Noontime Talk: Personalities in Clay with Curator Mel Buchanan
2018-01-03 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Chicago)
Join Curator Mel Buchanan for a noontime talk in the decorative arts galleries for an insightful walkthrough of the exhibition Personalities in Clay: American Studio Ceramics from the E. John Bullard Collection. The exhibition features more than seventy ceramics made between 1940 to the end of the twentieth century. Noontime talks are casual discussions—complimentary with museum admission—led by curators, artists, and special guests scheduled throughout the year.
For more information, call (504) 658.4100. Wednesdays are FREE for Louisiana residents with ID thanks to The Helis Foundation.

Friday Nights at NOMA: Gallery Talk for Personalities in Clay | Music by Shawn Williams | Drawings in Clay Workshop
2018-01-05 17:00 - 21:00
Friday Nights at NOMA opens the museum’s doors for many interesting activities throughout the year: live music, movies, children’s activities, and more. Regular admission prices apply—NOMA members are FREE—but there is no extra charge for programs or films. All galleries and Café NOMA remain open till 9 pm.

5 – 8 pm: Art on the Spot family activity table
5:30 – 8:30 pm: Music by Shawn Williams
6 – 7 pm: Gallery Talk with Curator Mel Buchanan for Personalities in Clay: American Studio Ceramics from the E. John Bullard Collection
7 – 8:30 pm: Drawings in Clay: Sgraffito Technique Workshop with Rachael DePauw

ABOUT SHAWN WILLIAMS
New Orleans’ pioneering voice in “alt-rock countrybilly serial-killer blues,” Shawn Williams describes her sound as that “of a dirtier-minded Elvis deciding to get it on in the back of some roadhouse saloon with one of those sad-eyed cowboy types that would rather be drinking alone.”
An accomplished career in radio has taken her from Atlanta to New York City and back to her hometown of New Orleans, where she marked success as the former programming director for two of the city’s largest radio stations (NASH FM 92.3 and 106.1 The Underground), all the while managing to maintain the schedule required of a young bandleader in a vibrant night town.
Her debut album Shadow (2017) is a skillfully-mastered collection of originals that moves seamlessly from old-school R&B-inflected rockers to softer, wistful numbers. On recording as in live performance, she conveys a sense of rawness, a depth of feeling, and a lack of pretension that set her apart from the rest of the city’s pool of talented up-and-coming musicians. Aside from her own music, she is also the founder of the all-female Elvis tribute band, Pelvis Breastlies.
ABOUT CURATOR MEL BUCHANAN AND PERSONALITIES IN CLAY
Mel Buchanan is the RosaMary Curator for Decorative Arts and Design. She will lead visitors on an insightful walkthrough of an exhibition of more than seventy ceramics created between 1940 and the end of the twentieth century on loan from NOMA’s Director Emeritus E. John Bullard.
ABOUT RACHAEL DEPAUW AND THE DRAWINGS IN CLAY WORKSHOP
Join artist Rachael DePauw in a hands-on workshop exploring the sgraffito technique. DePauw will walk participants through the history of sgraffito and how she applies the technique in her own pottery practice. Under DePauw’s guidance, participants will then use the technique in creating their own works on tablets that will be fired at an off-site studio. Finished tablets will be available for pickup at a later date. THIS WORKSHOP IS SOLD OUT
This program is presented in conjunction with Personalities in Clay: American Studio Ceramics from the E. John Bullard Collection.
Friday Nights at NOMA is supported in part by grant funds from the Azby Fund; Ruby K. Worner Charitable Trust; 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 as administered by the Arts Council of New Orleans.

Drawings in Clay: Sgraffito Technique
2018-01-05 19:00 - 20:30 | New Orleans Museum of Art, 1 Collins Diboll Circle, New Orleans, LA, 70119
Drawings in Clay: Sgraffito Technique
Friday, January 5 | 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.
NOMA Members | $50
Nonmembers | $60
SOLD OUT
Join artist Rachael DePauw in a hands-on workshop exploring the sgraffito technique. DePauw will walk participants through the history of sgraffito and discuss how she uses the technique in her own pottery practice. Under DePauw’s guidance, participants will apply the technique in creating their own works on tablets that will be fired at an off-site studio. Finished tablets will be available for pickup at a later date.
Registration is required. Please contact egreenwald@noma.org or 504-658-4140 to register or for more information.
About the Artist
Rachael DePauw currently lives and works in New Orleans where she maintains an active studio career. Since graduating from Tulane University, DePauw has become increasingly influenced by both the aesthetic and philosophic concepts associated with New Orleans’s Newcomb Pottery tradition. Through a process called sgrafitto, DePauw creates bold relief patterns and uses design motifs referencing Louisiana’s indigenous flora. On the pre-fired vessel, DePauw paints a thin layer of black, liquid clay and then uses a small tool to carve through the slip revealing the white clay beneath. The linear and abstract patterns created reflect New Orleans’s unique landscape and reference the blue and greenish wares of Newcomb Pottery.
This program is presented in conjunction with Personalities in Clay: American Studio Ceramics from the E. John Bullard Collection.

