculpture Garden led by curators, artists, and other special guests. These lively, participatory conversations provide a moment to take a close look at one work—or a selection of works—currently on view.
For the month of February, weekly gallery talks will focus on topics and artworks in celebration of Black History Month. This week, join Felicita Felli Maynard for a conversation about their works featured in Delicate Sights: Photography and Glass from their series Ole Dandy, The Tribute and why they use the historical glass ambrotype photographic process in their work.
This talk will be offered at 12:30 pm and 6:00 pm.
Included with museum admission, which is free for Louisiana residents every Wednesday courtesy of The Helis Foundation’s Art for All initiative. When you arrive at NOMA, check in at the admissions desk for directions to the appropriate location.

To celebrate Black history & Black futures all year round, visit and support some of these Louisiana museums and cultural institutions:

Amistad Research Center
Ashé Cultural Arts Center
Backstreet Cultural Museum
Baton Rouge African American Museum
Baton Rouge Black History Trail
Community Book Center
Creole Heritage Folklife Center
George & Leah McKenna Museum of African American Art
House of Dance & Feathers
Le Musée de f.p.c.
Louisiana Civil Rights Trail
New Orleans African American Art Museum
River Road African American Museum
Southern University Museum of Art at Shreveport
TEP (Tate, Etienne, and Prevost) Center
Whitney Plantation

Black History Month Gallery Talk with Felicita Felli Maynard
2025-02-19 18:00 - 18:30 | New Orleans Museum of Art, 1 Collins Diboll Circle, New Orleans, LA, 70119

Butterfly Music Series: Lilli Lewis
2025-02-23 14:00 - 15:00 | NOMA’s Lapis Center for the Arts
Experience part of Super Bowl LIX history and enjoy music played on Suleika Jaouad and Jon Batiste’s custom Yamaha piano on view at NOMA. Batiste performed his moving rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner on this instrument in the Caesars Superdome during the Super Bowl pregame show.
This series celebrates the piano’s residency at NOMA and pays homage to the musical history of New Orleans by inviting New Orleans–based musicians to offer intimate sets in NOMA’s Lapis Center for the Arts, which also features bas-relief murals by Enrique Alférez.
On Sunday, February 23, at 2 pm, Lilli Lewis performs.
See All Performances
Included with museum admission.

About the Work
For a limited time, NOMA visitors have the unique opportunity to see the custom piano played by acclaimed musical artist Jon Batiste during the Super Bowl LIX pregame show. On view in the museum’s Lapis Center for the Arts, the vibrant and colorful grand piano features a design by artist and bestselling author Suleika Jaouad, who is Batiste’s wife.
LEARN MORE

Wild Magnolias | Film Screening and Talks
2025-02-26 12:00 - 19:00 | NOMA’s Lapis Center for the Arts
Stop by NOMA’s Lapis Center for the Arts to watch the documentary Wild Magnolias (2023, dir. Alexandra Kern), presented on loop 12–7 pm. At 12:30 and 6:00 pm, Kern and Big Chief Bo Dollis Jr. will speak about the film during short, conversational talks.
Included with museum admission, which is free for Louisiana residents every Wednesday courtesy of The Helis Foundation’s Art for All initiative. When you arrive at NOMA, check in at the admissions desk for directions to the appropriate location.

Program Schedule
12–7 pm | Film screening in NOMA’s Lapis Center for the Arts (16 minutes, looped)
12:30 pm | Talk and Q&A with director Alexandra Kern and Big Chief Bo Dollis Jr.
6 pm | Talk and Q&A with director Alexandra Kern and Big Chief Bo Dollis Jr.

Film Synopsis
Corey, Alvon, and JaCorey, the teenage protégés of barber Big Chief Bo Dollis Jr., learn the virtues of a tradition in New Orleans that guides the youth community through mentorship, artistic expression, and cultural practice. This is a film about the process, what happens all the way up to the presentation of the suit, and how the practice is a one-of-a-kind creative and cultural outlet for the younger generation involved.

About the Speakers
Alexandra Kern is an award-winning filmmaker whose work explores how we inform the next generation in our complex cultures. Growing up in New Orleans has taught her how crucial culture and art are in shaping future generations and how the family extends outside the home. She has produced commercial and independent acclaimed projects for artists such as Dua Lipa and Lil Nas X. Her directorial debut, the short documentary Wild Magnolias, screened at multiple Oscar-qualifying film festivals across the country where it found a permanent stay in the historical archive at the New Orleans Jazz Museum as well as online at Short of the Week and Aeon Magazine. The film won best short documentary for 2024’s Best of NFMLA. Her next short documentary Stud Country is currently on its festival circuit, having screened at Tribeca Film Festival winning the Challenger Spirit award and winning the Grand Jury Prize for Best Short Doc at Full Frame Film Festival making it Oscar-qualifying. The film is available online through the Los Angeles Times.
Bo Dollis Jr.’s entire life has been shaped and spurred by Black Masking Indian culture. He masked for the first time at the age of ten, though his parents, Big Queen Laurita Dollis and the late Bo Dollis Sr., Big Chief of the Wild Magnolias, wanted him to wait a few more years before he participated fully. Determined to mask, Bo Dollis Jr. managed to get his mother’s attention in that regard when he destroyed one of her beaded purses and started sewing on his own. No one could hold him back after that bold and decisive move, and the young Dollis took his first steps toward becoming a Big Chief. Bo Dollis Jr. took on the title of of Big Chief in 2006, and assumed leadership of the Wild Magnolias in 2012 at the behest of his father. Bo Dollis Jr. has masked and performed with the band throughout most of his life, in venues all over New Orleans including Tipitina’s and the House of Blues, and at multiple Jazz Fests. He and the band played the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, as well as at the White House in 2011 for President Obama when Bo Dollis Sr., was awarded a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship.

Butterfly Music Series: Shea Pierre
2025-03-02 14:00 - 15:00 | NOMA’s Lapis Center for the Arts
Experience part of Super Bowl LIX history and enjoy music played on Suleika Jaouad and Jon Batiste’s custom Yamaha piano on view at NOMA. Batiste performed his moving rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner on this instrument in the Caesars Superdome during the Super Bowl pregame show.
This series celebrates the piano’s residency at NOMA and pays homage to the musical history of New Orleans by inviting New Orleans–based musicians to offer intimate sets in NOMA’s Lapis Center for the Arts, which also features bas-relief murals by Enrique Alférez.
On Sunday, March 2, at 2 pm, Shea Pierre performs.
See All Performances
Included with museum admission.

