New Orleans Museum of Art

Gallery Talk with Melinda Nelson-Hurst
2022-06-15 12:00 - 12:30 (America/Chicago)
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, Egyptologist Melinda Nelson-Hurst discusses hieroglyphs in the context of the special exhibition Queen Nefertari’s Egypt.
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.
Get Tickets
To book your ticket in advance, click the link above and select the day for the gallery talk you’d like to attend.

Education and outreach initiatives at NOMA are supported in part by the Zemurray Foundation; the Lois and Lloyd Hawkins Jr. Foundation; The Helis Foundation; The Gayle and Tom Benson Foundation; The City of New Orleans; IBERIABANK; The Wagner Foundation; Janice Parmelee and Bill Hammack; the Diversifying Art Museum Leadership Initiative, funded by the Walton Family Foundation and the Ford Foundation; Sara and David Kelso; Patrick F. Taylor Foundation; Dr. Scott S. Cowen; The RosaMary Foundation; The Azby Fund; the Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, Recreation & Tourism, in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts, a Federal agency; The Collins C. Diboll Private Foundation; Burkenroad Foundation; Marian Dreux Van Horn Education Endowment; The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; Ruby K. Worner Trust through the PNC Charitable Trusts Grant Review Committee; The Harry T. Howard III Foundation; New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Foundation, Inc.; Harvey and Marie Orth; The Bruce J. Heim Foundation; and Mrs. Bennett A. Molter, Jr. This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.

CANCELED | Artful Palate with Café NOMA
2022-06-14 18:00 - 19:00
Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group and Café NOMA present a special series of Artful Palate cooking demonstrations at the museum! Taking inspiration from Queen Nefertari’s Egypt, these editions of Artful Palate bring Egyptian-born chefs from near and far to bring the flavors and culinary history of the country to you.
Unfortunately, we will not be hosting Artful Palate on June 14. We look forward to bringing the series back soon.

Summer Camp Session 1: Sensing Is Knowing (Ages 5–7)
2022-06-13 - 2022-06-17
This year, we’re excited to launch a reimagined Summer Camp at NOMA! Weeklong camp sessions offer small-group experiences devoted to a single age group at a time.
Session 1: Sensing is Knowing (Ages 5–7) | June 13–17
What can our five senses tell us about our world? Explore how sight, smell, taste, touch, and hearing can be a part of experiencing and making art.
Learn more and register

Our Big Idea of the Summer…Ways of Knowing
This summer—after a year requiring incredible flexibility, strength, and resilience—we are slowing down to consider the various ways in which we take in and understand our world—to not only survive and adapt, but to thrive!
Our big idea of the summer, Ways of Knowing, celebrates what and how we come to know what we know. Weekly sub-themes help campers dig deeper into some of the ways we build our personal truths through observation and the five senses; emotion; memory; reason; and imagination.
All Summer Camp Sessions
Session 1: June 13-17 | Ages 5-7 | Sensing is Knowing Sensory Perception
Session 2: June 20-24 | Ages 8-10 | Remember When? Memory
Session 3: June 27-July 1 | Ages 5-7 | Think Beyond Imagination
Session 4: July 11-15 | Ages 8-10 | If/Then Reason and Experimentation
Session 5: July 18-22 | Ages 8-10 | Only I Know Personal Truths and Identity
Session 6: July 25-29 | Ages 11-13 | Pre-Teen Intensive: Ways of Knowing

Akhnaten
2022-06-11 13:00 - 16:30 | NOMA’s Lapis Center for the Arts
In conjunction with the current exhibition Queen Nefertari’s Egypt, the New Orleans Museum of Art and the New Orleans Opera present a screening of Akhnaten in NOMA’s Lapis Center for the Arts. This recording is from the Metropolitan Opera’s award-winning Live in HD series.
Director Phelim McDermott interprets one of composer Philip Glass’s modern masterpieces, Akhnaten—presented during the Met’s 2019–20 season. In this version, star countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo plays the revolutionary ruler who transformed ancient Egypt. To match the opera’s hypnotic, ritualistic music, McDermott offers an arresting vision that includes a virtuosic company of acrobats and jugglers. Karen Kamensek conducts.
Click here to learn more about this special presentation.
Admission is free, but registration is required. This event is currently at capacity. Please add your name to the waitlist below to be notified if additional tickets become available.
SIGN UP FOR THE WAITLIST
Please note: Tickets for this screening do not include admission to the museum or the exhibition Queen Nefertari’s Egypt. If you’d like to book tickets to see the museum, we recommend reserving tickets the morning before the event, as the galleries close at 5 pm. Food and beverages are available to purchase from Café NOMA.
[Photo: Karen Almond / Met Opera]

About Queen Nefertari’s Egypt
Queen Nefertari’s Egypt brings to life the role of Nefertari and other powerful women in ancient Egypt through 230 exceptional objects, including statues, jewelry, vases, papyrus, steles, wooden coffins, and stone sarcophagi, as well as tools and various items of daily life from the artisan village of Deir-el-Medina, home to those who created the royal tombs.
Learn More

Food as Medicine: New Orleans Cuisine with Healthy Alternatives
2022-06-08 17:00 - 19:00 | Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden, 1 Collins Diboll Circle, New Orleans , LA, 70124
As one of the culinary capitals of the world, New Orleans’s cuisine is one of the city’s most notable attributes. While many of these dishes are world renowned, their nutrition and healthiness is sometimes compromised during their creation. Lower 9th Ward native Courtney Clark has dedicated much of her multidisciplinary creative practice to community food justice organizing in an attempt to combat many of the diet-related diseases that exist within many of New Orleans’s communities.
Clark is a member of NOMA’s Creative Assembly Cohort and will lead a food demonstration in the amphitheater of NOMA’s Besthoff Sculpture Garden on June 8 from 5 to 7 pm. During this workshop, attendees will learn how to make healthy alternatives to well-known New Orleans dishes and also experience a performance from Big Chief Romeo Bougere of the 9th Ward Hunters.
This event is free and open to the public. The first 50 registrants will be guaranteed a tasting of the food made by Clark during the demonstration.
Register Now
Please note that this is an outdoor event with seating on the grass in the amphitheater. We welcome bringing your own folding chair or blanket to sit on.
About Courtney Clark
Courtney Clark is a native of the Lower 9th Ward of New Orleans and has worked as an artist, school teacher, community food justice organizer, and mental health advocate, throughout her eclectic career. Between 2015 and 2020, Clark served as Programming Coordinator for Backyard Gardeners Network (BGN), spearheading its Food As Medicine program—a 10-week health and nutrition workshop series for adults which focused on food as a primary source of healing. In 2016, Clark was selected to serve as a U.S. delegate by Slow Food USA for the Terra Madre del Gusto Food conference in Turin, Italy. NOLA.com recognized her as an Everyday Hero in 2017 and JJill and Food Network as an Inspired Woman for her work in 2020. Clark was chosen by The Greater New Orleans Foundation as an Emerging Leader in 2017.
Learn more
About Creative Assembly
Creative Assembly is a community engagement initiative by the New Orleans Museum of Art that uses neighborhood-based participatory art experiences as a vehicle for personal exploration, community collaboration, and social change.
Learn more
NOMA’s Creative Assembly community engagement initiative is supported by the Wagner Foundation.