Noontime Talk: East of the Mississippi: Nineteenth-Century American Landscape Photography with Curator Russell Lord
2018-01-06 12:00 - 13:00
Join Curator Russell Lord on a tour of East of the Mississippi: Nineteenth-Century American Landscape Photography with an emphasis on landscape. East of the Mississippi marks the first exhibition of nineteenth-century photography from the eastern half of the United States. Noontime Talks are brief, casual discussions on exhibitions or works of art in the galleries given by NOMA curators and special guests. For more information, call (504) 658.4100. This talk will mark the final public program for East of the Mississippi before the exhibition closes on January 7.

Collect-O-Mania Film Series: Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict
2018-01-06 14:00 - 16:00
What inspires a collector and when do personal collections become something more? Join us on select Fridays and Saturdays in January and February to explore the on-screen stories of passionate collectors who have helped shape the twenty-first-century art museum landscape.

Saturday, January 6, 2 pm: Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict
Friday, January 12, 7:30 pm: Adele’s Wish
Saturday, January 27, 2 pm: Who The #$&% Is Jackson Pollock?
Friday, February 16, 7 pm: Herb and Dorothy
Saturday, February 17, 2 pm: Iris

ABOUT PEGGY GUGGENHEIM: ART ADDICT
Marguerite “Peggy” Guggenheim (1898–1979) was an American art collector, bohemian, and socialite. Born to the wealthy New York City Guggenheim family, she was the daughter of Benjamin Guggenheim, who went down with the Titanic in 1912, and the niece of Solomon R. Guggenheim, who would establish the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation. Peggy Guggenheim created a noted art collection in Europe and America primarily between 1938 and 1946. She exhibited this collection as she built it and in 1949 settled in Venice, where she lived and exhibited her collection for the rest of her life. The Peggy Guggenheim Collection is a modern art museum on the Grand Canal in Venice, Italy, and is one of the most visited attractions in the city. Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict is a portrait of a patron of the arts extraordinaire who transformed a modest fortune and impeccable taste into one of the premiere collections of twentieth-century art. (Not rated | 2015 | 1 hour, 36 minutes)
Watch the trailer:

Tai Chi/Chi Kung
2018-01-08 18:00 - 19:00
NOMA, in collaboration with the East Jefferson Wellness Center, offers wellness classes every Saturday morning and Monday evening.
On Monday at 6 p.m., East Jefferson Wellness Center instructor Terry Rappold leads relaxing Tai Chi exercises in various art galleries at NOMA. Then at 8 a.m. on Saturday, join us for yoga surrounded by NOMA’s outstanding permanent collection, or if weather permitting, in the Besthoff Sculpture Garden.
Classes are $5; FREE for NOMA members and East Jefferson Wellness Center members.
To register for yoga or tai chi, call East Jefferson Healthfinder at (504) 456-5000.

NOMA Book Club Field Trip to Antoine's Restaurant and Presbytere Museum
2018-01-10 10:00 - 15:00
Join NOMA staff and fellow book lovers as we read and discuss fiction and nonfiction books related to art, artists, art museums, NOMA’s collections and exhibitions. Our full 2018 schedule and reading list has been announced.
Organized by NOMA’s Felix J. Dreyfous Library, the Book Club is an informal group. You do not have to attend every meeting and we understand if you have to leave a discussion or program early. The book club offers several types of programs: a book discussion group that meets once a month (no reading in December), curatorial programs, field trips, and Meet the Author receptions. Most book club programs start promptly at noon, but please arrive at 11:30 a.m. if you wish to bring a sack lunch or meet beforehand. NOMA will provide water and soft drinks.
RSVP for the meetings you wish to attend so we can prepare the meeting space.
Please contact Sheila A. Cork at 504.658.4117 or scork@noma.org for information about joining the NOMA Book Club.

January 2018 Selection
Fabulous New Orleans by Lyle Saxon
Pelican, 1988. ISBN: 978-0882897066 (Any edition is acceptable)
Lyle Saxon’s timeless impressions of colorful New Orleans, first recorded more than half a century ago, not only reveal inherent mystery and frivolity, but also recall the city’s elaborate history, spanning more than two centuries and three cultures. The various aspects of the French, Spanish, and Creole societies, which continue to define today’s city, are documented here through wide-ranging vignettes of daily life and elaborate rituals. A view of the Creole courtyard, an account of the first settlers, and a glimpse of the Zulu parade are typical of the many episodes from which the spirit of the city emerges. (Amazon.com)
Wednesday, January 10, 10 am – 3 pm | Field trip to Antoine’s Restaurant and the Louisiana State Museum’s Mardi Gras Collection at the Presbytere, in conjunction with the exhibition Bror Anders Wikstrom: Bringing Fantasy to Carnival.