About the Work
For a limited time, NOMA visitors have the unique opportunity to see the custom piano played by acclaimed musical artist Jon Batiste during the Super Bowl LIX pregame show. On view in the museum’s Lapis Center for the Arts, the vibrant and colorful grand piano features a design by artist and bestselling author Suleika Jaouad, who is Batiste’s wife.
LEARN MORE

Butterfly Music Series: Sam Kuslan
2025-03-05 17:15 - 18:15 | NOMA’s Lapis Center for the Arts
Experience part of Super Bowl LIX history and enjoy music played on Suleika Jaouad and Jon Batiste’s custom Yamaha piano on view at NOMA. Batiste performed his moving rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner on this instrument in the Caesars Superdome during the Super Bowl pregame show.
This series celebrates the piano’s residency at NOMA and pays homage to the musical history of New Orleans by inviting New Orleans–based musicians to offer intimate sets in NOMA’s Lapis Center for the Arts, which also features bas-relief murals by Enrique Alférez.
On Wednesday, March 5, at 5:15 pm, Sam Kuslan performs.
See All Performances
Included with museum admission, which is free for Louisiana residents every Wednesday courtesy of The Helis Foundation’s Art for All initiative.

About the Work
For a limited time, NOMA visitors have the unique opportunity to see the custom piano played by acclaimed musical artist Jon Batiste during the Super Bowl LIX pregame show. On view in the museum’s Lapis Center for the Arts, the vibrant and colorful grand piano features a design by artist and bestselling author Suleika Jaouad, who is Batiste’s wife.
LEARN MORE

Butterfly Music Series: Tonya Boyd Cannon
2025-03-09 14:00 - 15:00 | NOMA’s Lapis Center for the Arts
Experience part of Super Bowl LIX history and enjoy music played on Suleika Jaouad and Jon Batiste’s custom Yamaha piano on view at NOMA. Batiste performed his moving rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner on this instrument in the Caesars Superdome during the Super Bowl pregame show.
This series celebrates the piano’s residency at NOMA and pays homage to the musical history of New Orleans by inviting New Orleans–based musicians to offer intimate sets in NOMA’s Lapis Center for the Arts, which also features bas-relief murals by Enrique Alférez.
On Sunday, March 9, at 2 pm, Tonya Boyd-Cannon performs.
See All Performances
Included with museum admission.

About the Work
For a limited time, NOMA visitors have the unique opportunity to see the custom piano played by acclaimed musical artist Jon Batiste during the Super Bowl LIX pregame show. On view in the museum’s Lapis Center for the Arts, the vibrant and colorful grand piano features a design by artist and bestselling author Suleika Jaouad, who is Batiste’s wife.
LEARN MORE

Gallery Talk with Andy Young
2025-03-12 12:30 - 13:00 | New Orleans Museum of Art, 1 Collins Diboll Circle, New Orleans, LA, 70119
Every week, NOMA hosts gallery talks in the museum and the Besthoff Sculpture Garden led by curators, artists, and other special guests. These lively, participatory conversations provide a moment to take a close look at one work—or a selection of works—currently on view.
This week, join Creative Assembly Cohort member Andy Young for a poetry reading in Show & Tell: A Brief History of Photography and Text. This talk celebrates the closing of the exhibition with poems inspired by photography and the exhibition itself. The talk will be held at 12:30 and 6:00 pm.
Included with museum admission, which is free for Louisiana residents every Wednesday courtesy of The Helis Foundation’s Art for All initiative. When you arrive at NOMA, check in at the admissions desk for directions to the appropriate location.

Butterfly Music Series: Jenna McSwain
2025-03-12 17:15 - 18:15 | NOMA’s Lapis Center for the Arts
Experience part of Super Bowl LIX history and enjoy music played on Suleika Jaouad and Jon Batiste’s custom Yamaha piano on view at NOMA. Batiste performed his moving rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner on this instrument in the Caesars Superdome during the Super Bowl pregame show.
This series celebrates the piano’s residency at NOMA and pays homage to the musical history of New Orleans by inviting New Orleans–based musicians to offer intimate sets in NOMA’s Lapis Center for the Arts, which also features bas-relief murals by Enrique Alférez.
On Wednesday, March 12, at 5:15 pm, Jenna McSwain performs.
See All Performances
Included with museum admission, which is free for Louisiana residents every Wednesday courtesy of The Helis Foundation’s Art for All initiative.

About the Work
For a limited time, NOMA visitors have the unique opportunity to see the custom piano played by acclaimed musical artist Jon Batiste during the Super Bowl LIX pregame show. On view in the museum’s Lapis Center for the Arts, the vibrant and colorful grand piano features a design by artist and bestselling author Suleika Jaouad, who is Batiste’s wife.
LEARN MORE

NOMA at Night: Meet the Museum feat. Soul Brass Band and Sasha Masakowski
2025-03-14 18:00 - 21:00 | New Orleans Museum of Art, 1 Collins Diboll Circle, New Orleans, LA, 70119
Get creative and explore the museum during NOMA at Night. Enjoy live music, after-hours access to the galleries, talks from curators and staff, art-making, and more!
For this edition of NOMA at Night, we’re offering a behind-the-scenes look at how the museum works. Speak with NOMA staff to learn more about what museums do, take a tour of the building’s architecture, and see your favorite artworks in a new way.
$15 for members
$30 general admission
Free admission for ages 19 and under
Buy Tickets

Program Schedule
Live Music from the Soul Brass Band
7:30 pm in the Lapis Center for the Arts
From the artist: Soul Brass Band is exactly what it needs to be: a great New Orleans brass band steeped in tradition that also plays the perfect party. Day after day in New Orleans, this all-star lineup is called upon for its top-flight traditional brass band repertoire and second line parades; and then night after night, they’re called upon again for frontman Derrick Freeman’s signature brass band infusion of classic soul, funk and hip-hop.

DJ Sets from Sasha Masakowski
Great Hall
From the artist: Sasha Masakowski was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, and has been a leading artist on the New Orleans music scene for many years. Her DJ style combines elements of her upbringing under her dad, luminary jazz guitarist Steve Masakowski, who exposed her to classic icons of jazz, funk and soul music, with her influences of South American dance music.

Creative Assembly Cohort Showcase
Second-floor mezzanine
Meet this year’s Creative Assembly Cohort—NOMA’s community engagement–focused residency program for artists from all disciplines. This year’s cohort members will share their work in a one-night-only showcase on the second floor.
Gallery Tours
Join museum staff and volunteers across different departments to get a behind-the-scenes look at NOMA.

6:15 pm: Naomi Kommann, Docent, in the Great Hall
6:45 pm: Nayla Maaruf, Conservator of Photographs, in the second-floor Zita & Luther Templemann Galleries
7:15 pm: Kelci Baker, Community Engagment Manager on the second-floor mezzanine
7:45 pm: Orlando Hernández Ying, Lapis Curator of the Arts of the Americas on the second-floor mezzanine
8:15 pm: Alexander McClinton, Interim Visitor Experience Manager, in the Great Hall
8:30 pm: Kimbrielle Boult, Visitor Experience Representative and Art Thrives Coordinator, in the first-floor elevator lobby

Plus architectural art-making, happy hour specials at Café NOMA, and more!

