Innovative fabrics that can be blunt like concrete or ethereal like clouds sprung from the imagination of Japanese designer Junichi Arai, but were made possible through studied innovation and technological experimentation. A shimmering blue and silver textile by the artist is currently on view at NOMA in the exhibition Atomic Number 13: Aluminum in 20th-Century Design, representing the metal’s role in artistic experimentation by the end of the century. Read More
Enrique Alférez (1901–99) was a Mexican artist who lived and worked in New Orleans and whose artistry is admired worldwide. Symbols of Communication is a large-scale, bas-relief mural sculpted by Alférez that was originally created for the New Orleans Times-Picayune Building in 1967, then acquired by NOMA in 2020. The mural celebrates the diversity of human culture and our shared desire to tell stories, communicate, and connect with one another through language and symbols. Read More
Singer-songwriter Kelly Love Jones brings a star-studded cast to NOMA’s Lapis Center for the Arts on Thursday, November 18, for an evening of music, visual art, dance, and theater. Presented in collaboration with PowerHouse Productions, TRUST invites us to let our guard down and believe in our own power. In advance of the performance, Jones sat down with Gabrielle Wyrick, NOMA’s Deputy Director of Learning and Engagement, to give a sneek peek behind the stage of the brand new work. Read More
The NOLA Project is back in residence at NOMA with Tell It To Me Sweet, their first in person production since winter 2020. The company commissioned Brittany N. Williams to write a “trail of tales” inspired by folk and fairy tales and set outdoors in the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden. Beginning in January, Brittany will take on a new position within the company, becoming a Co-Artistic Director with company founder and longtime Artistic Director A.J. Allegra. NOMA Curator of Education Tracy Kennan chatted with Brittany and A.J. about the merits of performing in public spaces and the importance of telling stories. Read More
Wild stories from the imagination of designer Daisy Makeig-Jones come alive on this metallic-glazed “Fairyland Lusterware” vase from NOMA’s collection. This enchanting, and sometimes very strange, luxury porcelain was manufactured by England’s centuries-old Wedgwood ceramic factory. Combining whimsical children’s illustrations with advancements in iridescent glaze chemistry Fairyland Luster became enormously popular in the 1920s. Read More