11 am: Carpool; meet in the NOMA library. Antoine’s Tour: 11:30 am, followed by lunch (Special prix-fixe three-course lunch, see website)
Antoine’s: 713 Saint Louis St. in the French Quarter. Dress Code: Business Casual
1:30 pm: Presbytere – Meet by front entrance of the museum on Jackson Square

Noontime Talk: Personalities in Clay with Director Emeritus E. John Bullard
2018-01-10 12:00 - 13:00
Noontime talks are casual conversations between artists, curators, and other special guests with NOMA visitors frequently scheduled throughout the year.
For thirty-seven years, E. John Bullard served as the director of the New Orleans Museum of Art. Since his retirement in 2010, he has actively collected American studio pottery, a portion of which is on view in the exhibition Personalities in Clay: American Studio Ceramics from the E. John Bullard Collection. Bullard will discuss how he has assembled more than 500 ceramic works within a three-year period and the story behind many of the artists represented in his collection. The exhibition is accompanied by a full-color, 104-page catalogue, published by NOMA. The catalogue highlights significant work with a two-page spread for each of 32 artists in the exhibition, features an essay by John Bullard on his approach to collecting, and is anchored by an essay by Mel Buchanan, NOMA’s RosaMary Curator of Decorative Arts and Design that situates the context of the studio ceramics movement.

Friday Nights at NOMA: Music by Kettle Black | Gallery Talk with E. John Bullard for Personalities in Clay | Sculpture Garden Expansion Presentation
2018-01-12 17:00 - 21:00
Friday Nights at NOMA opens the museum’s doors for many interesting activities throughout the year: live music, movies, children’s activities, and more. Regular admission prices apply—NOMA members are FREE—but there is no extra charge for programs or films. All galleries and Café NOMA remain open till 9 pm.

5 – 8 pm: Art on the Spot family activity table
5:30 – 8:30 pm: Music by Kettle Black
6 pm: Besthoff Sculpture Garden Expansion Presentation by Susan Taylor, NOMA’s Montine McDaniel Freeman Director
7 pm: Gallery Talk with E. John Bullard, Personalities in Clay: American Studio Ceramics from the E. John Bullard Collection
8 pm: Collect-O-Mania Film Series: Adele’s Wish

ABOUT KETTLE BLACK
The band Kettle Black describes itself as “a quiet dance, a tiny explosion expanding exponentially; it is funky, heartfelt, and unmistakably New Orleans.” The brainchild of Keith Bernstein, alum of the Mumbles, along with members of Toubab Krewe and Antibalas, the band is a double percussion discussion that fans out the African and Cuban influences found in New Orleans music to create a new American songbook.
ABOUT THE BESTHOFF SCULPTURE GARDEN EXPANSION
Join NOMA’s Director, Susan Taylor, as she discusses the 2018 expansion of the Besthoff Sculpture Garden. The privately funded expansion will allow the museum to increase offerings for public programming and the display of sculpture in an environmentally sustainable setting. The six-acre site will house twenty-two new sculptures by twenty-first-century artists. A public Q&A session will follow the presentation. Attendees only present for the Sculpture Garden Expansion presentation and Q&A will receive a free admission wristband upon museum entry after 5 pm.
ABOUT E. JOHN BULLARD
For thirty-seven years, E. John Bullard served as the director of the New Orleans Museum of Art. Since his retirement in 2010, he has actively collected American studio pottery, a portion of which is on view in the exhibition Personalities in Clay: American Studio Ceramics from the E. John Bullard Collection. Bullard will discuss how he has assembled more than 500 ceramic works within a three-year period and the story behind many of the artists represented in his collection. The exhibition is accompanied by a full-color, 104-page catalogue, published by NOMA. The catalogue highlights significant work with a two-page spread for each of thirty-two artists in the exhibition, features an essay by John Bullard on his approach to collecting, and is anchored by an essay by Mel Buchanan, NOMA’s RosaMary Curator of Decorative Arts and Design that situates the context of the studio ceramics movement.
ABOUT ADELE’S WISH
What inspires a collector and when do personal collections become something more? Join us on select Fridays and Saturdays in January and December for a series of documentaries that tell the stories of passionate collectors who have helped shape the twenty-first-century art museum landscape.
Adele’s Wish chronicles Jewish World War II refugee Maria Altman’s attempts to recover Gustav Klimt’s Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I from the Republic of Austria decades after the painting was stolen by Nazi leaders from her family’s home in Vienna. (Not rated | 2009 | 1 hour, 41 minutes) Watch the trailer.
Friday Nights at NOMA is supported in part by grant funds from the Azby Fund; Ruby K. Worner Charitable Trust; 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 as administered by the Arts Council of New Orleans.