Thank You to Our Supporters
NOMA at Night is supported in part by grant funds from Ruby K. Worner Charitable Trust through the PNC Charitable Trusts Grant Review Committee; New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Foundation; and the Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, Recreation, and Tourism, in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council.

Canceled Due to Weather — Yoga in the Besthoff Sculpture Garden Every Saturday
2025-03-15 08:00 - 09:00 | Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden, 1 Collins Diboll Circle, New Orleans , LA, 70124
This program has been canceled due to the forecast of inclement weather.

Take in the beauty of NOMA’s Besthoff Sculpture Garden during outdoor yoga sessions every Saturday morning.
Class is $10; $5 for NOMA members. Registration remains open until 3 pm the day before class. Please bring a digital or printed version of your ticket to class. Enter at the main entrance gate to the Besthoff Sculpture Garden on Dueling Oaks Drive. Please bring your own mat.
REGISTER NOW
These classes are outside and will be canceled for severe weather. Registrants will be notified of cancellation via email by 5 pm the day before class. Call 504.658.4128 or email education@noma.org with any questions.

Musical Encounters: Dr. Michael White
2025-03-19 18:00 - 18:30 | New Orleans Museum of Art, 1 Collins Diboll Circle, New Orleans, LA, 70119
On select Wednesdays, NOMA presents a new series of gallery talks featuring conversations with musicians about their creative processes, followed by a short, intimate performance inspired by a work on view at the museum.
This week, join Dr. Michael White at 6 pm.
Included with museum admission, which is free for Louisiana residents every Wednesday courtesy of The Helis Foundation’s Art for All initiative. When you arrive at NOMA, check in at the admissions desk for directions to the appropriate location.

About the Artist
Dr. Michael White is an accomplished, multi-faceted New Orleans-based clarinetist, bandleader, composer, musicologist, jazz historian, and educator widely regarded as one of the leading authorities and culture-bearers of traditional New Orleans jazz music. He has performed in over two dozen foreign countries, played on over 50 recordings, received countless awards, made multiple national television appearances, and been featured in major media publications.

Passing It On: The Art of John T. Scott | Book Talk & Signing with Co-Authors Freddi Williams Evans & Anna Rita Scott
2025-03-20 17:30 - 19:30 | NOMA’s Lapis Center for the Arts
In celebration of the installation John Scott: Blues Poem for the Urban Landscape and the recent release of Passing It On: The Art of John T. Scott, join NOMA and The Helis Foundation John Scott Center for a conversation and book signing with co-authors Freddi Williams Evans and Anna Rita Scott in the museum’s Lapis Center for the Arts.
During the talk, the authors will explore the life, legacy, art, and innovation of John T. Scott, a MacArthur Genius Grant recipient and longtime Xavier University of Louisiana professor.
Registration is free, but seating is limited. Please arrive when doors open at 5 pm. Advance registration does not guarantee a seat. If you require special assistance, please email programs@noma.org before Tuesday, March 19, for access information.
Register Now
This program is presented in conjunction with NOMA’s book club, which members & non-members are encouraged to attend! Learn more about the book club here, or visit the NOMA Museum Shop in person or online to browse this year’s selections.

Program Schedule
5:30–7:00 pm | Conversation with co-authors Freddi Williams Evans and Anna Rita Scott, moderated by Brian Piper, NOMA’s Freeman Family Curator of Photographs, Prints, and Drawings. The talk will be followed by a Q&A with the audience.
7:00-7:30 pm | Book Signing with the authors

About the Speakers
Freddi Williams Evans is an arts educator, independent scholar, and author of award-winning books for children as well as adults. She is a native of Madison, Mississippi and a graduate of Tougaloo College and Hahnemann Medical College (now Drexel University). She is the author of Come Sunday: A Young Reader’s History of Congo Square and Congo Square: African Roots in New Orleans, which received the 2012 Louisiana Humanities Book of the Year Award and influenced the city ordinance that made “Congo Square” the official name of the historic landmark. She is the recipient of the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities’ 2024 Lifetime Contributions to the Humanities Award for her scholarship on the Congo Square site. Her picture books include: Hush Harbor: Praying in Secret, The Battle of New Orleans: The Drummer’s Story, and A Bus of Our Own.
Anna Rita Smith Scott developed a love and appreciation for art, particularly the works of John T. Scott, during her 41-year marriage to him. She was born and reared in New Orleans, where she attended Xavier Preparatory High School before earning a degree in elementary education from Xavier University. As an educator, she taught elementary grades in public and Catholic schools of New Orleans as well as religious education at Epiphany Church. Today, Mrs. Scott manages the largest collection of her husband’s work. She enjoys reading, writing, creative crafts, and spending time with her five children, seven grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.
About The Helis Foundation John Scott Center
The Helis Foundation John Scott Center presents expansive ideas of heritage and symbolism interpreted through the lens of artist, educator, and humanist John T. Scott’s life, art, and legacy while promoting opportunities that nurture connections and enhance human potential. Explore the John Scott Center online or visit the galleries in person at 938 Lafayette Street in New Orleans.

Tulane Maya Symposium Keynote Address with Dr. Marcello Canuto: "Precocious Pioneering, Steady Scholarship: M.A.R.I.’s Century of Indigenous Research and Partnership"
2025-03-21 18:30 - 21:00 | NOMA’s Lapis Center for the Arts
In celebration of the centennial of the Middle America Research Institute (M.A.R.I.), director Dr. Marcello A. Canuto gives a lecture in NOMA’s Lapis Center for the Arts: “Precocious Pioneering, Steady Scholarship: M.A.R.I.’s Century of Indigenous Research and Partnership.”
This program is free and open to the public. Registration is encouraged. Doors open at 6 pm. The talk is at 6:30 pm, followed by a reception in the Coleman Courtyard with small bites by Café NOMA.
Register Now
About the Lecture
Since 1924, the Middle American Research Institute (M.A.R.I.) at Tulane University has conducted groundbreaking research on Indigenous cultures across Mexico and Central America. From pioneering excavations at ancient Maya cities like Uxmal to cutting‐edge lidar surveys, robust collection digitization, and community‐based collaborations, M.A.R.I. has consistently advanced scholarship and preservation efforts. As M.A.R.I. celebrates its centennial, this presentation reflects on the Institute’s achievements, its continued dedication to honoring Indigenous perspectives, and its evolving role in highlighting Indigenous perspectives and bridging past and present.
About Marcello A. Canuto
Marcello A. Canuto is currently Director of the Middle American Research Institute and Professor of Anthropology at Tulane University. He received his BA from Harvard University in 1991 and his PhD from the University of Pennsylvania in 2002. Before coming to Tulane in 2009, he was an Assistant Professor at Yale University.
He has undertaken archaeological excavations in the Maya region, South America, India, Nnorth Africa, and the northeast US. His primary research interest in the Maya area has been on the integrative mechanisms that the ancient Maya used to build and maintain a socio-politically complex society throughout both the Preclassic and Classic periods. More broadly, his interests include household and community dynamics, the development of socio-political complexity in ancient societies, the definition of identity through material culture, and the modern social contexts of archaeology in Mesoamerica. His past research in Honduras investigated the nature of ethnic diversity at Copan.
He now co-directs a project in the understudied Northwest Peten, Guatemala where he investigates the construction of social categories and the mechanisms by which complex socio-political organizations develop and were maintained.
About the Middle American Research Institute
Founded in 1924, the Middle American Research Institute (MARI) at Tulane University strives to promote greater understanding of the vibrant and diverse cultures of Middle America. It stewards an extensive collection of textiles, artifacts, and an archive of letters, field notes, maps, and photographs from the scores of field projects it has sponsored and continues to sponsor. We strive to make these accessible to researchers and the general public through a variety of exhibitions, workshops, and symposia.
Furthermore, MARI continues to support anthropological, archaeological, ethnohistorical, linguistic, and ethnographic research projects throughout Mexico and Central America.

