Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Upcoming Louisiana Artworks Lectures/Events/Workshops

Upcoming schedule and information found on the left-hand side here. Some fees do apply.

April 2: Workshop: Multi-layered Block Prints
Francis Pavy will review his block printing techniques utilizing prints made from linoleum, wood blocks and found objects on a variety of paper and cloth. Students will design, carve and print a small linoleum cut. This workshop will emphasize low-tech methods. Students should come to class with small line drawings they would like to transfer to the block printing process. All other materials are provided.

April 5: Art Sessions: Social Activism in the Arts

April 11: Workshop: Basic Bookbinding

Learn some basic bookbinding skills. We will make a small journal using the basic pamphlet stitch; a sketchbook consisting of several signatures together and a dust jacket; an accordion-fold book with hard-backed cloth covers, and will take a look at basic stab binding as well. All materials are provided.

April 18: Workshop: Unbound Book Containers

We will make a portfolio for enclosing flat works on paper; an envelope using found papers, old prints or drawings; boxes out of thin board and various templates; and a tiny matchbox book. Come with ideas for drawings and/or a short selection of text or for your matchbox book. All materials will be provided.

April 25: Workship: Bookarts: Books and Narrative
Books offer a unique use of time and space over other mediums. Time is frozen on the page, but advances with the turning of the page. The reader can be led forward or backward through careful design. In this class, students will work on the planning and execution of two books using two different methods of binding: pamphlet and stab bindings. One project will be a study in building narrative over the course of pages, examining pacing and the use of the page turn. The second will employ an exquisite corpse-style collaborative narrative. Small editions of each book will be created using photocopies that will then be exchanged among all the students; students will be responsible for the creation and photocopying of pages between sessions.

April 28: Art Sessions: April Panel, A Series of Discussions on Visual Contemporary Art

May 2: Workship: Bookarts: Books and Narrative

May 10: Workshop: Patterning and Printmaking

May 24: Workshop: Patterning and Printmaking

May 29: Art Venture 2009


TONIGHT! Street Art Lecture at Louisiana Artworks!


WHAT: “Street Art: The Mark, Part II “, the second of two panels dealing with this exciting topic. The Panel is free and open to the public, with a suggested donation of $3.00.
Louisiana ArtWorks presents part II of our panel discussion on the contemporary role of street art, examining its beginnings, trends, and why sometimes getting your work out there is as simple as literally “taking it to the street”. Four artists whose work is performance-based will discuss the definitions of their artform and the different approaches they take to create their work and share it with an audience.

WHEN: Tuesday, March 31st, 2009 at 7:00 PM

WHO: Moderator: Mia Kaplan, Co-owner of Ammo Gallery; Panelists: Artists: William Cordova, Lala Rascic, Alisoun Meehan, Matt Vis & Tony Campbell (Generic Art Solutions), William Cordova

WHERE: Louisiana ArtWorks : 725 Howard Avenue, New Orleans, LA (at the corner of Carondelet Street, just off Lee Circle)

For more information, call Karen Louise Crain at 504-571-7373, or email her at klcrain@louisianaartworks.org

Jammin' on Julia *THIS* Saturday, April 4th!

Just a reminder that Jammin' on Julia, discussed previously here, will be happening this Saturday April 4th, from 6-9pm.

FREE!

Enjoy the New Orleans Arts District’s annual spring festival featuring gallery openings, live music and local cuisine and cocktails for sale. The free celebration happens along Julia St. (300-600 blocks, between Commerce St. and St. Charles Ave.), throughout the New Orleans Arts District and at the Contemporary Arts Center (CAC, 900 Camp St.).

Live Music: Free Agents Brass Bandthe Roots of Music Crusaders Marching Band Tikki & the Rhythm Rockers.

Restaurant Vendors: Back to the Garden, Ben & Jerry’s, La Côte Brasserie, Le Citron Bistro, Michael’s Catering of Mat & Naddie’s, Mona’s Café, Nirvana Indian Cuisine, Sun Ray Grill, Whole Foods Market

For more information, call (504) 528-3805 or visit www.cacno.org or www.neworleansartsdistrict.com.