Collect-O-Mania Film Fest: Adele's Wish
2018-01-12 20:00 - 21:00
What inspires a collector and when do personal collections become something more? Join us on select Fridays and Saturdays in January and February to explore the on-screen stories of passionate collectors who have helped shape the twenty-first-century art museum landscape.

Saturday, January 6, 2 pm: Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict
Friday, January 12, 8 pm: Adele’s Wish
Saturday, January 27, 2 pm: Who The #$&% Is Jackson Pollock?
Friday, February 16, 7 pm: Herb and Dorothy
Saturday, February 17, 2 pm: Iris

ABOUT ADELE’S WISH
Adele’s Wish recounts the struggle of 92-year-old Jewish World War II refuge Maria Altmann, a resident of Los Angeles who sued the Republic of Austria to recover five Gustav Klimt paintings stolen from her family in Vienna by the Nazis in 1938. The paintings were considered national treasures by Austria and were proudly displayed in Vienna’s Belvedere Museum for over sixty years. Although it began as a legal dispute, Altmann’s mission evolved into a political, cultural and ethical confrontation. In the process, Austria was forced to re-examine not only its role in Nazi art thefts, but also its anti-Semitic past. Altmann’s story was made into a feature film in 2015, Woman in Gold, starring Helen Mirren and Ryan Reynolds. (Not rated | 2009 | 55 minutes)
Watch the trailer:

Studio KIDS!
2018-01-13 10:00 - 12:00 | New Orleans Museum of Art, 1 Collins Diboll Circle, New Orleans, LA, 70119
Get Creative with Studio KIDS!
This spring, Studio KIDS! presents “Express Yourself” art classes for children. Perfect for students ages 5-10 who want to get creative and learn art making techniques. In each class, Studio KIDS! explores art made by diverse cultures as inspiration for art projects. From sculpting to painting, each class features different media and techniques. Register for one class or the entire series. Make sure to sign up in advance to ensure your spot.
Call 504.658.4100 or email education@noma.org to register or for more information.
Ages 5 – 10 | 10 am – 12 pm
January 13 | SOLD OUT!
Spirit Animal
What’s your favorite animal? Create a series of prints after going on an animal safari through the galleries.
Cost per class:
$25 | members
$30 | nonmembers
Full schedule can be found here.

StoryQuest
2018-01-13 11:00 - 11:30 | New Orleans Museum of Art, 1 Collins Diboll Circle, New Orleans, LA, 70119
Spark imagination, creativity, and a love of reading. Professional authors, actors and artists bring the world of children’s literature to NOMA in this family program. Family activities are offered after each StoryQuest to encourage museum exploration.
Saturday, January 13: Cold
Ideal for ages 2-7. No registration is necessary. StoryQuest is included with museum admission.
Find the full schedule here. Contact 504-658-4100 or education@noma.org with questions.
Major support for StoryQuest is provided by the Patrick F. Taylor Foundation.

Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday - Special Hours
2018-01-15 12:00 - 17:00
NOMA welcomes visitors on the Martin Luther King Jr. federal holiday from noon to 5 pm.

Noontime Talk: Bror Anders Wikstrom: Bringing Fantasy to Carnival, with Curator Mel Buchanan
2018-01-17 12:00 - 13:00
Noontime talks are casual conversations between artists, curators, and other special guests with NOMA visitors frequently scheduled throughout the year.
Join Mel Buchanan, NOMA’s RosaMary Curator of Decorative Arts and Design, for a discussion about Bror Anders Wikstrom, a Swedish immigrant in late 19th-century New Orleans who became the most renowned designer of Carnival parade floats and costumes. Through the 1880s and 1890s, his fantastical designs elevated the extravaganza of New Orleans’ Mardi Gras festivities. The exhibition Bror Anders Wikstrom: Brining Fantasy to Carnival includes the artist’s original watercolor sketches for many of the city’s old-line parading krewes.

Museum Highlights Tour - Cancelled
2018-01-18 13:00 - 14:00
NOMA docents guide visitors on hour-long tours of either the permanent collection or special exhibitions. Tours are free with NOMA admission. Meet in the Great Hall to join in!
Special group tours can be arranged with two-weeks advance notice. Call Tracy Kennan, Curator of Education, at 504.658.4113.