Music in the Garden feat. Mark Coleman Funk Blues and Brett Gardner’s Cigar Box Serenaders
2025-03-23 14:00 - 16:00 | Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden, 1 Collins Diboll Circle, New Orleans , LA, 70124
NOMA presents Music in the Garden, a seasonal outdoor music series.
Encounter the sounds of local New Orleans musicians while strolling through the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden on select Sunday afternoons throughout the year. Performances will take place alongside sculptures across the garden.
On March 23, Mark Coleman Funk Blues plays in the Piano Truck, parked in front of NOMA at 2 pm. Brett Gardner’s Cigar Box Serenaders performs in the Besthoff Sculpture Garden amphitheater (enter on Enrique Alférez Drive) at 3 pm.
From the Artists
Mark Coleman Funk Blues
Mark Coleman Funk Blues is a mixture from Philly to New Orleans. Their latest recording Side Door at Four includes original pieces: “Side Door at Four,” “Duke,” “Twice the First Time,” “It Happened Once,” and “Spittin.” Included also are Bobby Timmons’s “So Tired” and Jobim’s “One Note Samba.” The band on the recording is Mark on piano and harmonica, Charlie Kohlmeyer on drums, Casandra Faulconer on bass, and Matt Galloway on guitar.

Brett Gardner’s Cigar Box Serenaders
The instruments you’ll hear the Cigar Box Serenaders play can’t be found in a music store: cigar box guitars, tin can banjos, cigar box violins, wine box basses, found sound trash kits, and more! Every upcycled instrument is homemade and unique. The band plays an eclectic mix of New Orleans funk, swing, and groove music. They currently have two albums out: Spasm and Cigar Box Serenaders. The band has been a featured artist at cigar box guitar festivals across the country including New Orleans, LA, Huntsville, AL, Blue Ridge, GA, Robbinsville, NC, and Bradenton, FL.

Art in Bloom Presented by First Horizon Bank
2025-03-26 - 2025-03-30 | New Orleans Museum of Art, 1 Collins Diboll Circle, New Orleans, LA, 70119
One of the most anticipated springtime events in New Orleans, Art in Bloom Presented by First Horizon Bank showcases spectacular floral designs created by garden clubs, floral designers, and creative talents from New Orleans and beyond. Take in fabulous floral installations throughout the museum, learn directly from today’s top design talents, and celebrate spring during the luncheon and fashion show.
This year’s event, themed “Les Jardins de la Nouvelle-Orléans,” will take inspiration from the elegant gardens and French history of our city.
Event Chairs | Charlotte Meade and Keith Porteous Meade
NOMA Volunteer Committee Chair | Taylor Pospisil
Garden Study Club of New Orleans President | Courtney Le Clercq
Patron and Preview Party | Wednesday, March 26, 6–9 pm
On View to the Public | Thursday, March 27–Sunday, March 30, 10 am–5 pm
Lecture Series | Thursday, March 27, 10:30 am
Luncheon and Fashion Show | Thursday, March 27, 12:30 pm
Silent Auction | Monday, March 24–Monday, March 31
Your support through Art in Bloom provides critical resources for both NOMA’s educational initiatives and exhibitions and the Garden Study Club of New Orleans’s community grants program.
For sponsorship inquiries and questions about Art in Bloom please email aib@noma.org or call 504.658.4121.

Tickets
Admission to Art in Bloom during regular museum hours includes access to floral displays on all three floors of the museum.
Thursday, March 27
Friday, March 28
Saturday, March 29
Sunday, March 30
Please note: Admission tickets do not include separate tickets for the patron and preview party, lecture series, and luncheon.

Schedule of Events
Silent Auction
Monday, March 24–Monday, March 31
The Art in Bloom silent auction showcases a variety of original works of art from established artists and emerging talents. This year’s featured artist is Saskia Ozols.
Bid Now
Saskia Ozols, Preparing for a Party (Making Arrangements). Oil on birch panel, 24 x 24 inches. Value: $5,200.
Patron and Preview Party
Wednesday, March 26, 6–9 pm, at the New Orleans Museum of Art
Kick off Art in Bloom with cocktails, cuisine, and live music. Be the first to see spectacular floral displays from garden clubs, designers, and other creative talents at the Patron and Preview Party.
Online ticket sales have closed. Tickets for the Patron and Preview Party are available at the door.

Lecture Series
Thursday, March 27, 10:30 am, in NOMA’s Lapis Center for the Arts
This year’s speakers are influential figures in interior and floral design. Mieke ten Have is an interior stylist, design writer, and creative consultant. Ten Have’s extensive editorial background includes contributions to Vogue, Elle and Architectural Digest. The dynamic mother-daughter duo Susan Crater and Eliza Crater Harris of Sister Parish Design lead the renowned American heritage textile and wallcovering brand.
SOLD OUT
Special thanks to Permele Robinson for her leadership and support of the Art in Bloom lecture series.