Gallery Talk
2022-06-08 12:00 - 12:30, 2022-05-04 12:00 - 12:30, 2022-04-27 12:00 - 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.
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.
Get Tickets
To book your ticket in advance, click the link above and select the day for the gallery talk you’d like to attend.

Education and outreach initiatives at NOMA are supported in part by the Zemurray Foundation; the Lois and Lloyd Hawkins Jr. Foundation; The Helis Foundation; The Gayle and Tom Benson Foundation; The City of New Orleans; IBERIABANK; The Wagner Foundation; Janice Parmelee and Bill Hammack; the Diversifying Art Museum Leadership Initiative, funded by the Walton Family Foundation and the Ford Foundation; Sara and David Kelso; Patrick F. Taylor Foundation; Dr. Scott S. Cowen; The RosaMary Foundation; The Azby Fund; the Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, Recreation & Tourism, in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts, a Federal agency; The Collins C. Diboll Private Foundation; Burkenroad Foundation; Marian Dreux Van Horn Education Endowment; The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; Ruby K. Worner Trust through the PNC Charitable Trusts Grant Review Committee; The Harry T. Howard III Foundation; New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Foundation, Inc.; Harvey and Marie Orth; The Bruce J. Heim Foundation; and Mrs. Bennett A. Molter, Jr. This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Tai Chi in the Sculpture Garden
2022-06-06 18:00 - 19:00 | Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden, 1 Collins Diboll Circle, New Orleans , LA, 70124
NOMA, in collaboration with the East Jefferson General Hospital Wellness Center, presents tai chi classes on Monday evenings.
Join instructor Terry Rappold as he leads participants through relaxing tai chi exercises in the Besthoff Sculpture Garden. Please meet at the main entrance to the sculpture garden located on Dueling Oaks Drive.
Classes are $5 | FREE for NOMA and EJGH Wellness Center members
Register Now

For more information, call 504.658.4128 or email education@noma.org.
Registration will remain open until 3 pm the evening prior to class. Currently, these classes are outside only, and will be cancelled for severe weather. Registrants will be notified of cancellation via email by 5pm the evening prior to each class.

Mini Masters at the Library
2022-06-06 10:30 - 11:30 | Norman Mayer Library, 3001 Gentilly Boulevard, New Orleans, LA, 70122, United States
NOMA and the New Orleans Public Library (NOPL) have partnered to bring together art and early literacy activities for this community program designed for children ages 2–5 and their caregivers. Inspired by NOMA’s Mini Masters, an arts-integration program that provides visual arts experiences and museum interaction for preschool students, participants of Mini Masters at the Library will engage in hands-on art making activities and develop the early literacy skills needed to become ready to read. Picture books will be provided by NOPL.
Monday, June 6 — Communities and Culture: Exploring our world creatively with people, places, and things (Register now)
Monday, June 13 — Our Environment: A focus on seasons, weather, plants, water, astronomy, and recycling (Register now)
Monday, July 11 — Elements of Art: Awareness of shape, color, line, space, texture, form and value (Register now)
Monday, July 18 — Living Creatures: An artistic look at animals, insects, and their habitats (Register now)
This program is free and open to the public, but registration is required. Please note: Each session takes place at the Norman Mayer Library (3001 Gentilly Boulevard).

Sponsored by The City of New Orleans, First Horizon, Janice Parmelee and Bill Hammack, Sara and David Kelso, and The Patrick F. Taylor Foundation.

Pass It On Open Mic & Showcase: Queens Carved in Time
2022-06-05 17:00 - 19:00
In conjunction with Queen Nefertari’s Egypt, Pass It On hosts its monthly open mic and showcase at NOMA in the courtyard featuring artist John T. Scott’s Spirit Gates.
In collaboration with the All About Love Education Studio and the Queens of the Washitaw Nation, this program is the culmination of a Creative Assembly Connector Residency led by Brit Lindsey and Pass It On that featured weekly workshops for youth led by a range of New Orleans artists including poets, fashion designers, visual artists, and Black Masking Indian Queens. These workshops included artist-led design prompts which utilized the medium of sewing as a community responsibility and cathartic artistic ritual.
Join us in shining light on and basking in the light of these young artists, alongside live performances from other artists. We celebrate the connection between sewing and connection to culture with Big Queen Ausettua along with the visual design brilliance of Lana Meyon and students from Lawerence D. Crocker. We also have a very special lineup featuring Sha’Condria “iCon” Sibley, Chasity Hunter, Naomi Daugherty, Akilah Toney, and Preach; and music from Charm Taylor, Bobbi Rae, and The Vibe. The program will also feature a special activation of Spirit Gates by percussionist Nita Bailey.
Free and open to the public. When you arrive, please check in at the event entrance located in the outdoor courtyard on the left hand side of the building.
Register Now

About Brit Lindsey
Brit Lindsey is an educator, equitable education advocate, social worker, creative entrepreneur, and art director. Hurricane Katrina and a full scholarship to play basketball at Tulane University drew her to New Orleans from Atlanta, Georgia in 2006, and she’s held permanent residence ever since.
She is the owner of Master Minds Private Tutoring, a New Orleans-based tutoring service that caters to Children of HUE and members of the LGBTQIA+ Community. She recently founded the HUEMan Development Project. This work and the inspiration for the creation of this nonprofit is rooted in community responsibility, self-actualization, and entrepreneurial equity in New Orleans. Brit is particularly interested in assisting children of HUE along their journey of identity exploration, through intergenerational mentorship and community service.

About Pass It On
Pass It On is an art and performance series dedicated to the advancement and preservation of New Orleans’s multicultural artisan community, through the integration of visual art, music, and spoken word.
Created in 2008, the series sought to reestablish New Orleans’s cultural footprint post-Katrina. Pass It On, a name derived from John T. Scott’s philosophy, that if ever he was to do a good deed or kindness for someone, that instead of being thanked, he would ask that person to “pass it on.” Here, “it” represents the idea of caring for each other, the energy of service to one another, and the responsibility of love when paying kindness forward.
Pass It On now enjoys an expansive network of celebrated poets, visual artists, musicians, educators, activists, youth, and cultural institutions—all who pass on the tradition of community narration through spoken word, indigenous jazz and progressive music culture and visual arts.

About Creative Assembly
Creative Assembly is a community engagement initiative by the New Orleans Museum of Art that uses neighborhood-based participatory art experiences as a vehicle for personal exploration, community collaboration, and social change.
Learn more
NOMA’s Creative Assembly community engagement initiative is supported by the Wagner Foundation.

Young Audiences of Louisiana Baby Artsplay! at NOMA
2022-06-04 10:30 | New Orleans Museum of Art, 1 Collins Diboll Circle, New Orleans, LA, 70119
Young Audiences of Louisiana (YALA) presents a free six-part workshop series for children ages 12–24 months and their caregivers—inspired by works on view at NOMA!
In person at the museum, YALA’s workshops provide engaging arts-based activities designed to instruct caregivers on how to use the arts at home to promote early learning. Lessons are conducted by certified Louisiana Wolf Trap Teaching Artists, who have expertly crafted multi-sensory experiences that foster children’s natural curiosity for learning.
Baby Artsplay!: Little Helpers
June 4 | Oh, What a Feeling! (Emotional Development) — Register Now
June 11 | Hello, Friend… (Social Skills) — Register Now
June 18 | Express Yourself (Early Language) — Register Now
June 25 | Tiny Motor Scooters (Fine Motor Skills) — Register Now
July 2 | Baby Balancing Acts (Bilateral Integration) — Register Now
July 9 | Tiny Household Helpers (Multiple Development Areas — Register Now
Each workshop is free with advanced registration, thanks to support from The Helis Foundation.