Friday Nights at NOMA: New Forms, New Voices Gallery Talk | Hamiltunes NOLA: An American Singalong
2018-01-19 17:00 - 21:00
Friday Nights at NOMA opens the museum’s doors for many interesting activities throughout the year: live music, movies, children’s activities, and more. Regular admission prices apply—NOMA members are FREE—but there is no extra charge for programs or films. All galleries, Café NOMA, and the Museum Shop remain open till 9 pm.

5 – 8 pm: Art on the Spot family activity table
6 – 7 pm: Gallery Talk with Curator Lisa Rotondo-McCord for New Forms, New Voices: Japanese Ceramics from the Gitter-Yelen Collection
6:45 pm: Spotlight tour: “Right Hand Man: George Washington and the Politics of Portraiture,” with Curator Katie Pfohl
7 – 8:30 pm: Hamiltunes NOLA: An American Singalong to the Broadway musical Hamilton

ABOUT NEW FORMS, NEW VOICES: JAPANESE CERAMICS FROM THE GITTER-YELEN COLLECTION
Join Lisa Rotondo-McCord, Curator of Asian Art, for a guided tour of an exhibition of contemporary Japanese ceramics from the collection of Dr. Kurt Gitter and Alice Yelen-Gitter, most of which date after the year 2000. Ceramics have been made in Japan for more than 15,000 years. For the first time in over twenty years, NOMA is presenting an exhibition devoted to modern and contemporary ceramics from the Asian nation, including works by Ryūichi Kakurezaki Machiko Ogawa, Yo Akiyama, Jun Nishida, Sueharu Fukami, Shinobu Kawase, Osamu Suzuki, Kazoo Takiguchi, and Kenji Miyashita.
ABOUT HAMILTUNES: AN AMERICAN SINGALONG AND “RIGHT HAND MAN: GEORGE WASHINGTON AND THE POLITICS OF PORTRAITURE”
What time is it? Show time! Be in the room where it happens as the New Orleans Museum of Art presents Hamiltunes NOLA: An American Singalong. We’ll sing like we’re running out of time and raise a glass to freedom, lifting our voices in celebration of our generation’s most popular musical phenomenon.
Before the singalong, join curator Katie Pfohl for a spotlight tour of NOMA’s iconic Gilbert Stuart portrait of George Washington, and learn why this portrait may be the most reproduced image in all of American history! Hint: It’s all about the money.
Please RSVP here. Costumes are encouraged (no swords or dueling pistols, please).
Hamiltunes: An American Singalong, is an officially licensed singalong set to the award-winning soundtrack of Hamilton: An American Musical.
Friday Nights at NOMA is supported in part by grant funds from the Azby Fund; Ruby K. Worner Charitable Trust; 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 as administered by the Arts Council of New Orleans.

Noontime Talk: New Forms, New Voices: Japanese Ceramics from the Gitter-Yelen Collection with Curator Lisa Rotondo-McCord
2018-01-24 12:00 - 13:00
Noontime Talks are brief, casual discussions on exhibitions or works of art in the galleries given by artists, NOMA curators, and special guests. For more information, call 504.658.4100. Wednesdays are FREE for Louisiana residents with ID thanks to The Helis Foundation.
Join Lisa Rotondo-McCord, Curator of Asian Art, for a discussion in the Japanese Gallery about the exhibition New Forms, New Voices: Japanese Ceramics from the Gitter-Yelen Collection. Ceramics have been made in Japan for over 15,000 years. This exhibition largely features the work of potters after the year 2000 and is presented in six sections: Inspired by Ancient Kilns; Hewn from the Earth, Inspired by Nature; Masters of Porcelain; Embracing the Avant Garde; and A Love of Decoration. Among the noted ceramists whose works are included in the exhibition are Ryūichi Kakurezaki Machiko Ogawa, Yo Akiyama, Jun Nishida, Sueharu Fukami, Shinobu Kawase, Osamu Suzuki, Kazuo Takiguchi, and Kenji Miyashita.

NOMA Book Club Discussion Group
2018-01-24 13:30 - 15:00
Join NOMA staff and fellow book lovers as we read and discuss fiction and nonfiction books related to art, artists, art museums, NOMA’s collections and exhibitions. Our full 2018 schedule and reading list has been announced.
Organized by NOMA’s Felix J. Dreyfous Library, the Book Club is an informal group. You do not have to attend every meeting and we understand if you have to leave a discussion or program early. The book club offers several types of programs: a book discussion group that meets once a month (no reading in December), curatorial programs, field trips, and Meet the Author receptions. Most book club programs start promptly at noon, but please arrive at 11:30 a.m. if you wish to bring a sack lunch or meet beforehand. NOMA will provide water and soft drinks.
RSVP for the meetings you wish to attend so we can prepare the meeting space.
Please contact Sheila A. Cork at 504.658.4117 or scork@noma.org for information about joining the NOMA Book Club.