Luncheon and Fashion Show Sponsored by SOSUSU
Thursday, March 27, 12:30 pm, in the Pavilion of the Two Sisters in New Orleans City Park
The annual luncheon and fashion show sponsored by SOSUSU will feature designer La Fuori.
SOLD OUT

Thank You to Our Current Sponsors
Presenting Sponsor

Bouquet
Peggy and Timber Floyd
Eugenie and Joseph Jones Family Foundation
Iris
Red River Bank
Lynne and Rick McMillan
J. Edgar Monroe Foundation
Miggy and Jay Monroe
Orchid
Jones Walker
LCMC Health
New Orleans and Co.
Elizabeth Boh
Marion Bright
Caroline and Murray Calhoun
Ella Flower
Susan and Jimmy Gundlach
Elly and Merritt Lane
Sally and Jay Lapeyre
Ann Saunder Maynard
Pixie and Jimmy Reiss
Permele and Garner Robinson
Lynn and Charlie Smith
Sarah and Doug Stokes
Sarah and George Young
Media Sponsors
The Times-Picayune | nola.com
WWL-TV
Magnolia

E. Tiffany Adler
Courtney and Ted Le Clercq

Debb Almeida and David G. Perlis
Allison Crutcher McAshan

Ben Bagert, The Bagert Law Firm
Charlotte and John Alden Meade

John and Gail Bertuzzi
Keith Porteous Meade

Black Bay Energy Capital
Patti and Robert Lapeyre

Susan and Timothy Bright
Peggy and Jack Laborde

Lucy Burnett and Gregory Holt
Palm Orleans

Lynne Burkart
Anne and Edmund Redd

Leah Nunn Englehardt
Melissa and Alfred Rufty

Sarah and Greg Feirn
Shlenker Family Foundation

Sarah and Richard Freeman
Liz and Poco Sloss

Dathel and John Georges
Susu and Andrew Stall

Dr. Stephen Hales and Mrs. Nancy Hales
Douglas Dockery Thomas

Carol and John Hall
Kathleen and Ben Waring

Mrs. Susan Johnson

Gardenia

AOS Interior Environments
Laura Lane McNeal

Meg and Will Baldwin
Denise and Paul Morse

Patricia Brinson
Sally Omeallie

Rachel and Michael Bernhard
Dee and Nat Phillips

Dorothy Clyne
Annie and Nat Phillips

Glenda Cotner
Natalie and Robert Phillips

Pam and Bill Doyle
Melanee and Steve Usdin

Warren and Laurie Doyle
Tina Shannon

Shaun and Foster Duncan
Mr. and Mrs. Pierre G. Villere

Sweet and Ben Dupuy
Katherine Westerhold

Kathleen Edmundson
Kathleen and Terry White

Gwathmey and Fritz Gomila
Caroline and Michael Wolfe

Julie and David Gooch
Karen Kraak Wood

Kit and Gus Fritichie
Helen and Tim Young

Katherine Hovas

Hibiscus

Lee Adler and Robert Marks
Mr. and Mrs. David W. Kearney

Robyn Allyn
Susu and Mike Kearney

Gail and Nick Asprodites
Alice Key

Ellen and Mac Ball
Ann and John Koerner

Margaret and Ken Beer
Wilfred Kullman

Linda and Alan Brackett
C.C. and Bill Langenstein

Elinor S. Bright
Fifi and Sean Laughlin

Patricia Brinson
Olivia Manning

Mr. and Mrs. Christian T. Brown
Cammie and Charles Mayer

Mary and Miles Clements
Stacey and Quinton Miner

Elizabeth Cordes
Lock and Lori Ochsner

Katie and Frank Darden
Holly and Reed Poole

Leonard Davis and Sharon Jacobs
Susanne and David Purvis

Mamie and Ricky Favor
Virginia Freeman Rowan

Laura and Welles Fitzpatrick
Amanda Rushing

Bethany Friedman
Katherine and Robbie Saer

Katie and Will Fuller
Mette and Ken Schafer

Dr. and Mrs. Harold Fuselier
Anna and Wes Schaefer

Julie and Ted George
Karen S. Shales

Lynn and Lura Harrison
Hon. Raymond and Tish Steib

Lisa and Max Hart
Suzanne Thomas

Jeannie and Jubi Hillery
Hon. Sarah Vance and R. Patrick Vance

Jane Scott and Philip Hodges
Taylor and Martin Pospisil

Marilee and Andrew Hovet
D. Brent and Lele Wood

Tully and Paul Jordan
Elizabeth and Andrew Wooten

Hughes Walmsley & Company, Inc.

Camellia

Penny L. Baumer
Lise Kuhn

Mary Beth Benjamin
Julia Lennox

Patricia M. Brinson
Regina Castelin Molony

Ashley S. Bright
Angele Parlange

Vivan Cahn
Suzanne Perlis

Dr. Jane Clayton
Olivia Pritchard

Katy Casbarian
Margaret Zainey Roux

Nancy E. David
Susan Carlin Scheinuk

Jeanne and Martin deLaureal
Mary Spencer Craddock Scurry (Pence)