About Young Audiences of Louisiana
Young Audiences of Louisiana (YALA) is the leading provider of arts education and integration programs in the state of Louisiana. Founded in 1962 to bring chamber musicians into local classrooms, YALA has adapted and evolved to meet the ever-changing needs of youth throughout the state through its mission of “inspiring, empowering, and uniting children and communities through education, arts, and culture.” YALA offers a comprehensive and creative approach to educating young minds. Fortified with years of experience, YALA draws upon New Orleans’s strong arts culture to provide young people with tools to impact their worlds using art. Through school performances, arts-integrated residencies, extended learning programs and community workshops YALA not only impacts the children of New Orleans, but makes intentional contact with the influential adults in their lives.
About Wolf Trap
Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts is a recognized leader in early childhood arts-integrated learning and instruction. Wolf Trap Institute is scaled nationally, with 17 affiliated organizations and numerous partners in 30 states that deliver arts-integrated education experiences to 60,000 teachers, parents/caregivers, and students annually. Young Audiences of Louisiana is the Louisiana Affiliate of Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts.
About The Helis Foundation
The Helis Foundation is a Louisiana private foundation, established and funded by the William Helis Family. The Art Funds of The Helis Foundation advance access to the arts for the community through contributions that sustain operations for, provide free admission to, acquire works of art, and underwrite major exhibitions and projects of institutions within the Greater New Orleans area.

First Fridays at NOMA: Garden of Earthly Delights
2022-06-03 18:00 - 22:00 | New Orleans Museum of Art, 1 Collins Diboll Circle, New Orleans, LA, 70119
#ExploreNOMA after hours
The museum is open late night for an evening packed with musical performances, tours, and special pop-ups.
Each month, the museum presents First Fridays at NOMA, an after-hours inclusive programmatic mix of live DJs and bands; local creatives speaking about their favorite works of art; a range of performance and dance; and unique experiences of all kinds in response to art from across time and place.
Participants will meet artists, get creative, and immerse themselves in New Orleans’s creative community. For this month’s First Fridays program, we’re heading outside for a night inspired by all that the Besthoff Sculpture Garden has to offer.

Garden of Earthly Delights | June 3
Join us in the Besthoff Sculpture Garden for a night inspired by the joys of New Orleans and its landscape.
Buy Tickets

Check out this month’s line-up below:

Performance by Kumasi Afrobeat Orchestra
8:30–9:45 pm in the Besthoff Sculpture Garden Amphitheater
Kumasi is New Orleans’ own full Afrobeat orchestra. They fell in love with a style of music created over 50 years ago by Fela Kuti and Tony Allen, and now they are bringing it to the people of New Orleans. You can expect lots of Fela tunes and some Afrofunk from ’70s Ghana and Benin, but the majority of Kumasi’s live show features original music stemming from West African concepts, composed to make any crowd move and groove.

Performance by Susanne Ortner Trio
7–8 pm in the Amphitheater
Driven by an “addictive yearning” for deep connection, this stellar trio led by German-born reed player Susanne Ortner explores often overlooked 20th-century repertoire tunes from disparate traditions—with great sensitivity, communication, and fire. The German newspaper Augsburger Allgemeine states that Ortmer is “a musician par excellence, capable of moving you deeply.”

Photo by Keyone Glover
Pop-Up Performances by Mélange Dance Company
6:45, 7:45, and 8:45 pm Throughout the Sculpture Garden
Mélange Dance Company was founded in 2014 by Founding Artistic Director Monica Ordoñez and Executive Director Alexa Erck Lambert. Inspired by the beauty and strength in the diversity of its dancers’ various cultures, backgrounds, identities, abilities, and techniques, Mélange is a New Orleans-based nonprofit presenting unique productions that are rich, diverse, and thought-provoking.

DJ sets from Delores Galore
6:00–7:00 pm and 8:00–8:30 pm by the Sculpture Garden Pavilion
Based out of New Orleans, Delores Galore is creating synth sounds inspired from all decades. Her new album, Don’t Get It Twisted, reflects Galore’s battle with everyday obstacles and how to push forward with resilience, and strength.

Photo by Justen Williams for New Orleans & Co.
Exclusive Late Night Access to Queen Nefertari’s Egypt
6–10 pm Inside the Museum
Experience the wonders of Queen Nefertari’s Egypt during extended museum hours. Admission to this special exhibition is included with your ticket to First Fridays at NOMA. You’ll have access to the entire night’s events from 6 to 10 pm, but you will need to select a timed ticket for when you’re able to view this special exhibition. Even if you don’t plan on visiting Queen Nefertari’s Egypt, you still need to select a time when checking out.

Triptychs in the Trees Art-Making Activity
6–10 pm on the North Lawn of the Besthoff Sculpture Garden
Get creative with a hands-on art-making activity inspired by all the earthly delights of the Besthoff Sculpture Garden.

A Full Bar and a Special Food Menu
6–9 pm at Café NOMA
A limited-time-only menu of Queen Nefertari’s Egypt–inspired snacks and beverages are available for purchase inside the museum at Café NOMA.

Ticketing and Admission
$30 General Admission | $15 for Members
Buy Tickets
Because admission to Queen Nefertari’s Egypt is included with your ticket, you must select a timed ticket your visit. You’ll have access to the entire night’s events from 6 to 10 pm, but that selected time will be when you’re able to view this special exhibition. Even if you don’t plan to visit Queen Nefertari’s Egypt, you still need to select a time when checking out.
Please note that food and drinks are not included in the ticket price. They are available for purchase directly from our partner vendors.

Additional Credits
Mahmoud Chouki
NOMA is pleased to work with internationally renowned multi-instrumentalist and composer Mahmoud Chouki, who is organizing musical performances for each First Fridays program in collaboration with museum staff.
Thank You to Our Supporters
First Fridays at NOMA is supported in part by grant funds from the Azby Fund; 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. Funding has also been provided by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Gallery Talk with Joseph Darensbourg
2022-06-01 12:00 - 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, Creative Assembly Cohort member Joseph Darensbourg gives a talk titled “Loot, Lute, L’Oud: How the World Went Crazy over Egypt” and shares a special musical performance.
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.
Get Tickets
To book your ticket in advance, click the link above and select the day for the gallery talk you’d like to attend.