Happenings at NOMA!

What is new at NOMA? More info here.
  • First-ever Iris Viewing Festival this Saturday
  • Author and Subject Tour Wednesday evening
  • Morning Yoga in the Sculpture Garden
  • Upcoming Event: African Art Educator Workshop

Wednesday April 1st, 6pm: Author and Subject Tour with Lisa Rotondo-McCord

Curator of Asian Art Lisa Rotondo-McCord leads a tour of Author and Subject: Murasaki Shikibu and The Tale of Genji, a new exhibition of Japanese Edo-period painting related to one of the world's first novels, this Wednesday at 6 p.m. The informal gallery tour, free to Louisiana residents, is part of the Mid-Week in Mid-City series of public programs on Wednesday evenings, when the Museum stays open late until 8 p.m. As usual, a cash bar will be available in the Great Hall from 5-8 p.m.

Saturday April 4th, 8-9am: Morning Yoga in the Sculpture Garden

Beginning this Saturday, April 4, the New Orleans Museum of Art partners with East Jefferson General Hospital to offer Yoga in the Sculpture Garden on the first Saturday of every month. The one-hour classes, led by a Certified Yoga Instructor from the EJGH Wellness Center, begin at 8 a.m. in the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden. Each session is $5 for NOMA members and requires pre-registration by calling EJGH Health Finder at (504) 456-5000.

Saturday April 4th, 11-3pm: Irish Viewing Festival

Celebrate the arrival of springtime with a stroll through the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden during the New Orleans Museum of Art's first-ever Iris Viewing Festival this Saturday. Hundreds of new blooms planted around the lagoon this winter will reveal themselves in time for the celebration, which also will feature live music, educational demonstrations and a one-day-only contemporary art installation, Birds in the Park, by Christy Hengst of Santa Fe, N.M.

Educator Workshops

All area educators are invited to attend our next FREE workshop, an exploration of the Museum's African Art collection. Educational materials will be provided to participants, as well as a certificate of attendance. Pre-registration is required. Please contact the Education Department at 504-658-4128 or education@noma.org. When e-mailing, please provide your name, school or organization, and phone number.

African Art from the Permanent CollectionTuesday, April 28, 6-8pm:

Curator of African Art William Fagaly will use the Museum's collection to provide educators with a general overview of the arts of Africa. The objects in the galleries will help to shed light on the religious, social and artistic background of each culture represented. Overall themes within the collection will be highlighted, allowing educators to present the material to their students with ease. Education staff also will discuss classroom activities and suggestions for incorporating African art into a variety of curricula.

SPACE IS LIMITED!

MORE INFO FOR ALL EVENTS, here.

Monday, March 30, 2009

Art & Soul Event at NOCCA

The NOCCA Institute and the Lupin Foundation invite you to one of the best parties in a city known for its parties: ART & SOUL! ART & SOUL 2009 will take place Sunday, May 17 at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA), located at 2800 Chartres Street. The theme for this year’s event is "The Essence of Louisiana", celebrating honorary chair Emeril Lagasse and the launch of NOCCA’s Culinary Arts Program.
The Patron Party will be held from 6:00 – 7:00pm, and will feature early access to the silent auction, a special menu of savory hors d’oeuvres by NOCCA’s Culinary Arts students and some of New Orleans’ best chefs, and the Gala will follow from 7:00 – 10:30pm. Gala guests will be treated to a dinner buffet, open bar, and music on two stages, including special performances by NOCCA students. A popular feature of the event is a fabulous silent and live auction, which is supported by many local artists and businesses.

Tickets to the Patron Party are $200 per person and include admission to the ART & SOUL 2009 gala. Gala-only tickets are $100 per person.

Thursday, March 26, 2009

New Orleans graffiti activist told to keep his hands off. . .

An excerpt from the Times-Picayune article:

The Crescent City's most celebrated and scorned anti-graffiti activist has been ordered by Municipal Judge Paul Sens to cease blotting out graffiti without the property owner's permission.
Fred Radtke, known as the Gray Ghost for the color of paint he uses in his crusade against graffiti, pleaded no contest Tuesday to the charge of criminal trespassing in New Orleans Municipal Court Division D.

