Studio KIDS! | Fantastical Creatures (Ages 6–9 and 10–12)
2024-11-16 10:00 - 12:00 (America/Chicago)
Join us at the museum on select weekend mornings for Studio KIDS! youth art-making workshops. We’ll take inspiration from artwork in the galleries or Besthoff Sculpture Garden, then return to the studio to make our own creations with a teaching artist. Registration is required and includes all art-making materials.
We’ll design and bring to life imaginative and fantastical creatures inspired by the boundless realms of our imaginations and dreams.
$25 members | $30 non-members
Pre-registration required.
Register Now

Elders Sacred Talk Series with Tribal Queen Bee and Carol Bebelle
2024-11-20 18:00 - 19:15
NOMA and the Congo Square Preservation Society present the Elders Sacred Talk Series with prolific elder New Orleanians, celebrating the lives they lead while providing the opportunity for visitors to learn firsthand about the impact they’ve had on our city.
On November 20, in NOMA’s Lapis Center for the Arts, the program will feature Tribal Queen Bee, the oldest living Black Masking Queen, and Carol Bebelle, visual artist and activist, in a conversation moderated by Denise Graves.
Free with museum admission. Louisiana residents receive free admission to NOMA on Wednesdays courtesy of The Helis Foundation. When you arrive at NOMA, check in at the admissions desk for directions to the Lapis Center for the Arts.

About the Speakers
Tribal Queen Bee
Tribal Queen Bee was born Littdell S. Banister on October 5, 1934, in New Orleans, Louisiana. Queen Bee is the Tribal Queen of the Creole Wild West tribe and is the oldest actively masking Queen in the Black Masking Indian tradition. Queen Bee is 90 years old and started masking in 1973. After introducing her six year-old son Honey to masking, Queen Bee joined the Creole Wild West tribe where Honey is now Gang Flag of the Tribe. This began her journey as a Black Masking Indian. Queen Bee later ascended to the position of Tribal Queen of the Creole Wild West, which, as she explains, “It’s different from a Big Queen. A Big Queen is the Chief’s Queen and must always be next to the Chief. A Tribal Queen is over the entire tribe.” Together Tribal Queen Bee and her son Gang Flag Honey have been masking for over fifty years.
Carol Bebelle
Carol Bebelle, known affectionately as Mama Carol, is a steady voice for the influence of culture on the quality of our lives. Bebelle is the co-founder of Efforts of Grace and Ashé Cultural Arts Center, where for two decades her ground-breaking leadership promoted the intersection of culture, community, and art. As a proud, lifelong New Orleanian, Bebelle received her primary through graduate education in the city and worked nearly 20 years in the public sector as an administrator and planner of education, social, cultural, and health programs.
Bebelle is also the founder and principal of AKUA Productions NOLA, which specializes in cultural, social, and human development. Her album, The Medicine Bag, features a series of jazz and blues songs dedicated to healing. Bebelle published works include her book of poetry “In a Manner of Speaking” as well as poems in “From a Bend in the River,” a chapter in “Civic Engagement in the Wake of Katrina,” and an essay in “Ashé to Amen.” Bebelle’s numerous local and national awards include the 2023 Champion of Culture Award from the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities and a recognition from the city’s tricentennial celebration as one of 300 people who helped to make New Orleans what it is and is helping to shape its future.

About Art Thrives
NOMA’s Art Thrives initiative presents creative aging programs designed to support visitors ages 55 and up. In addition to art-making workshops, courses, and opportunities for hands-on art-making, the Elders Sacred Talk Series is a platform for older adults to share their experiences with audiences of all ages.

Day With(out) Art: Red Reminds Me…
2024-12-04 12:00 - 17:00
NOMA is collaborating with Visual AIDS for Day With(out) Art by presenting Red Reminds Me…, a program of seven videos reflecting the emotional spectrum of living with HIV today.
The program features new work by Gian Cruz, Milko Delgado, Imani Harrington, David Oscar Harvey, Mariana Iacono and Juan De La Mar, Nixie, and Vasilios Papapitsios.
A day of mourning and action that uses art to respond to the ongoing HIV and AIDS crisis, Day With(out) Art encourages museums, universities, and art institutions to present related programming on or around December 1, World AIDS Day.
The seven short videos will screen on a loop in NOMA’s second-floor Woldenberg Boardroom, 12–5 pm.
Free with museum admission. When you arrive at NOMA, check in at the front desk for directions.

ABOUT VISUAL AIDS
Visual AIDS is a New York-based non-profit that utilizes art to fight AIDS by provoking dialogue, supporting HIV+ artists, and preserving a legacy, because AIDS is not over!
Learn More

Gallery Talk on John Scott: Blues Poem for the Urban Landscape with Ayo Scott
2024-12-04 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 Ayo Scott, local artist and son of John Scott, in NOMA’s Great Hall for a discussion on John Scott’s print series Blues Poem for the Urban Landscape. This talk will be offered at 12:30PM.
Free with museum admission. Louisiana residents receive free admission to NOMA on Wednesdays courtesy of The Helis Foundation. When you arrive at NOMA, check in at the front desk for directions to the appropriate gallery.