Education and outreach initiatives at NOMA are supported in part by the Zemurray Foundation; the Lois and Lloyd Hawkins Jr. Foundation; The Helis Foundation; The Gayle and Tom Benson Foundation; The City of New Orleans; IBERIABANK; The Wagner Foundation; Janice Parmelee and Bill Hammack; the Diversifying Art Museum Leadership Initiative, funded by the Walton Family Foundation and the Ford Foundation; Sara and David Kelso; Patrick F. Taylor Foundation; Dr. Scott S. Cowen; The RosaMary Foundation; The Azby Fund; the Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, Recreation & Tourism, in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts, a Federal agency; The Collins C. Diboll Private Foundation; Burkenroad Foundation; Marian Dreux Van Horn Education Endowment; The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; Ruby K. Worner Trust through the PNC Charitable Trusts Grant Review Committee; The Harry T. Howard III Foundation; New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Foundation, Inc.; Harvey and Marie Orth; The Bruce J. Heim Foundation; and Mrs. Bennett A. Molter, Jr. This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Virtual Book Club Discussion: Enrique Alférez
2022-05-31 12:00
Please note: This program has been rescheduled to Tuesday, May 31, at 12 pm.
The NOMA Book Club meets monthly to discuss fiction and nonfiction books related to art in NOMA’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! In addition to monthly virtual book discussions, the Book Club meets periodically in person for curatorial programs related to the book selections.
Books are selected in advance and planned for the entire year according to the exhibition schedule. Participants are expected to procure their own copy of the selected titles. Most of the titles are available for purchase in store at the NOMA Museum Shop.
For more information on the NOMA Book Club please contact NOMA’s Curator of Education, Tracy Kennan, at tkennan@noma.org or (504) 658-4113.
Register Now
May 2022
Virtual Book Discussion Group | Tuesday, May 31, 12 PM

Enrique Alférez: Sculptor by Katie Bowler Young
The Historic New Orleans Collection, 020, ISBN: 978-0-917860-85-0
Enrique Alférez, born in Zacatecas, Mexico, lived nearly the entire 20th century. After service in the Mexican Revolution as a youth, he emigrated to Texas; studied in Chicago; and, in 1929, first made his way to Louisiana. For almost 70 years, he worked in New Orleans. His lasting imprint is seen among figurative sculptures, monuments, fountains, and architectural details in prominent locations from the Central Business District to the shore of Lake Pontchartrain and beyond.
Author Katie Bowler Young has gained unprecedented access to Alférez’s personal and family holdings and has crafted a poetic evocation of the life and work of this preeminent artist.

Education and outreach initiatives at NOMA are supported in part by the Zemurray Foundation; the Lois and Lloyd Hawkins Jr. Foundation; The Helis Foundation; The Gayle and Tom Benson Foundation; The City of New Orleans; IBERIABANK; The Wagner Foundation; Janice Parmelee and Bill Hammack; the Diversifying Art Museum Leadership Initiative, funded by the Walton Family Foundation and the Ford Foundation; Sara and David Kelso; Patrick F. Taylor Foundation; Dr. Scott S. Cowen; The RosaMary Foundation; The Azby Fund; the Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, Recreation & Tourism, in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts, a Federal agency; The Collins C. Diboll Private Foundation; Burkenroad Foundation; Marian Dreux Van Horn Education Endowment; The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; Ruby K. Worner Trust through the PNC Charitable Trusts Grant Review Committee; The Harry T. Howard III Foundation; New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Foundation, Inc.; Harvey and Marie Orth; The Bruce J. Heim Foundation; and Mrs. Bennett A. Molter, Jr. This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.

CreativeMornings New Orleans with Hannah Chalew
2022-05-27 08:30 - 10:00 | NOMA’s Lapis Center for the Arts
CreativeMornings New Orleans is back at NOMA on Friday, May 27, for a presentation by artist Hannah Chalew in NOMA’s Lapis Center for the Arts. Doors open at 8:30 am, and the event begins at 9 am.
Register Now
About CreativeMornings
CreativeMornings is a free monthly speaker series for the creative community. Started in 2008, CreativeMornings now serves over 200 cities. Chapters around the world host events based on a common theme. The theme for May 2022 is “Now.”
About Hannah Chalew
Hannah Chalew is an artist, educator, and environmental activist raised and currently working in New Orleans. She received her BA from Brandeis University in 2009 and her MFA from the Cranbrook Academy of Art in 2016. Chalew has exhibited widely around New Orleans and has shown around the country at Laumeier Sculpture Park, St. Louis, MO; Dieu Donné, New York, NY; Asheville Museum of Art, Asheville, NC; Minnesota Center for the Book Arts; and other venues. Her work is held in the collections of the City of New Orleans and the Ogden Museum of Southern Art. Her work is included in two creative atlases by writer and activist Rebecca Solnit, Unfathomable City: A New Orleans Atlas, co-authored with Rebecca Snedeker, and Nonstop Metropolis: A New York City Atlas, co-authored with Joshua Jelly-Schapiro. In 2021, she received the Monroe Fellowship Research Grant to create ink from fossil fuel pollution in collaboration with fence-line communities in Southern Louisiana.

Gallery Talk with Mel Buchanan
2022-05-25 12:00 - 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, curator Mel Buchanan discusses works in Katherine Choy: Radical Potter in 1950s New Orleans.
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.
Get Tickets
To book your ticket in advance, click the link above and select the day for the gallery talk you’d like to attend.

Education and outreach initiatives at NOMA are supported in part by the Zemurray Foundation; the Lois and Lloyd Hawkins Jr. Foundation; The Helis Foundation; The Gayle and Tom Benson Foundation; The City of New Orleans; IBERIABANK; The Wagner Foundation; Janice Parmelee and Bill Hammack; the Diversifying Art Museum Leadership Initiative, funded by the Walton Family Foundation and the Ford Foundation; Sara and David Kelso; Patrick F. Taylor Foundation; Dr. Scott S. Cowen; The RosaMary Foundation; The Azby Fund; the Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, Recreation & Tourism, in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts, a Federal agency; The Collins C. Diboll Private Foundation; Burkenroad Foundation; Marian Dreux Van Horn Education Endowment; The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; Ruby K. Worner Trust through the PNC Charitable Trusts Grant Review Committee; The Harry T. Howard III Foundation; New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Foundation, Inc.; Harvey and Marie Orth; The Bruce J. Heim Foundation; and Mrs. Bennett A. Molter, Jr. This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Family Festival: The Mighty Mississippi
2022-05-22 10:00 - 15:00 | Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden, 1 Collins Diboll Circle, New Orleans , LA, 70124
Update, May 21: Due to the weather forecast on Sunday, the Family Festival will be moved indoors to accommodate the planned activities. We look forward to seeing you tomorrow!
Kids and grown-ups are invited to enjoy a day of family-friendly activities and art-making inspired by the Mississippi River and its ties to New Orleans.

Eco-Futurisms art-making activity with Alaina Comeaux | Coleman Courtyard
Mapping Together art-making activity | Elevator Lobby by Café
Pop-up History of the Land Workshop with Grow Dat Youth Farm | Lapis Center
11:30 am and 1:30 pm: Garden Walk with the Water Collaborative | begins in the Great Hall
1 pm: Performance by the Youth Empowerment Project Drumline | Lapis Center
Food available for purchase at Café NOMA

Admission and programming are free for families. Pre-registration is encouraged.
Register Now