Ogden Museum Opportunity! FREE!


Do you live in Louisiana? Then you will get in to the Ogden Museum FREE today -- Thursday, and every Thursday -- 10 am-5pm!

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

FILM SERIES 2009: WENDY AND LUCY

From the Contemporary Arts Center:


The Contemporary Arts Center and New Orleans Film Society present monthly screenings of independent films and shorts you otherwise won't see in New Orleans.
This month's feature is Wendy and Lucy, which was voted "Critics Choice for Best Film of 2008" in Film Comment, the country's leading film publication. Michelle Williams (Brokeback Mountain) gives a powerful breakout performance in this feminine variation on Into the Wild. Wendy Carroll (Williams) is driving to Alaska, hoping for a summer of lucrative work at the Northwestern Fish cannery, and the start of a new life with her beloved dog, Lucy. When her car breaks down in Oregon, however, the thin fabric of her financial situation comes apart, and she confronts a series of increasingly dire economic decisions, with far-ranging repercussions for herself and her dog. Wendy and Lucy is a poetic road drama that addresses issues of sympathy and generosity at the edges of American life, revealing the limits and depths of people's duty to each other in tough times. Co-starring Walter Dalton, Larry Fessenden and Will Patton. Directed and co-written by Kelly Reichardt (Old Joy).


Tickets: $8 general admission. $6 for CAC & NOFS members.
To purchase tickets: visit the CAC (900 Camp St.); or call the CAC Box Office at 504-528-3800.

Faberge Egg Hunt in the Besthoff Sculpture Garden


Friday, March 20, 2009

Lecture with Caecilia Tripp & Film Screening

POETICS OF RELATION - Lecture with Caecilia Tripp & Film Screening
March 21 @ 2pm

Filmmaker Caecilia Tripp, whose film The Making of Americans (2004) is currently on view as part of Score & Script: Music in Video, on view in the first floor gallery until April 5 , will present some of her recent films, made in locales ranging from Curaçao (Mi Curaçao, 2005) to Rio de Janeiro (Motoboy/Cacao The Mad Dog, 2008), Paris (Paris Anthem, 2008) and London (Making History, 2008). All of these films cast a poetic, yet critical, eye on creolization processes in these formlery colonized places, while paying attention to the new voices that they have produced - from an underground Carioca DJ to the acclaimed Guadeloupean French Soprano Magali Léger, London-based Jamaican dub poet Linton Kwesi Johnson and Martinican poet Édouard Glissant.
Poetics of Relation will be presented by Score & Script exhibition curator Claire Tancons.

Free, with gallery admission: $5. $3 for students, seniors. FREE for CAC members and children under 15 every day.

For information, call (504) 528-3805

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Uptown/Downtown Series: Memoirs of the Sistahood: Chapter 1

From the Contemporary Arts Center:

Using dance, sculpture, original music and film, Memoirs of the Sistahood is a unique multimedia performance featuring the works of sisters Babette Beaullieu, a New Orleans-based sculptor, and Becky Beaullieu Valls, a performer/choreographer in Houston. Focusing on female archetypes and the six Beaullieu sisters (Beth, Becky, Babette, Bonnie, Bitsy, and Barbara), they build themes about women, family, home and religion, while drawing inspiration from their large Catholic family in South Louisiana.
The springboard for Memoirs includes sculptures from Babette's Trinity III (1998) exhibition at d.o.c.s. Gallery (New Orleans), as well as Becky's choreographic work, White Bird, which premiered in 2004 at the University of Houston, where she is an Assistant Professor of Dance. Because the two works shared a common image of females housed in closed structures, Babette created additional life-sized alter boxes constructed from wood, windows, doors and other recycled materials that she salvaged from the streets of New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. The sculptures or "spiritual totems of each sister," appear onstage to house the dance performers and are exhibited after the performance for audience viewing.
From sisterhood to the matriarchs of their ancestry, from the collective unconscious (Catholic tribe) to the female archetypes (i.e. princess, martyr, victim, queen) of 1950s Louisiana, the Beaullieu sisters provide a work of visual storytelling that is equally entertaining, provocative, disturbing and heartfelt.