About Ayo Scott
Ayo Scott was born from and into art. By age 7, he’d cast bronze and made paper from blue jeans under the tutelage of his renowned father, Macarthur fellow John Scott. A lifelong resident of New Orleans, Scott attended St. Augustine High School for a year, graduating from Ben Franklin in 1998. On any given day, Ron Bechet, Martin Payton, Ellis Marsalis and a host of other artists could be found at the Scott home talking art and inspiring Scott’s path. Scott received his bachelor’s of art from Xavier University in 2003, continuing his master’s degree at The Institute of Design in Chicago, although he would ultimately leave the program after Hurricane Katrina to rebuild his parents’s home. Scott’s early series spoke to his journey as the son of an artist, the 2004 Tsunami in the Indian Ocean, and his own post-Katrina reclaiming of New Orleans. Collectively with friends, Scott started his design and clothing company, NOYO Designs Inc. and an open mic showcase highlighted by spoken word poetry, music and visual art named Pass It On in tribute to his father’s mantra. A favorite of many for Scott’s portraits of New Orleanians, the artist’s most recognizable works are his large-scale murals along Homer Plessy Way, on the wall of the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities and at Louis Armstrong Airport memorializing Leah Chase and several other places around the city of New Orleans. Over the years, Scott has worked in commercial graphic design while building on his art. Scott’s work incorporates digital design, paint, wood, cloth, paper, and found objects.

Mahmoud Chouki: Caravan—From Marrakech to New Orleans Concert & Vinyl Record Signing
2024-12-04 19:00 - 21:00
Celebrate the vinyl record release of Mahmoud Chouki’s highly anticipated album Caravan—From Marrakech to New Orleans with a live performance featuring a full band of surprise guests in NOMA’s Lapis Center for the Arts. Following the concert, Chouki will host a record signing in the Coleman Courtyard.
Café NOMA will be open with a happy hour menu for food service until 6:30 pm. Beverages will be available throughout the evening with seasonal drink specials.
Doors open at 6 pm. The concert starts at 7 pm and record signing begins at 8:30 pm.
Tickets are $30 | $15 for members
Purchase Tickets
Featured Musicians
Mahmoud Chouki – Guitar, Oud, Vocal
Jamison Ross – Drums, Producer
Dr. Michael White – Clarinet
Detroit Brooks Sr. – Guitar, Vocal
Jason Marsalis – Vibes
Ricardo Pascal – Saxophone
Simon Mouchabeck – Percussion
Martin Masakowski – Bass
and more!

About Mahmoud Chouki and Caravan—From Marrakech to New Orleans
Recorded at New Orleans Jazz Museum for its Gallatin Street Records label, Caravan—From Marrakech to New Orleans” was produced by Jamison Ross, and incorporates interpretations of jazz standards with Mahmoud Chouki’s original music.
After receiving acclaim from audiences across the globe, Chouki ventured to New Orleans eight years ago when he discovered Frenchmen Street’s dynamic club scene. Chouki heard “real live jazz in person for the first time” and he was astonished. Chouki explained, “…and then these wonderful musicians welcomed me to join them, although I did not speak English.”
Chouki’s talent spoke volumes. His musicianship and singular style were at once appreciated. Chouki continues to perform at a variety of venues with ensembles that highlight his Moroccan-cool compositions, brilliance on guitar, stunning improvisational skills, and charming charisma.
On this album, Chouki plays oud, guitar and banjo. Through numerous gigs and sessions, Chouki crossed paths with the stellar array of musicians who appear on Caravan,including Herlin Riley, Jason Marsalis, Dr. Michael White, John Boutte, and more.
Learn More About Mahmoud Chouki

Gallery Talk on Show & Tell: A Brief History of Photography and Text with Curator Brian Piper
2024-12-11 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.
Celebrating PhotoNOLA festival week, join Brian Piper, Freeman Family Curator of Photographs, Prints, and Drawings, for a conversation on Show & Tell: A Brief History of Photography and Text. This talk will be offered at 12:30 pm.
Free with museum admission. Louisiana residents receive free admission to NOMA on Wednesdays courtesy of The Helis Foundation. When you arrive at NOMA, check in at the front desk for directions to the appropriate gallery.

Ideas in Glass: Panel Discussion with Gene Koss and Deborah Czeresko
2024-12-11 18:30 - 20:00
In celebration of the exhibition Sand, Ash, Heat: Glass at the New Orleans Museum of Art, the museum is hosting studio glass artists Gene Koss and Deborah Czeresko in conversation with exhibition curator Mel Buchanan in NOMA’s Lapis Center for the Arts.
Doors open at 6 pm.The panel discussion begins at 6:30 pm and will be followed by a Q&A.
Free with museum admission. Louisiana residents receive free admission to NOMA on Wednesdays courtesy of The Helis Foundation. When you arrive at NOMA, check in at the admissions desk for directions to the Lapis Center for the Arts.
Register Now

About the Speakers
Gene Koss
Gene Koss founded the glass art program at Tulane University nearly fifty years ago and served as its head until his 2024 retirement. Koss’s exploration of glass began in the early 1970s alongside the emergence of the studio glass movement in the United States. The New Orleans– and Wisconsin-based artist has mentored generations of students while maintaining his own award-winning multimedia sculptural practice.
Deborah Czeresko
Deborah Czeresko brought her artistic voice in glass to a wider audience as the winner of the inaugural season of Netflix’s Blown Away in 2019. The New York City-based artist has been exploring her experiences as a queer, woman artist since the early 1990s, when she graduated from Tulane’s glass program.