About Our Programming & Partners
Pop-Up Workshops: History of the Land with Grow Dat Youth Farm
10 am–3 pm | Lapis Center
Grow Dat’s History of the Land outdoor museum asks the question “What’s happened right here?”. We explore what City Park’s land has looked like in the past—tracing Indigenous histories, stories of enslavement and emancipation, segregation and Civil Rights, all the way to the present day. By looking thoughtfully and critically at these histories, we set the stage for an interactive art project that envisions what City Park should look like in the future. Come join the conversation!
Grow Dat Youth Farm, located in City Park, is dedicated to nurturing a diverse group of young leaders through the meaningful work of growing food. Learn more about Grow Dat at growdatyouthfarm.org.
Family Garden Walk with the Water Collaborative
11:30 am–12:00 pm and 1:30–2:00 pm | Meet in the Great Hall
How does water show up in our lives here in New Orleans? Sculptures in the garden help tell the story of New Orleans’ relationship with water through this interactive walk for families. At each stop, you’ll look closely at artworks to think and learn about all things water—from the river’s formation to flood management, green infrastructure, and more!
The Water Collaborative of Greater New Orleans seeks to build a diverse network for all impacted by flood risk by focusing on equitable practices to sustainably live and thrive with water. Learn more about the Water Collaborative at nolawater.org.
Art-Making: Eco-Futurisms with Alaina Comeaux
10 am–3 pm | Coleman Courtyard
What do you dream of for our ecosystem’s future? Capture your dreams for a greener city, country, and planet in this flower-pressing and watercolor art-making activity.
Alaina Comeaux (they/them) is an artist and educator who grew up along the banks of the Bayou Teche on the Louisiana Gulf Coast and now resides and works between the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain. They use art as a means of processing personal and communal grief and joy around the environment and climate change.
Performance by the Youth Empowerment Project Drumline
1 pm | Lapis Center
Founded in 2004, Youth Empowerment Project (YEP) engages young people through community-based education, mentoring, employment readiness, and enrichment programming to help them develop skills and strengthen ties to family and community. YEP’s core purpose is to empower young people to improve their lives and the lives of others. YEP Enriches, an after-school and summer enrichment program for youth, ages 7 to 18, boasts the talented youth Drumline who showcases New Orleans’ distinct musical heritage and culture at events throughout the city. Learn more about YEP at youthempowermentproject.org.

Education and outreach initiatives at NOMA are supported in part by The Gayle and Tom Benson Foundation; the Lois and Lloyd Hawkins Jr. Foundation; The Helis Foundation; The City of New Orleans; IBERIABANK|First Horizon; Janice Parmelee and Bill Hammack; Sara and David Kelso; Patrick F. Taylor Foundation; The RosaMary Foundation; The Azby Fund; the Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, Recreation & Tourism, in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts, a Federal agency; The Collins C. Diboll Private Foundation; Burkenroad Foundation; Marian Dreux Van Horn Education Endowment; Karen and Henry Coaxum; Harvey and Marie Orth; and The Bruce J. Heim Foundation.

The NOLA Project’s Treasure Island
2022-05-11 19:30 - 20:00
The NOLA Project returns to the Besthoff Sculpture Garden with all-new production Treasure Island. Inspired by Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic tale, this interpretation is directed by A.J. Allegra and written by A.J. Allegra, James Bartelle, and Alex Martinez Wallace.
The Story
Jim Hawkins and his mother Ruth are simple innkeepers in a quiet seaside English village. All that changes following the surprise visit of a mysterious sailor on the run from a one-legged pirate named Silver. Soon, they find themselves headed straight for adventure on a ship bound for the West Indies and the infamous Skull Island.
Ticketing and Performance Information
Seating is bring-your-own. Food trucks and a bar will be on site nightly. Doors open at 6:30 pm and performances begin at 7:30 pm each evening.
General admission for adults is $35 | $25 for NOMA members | $20 for guests under 21
Performances take place on the following dates: Wednesday, May 11; Thursday, May 12; Friday, May 13; Wednesday, May 18; Thursday, May 19; Friday, May 20; Sunday, May 22; Tuesday, May 24; Wednesday, May 25; Thursday, May 26; Friday, May 27.
Get more information and purchase tickets

Presentation of Treasure Island is supported by a grant from the New Orleans Theatre Association.

Public Tour of Queen Nefertari’s Egypt
2022-05-11 13:00
Join a docent-led tour of Queen Nefertari’s Egypt every Wednesday and Saturday at 1 pm. These tours are free with your admission to this special exhibition, but do have capacity restrictions.
How to Sign Up

Purchase a ticket to Queen Nefertari’s Egypt for 1 pm on the Wednesday or Saturday you’re planning to visit. A timed ticket is required to view the exhibition.
Sign up for the complimentary tour at the front desk when you arrive at the museum. Tours are first-come, first-served.
Meet outside of the exhibition at 1 pm.

About Queen Nefertari’s Egypt
Queen Nefertari’s Egypt brings to life the role of Nefertari and other powerful women in ancient Egypt through 230 exceptional objects, including statues, jewelry, vases, papyrus, steles, wooden coffins, and stone sarcophagi, as well as tools and various items of daily life from the artisan village of Deir-el-Medina, home to those who created the royal tombs.
Learn More

Gallery Talk with Melinda Nelson-Hurst
2022-05-11 12:00 - 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, Egyptologist Melinda Nelson-Hurst discusses hieroglyphics in the context of current special exhibition Queen Nefertari’s Egypt.
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.
Get Tickets
To book your ticket in advance, click the link above and select the day for the gallery talk you’d like to attend.

Education and outreach initiatives at NOMA are supported in part by the Zemurray Foundation; the Lois and Lloyd Hawkins Jr. Foundation; The Helis Foundation; The Gayle and Tom Benson Foundation; The City of New Orleans; IBERIABANK; The Wagner Foundation; Janice Parmelee and Bill Hammack; the Diversifying Art Museum Leadership Initiative, funded by the Walton Family Foundation and the Ford Foundation; Sara and David Kelso; Patrick F. Taylor Foundation; Dr. Scott S. Cowen; The RosaMary Foundation; The Azby Fund; the Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, Recreation & Tourism, in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts, a Federal agency; The Collins C. Diboll Private Foundation; Burkenroad Foundation; Marian Dreux Van Horn Education Endowment; The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; Ruby K. Worner Trust through the PNC Charitable Trusts Grant Review Committee; The Harry T. Howard III Foundation; New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Foundation, Inc.; Harvey and Marie Orth; The Bruce J. Heim Foundation; and Mrs. Bennett A. Molter, Jr. This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.

First Fridays at NOMA: Jazzy Fête
2022-05-06 18:00 - 22:00 | New Orleans Museum of Art, 1 Collins Diboll Circle, New Orleans, LA, 70119
#ExploreNOMA after hours.
The museum is open late night for an evening packed with musical performances, gallery tours, and special pop-ups.
Each month, the museum presents First Fridays at NOMA, an after-hours inclusive programmatic mix of live DJs and bands; local creatives speaking about their favorite works of art; a range of performance and dance; and unique experiences of all kinds in response to art from across time and place.
Participants will meet artists, get creative, and immerse themselves in New Orleans’s creative community.

Jazzy Fête | May 6
Join us for the perfect Jazz Fest afterparty with a night inspired by all that our city has to offer. This night includes live musical performances, gallery talks throughout the museum, art-making activities, and more.
Check out this month’s line-up below:

Late night access to the once-in-a-lifetime exhibition Queen Nefertari’s Egypt
A performance from Brad Walker & Extended in NOMA’s Lapis Center for the Arts featuring live digital painting from Monica Kelly
Music in the Great Hall from Hanna Mignano Trio
A special oud lute performance from Creative Assembly Cohort member Joseph Darensbourg
Jazz-inspired gallery talks
An art-making activity designed for all ages
A Queen Nefertari–themed menu and a full bar from Café NOMA*

Buy Tickets
$30 General Admission | $15 for Members
Because admission to Queen Nefertari’s Egypt is included with your ticket, you must select a timed ticket your visit. You’ll have access to the entire night’s events from 6 to 10 pm, but that selected time will be when you’re able to view this special exhibition. Even if you don’t plan to visit Queen Nefertari’s Egypt, you still need to select a time when checking out.
*Please note that food and drinks are not included in the ticket price. They are available for purchase directly from our partner vendors.