Also featuring original music composed by opera singer Misha Penton (Houston Grand Opera, Opera Vista, Lone Star Lyric Festival, Houston) and video clips by filmmaker Deborah Schildt (Boodog: How to Roast a Mongolian Marmot).

Tickets: $20 gen.; $18 students, seniors; $15 CAC members
To purchase advance tickets: visit the CAC (900 Camp St.) from 11am-4pm; or call the CAC Box Office at 504-528-3800. On day of show, tickets can also be purchased in person from 11 a.m. to one-half hour after curtain.

Carl Stone at the Contemporary Arts Center

Carl Stone is one of the pioneers of live computer music performance, and has been hailed by the Village Voice as "the king of sampling" and "one of the best composers living in (the USA) today." Focusing strictly on electro-acoustic composition since the early 1970s, he works primarily in avant-garde, sampler-based composition, emphasizing the slow evolution of sound through thematic variation and recurrence. Stone's commissioned works have been performed in the U.S. (under such auspices as the National Endowment for the Arts and the LA Museum of Modern Art), as well as in Canada, Europe, South America, Australia, and, most often, Japan, where he's collaborated with dance companies and composed for film, video, radio broadcast, and multimedia installation.
Tickets: $20 gen.; $18 students, seniors; $15 CAC members
To purchase advance tickets: visit the CAC (900 Camp St.) from 11am-4pm or call the CAC Box Office at 504-528-3800. On day of show, tickets can also be purchased in person from 11 a.m. to one-half hour after curtain.

BECA Gallery Upcoming Exhibition

Second Annual Gulf-South Regional

Opening Reception: Saturday, April 4, 2009 from 6pm-8:30pm.

The BECA gallery is thrilled to present the '2nd Annual Gulf-South Regional' contemporary art group exhibition at the gallery's home location at 527 St. Joseph Street, New Orleans, LA from April 4, 2009 - May 23, 2009. The purpose of the 'Gulf South Regional' exhibition is to discover and highlight some of the most innovative emerging Gulf South contemporary artists who are on the leading edge of new art + ideas, their current work and the ideas that are motivating their creative processes. This newest exhibition installment features today's most engaging and thought-provoking works of sculpture, painting, drawing and mixed-media expressing the progressive, contemporary culture of the gulf-south region of the United States: TX, LA, MS, AL and FL.

The following ten artists have been selected for this '2nd Annual Gulf-South Regional' exhibition:
James Alexander - Deon Blackwell - Scott Finch - Mark Grote - Adam Hall - Marina del Rosario Huang - Christopher McNulty - Luke Sides - Brian Spolans - Anne Stagg

When: Saturday, April 4, 2009 from 6:30pm - 8:30pm at BECA gallery for the opening artists' reception to help celebrate this talented group of emerging artists.

If you are currently outside of New Orleans and cannot visit the gallery space, you can view the entire exhibit online beginning March 30, 2009.



BECA Gallery: NEXT Exhibition


NEXT: A Leading Edge Contemporary Art + Design Group Exhibition Featuring what’s NEW + what’s NEXT in one-of-a-kind and limited edition innovative furniture and related accessories, lighting and body adornments.
'NEXT' concludes March 27, 2009!

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Update: State of the Nation

Mentioned earlier, here, ArtSpot Productions presents the 5th Annual Art and Performance Festival - "State of the Nation". The theme this year is Tipping Point.

"State of the Nation is an annual multidisciplinary arts festival and ocassional series that brings together student, emerging, and professional performing and visual artists who are committed to addressing social, political, and economic issues facing the country. Co-produced annually in New Orleans, Louisiana and Jackson, Mississippi since 2004, the festivals have presented the work of over three hundred and fifty dancers, musicians, theater artists, poets, painters, sculptors, filmmakers, activists and educators. Attended by thousands, the festivasl provide an opportunity to showcase projects and participate in workshops. At its best, State of the Nation stands as a forum for democracy – a space for the free discussion of current affairs.
This year’s festival explores the intersection of art and activism through the presentation of original performance, dance, music, film, workshops, visual art installations, community dilagues and site-specific events by more than 100 artists from the Gulf Coast, Baltimore, D.C., Maryland, California, Hawaii, Philadephia and New York."