Sand, Ash, Heat: Glass at the New Orleans Museum of Art is sponsored by the Eugenie and Joseph Jones Family Foundation. Additional support is provided by Susanne and David Purvis, the Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass, Harvey and Marie Orth, Robert and Pamela Steeg, Mary Beth & Sheldon Ray, in honor of Bettie Pendley, and Lori and John Solon.

Gallery Talk with NOMA’s Conservator of Objects Ingrid Seyb
2024-12-18 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 Ingrid Seyb, NOMA’s Conservator of Objects, for a conservation on Sand, Ash, Heat: Glass at the New Orleans Museum of Art. This talk will be offered at 12:30 pm.
Free with museum admission. Louisiana residents receive free admission to NOMA on Wednesdays courtesy of The Helis Foundation. When you arrive at NOMA, check in at the front desk for directions to the appropriate gallery.

Elders Sacred Talk Series
2024-12-18 18:00 - 19:15
NOMA and the Congo Square Preservation Society present the Elders Sacred Talk Series with prolific elder New Orleanians, celebrating the lives they lead while providing the opportunity for visitors to learn firsthand about the impact they’ve had on our city.
This month’s program honors Jennifer Turner and Chakula cha Jua.
Free with museum admission. Louisiana residents receive free admission to NOMA on Wednesdays courtesy of The Helis Foundation. When you arrive at NOMA, check in at the admissions desk for directions to the Lapis Center for the Arts.

About Jennifer Turner
Jennifer Turner, affectionately known as “Mama Jen,” is a community griot, an avid reader, and the longtime manager of Community Book Center, the literary hub of Black New Orleans. Born and reared in Central City on Liberty Street, Turner prides herself with studying and promulgating the history of African people in New Orleans, the nation, and the world. As a captivating storyteller, she weaves lessons that spark imagination, introspection, and a reverence for the contributions of peoples of African heritage. As the visionary of HomeFest, an annual celebration of culture and economic development on Bayou Road, she champions local Black artists and businesses. In the words of Ashé Cultural Arts Center Chief Equity Officer Asali DeVan Ecclesiastes, “Mama Jen is a reading missionary, progenitor of parables, connoisseur of information, and builder of intellect.” In 2022, the Southern University at New Orleans Center for African and African American Studies honored her with its Living Legend Award.
About Chakula cha Jua
Chakula cha Jua, an actor, playwright, poet, producer/director and educator, is a native New Orleanian and has been an active voice in the New Orleans Black community theater scene for more than fifty years. He performed and directed with the Free Southern Theater, the Congo Square Theater, the ACT I Players, Ashé Cultural Arts Center, Dillard and Xavier Universities, and his own company, the Chakula cha Jua Theater. His directorial treatment of Tom Dent’s Ritual Murder is one of his longest running productions. He has written plays for children and adults, and his poetry and essays have been published in Callaloo, The African American Review, A Bend in The River, and Word Up. A retired New Orleans Public School Talented in the Arts (Theater) teacher, cha Jua has received numerous awards including the Gambit Weekly’s Big Easy Award, the Mayor’s Arts Award, the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Artie Award, and the Big Chief Donald Harrison, Sr. Excellence in Teaching Award.
About Art Thrives
NOMA’s Art Thrives initiative presents creative aging programs designed to support visitors ages 55 and up. In addition to art-making workshops, courses, and opportunities for hands-on art-making, the Elders Sacred Talk Series is a platform for older adults to share their experiences with audiences of all ages.

Yoga in the Besthoff Sculpture Garden Every Saturday
2024-12-21 08:00 - 09:00 | Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden, 1 Collins Diboll Circle, New Orleans , LA, 70124
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.

Public Tours Every Wednesday and Saturday
2024-12-21 14:00 | New Orleans Museum of Art, 1 Collins Diboll Circle, New Orleans, LA, 70119
NOMA provides guided tours of the galleries with museum docents and staff every Wednesday and Saturday. During these tours, you’ll explore the museum’s permanent collection of nearly 50,000 works of art and exhibitions currently on view.
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.

Tai Chi in the Besthoff Sculpture Garden
2024-12-23 18:00 - 19:00 | Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden, 1 Collins Diboll Circle, New Orleans , LA, 70124
Explore movement and meditation during outdoor tai chi classes in NOMA’s Besthoff Sculpture Garden every Monday evening.
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.
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.

Canceled Due to Weather | Yoga in the Besthoff Sculpture Garden Every Saturday
2025-01-11 08:00 - 09:00 | 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.
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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.