Brad Walker & Extended
An ongoing collaboration between two of the most compelling forces on the New Orleans creative music scene: Brad Walker, with a decade of award-nominated and nationally-reviewed records, creating alongside Extended, which features three of the leading lights of the jazz scene in New Orleans: Oscar Rossignoli (piano), Matt Booth (bass), and Brad Webb (drums). This project is the result of extensive work together during the Covid-19 shutdown, the culmination of which is a brand-new set of unique and compelling original music, developed together in isolation during some of the darkest months of the pandemic.

Monica Kelly
Monica Rose Kelly is an analog and digital artist offering fine art, murals and illustration through her business of 10 years, Monica Kelly Studio. She has worked extensively within the music community of New Orleans creating visual art for bands, festivals and music venues. Her new modality of live digital improv painting is a groundbreaking innovation in the performance arts, and she is thrilled to collaborate with some of our city’s best jazz musicians in presenting this new form of expression.

Hanna Mignano Trio
The Hanna Mignano Trio is a jazz manouche/New Orleans jazz band that combines their passion for music with a love for urban exploration. Led by violinist/composer Hanna Mignano, the group is heavily rooted in the gypsy jazz tradition in the style of Django Reinhardt’s Quintette de Hot Club du France, while drawing on such eclectic inspiration as New Orleans trad, Western swing, alchemy and the occult. When not performing at the usual haunts, they can be found creating musical sorcery within the forbidden, forgotten, forsaken corners of the city.

Joseph Darensbourg
A performer of ethnic folk musics, Joseph Darensbourg is a singer, violinist, and percussionist member of Les Cenelles ensemble, which specializes in music inspired by resistance and protest poetry and Les Cenelles Gens de Couleur Libres, civil rights activists opposing the Code Noir during US Reconstruction. Joseph focuses on the Bayou Ballads plantation songs (1840s–80s). A bookbinder by trade—trained at the oldest bookbindery in the US (Harcourt, Boston)—Joseph is also a visual art alum of NOCCA, as well as a member of the oldest early music ensemble in the America, New Orleans Musica da Camera (founded in 1965, as was Joseph).
Learn more about Creative Assembly Cohort member Joseph Darensbourg.

Mahmoud Chouki
NOMA is pleased to work with internationally renowned multi-instrumentalist and composer Mahmoud Chouki, who will organize musical performances for each First Fridays program in collaboration with museum staff.

First Fridays at NOMA is supported in part by grant funds from the Azby Fund; 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. Funding has also been provided by the National Endowment for the Arts.

The Art & Life of Enrique Alférez: A Conversation with Katie Bowler Young and Tlalóc Alférez
2022-05-03 18:00 - 20:00 | NOMA’s Lapis Center for the Arts
Join us for a discussion on sculptor Enrique Alférez’s art, life, and enduring influence in New Orleans. Katie Bowler Young, author of Enrique Alférez: Sculptor, and Tlalóc Alférez, daughter of the preeminent sculptor, will talk about the artist’s legacy in front of his large-scale relief sculpture Symbols of Communication in NOMA’s Lapis Center for the Arts.
The program will open with remarks by Young, followed by a discussion that considers the artist’s life across geographies, his Indigenous Nahua heritage, and international outlook. An opportunity for questions from the audience and a book signing of Young’s 2021 biography of the artist will follow the conversation.
Free with museum admission

Education and outreach initiatives at NOMA are supported in part by the Zemurray Foundation; the Lois and Lloyd Hawkins Jr. Foundation; The Helis Foundation; The Gayle and Tom Benson Foundation; The City of New Orleans; IBERIABANK; The Wagner Foundation; Janice Parmelee and Bill Hammack; the Diversifying Art Museum Leadership Initiative, funded by the Walton Family Foundation and the Ford Foundation; Sara and David Kelso; Patrick F. Taylor Foundation; Dr. Scott S. Cowen; The RosaMary Foundation; The Azby Fund; the Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, Recreation & Tourism, in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts, a Federal agency; The Collins C. Diboll Private Foundation; Burkenroad Foundation; Marian Dreux Van Horn Education Endowment; The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; Ruby K. Worner Trust through the PNC Charitable Trusts Grant Review Committee; The Harry T. Howard III Foundation; New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Foundation, Inc.; Harvey and Marie Orth; The Bruce J. Heim Foundation; and Mrs. Bennett A. Molter, Jr. This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.

GiveNOLA Day
2022-05-03
Hosted by the Greater New Orleans Foundation, GiveNOLA Day is a 24-hour event in support of regional nonprofits. Your donation on GiveNOLA Day supports NOMA’s exhibitions and programs all year round. And when you show your support on GiveNOLA Day, your gift is supplemented by additional funds from the Greater New Orleans Foundation.
Give Now

Virtual Book Club Discussion: The Nightcrawler King
2022-04-28 12:00
The NOMA Book Club meets monthly to discuss fiction and nonfiction books related to art in NOMA’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! In addition to monthly virtual book discussions, the Book Club meets periodically in person for curatorial programs related to the book selections.
Books are selected in advance and planned for the entire year according to the exhibition schedule. Participants are expected to procure their own copy of the selected titles. Most of the titles are available for purchase in store at the NOMA Museum Shop.
For more information on the NOMA Book Club please contact NOMA’s Curator of Education, Tracy Kennan, at tkennan@noma.org or (504) 658-4113.
Register Now
April 2022
Virtual Book Discussion Group | Thursday, April 28, 12 PM
The Nightcrawler King: Memoirs of an Art Museum Curator by Bill Fagaly
University Press of Mississippi, 2020, ISBN: 978-1496829818
While growing up in rural Indiana during World War II, William Fagaly began his first venture—collecting and selling earthworms to locals—from which he was christened with a childhood moniker. The Nightcrawler King: Memoirs of an Art Museum Curator is a narrative of Fagaly’s life told in two parts: first, his childhood experiences and, second, his transformation into an adult art museum curator and administrator in Louisiana.
Offering a rare and revealing inside look at how the art world works, Fagaly documents his fifty years of experience of work—unusually spent at a single institution, the New Orleans Museum of Art. During this period, he played an active role in the discovery and appreciation of new areas of art, particularly African, self-taught, and avant-garde contemporary. He organized numerous significant art exhibitions that traveled to museums across the country and authored the accompanying catalogs.