Local and National performers include:
ArtSpot Productions, Junebug Productions, The Free Southern Theater Institute, M.U.G.A.B.E.E. (Men Under Guidance Acting Before Early Extinction), Creative Forces, Students at the Center, Turning of the Bones presented by Home, New Orleans?-LakeviewS, We Three Kings, The Porch, Nicole Garneu’s UPRISING (Chicago), Goat in the Road Productions, Saddi Khali, Raymond “Moose” Jackson, Scott Heron and HIJACK, Maritza Mercado-Narcisse, NORD/NOBA Dance, Antonio Garza, NEW NOISE, Joanna Russo, Zentropy, The New Deal Boys, Ryan Watkins Hughes, Dance Now Productions (Washington D.C.), Adam Tourek (New England), 2B Tribe Dance (Nachitoches, LA), olive Dance Theater (Philidelphia), Brett Keyser (Philadelphia), Rebecca Stronger (New York).

Turning of the Bones

ArtSpot Productions presents "Turning of the Bones" - March 12-28, 2009

"ArtSpot Productions is an ensemble of artists dedicated to creating meticulously LIVE theater in New Orleans. [They] strive to incite positive change in our community with visually stunning performances and empowering educational programs. [The] productions are a sincere blend of disciplines developed through ensemble authorship, physically rigorous training, original music, interactive sculptural environments, and extended research and rehearsal."

Monday, March 16, 2009

Art and Wednesdays at the Square

YLC Wednesday at the Square concert series will host an Artist Village. The 12-week series will again be held in Lafayette Square across from Gallier Hall. Event runs April 1 to June 18, 2009.For a flat-rate price of ninety dollars ($90) per week, or discounted one-thousand dollars ($1,000) for twelve weeks, you can display your work, conduct live demonstrations, and/or sell pieces to our audience of up to 6,000 people every week. You will receive space with electricity (as available), 1-6’ table, and 2 chairs. We will provide a banner for the village, but not individual booths. You may bring a white 10’x10’ pop-up tent, decorate your booth, provide display hardware for your artwork, bring tabletop signage and promotional materials, and staff your booth. Space is assigned in order of applications received.

For more information and an application, please visit http://www.wednesdayatthesquare.com/artistsvillage.html

The ELLA Project

The ELLA (Entertainment Law Legal Assistance) Project offers pro-bono legal assistance to low-income artists musicians, and grass roots non-profits in Louisiana. ELLA provides assistance with copyright and intellectual property, business incorporation, non profit incorporation, contract review, contract disputes, and other civil law matters. Unlike many Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts programs which only offer 30 minutes of assistance, the ELLA Project can take your legal matter from concept to completion, and work with you until the matter is resolved.
A partnership of the Arts Council, Tipitina's Foundation, and Tulane Law School Community Service Program, the ELLA Project holds intake sessions by appointment every Friday. Sessions are held from 9:00 a.m. to noon at the Arts Council at 818 Howard Ave, and 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. at Tipitina's. Tulane Law School interns assist supervising attorney Ashlye Keaton in delivering legal services.
To request an appointment call The Arts Council of New Orleans: 504-523-1465 or email to gmeneray@artscouncilofneworleans.org

Job Opportunities

Odgen Museum of Southern Art is seeking applicants for the position of Associate Director/COO to work with the Director to oversee daily business, financial and administrative operations including: developing and maintaining budgets, financial reporting, payroll, audits, insurance, tax reports and personnel issues. Duties include working with the Director to complete museum expansion and renovation programs as well as oversight of facilities operations and security programs. Bachelor’s degree in related field, Master’s preferred. Five years financial and administrative experience, with museum or non-profit management experience preferred. Salary is commensurate with experience. Application instructions below...Send resume and three letters of recommendation to Director’s Office, The Ogden Museum of Southern Art, University of New Orleans, 925 Camp Street, New Orleans, LA 70130. The University of New Orleans is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity employer. Women, ethnic minorities, veterans and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

KID smART is looking for a Director of Development. KID smART is a non-profit organization that works with the arts to engage children in learning about themselves and the world in which they live. Through artists in the classroom, after school, community-based programming and our new teacher training program, AXIS, KID smART makes learning come alive in New Orleans.
Please send resume, references, writing samples and salary requirements to:Sarah Cressy, KID smART, 1920 Clio Street, New Orleans, LA 70113, sarah@kidsmart.org

Job specifics at the Art Council of New Orleans' website.