January 2018 Selection
Fabulous New Orleans by Lyle Saxon
Pelican, 1988. ISBN: 978-0882897066 (Any edition is acceptable)
Lyle Saxon’s timeless impressions of colorful New Orleans, first recorded more than half a century ago, not only reveal inherent mystery and frivolity, but also recall the city’s elaborate history, spanning more than two centuries and three cultures. The various aspects of the French, Spanish, and Creole societies, which continue to define today’s city, are documented here through wide-ranging vignettes of daily life and elaborate rituals. A view of the Creole courtyard, an account of the first settlers, and a glimpse of the Zulu parade are typical of the many episodes from which the spirit of the city emerges. (Amazon.com)
Wednesday, January 24, 1:30 – 3 pm | Book Discussion Group

NOMA Book Club Discussion Group
2018-01-25 12:00 - 13:00
Join NOMA staff and fellow book lovers as we read and discuss fiction and nonfiction books related to art, artists, art museums, NOMA’s collections and exhibitions. Our full 2018 schedule and reading list has been announced.
Organized by NOMA’s Felix J. Dreyfous Library, the Book Club is an informal group. You do not have to attend every meeting and we understand if you have to leave a discussion or program early. The book club offers several types of programs: a book discussion group that meets once a month (no reading in December), curatorial programs, field trips, and Meet the Author receptions. Most book club programs start promptly at noon, but please arrive at 11:30 a.m. if you wish to bring a sack lunch or meet beforehand. NOMA will provide water and soft drinks.
RSVP for the meetings you wish to attend so we can prepare the meeting space.
Please contact Sheila A. Cork at 504.658.4117 or scork@noma.org for information about joining the NOMA Book Club.

January 2018 Selection
Fabulous New Orleans by Lyle Saxon
Pelican, 1988. ISBN: 978-0882897066 (Any edition is acceptable)
Lyle Saxon’s timeless impressions of colorful New Orleans, first recorded more than half a century ago, not only reveal inherent mystery and frivolity, but also recall the city’s elaborate history, spanning more than two centuries and three cultures. The various aspects of the French, Spanish, and Creole societies, which continue to define today’s city, are documented here through wide-ranging vignettes of daily life and elaborate rituals. A view of the Creole courtyard, an account of the first settlers, and a glimpse of the Zulu parade are typical of the many episodes from which the spirit of the city emerges. (Amazon.com)
Thursday, January 25, 12 – 1 pm | Book Discussion Group

Friday Nights at NOMA: Music by Mia Borders | Artist Perspective with Ceramicist Kevin John O'Keefe | Talk by Prospect.4 Artist Odili Donald Odita
2018-01-26 17:00 - 21:00
Friday Nights at NOMA opens the museum’s doors for many interesting activities throughout the year: live music, movies, children’s activities, and more. Regular admission prices apply—NOMA members are FREE—but there is no extra charge for programs or films. All galleries and Café NOMA remain open till 9 pm.

5 – 8 pm: Art on the Spot family activity table
5:30 – 8:30 pm: Music by Mia Borders
6 pm: Artist Perspective with Ceramicist Kevin John O’Keefe
7 pm: “The Indivisible and the Invincible,” a talk by Prospect.4 artist Odili Donald Odita