Education and outreach initiatives at NOMA are supported in part by the Zemurray Foundation; the Lois and Lloyd Hawkins Jr. Foundation; The Helis Foundation; The Gayle and Tom Benson Foundation; The City of New Orleans; IBERIABANK; The Wagner Foundation; Janice Parmelee and Bill Hammack; the Diversifying Art Museum Leadership Initiative, funded by the Walton Family Foundation and the Ford Foundation; Sara and David Kelso; Patrick F. Taylor Foundation; Dr. Scott S. Cowen; The RosaMary Foundation; The Azby Fund; the Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, Recreation & Tourism, in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts, a Federal agency; The Collins C. Diboll Private Foundation; Burkenroad Foundation; Marian Dreux Van Horn Education Endowment; The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; Ruby K. Worner Trust through the PNC Charitable Trusts Grant Review Committee; The Harry T. Howard III Foundation; New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Foundation, Inc.; Harvey and Marie Orth; The Bruce J. Heim Foundation; and Mrs. Bennett A. Molter, Jr. This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Studio KIDS!: Trash to Time Travel
2022-04-23 10:30 - 12:00
Studio KIDS! youth art-making workshops are back. Join us at the museum on select Saturday mornings to take a look at artworks in the galleries and practice your own art-making skills with a NOMA teaching artist. Registration includes all art-making materials. Masks are required.
Youth ages 6–10 | Limited Capacity
$30 per Workshop | $25 for Members
REGISTER NOW
Trash to Time Travel | Saturday, April 23, 10:30 am–12:00 pm
Venture into the Sculpture Garden to take a closer look at works by Wangechi Mutu and Carol Bove that help us imagine the future. In honor of Earth Day, we will reuse everyday materials that may otherwise be thrown away to create innovative sculptures of our own!

COVID-19 Safety Guidelines
NOMA’s primary concern is the health of our visitors, staff, and community. All guests are required to wear masks and practice social distancing while inside the museum. Studio KIDS! workshops are capped at 10 participants to enable adequate social distancing. If you or your child are not feeling well, please stay home and return to the museum at a later date. If your child shows signs of illness or discomfort, NOMA staff may request early pickup from the workshop.

RISE for Mother Earth
2022-04-22 20:00 - 21:30 | Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden, 1 Collins Diboll Circle, New Orleans , LA, 70124
NOMA and Mélange Dance Company present RISE for Mother Earth in the Besthoff Sculpture Garden on April 22, 24, and 26.
RISE takes audiences on a surreal journey through the wonders of the sea—a boundless body that inextricably connects us all—as her currents regulate our global climate and her floor holds our planet’s record of change. In this original, contemporary dance production, narrative vignettes uplift the voices of those on the frontlines of climate crisis, urging us to connect in our shared humanity and shared fate.
Run time is approximately 90 minutes, with a brief intermission. Seating is on raised grass; you are welcome to bring your own chair or blanket to enjoy this evening of dance, music, and nature. Performances begin at 8 pm on April 22, 24, and 26.
General admission is $30 | $20 for students, seniors, veterans, and dancers.
Purchase Tickets
RISE includes a guest performance by Denise Frazier of Les Cenelles—telling the story of Goldman Environmental Prize winner Sharon Lavigne of RISE St. James in her fight against the invasion of Formosa Plastics. In cooperation with Louisiana Sea Grant, RISE features oral diaries of Grand Isle residents. Mélange Dance Company is also thrilled to collaborate with Climate Clock to get the world to #ActInTime.

RISE is supported in part by the New Orleans Theatre Association, New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation, the Louisiana Office of Cultural Development, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Virtual Premiere: Rearranging the Planets
2022-04-20 19:00 - 20:30
During two sold-out nights this February, Creative Assembly Cohort member Steve Lands debuted Rearranging the Planets. Experience the magic of this momentous presentation during a virtual premiere of the program on Wednesday, April 20, at 7 pm.
With his original composition, Lands uses Gustav Holst’s influential orchestral suite The Planets as a jumping off point to explore the varied relationships civilizations have had to the heavens over time. While Holst structured his suite—which premiered at the Queen’s Hall in London in 1918—around the Solar System and its Greco-Roman mythological namesakes, Rearranging the Planets casts a broader net to consider how societies around the world have looked to the stars. In the words of planetary scientist Carl Sagan, “We are made of star-stuff. We are a way for the cosmos to know itself.”
Featuring Shea Pierre; Alfred Jordan, Jr.; Xavier Molina; Max Moran; John Maestas; Gladney; Amari Ansari; and Cubs the Poet. With additional credits to Francis Wong, Camille Lenain, Meghan Stewart, and Amina Scott.
Set a Reminder to Watch on YouTube

Performance Credits and Performer Bios

Steve Lands
Hailing from the city of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Steve Lands has been swaying stages, clubs, bars, museums, houses-of-worship, and studios the world over for more than a decade now. He’s got the kind of skill that can only be gained from working with great artists from all walks of life. His experience ranges from shows with R&B/gospel Grammy winner PJ Morton; doing festivals with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band; and tours through Europe with Swiss pianist and composer Florian Favre to studio sessions with the Black Keys; jamming in DC with Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters; playing in big bands with Ellis, Jason, Branford, and Delfeayo Marsalis; and doing a tribute to David Bowie with Arcade Fire. Courage and care are his motivations for music and he’s got more than enough of both to give you a sonic fantasy.

Shea Pierre
A native of New Orleans, Louisiana, Shea Pierre started his musical journey at the age of 4. He joined his family’s gospel group, the Williams Sisters, and began playing for various churches in the New Orleans area. He later attended the prestigious New Orleans Center of Creative Arts, where he studied with Michael Pellera, Chris Severin, Ellis Marsalis, and Jason Marsalis. While in high school, he toured parts of South Africa with the Batiste Brothers Band from New Orleans. Shea is a 2014 graduate of Oberlin Conservatory of Music, where he studied jazz piano with Dan Wall. He continues to travel and engage in different projects throughout the Midwest.

Alfred Jordan Jr.
Born in New Orleans in 1993, Alfred Jordan Jr.’s parents noticed the gift that was on their son. Growing up in church, gospel music played a huge part in molding him as a drummer. Alfred’s skill sprouted, awarding him a full scholarship to attend Berklee College of Music graduating with a B.A. Alfred’s love for music turned into his profession, landing his gig as the current drummer for Big Sam’s Funky Nation and has also been fortunate to work with Donald Harrison, Christian Scott, Nicholas Payton, Kent Jordan as well as his collective projects NwaSoul Project and Bignatiouss. Alfred is forever grateful knowing this is “for the love of music.”

Xavier Molina
We have watched Xavier Molina grow as an artist since 2006 when he first picked up the trumpet. Xavier has blossomed into a singer/songwriter, drummer and trumpeter with a heart dedicated to making great music. Xavier has played with several independent bands in the New Orleans, Atlanta and Alabama areas, and never ceases to amaze the audiences anywhere.

Max Moran
Max Moran is a Louisiana born musician and composer who has become a first-call bassist across several genres in New Orleans’ thriving music scene. Known for his versatility on electric bass, upright bass, and synthesizer, Moran provides a solid, soulful foundation to a number of classic and progressive bands. Performing since the age of thirteen, Max Moran spent over ten years as the bassist of jazz master Donald Harrison and has also shared the stage with artists such as Davell Crawford, Leo Nocentelli (The Meters), Bernie Worrell (Parliament/ Funkadelic), and Grammy nominees Christian Scott and Jamison Ross.