Toni Feinman
Peggy Duffle Simmons

Anne A. Fitz-Hugh
Dr. Sissy Sartor

Karen Gundlach
Mary Frances Smart

Anne Haack
Melissa Sutherlin

Dana Hansel
Anne Strachan

Mrs. Frank B. Hayne
Jean Taylor

Ruth Ann Jones
Jenny Vorhoff

Susan Hayne
Gail Wall

Malise and Clay Kearney
Linda Westfeldt

Katherine Koerner

Azalea

Carla Adams
Diane Labouisse

Cyrel Antonatos
Julie LeCorgne

Barbara Arras
Catherine Makk

Faye T. Ballard
Betty Maizlish

Judith Barnes-Cochran PhD
Marlowe Maylin and Sanjay Dravid

Deana Blackburn
Mary Scott and Ryan McKinnon

Adair Brown
Shelby and John Mills

Guy Cannata
Benjamin Stickney Morrison

Julie Chauvin
Janel Mumme

Hugh and Sheila Collins
Sharon Mowry

Sarah Cossich
Jill Knight Nalty

Meredith Claiborne
Ms. Rebecca Cooper and Nathaniel Novak

Kimberly Clarke Armatis
Kate Orlesh

Denise Delay
Andi Masden Oustalet

Katherine Duncan
Alice Parkerson

Melissa Dovie
Jennifer M. Parkerson

Gabrielle Ferrara
Laurel Patterson and Bruce John

Lessley Fitzpatrick
Marely Peraza

Amy Farnsworth
Sarah Petitto

Amanda Fleury
Valerie Posner

Edward C. Bohin and Rene J. L. Fransen
Amy Rougelot

Stephanie Leigh Goliwas
Jennifer Rowland

Mirell and Augie Gallo
Mimi And Claude Schlesinger

Elizabeth and Charles Goodyear
Darcy Devine Scoggin, LCSW

Gwendolyn Gravolet
Joseph Shrum M.D. and Tony Maenza

Esther and Jerry Greiner
Kathryn and Benton Smallpage

Carolyn Hayne
Katy Smith

Laine B. Harper
Ann Soniat

Mary Hawkshead Weiland
Amis des Fleurs

Tina Hebert
Cathy Thomason

Jane Heidingsfelder
D. Ashbrooke Tullis

Logan Howcott
Lynne Uhalt Interiors

Ann Irwin
Kris Gabik Vitrano

Elizabeth Jacob
Glenna K. Washburn and Grant Rutila

Joan and Steven Jacob
Cynthia A. Webb

Karyn Kearney
Madeline Webb

Lilla Kearney
Mary Hawkshead Weiland

Millie Kohn
Kate and John Werner

Mary Lucy and David Lane
Marcella Willis

Saundra Lane
Rosalind WIlson

Charles Lavis, Jr
Leah Wood

Helen and Charles LeBourgeois
Carleton Young

Cynthia L LeBreton

Art in Bloom Committee
Event Chairs | Charlotte Meade and Keith Porteous Meade

Meg Baldwin
Susu Kearney

Susan Bright
Katherine Koerner

Meredith Claiborne
Brett Lapeyre

Elizabeth Cordes
Dorothy Mann

Richard Cranford
E. Lee Meade

Katie Darden
Shelby Mills

Jeanne De Laureal
Roland Montealegre

Leah Englehardt
Annie Phillips

Amy Farnsworth
Natalie Phillips

Lauren Fitzpatrick
Anne Redd

Catherine Hales
Anna Schaefer

Carolyn Hayne
Katie Mallios Smith

Katie Hovas
Susu Stall

Caroline Kearney
Missy Sutherlin

Karyn Kearney
Elizabeth Wooten

Lilla Kearney
Helen Young

Sponsorship Levels
Online ticket sales have closed. Contact aib@noma.org or 504.658.4121 with sponsorship or ticket inquiries.
Bouquet | $10,000

Art in Bloom will acknowledge your generosity with a listing on event promotion: including printed invitations and programs and a link to your corporate event webpage on the NOMA website that is promoted to our email subscribers, Instagram followers, and Facebook followers
Sponsorship listing and logo placement in paid advertising
Sixteen (16) Patron & Preview Party Tickets
Six (6) Gold Section lecture seats (limited capacity)
Six (6) seats for the luncheon and fashion show (limited capacity)

Iris | $5,000

Art in Bloom will acknowledge your generosity with a listing on event promotion: including printed invitations and programs and a link to your corporate event webpage on the NOMA website that is promoted to our email subscribers, Instagram followers, and Facebook followers
Sponsorship listing and logo placement in paid advertising
Ten (10) Patron & PreviewParty Tickets
Four (4) Gold Section lecture seats (limited capacity)
Four (4) seats for the luncheon and fashion show (limited capacity)

Orchid | $2,500

Art in Bloom will acknowledge your generosity with a listing on event promotion: including printed invitations and programs and a link to your corporate event webpage on the NOMA website that is promoted to our email subscribers, Instagram followers, and Facebook followers
Sponsorship listing and logo placement in paid advertising
Eight (8) Patron & Preview Party Tickets
Two (2) Gold Section lecture seats (limited capacity)
Two (2) seats for the luncheon and fashion show (limited capacity)

Magnolia | $1,000

Art in Bloom will acknowledge your generosity with a listing on event promotion: including printed invitations and programs and a link to your corporate event webpage on the NOMA website that is promoted to our email subscribers, Instagram followers, and Facebook followers
Four (4) Patron & Preview Party Tickets
Two (2) Gold Section lecture seats (limited capacity)
Two (2) seats for the luncheon and fashion show (limited capacity)

Gardenia | $650

Art in Bloom will acknowledge your generosity with a listing on event promotion: including printed invitations and programs and a link to your corporate event webpage on the NOMA website that is promoted to our email subscribers, Instagram followers, and Facebook followers
Two (2) Patron & Preview Party Tickets
Two (2) Silver Section lecture seats (limited capacity)
Two (2) seats for the luncheon and fashion show (limited capacity)

Hibiscus | $500

Art in Bloom will acknowledge your generosity with a listing on event promotion: including printed invitations and programs and a link to your corporate event webpage on the NOMA website that is promoted to our email subscribers, Instagram followers, and Facebook followers
Two (2) Patron & Preview Party Tickets
One (1) Silver Section lecture seat (limited capacity)
One (1) seat for the luncheon and fashion show (limited capacity)

Camellia | $350

Art in Bloom will acknowledge your generosity with a listing on event promotion: including printed invitations and programs and a link to your corporate event webpage on the NOMA website that is promoted to our email subscribers, Instagram followers, and Facebook followers
One (1) Patron & Preview Party ticket
One (1) lecture seat (limited capacity)
One (1) seat for the luncheon and fashion show (limited capacity)

Azalea for Two | $350

Two (2) Patron & Preview Party tickets

Azalea for One | $175

One (1) Patron & Preview Party ticket

Lecture Series Only | $100

One (1) lecture seat (limited capacity)

SOLD OUT
Luncheon Only | $125

One (1) seat for the luncheon and fashion show (limited capacity)

SOLD OUT

Film Screening and Q&A with Artist Hervé Youmbi (Off-Site)
2025-03-31 18:00 | Alliance Française de La Nouvelle-Orléans, 1519 Jackson Avenue, New Orleans, LA, 70130, United States
Please note this program takes place at Alliance Française de La Nouvelle-Orléans at 1519 Jackson Avenue in New Orleans.
In conjunction with the exhibition New African Masquerades: Artistic Innovations and Collaborations, Alliance Française de La Nouvelle-Orléans presents a screening of the experimental documentary Visages de masques, directed by Hervé Youmbi.
Following the film, Youmbi will share more about the project in a conversation with Amanda M. Maples, NOMA’s Françoise Billion Richardson Curator of African Art.
Free but registration is required.
Register Now
About the Film
This experimental documentary film highlights Cameroonian visual artist Hervé Youmbi’s conceptual artistic project Visages de masques. The film expresses his unique creative fusion of documentary and art film genres. Visages de masques delves into the creation of hybrid masks designed to enrich and expand the canon of ritual societies in West Cameroon and beyond. The film highlights the characters, the challenges, and the rich collaborations that make it possible to produce formally ambiguous masks that move fluidly between the global contemporary art scene and African ritual ceremonial contexts. It interrogates the impact of colonization on the production of ritual life and masking in Africa today, and stands in opposition to the clichés and categorizations that confine the reception of signs and meanings from Africa. As originator of the Visages de masques project, Hervé Youmbi, directs this film that focuses on the multiple relationships that collaborations entail, and profiles rich accounts from experts in the visual arts sector about the layers of meaning, critique, and innovation embedded in Youmbi’s unique vision.

Gallery Talk with Curator Brian Piper
2025-04-02 12:30 - 13:00 | New Orleans Museum of Art, 1 Collins Diboll Circle, New Orleans, LA, 70119
Every week, NOMA hosts gallery talks in the museum and the Besthoff Sculpture Garden led by curators, artists, and other special guests. These lively, participatory conversations provide a moment to take a close look at one work—or a selection of works—currently on view.
This week, join Brian Piper, Freeman Family Curator of Photographs, Prints, and Drawings, for a gallery talk on the exhibition Delicate Sights: Photography and Glass. This talk will be offered at 12:30 and 6:00 pm.
Included with museum admission, which is free for Louisiana residents every Wednesday courtesy of The Helis Foundation’s Art for All initiative. When you arrive at NOMA, check in at the admissions desk for directions to the appropriate location.