ABOUT MIA BORDERS
Born and raised in New Orleans, Mia Borders’ original music genuinely reflects the oft-referenced melting pot of her hometown. Her catalogue of nine commercial releases spans from pop-rock-influenced “the ep” in 2007 to the R&B LP “Fever Dreams” in 2016. Heralded locally and nationally as one of New Orleans’ best talents, Borders has been featured on AXS.tv’s coverage of The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, and has performed at such renowned venues as Essence Festival, Brazil’s Bourbon Street Music Festival, House of Blues New Orleans, Tipitina’s, Santa Cruz Blues Fest, Chattanooga’s Night Fall, Voice of the Wetlands, Memphis’ Levitt Shell, Wakarusa, Long’s Park Amphitheater, 2012 Food & Wine Classic, and The Kennedy Center for Performing Arts.
ABOUT KEVIN JOHN O’KEEFE
Kevin John O’Keefe is an artist based in Gulfport, Mississippi. He has worked with master potter Jimmy Anderson and his son Peter Jr. in the preservation of the life and work of their forefather, Peter Anderson of Ocean Springs, Mississippi. O’Keefe has worked for the George Ohr Museum’s “Mud Daubers” arts camp and has also taught wheel-thrown and hand-built ceramics in many other studios. His work has been shown at the Museum of Art in Hattiesburg and the Andrew Jessup Gallery in Biloxi. In September of 2005 he was in the last stages of preparation for a large private installation at The University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Park Campus Library when Hurricane Katrina destroyed the campus and damaged this body of work. This show and samplings of his work can be seen at KevinJohnOKeefe.com. After regrouping with the help of The Mississippi Arts Commission, O’Keefe began refining undeveloped and unconventional techniques using salt. These works were promoted in various galleries on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and in New Orleans. Beyond ceramics, O’Keefe’s fresh, creative talent has led to a wide variety of projects, including artistic designs for a Mississippi manufacturer of drum sticks, graphic design of covers for several books and bibles, and logos and marketing packages for several businesses.
ABOUT ODILI DONALD ODITA
Odili Donald Odita is an African American abstract painter who lives and works in Philadelphia. Odita’s work explores color both in the figurative historical context and in the sociopolitical sense. His vibrant large-scale abstractions have been described as “showstoppers” and are considered to raise questions about race and society. Most of Odita’s work is inspired by the vibrant textiles of his home country, Nigeria mixed with patterns from Western modernity. His Forever mural, commissioned in 2011, fills an entire wall in NOMA’s elevator lobby on the first floor. For Prospect.4, he has created brightly multicolored flags installed at places of “cultural, racial and historical importance” around the city, and more of his work is on view aboard the Algiers ferry.
Odita is primarily a painter, but also works in photo-based pieces and installation art. He has experimented with a variety of media, but his works since the 1990s are often large-scale paintings on canvas and Plexiglass. He sometimes paints directly on walls to alter the perception of space. Often involving “complex interlocking geometries and contrasting hues,” his works are seen as raising significant questions about race and society.
Friday Nights at NOMA is supported in part by grant funds from the Azby Fund; Ruby K. Worner Charitable Trust; 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 as administered by the Arts Council of New Orleans.

Studio KIDS!
2018-01-27 10:00 - 12:00 | New Orleans Museum of Art, 1 Collins Diboll Circle, New Orleans, LA, 70119
Get Creative with Studio KIDS!
This spring, Studio KIDS! presents “Express Yourself” art classes for children. Perfect for students ages 5-10 who want to get creative and learn art making techniques. In each class, Studio KIDS! explores art made by diverse cultures as inspiration for art projects. From sculpting to painting, each class features different media and techniques. Register for one class or the entire series. Make sure to sign up in advance to ensure your spot.
Call 504.658.4100 or email education@noma.org to register or for more information.
Ages 5 – 10 | 10 am – 12 pm
January 27 | SOLD OUT!
Abstract Ceramic Sculpture
Push creative boundaries and explore form over function as you create an abstract sculpture from clay.
Cost per class:
$25 | members
$30 | nonmembers
Full schedule can be found here.

StoryQuest
2018-01-27 11:00 - 11:30 | New Orleans Museum of Art, 1 Collins Diboll Circle, New Orleans, LA, 70119
Spark imagination, creativity, and a love of reading. Professional authors, actors and artists bring the world of children’s literature to NOMA in this family program. Family activities are offered after each StoryQuest to encourage museum exploration.
Saturday, January 27: Hats
Ideal for ages 2-7. No registration is necessary. StoryQuest is included with museum admission.
Find the full schedule here. Contact 504-658-4100 or education@noma.org with questions.
Major support for StoryQuest is provided by the Patrick F. Taylor Foundation.

Collect-O-Mania Film Fest: Who The #$&% Is Jackson Pollock?
2018-01-27 14:00 - 16:00
What inspires a collector and when do personal collections become something more? Join us on select Fridays and Saturdays in January and February to explore the on-screen stories of passionate collectors who have helped shape the twenty-first-century art museum landscape.

Saturday, January 6, 2 pm: Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict
Friday, January 12, 7:30 pm: Adele’s Wish
Saturday, January 27, 2 pm: Who The #$&% Is Jackson Pollock?
Friday, February 16, 7 pm: Herb and Dorothy
Saturday, February 17, 2 pm: Iris

ABOUT WHO THE #$&% IS JACKSON POLLOCK?
After Teri Horton, a 73-year-old semi-truck driver with an eighth-grade education, bought a large splatter painting for her friend at the Dot Spot Thrift Shop in San Bernardino, California, for $5, she was forced to sell it in her own garage sale when her friend said it would not fit in her house trailer. An art teacher who spotted the painting commented that it might be an original work by Jackson Pollock—and potentially worth $50 million. This documentary follows Horton, her son, and a forensics specialist as they attempt to prove to the world, or more specifically the art community, that this unlikely find is a true modern masterpiece. In Who the #$&% Is Jackson Pollock? veteran documentary filmmaker Harry Moses exposes the controversy in the world of high-priced artwork as he paints a vivid picture of how art is bought and sold in America. (2006 | Rated PG-13 | 1 hour, 14 minutes)
Watch the trailer:

Museum Highlights Tour
2018-02-01 13:00 - 14:00

Friday Nights at NOMA: Music by Lynn Drury | A Passion for Collecting: A Conversation with Dr. Kurt Gitter and Alice Yelen-Gitter
2018-02-02 17:00 - 21:00
Friday Nights at NOMA opens the museum’s doors for many interesting activities throughout the year: live music, movies, children’s activities, and more. Regular admission prices apply—NOMA members are FREE—but there is no extra charge for programs or films.