John Maestas
Guitarist John Maestas was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico and is now based in New Orleans. He started his career first as a sideman to many inspiring contemporary young artists performing original music, while also accompanying and learning from New Orleans legacy artists who keep the traditions of their city’s music alive and thriving. He has become known as a versatile music producer working in studios writing, recording & performing songs for world-class artists including Christian Scott, Nicholas Payton, Jamison Ross, Wendell Brunious, MonoNeon, John “Papa” Gros, Elzhi, Nesby Phips, Fiend and many others. In 2016 he co founded the independent record label Bubble Bath Records with 3 other friends that helps to educate, elevate & empower over twenty young artists who need support in navigating the music industry. “The Dream Catcher”, the debut album from Maestas’ alt-rock band Juan Tigre, is music inspired by the iconic high desert imagery of New Mexico and imbued with the expansive folklore of the Southwest.

Gladney
Grammy-nominated multi-instrumentalist and composer Gladney is a leading contemporary exponent of the saxophone. A 6th generation native of New Orleans’s Lower 9th Ward, Gladney has performed and traveled professionally since the age of 12. Along with his work with The Rumble and the Jake Shears Band (Scissor Sisters), Gladney leads his own self-titled band and is preparing to release his debut EP and album this year.

Amari Ansari
Amari Ansari brings a fresh voice to the saxophone. The son of a gospel pianist, the Alabama native credits his earliest interest in music to southern gospel and the late Alabama jazz educator Dr. Frank Adams Sr. Upon moving to New Orleans in 2009, he was the recipient of the University of New Orleans’ Ellis Marsalis Jazz Scholarship where he would go on to graduate with a Master’s Degree in Music. This introduction to the Marsalis family led him to meet NEA Jazz Master Delfeayo Marsalis, eventually becoming a long time member of the Marsalis led band the Uptown Jazz Orchestra. With his feature on Marsalis’ 2019 release, Jazz Party , Downbeat Magazine called Amari’s style, “Hank Crawford meets Maceo Parker.”

Cubs the Poet
Cubs the Poet has been writing poems since 1989. Later in life, he studied psychology in school and began thinking for himself. It wasn’t long before he decided to study life outside of the classroom. He began typing poems on a typewriter, in the middle of the French Quarter on Royal Street, in New Orleans, Louisiana. He is now an artist-in-residence at the Columns Hotel and his Poetraits blend portraiture and poetry.

Francis Wong
Francis Wong grew up in the New Orleans area and escaped into art from a young age. He attended the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts and attended the University of New Orleans studying fine art and film. Hurricane Katrina interrupted his college education but educated him on so much more in life. His work is influenced by the magical realness of life in New Orleans and Southeastern Louisiana. Through mixed media paintings, music and video,he uses art to help heal ancestral trauma and PTSD. His work is a unique hybrid of his Chinese heritage and his Southern and American upbringing. Francis has Exhibited all over Louisiana, NYC, and Oakland, California.

Camille Lenain
Camille Farrah Lenain is a French-Algerian documentary and portrait photographer who grew up in Paris, studied Photography at l’ESA in Brussels and at ICP in New York City (virtual). She relocated to New Orleans in 2013, where she teaches photography at Tulane University and works on long-term projects with a focus on empathetic portraiture, exploring the notions of representation, collective memory and plural identities. Her clients include : Rolling Stone, The New York Times, The Washington Post Magazine, T Magazine, The Bitter Southerner and Libération. Her photographs have been exhibited internationally, including at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, Festival In Cadaques, Les Boutographies, PhotoVogue Festival. She was previously an Artist in Residence at the Joan Mitchell Center and Nunu’s Arts Collective.

Meghan Stewart
Meghan Stewart is a musician, designer, and instructor currently residing in New Orleans, LA. She designs exclusively for musicians, understanding the connection between visuals and sounds. She’s designed for musicians such as Steve Lands, multi instrumentalist Mahmoud Chouki, singer and Berklee resident Cindy Scott, and others.

Amina Scott
Amina Scott, born and raised in Oakland, CA, is an upright and electric bassist, composer, and arranger. Her interest in music began at an early age when her grandmother began giving her piano lessons. From then, her love and passion for music has yet to cease, playing electric bass at the age of twelve and was soon playing gigs with local bands in Oakland. In 2017, Amina joined the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra led by Adonis Rose. Now based in New Orleans, Amina leads her own band and she has performed with various artists including Dee Dee Bridgewater, Steve Turre, Wessell “Warm Daddy” Anderson, Nicholas Payton, David Murray, Jamison Ross, Joanne Brackeen, Herlin Riley, Christian Scott Atunde Adjuah, and more.

About Creative Assembly
Creative Assembly is a community engagement initiative by the New Orleans Museum of Art that uses neighborhood-based participatory art experiences as a vehicle for personal exploration, community collaboration, and social change.
Learn more
NOMA’s Creative Assembly community engagement initiative is supported by the Wagner Foundation.

Gallery Talk: Blue Pigments
2022-04-20 12:00 - 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, Ingrid Seyb, NOMA’s Objects Conservator, compares and discusses three different blue pigments currently on view in NOMA’s galleries.
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.
Get Tickets
To book your ticket in advance, click the link above and select the day for the gallery talk you’d like to attend.

Education and outreach initiatives at NOMA are supported in part by the Zemurray Foundation; the Lois and Lloyd Hawkins Jr. Foundation; The Helis Foundation; The Gayle and Tom Benson Foundation; The City of New Orleans; IBERIABANK; The Wagner Foundation; Janice Parmelee and Bill Hammack; the Diversifying Art Museum Leadership Initiative, funded by the Walton Family Foundation and the Ford Foundation; Sara and David Kelso; Patrick F. Taylor Foundation; Dr. Scott S. Cowen; The RosaMary Foundation; The Azby Fund; the Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, Recreation & Tourism, in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts, a Federal agency; The Collins C. Diboll Private Foundation; Burkenroad Foundation; Marian Dreux Van Horn Education Endowment; The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; Ruby K. Worner Trust through the PNC Charitable Trusts Grant Review Committee; The Harry T. Howard III Foundation; New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Foundation, Inc.; Harvey and Marie Orth; The Bruce J. Heim Foundation; and Mrs. Bennett A. Molter, Jr. This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Gallery Talk with Curator Lisa Rotondo-McCord
2022-04-13 12:00 - 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, Lisa Rotondo-McCord, NOMA’s Deputy Director for Curatorial Affairs and Curator of Asian Art, discusses the exhibition Arte Sacra: Roman Catholic Art from Portuguese India.
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.
Get Tickets
To book your ticket in advance, click the link above and select the day for the gallery talk you’d like to attend.

Education and outreach initiatives at NOMA are supported in part by the Zemurray Foundation; the Lois and Lloyd Hawkins Jr. Foundation; The Helis Foundation; The Gayle and Tom Benson Foundation; The City of New Orleans; IBERIABANK; The Wagner Foundation; Janice Parmelee and Bill Hammack; the Diversifying Art Museum Leadership Initiative, funded by the Walton Family Foundation and the Ford Foundation; Sara and David Kelso; Patrick F. Taylor Foundation; Dr. Scott S. Cowen; The RosaMary Foundation; The Azby Fund; the Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, Recreation & Tourism, in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts, a Federal agency; The Collins C. Diboll Private Foundation; Burkenroad Foundation; Marian Dreux Van Horn Education Endowment; The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; Ruby K. Worner Trust through the PNC Charitable Trusts Grant Review Committee; The Harry T. Howard III Foundation; New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Foundation, Inc.; Harvey and Marie Orth; The Bruce J. Heim Foundation; and Mrs. Bennett A. Molter, Jr. This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.