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden

The beloved Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden has reopened to the eager citizens of New Orleans. The public is once again able to relax and walk along the meandering footpaths in the Garden, which is home to fifty-seven sculptures by artists from around the world. Forty-four of the 57 sculptures have been donated to the New Orleans Museum of Art by the Besthoff Foundation. The other 11 are Museum purchases or gifts from other donors. The collection includes work by some of the great master sculptors of the 20th century (Antoine Bourdelle, Henry Moore, Jacques Lipchitz, Louise Bourgeois), as well as younger, contemporary sculptors (Kenneth Snelson, Allison Saar, Joel Shapiro, Jean-Michel Othoniel). Nine of the 57 sculptures pre-date 1960, while 29 of the 57 artists represented are living.

Wednesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. FREE Admission

Also available: opportunities to volunteer in the garden or adopt a sculpture!

Update: JAMMIN' ON JULIA


Renaissance Arts Hotel's: JAMMIN' ON JULIA
presented by the New Orleans Arts District
April 4, 2009 // 6-9pm // Free admission

Enjoy the New Orleans Arts District's annual spring festival featuring gallery openings, live music and local cuisine and cocktails for sale. The free celebration happens along Julia St. (300-600 blocks, between Commerce St. and St. Charles Ave.), throughout the New Orleans Arts District and at the Contemporary Arts Center (CAC, 900 Camp St.). Entertainment by the Free Agents Brass Band, the Roots of Music Crusaders Marching Band and Tikki & the Rhythm Walkers. Participating restaurants include Le Citron Bistro, Sun Ray Grill, Whole Foods Market and more.
For more information, call (504) 528-3805 or visit http://www.neworleansartsdistrict.com/



Friday, March 13, 2009

Jammin' on Julia

April's response to White Linen Night (Summer) and Art for Arts' Sake (Fall) . . .

Jammin' on Julia!
April 4, 2009
New Orleans, Julia Street Arts District
Art walk and fundraiser for the New Orleans Arts District
Art, food, gallery openings, drinks, music!

More info to come!

23rd Annual Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival


Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival ~ "A Weekend Named Desire"
March 25-29, New Orleans, Le Petit Theatre du Vieux Carre, 616 St. Peter St., the Cabildo, Historic New Orleans Collection and other venues. Theater, literary events, music, film screenings, book fair, walking tours, and "Stanley and Stella" shouting contest.

2009 Lineup includes: Tony Award-winning actresses Zoe Caldwell, Marian Seldes and Frances Sternhagen; Tony Award-winning playwrightJohn Guare; Grammy-winning writer Tom Piazza; bestsellers Jill Conner Browne, Nevada Barr, Laura Lippman and John Berendt; acclaimed television writers and producers David Simon and Eric Overmyer; National Book Award-winning poet Mark Doty; Pulitzer Prize-winning authors Rick Bragg and Richard Ford; editors Dan Menaker and Amber Quereshi; journalist Katherine Bouton; Pulitzer-nominated playwright John Biguenet; novelists Amanda Boyden,Stephen Lovely, and Bill Loehfelm; actors Jeremy Lawrence and Doug Tompos; actor John “Spud” McConnell reprising his role as Ignatius J. Reilly; performance poet Nick Fox; improvisational comedy troupe the National Comedy Company; musicians Vernel Bagneris, Rich Look, and The Last Straws; chefs John Besh and Kit Wohl; food critic John Mariani and many more.

The Festival provides a list of the latest (and upcoming) releases by veteran authors, rising stars, and new faces in the literary world, who are all friends of the Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival.