5 – 8 pm: Art on the Spot family activity table
5:30 – 8:30 pm: Music by Lynn Drury
6 – 7:30 pm: A Passion for Collecting: A Conversation with Dr. Kurt Gitter and Alice Yelen-Gitter, moderated by Curator Lisa Rotondo-McCord

ABOUT LYNN DRURY
Lynn Drury has been an integral part of the New Orleans music scene for more than fifteen years. She was recently nominated “Songwriter of the Year” from Offbeat Magazine (2015), Best Female Performer by Gambit Weekly (2015), and has been featured at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival for over ten years. She plays a style called “Mississippi Grit/New Orleans Groove.” Her song City Life was featured on ESPN’s ten-year Hurricane Katrina anniversary video. Her most recent album, Come to My House, was produced by John Porter, who has produced thirteen Grammy-winning albums.
ABOUT DR. KURT GITTER AND ALICE YELEN-GITTER
Dr. Kurt Gitter and Alice Yelen-Gitter’s collection of contemporary Japanese pottery forms the exhibition New Forms, New Voices, on view through May 13. Join Asian-art Curator Lisa Rotondo-McCord as she moderates a conversation that will engage the couple in stories about their passion for Japan and its art, and the friendships they have formed with many of the ceramicists.
Friday Nights at NOMA is supported in part by grant funds from the Azby Fund; Ruby K. Worner Charitable Trust; 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 as administered by the Arts Council of New Orleans.

Studio KIDS!
2018-02-03 10:00 - 12:00 | New Orleans Museum of Art, 1 Collins Diboll Circle, New Orleans, LA, 70119
Get Creative with Studio KIDS!
This spring, Studio KIDS! presents “Express Yourself” art classes for children. Perfect for students ages 5-10 who want to get creative and learn art making techniques. In each class, Studio KIDS! explores art made by diverse cultures as inspiration for art projects. From sculpting to painting, each class features different media and techniques. Register for one class or the entire series. Make sure to sign up in advance to ensure your spot.
Call 504.658.4100 or email education@noma.org to register or for more information.
Ages 5 – 10 | 10 am – 12 pm
February 3
Fantastic Floats
Gather inspiration from Bror Wikstrom’s fantastical Mardi Gras designs then create your own miniature float.
Cost per class:
$25 | members
$30 | nonmembers
Full schedule can be found here.

StoryQuest
2018-02-03 11:00 - 11:30 | New Orleans Museum of Art, 1 Collins Diboll Circle, New Orleans, LA, 70119
Spark imagination, creativity, and a love of reading. Professional authors, actors and artists bring the world of children’s literature to NOMA in this family program. Family activities are offered after each StoryQuest to encourage museum exploration.
Saturday, February 3: Celebration
Ideal for ages 2-7. No registration is necessary. StoryQuest is included with museum admission.
Find the full schedule here. Contact 504-658-4100 or education@noma.org with questions.
Major support for StoryQuest is provided by the Patrick F. Taylor Foundation.

Noontime Talk: Bror Anders Wikstrom: Bringing Fantasy to Carnival, with Curator Mel Buchanan
2018-02-07 12:00 - 13:00
Join Curator Mel Buchanan for a discussion about the watercolor sketches of New Orleans’ Carnival floats and costumes from the turn of the twentieth century by artist Bror Anders Wikstrom. An exhibition of his works remains on view through April 1.
Noontime Talks are brief, casual discussions on exhibitions or works of art in the galleries given by NOMA curators and special guests. For more information, call (504) 658.4100. Wednesdays are FREE for Louisiana residents with ID thanks to The Helis Foundation.

No Friday Nights at NOMA
2018-02-09 17:00 - 21:00
Friday Nights at NOMA will not be held on Friday, February 9, in advance of Mardi Gras weekend. The museum will close at 5 pm and reopen on Sunday, February 11.

Closed for Endymion Parade Saturday
2018-02-10 10:00 - 18:00
NOMA and the Besthoff Sculpture Garden will be closed on Saturday, February 10, as City Park hosts thousands of Carnival revelers for the annual Krewe of Endymion parade. Please visit on Sunday, February 11, when our doors reopen at 11 am.