Member Preview: New African Masquerades: Artistic Innovations and Collaborations
2025-04-03 17:30 - 20:00 | New Orleans Museum of Art, 1 Collins Diboll Circle, New Orleans, LA, 70119
NOMA members are the first to experience New African Masquerades: Artistic Innovations and Collaborations.
Join us on Thursday, April 3, for a member preview of the exhibition, which spotlights the work of four contemporary artists working in cities across West Africa: Chief Ekpenyong Bassey Nsa, Sheku “Goldenfinger” Fofanah, David Sanou, and Hervé Youmbi.
The first presentation of its kind, New African Masquerades offers a rare look into contemporary West African masquerade by contextualizing the works of individual artists within a range of social, economic, and religious practices and examining their networks of viewership and exchange.
Learn More About the Exhibition
Not Yet a Member?
NOMA members support our institutional mission to present meaningful arts experiences that inspire communities in New Orleans and beyond. Members receive free admission the museum all year long, invitations to special events, and discounted tickets to programs.
Join Today

New African Masquerades: Artistic Innovations and Collaborations is made possible by support from National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Endowment for the Arts.

NOMA at Night: Opening Celebration for New African Masquerades: Artistic Innovations and Collaborations with C'est Funk and DJ Ojay
2025-04-04 18:00 - 21:00 | New Orleans Museum of Art, 1 Collins Diboll Circle, New Orleans, LA, 70119
Get creative and explore the museum after hours during NOMA at Night.
For this edition of NOMA at Night, we’re celebrating the new exhibition New African Masquerades: Artistic Innovations and Collaborations with an evening featuring live music; gallery talks with the curator; specialty cocktails, mocktails, and a happy hour menu at Café NOMA inspired by the exhibition; all-ages art making inspired by the masquerades on view, and more. Plus, the exhibition catalogue is available at the NOMA Museum Shop, which is open all night.
$15 for members
$30 general admission
Free admission for ages 19 and under
Buy Tickets

Program Details
Sets from C’est Funk and DJ Ojay
Throughout the evening in NOMA’s Lapis Center for the Arts
Dance the night away to celebrate the opening of New African Masquerades.
Tours by Curators, Artists, and Collaborators
6:30 and 7:30 pm in English, 7:00 pm in French in the first-floor Ella West Freeman Galleries
Take advantage of the opportunity to learn about the exhibition directly from the artists, curators, and other experts.
Artmaking Activity: Ribbon Wands
6–9 pm
All ages are invited to participate in hands-on artmaking inspired by the works on view. Explore the exhibition and then make your own creation.
Specialty Cocktail from Café NOMA
6–9 pm in Café NOMA
Enjoy a Mango Masquerade and a special happy hour menu available from Café NOMA all night long.

About the Exhibition
New African Masquerades: Artistic Innovations and Collaborations spotlights the work of four contemporary artists working in cities across West Africa: Chief Ekpenyong Bassey Nsa, Sheku “Goldenfinger” Fofanah, David Sanou, and Hervé Youmbi.
The first presentation of its kind, New African Masquerades offers a rare look into contemporary West African masquerade by contextualizing the works of individual artists within a range of social, economic, and religious practices and examining their networks of viewership and exchange.
Learn More
Thank You to Our Supporters
New African Masquerades: Artistic Innovations and Collaborations is made possible by support from National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Endowment for the Arts.
NOMA at Night is supported in part by grant funds from Ruby K. Worner Charitable Trust through the PNC Charitable Trusts Grant Review Committee; New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Foundation; and the Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, Recreation, and Tourism, in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council.

Gallery Talk with Curator Amanda M. Maples
2025-04-09 12:30 - 13:00 | New Orleans Museum of Art, 1 Collins Diboll Circle, New Orleans, LA, 70119
Every week, NOMA hosts gallery talks in the museum and the Besthoff Sculpture Garden led by curators, artists, and other special guests. These lively, participatory conversations provide a moment to take a close look at one work—or a selection of works—currently on view.
This week, join Amanda M. Maples, Françoise Billion Richardson Curator of African Art, for a gallery talk on works in the exhibition New African Masquerades: Artistic Innovations and Collaborations.
Included with museum admission, which is free for Louisiana residents every Wednesday courtesy of The Helis Foundation’s Art for All initiative. When you arrive at NOMA, check in at the admissions desk for directions to the appropriate location.

Cross-Cultural Conversations: Creative Assembly and ARCAthens
2025-04-09 17:00 - 19:00 | NOMA’s Lapis Center for the Arts
Join us in NOMA’s Lapis Center for the Arts for an enlightening evening of cross-cultural dialogue with ARCAthens resident artists Angelo Plessas and Steffi Stouri and two of NOMA’s Creative Assembly Cohort members, Carl Harrison Jr. and LaVonna Varnado-Brown. These artists with diverse backgrounds will share their experiences, perspectives, and creative processes.
Through an open exchange, attendees will gain insight into how art serves as a universal language, transcending geographical boundaries, and fostering connections among people from varied cultural backgrounds. In conversation with NOMA’s Creative Assembly Cohort members, the visiting artists will explore themes of identity, representation, and the power of artistic expression.
This program is included with with museum admission, which is free for Louisiana residents every Wednesday courtesy of The Helis Foundation.

ABOUT ARCATHENS
Based in New York City, ARCAthens was created in 2017 to provide opportunities and support to visual artists, curators, and scholars through its artist residency programs. The inaugural NOLA/NYC Research Fellowship gives Greek artists and curators the opportunity to focus on cultural exchange and community engagement in two American cities: New Orleans and New York City. Visit ARCAthens to learn more about the organization and their programs.
Learn More