State of the Nation Art and Performance Festival

Fifth annual State of the Nation Art and Performance Festival, Wednesday-March 22, New Orleans, multiple venues in the 7th Ward, 9th Ward and Faubourg Marigny. Regional art and performance festival, featuring theater, music, dance, visual art and workshops. The festival brings together artists from across the United States who are committed to addressing social, political, and economic issues facing the Gulf South and the country-at-large. This year’s festival will explore the intersection of art and activism around the specific theme of a tipping point. It will feature more than 100 artists from the Gulf Coast, Baltimore, D.C., Maryland, California, Hawaii, New York and beyond.

PATOIS: The 6th Annual New Orleans International Human Rights Film Festival

Patois’ mission is to create accessible spaces at the intersection of art and social justice. Artists and activists founded our festival, and we are dedicated to nurturing our city's human rights community, supporting the work of local organizers and organizations involved in these struggles, and linking local issues to international issues. Our goal is to raise awareness of these issues and provide a forum for artistic expression of these themes.

This year features more than 50 films, performances, workshops, and other events at venues across New Orleans.

Patois: The New Orleans International Human Rights Film Festival will take pace from Thursday, March 26 through Sunday, April 5, 2009.

This year’s Festival promises a breathtaking line-up of films, performances, workshops and more. In 2008, more than 3,000 New Orleanians and scores of guests from around the world attended five world premieres and exciting events featuring artists and activists from the Gulf South to the Middle East. Events ranged from a panel discussion with Academy Award winning director Jonathan Demme to a blow-out dance party and 10 sold-out screening that highlighted New Orleans musicians, artists, and students. This year boasts a new name and even more unique and exciting films, filmmakers and performances. Patois presents films, speakers, and performers who offer concrete solutions and celebrate successes in the global struggle for human rights. All of the nearly fifty films lined up this year are New Orleans premieres. A diverse array of cultural events, panel discussions and parties are scheduled to take place at venues throughout the city.

The Festival opens on March 26th at Canal Place, where Patois will commemorate its new name in conjunction with the New Orleans Premiere of American Violet, starring Alfre Woodard. Filmed in New Orleans, the film confronts racial profiling through the inspiring story of woman standing up to injustice in a small Texas town.

Other highlighted screenings and events include:

Friday, March 27
9:00pm
Hiphop Concert featuring national and local acts, including Mohammad Al-Farra, from Gaza, and Wise Intelligent from the legendary hiphop group Poor Righteous Teachers.

Saturday, March 28
7:00p.m.
Medicine for Melancholy
A love story in the context of racism and gentrification told through two African-American twenty-something’s dealing with issues of class, identity, and being a minority in rapidly gentrifying San Francisco—a city with the smallest proportional black population of any major American city. Directed by Barry Jenkins.

Wednesday, April 1
New Orleans Museum of Art
6:00p.m.
Independent America
Examines the reconstruction of New Orleans with a focus on the challenges small family businesses face in the growing landscape of corporate retailers. Directed by Hanson Hosein.

Thursday, April 2
New Orleans Museum of Art
6:00p.m. New Orleans Tea Party A locally-made documentary about the rebuilding of civil society in post-Katrina New Orleans. Directed by Marline Otte.

Sunday, April 5
Zeitgeist Justice for All
An exploration of young people in the criminal justice system in the US, from Jena, Louisiana to California to New York.

For more info: http://patoisfilmfest.org/

Friday, March 6, 2009

ART New Orleans Magazine

ART New Orleans Magazine takes an in-depth look into the arts and culture of New Orleans. From the artists to photographers, galleries to museums, festivals to fine dining, novice to aficionado, there is something for everyone in ART New Orleans Magazine.

Arthur Roger Gallery Opening

Arthur Roger Gallery Opening for Troy Dugas, W. Steve Rucker and Stephen Sollins
  • Saturday from 6-8pm (March 7th 2009)
  • 432 Julia Street Gallery, New Orleans - Warehouse Arts District
  • Troy Dugas - New Label Work
  • W. Steve Rucker - Strong Song Variations, Holding My Own
  • Stephen Sollins - Letters Home