About the Speakers
Angelo Plessas lives and works between Athens and Kymi, Greece. He explores the intersection of spirituality and the networked world, investigating how ancient, folk, and cybernetic histories intertwine. By weaving together elements from the spiritual and the online realms, Plessas creates spaces that challenge the notion of binaries—material versus virtual, human versus machine, past versus future—proposing instead a fluid reality where all these dimensions converge. His work spans performances, artist residencies, artist’s books, interactive websites, quilted sculptures, neon installations, and educational projects. His work has been exhibited in Documenta 14, the 8th Thessaloniki Biennale, the Onassis Foundation, the 8th Biennale of Gherdëina, the Serralves Foundation, and the 13th Gwangju Biennale in S. Korea. Other projects have also been exhibited in The Museum of Contemporary, Chicago; the Jeu de Paume, Paris; the DESTE Foundation, and the National Museum of Contemporary Art, Athens. He is the founder of the independent space P.E.T. Projects in Athens. He won the DESTE Foundation Prize in 2015.
Steffi Stouri is an independent curator and researcher based in Athens, specializing in feminist epistemologies, archival practices, and sonic art. With an academic background in Heritage and Museum Studies (MA, University of Amsterdam) and History and Philosophy of Science (BSc, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens), her work explores the intersections of gender, identity, and memory. Her curatorial projects often engage with embodied experiences and fragmented histories, aiming to challenge dominant narratives through collaborative practices and innovative exhibitions. Notable projects include Otherlands (2024) a site specific exhibition and sonic performance in the archaeological site of Heraion, Unboxing Callas (2023–2024), an archival and group exhibition exploring the legacy of Maria Callas in dialogue with the Greek National Opera’s archive, and From Cartography to Cookbooks (2021), a digital exhibition examining Dutch colonialism through cartography and culinary history. She has also curated sound-focused projects like Chase (2018), a sound installation exploring sonic performance and the body, and Symbiotic Degradation (2020), a hybrid exhibition addressing environmental degradation and its artistic representations. Her practice is deeply informed by a commitment to reparative curating, cultural exchange, and community engagement. Through the NOLA/NYC Research Fellowship, she seeks to expand her exploration of sonic art, while connecting the cultural histories and musical legacies of New York and New Orleans to her ongoing curatorial work.
Carl Harrison Jr. is a New Orleans–based filmmaker, artist, and urban farmer dedicated to preserving cultural heritage and promoting environmental sustainability. As the founder of the St. Roch Apiary and Food Forest, Harrison creates spaces for community engagement, combining urban farming with beekeeping to support local ecosystems and inspire others to reconnect with nature. His short film, The Buzz of St. Roch, won an Audience Award at the 2024 New Orleans Film Festival and highlights the beauty and resilience of his neighborhood. Currently, Harrison is touring The Buzz of St. Roch. His exhibition Echoes of the Hive was on view last year at the Tulane School of Public Health. Harrison also directed The Black Schoolhouse, a documentary exploring the intersection of art, activism, and education within New Orleans’ Black community.
LaVonna Varnado-Brown has worked as an installation artist, artist advocate, teaching artist, and tutor in and around New Orleans and with Beginning with Children, a Brooklyn–based college and career preparatory program). Varnado-Brown creates mixed-media visual art engaging with Afrofuturism, history, the divine feminine, and floral motifs. Varnado-Brown explores Afrofuturism as a cultural aesthetic to navigate the intersection of art and history and inspire action in the now by creating space for joy. Varnado-Brown finds inspiration in the community through facilitating workshops that create intentional space to engage in creative grounding practices that raise our spatial awareness and kinesthetic responses to one another and our environment.

Book Club: The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession
2025-04-10 12:00 - 13:00 | New Orleans Museum of Art, 1 Collins Diboll Circle, New Orleans, LA, 70119
NOMA’s book club meets monthly to discuss fiction and non-fiction books related to art in the museum’s collection and exhibitions.
It is an informal group open to anyone on a month-to-month basis. You do not have to attend every meeting or read every book to participate. In addition to monthly book discussions, the book club meets periodically for curatorial programs related to the book selections.
Books are selected in advance and planned according to the museum’s exhibition schedule. Participants are expected to procure their own copy of the titles. Selections are also available at the NOMA Museum Shop, where museum members receive a 10% discount.
Register Now
Meetings are held in person or via Zoom. All meetings begin at 12 pm. For more information or questions, please email programs@noma.org.

About the Book
The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession
by Michael Finkel
Stéphane Bréitwieser is the most prolific art thief of all time.
He pulled off more than 200 heists, often in crowded museums in broad daylight.
His girlfriend served as his accomplice.
His collection was worth an estimated $2 billion.
He never sold a piece, displaying his stolen art in his attic bedroom.
He felt like a king.
Until everything came to a shocking end.
In this spellbinding portrait of obsession and flawed genius, Michael Finkel gives us one of the most remarkable true-crime narratives of our times, a riveting story of art, theft, love, and an insatiable hunger to possess beauty at any cost.

NOMA Egg Hunt and Family Festival Presented by Hancock Whitney
2025-04-12 10:00 - 12:30 | Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden, 1 Collins Diboll Circle, New Orleans , LA, 70124
The NOMA Egg Hunt and Family Festival Presented by Hancock Whitney is a fun, outdoor event for families featuring arts & crafts, games, face painting, food, drinks, sweets, music, and more! The festival is set within the picturesque Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden, one of the most popular destinations in New Orleans for families and visitors. For many families, the Egg Hunt may be their first introduction to NOMA and the Besthoff Sculpture Garden.
Event Chairs | Anne Angelico and Lacey Monteleone
NOMA Volunteer Committee Chair | Taylor Pospisil
Egg Hunts for Ages 4 & Under and Ages 5 & Up Start at 10:45 am
Your support during the NOMA Egg Hunt and Family Festival provides critical resources to educational initiatives, programs, and exhibitions at NOMA.
For sponsorship inquiries and questions about the NOMA Egg Hunt and Family Festival, please email egghunt@noma.org or call 504.658.4121.

TICKETS
The NOMA Egg Hunt and Family Festival is a rain-or-shine event. Tickets are non-refundable.
Advance sales have ended. Tickets are available for $25 at the door.
Please note that kids ages 2 and under receive free admission, but still require a ticket. Refreshments, excluding alcoholic beverages, are included in the ticket price.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Entertainment
10:00–12:30 pm | DJ Audio Jocks
10:45–11:15 am | Egg hunt for ages 4 and under
10:45–11:15 am | Egg hunt for ages 5 and up
Pine Grove Activities (Front Garden)
10:00 am–12:30 pm | DJ Audio Jocks
10:00 am–12:30 pm | Juggler and magician
10:00 am–12:30 pm | Artmaking
10:00 am–12:30 pm | Face painting
10:00 am–12:30 pm | Photography by Polo Silk
Oak Grove (Back Of Garden)
10:45–11:15 am | Egg hunt for ages 4 and under
10:45–11:15 am | Egg hunt for ages 5 and up
10:45 am–12:30 pm | Face painting
11:00 am–12:30 pm | Hula hoop station
11:00 am–12:30 pm | Temporary tattoo salon

Thank You to Our Current Sponsors
Presenting Sponsor

Lead Sponsors

Burkart Family
Catherine Burns Tremaine
Fun and Games
Cammie and Charles Mayer
Bunnies and Baskets
Gas and Supply
NOLA Pixie Dust
Shlenker Family Foundation
Southern Air New Orleans

Sweets & Treats

Peter Wilson Family Fund
Boogie and Bounce
Anne and Andrew Angelico
Elizabeth A. Boh
Lake Vista Pediatrics
Lacey and Gibbens Monteleone
Eleanor Onstott
Special Thanks
Elmers Chocolate
Orleans Coffee
Raising Cane’s
NOLA Pixie Dust

Event Committee
D’Ann Perez
Lauren Ridings
Missy Tabary
Alysha Colfry
Rosalind Wilson
Faire Barnes
Charlotte Thomas
Alycia Swayze
Melissa Cossich Myers
Lauren Rosendahl
