Tonight at Louisiana ArtWorks: University Galleries & the Exhibition World

LOUISIANA ARTWORKS PRESENTS
University Galleries & the Exhibition World
Tuesday, September 29th, 2009, 7-9 PM

at Louisiana ArtWorks, 725 Howard Avenue, New Orleans, LA

University art museums and galleries explore a variety of innovative exhibition themes with a focus on education components, resulting in unique learning opportunities for students, the academic community, and the public. Unconstrained by considerations of selling work, University galleries occupy a unique role in the exhibition world, serving as a venue for far reaching work. Join Louisiana ArtWorks on September 29th as moderator Charles Lovell and panelists Benito Huerta, Kaytie Johnson, Christopher Saucedo, and Karoline Schleh explore the role of University Galleries in the exhibition world.

Suggested Donation $3.00.
Moderator Charles Lovell, Director, Newcomb Art Gallery, Tulane University

Panelists:
Benito Huerta, Director/Curator, the Gallery at UTA, University of Texas at Arlington
Kaytie Johnson, Director and Curator of University Galleries, Museums and Collections, DePauw University
Christopher Saucedo, Professor of Fine Arts, University of New Orleans
Karoline Schleh, Director, Collins C. Diboll Art Gallery & Asst. Professor of Foundations, Loyola University

Louisiana ArtWorks
725 Howard Avenue
New Orleans, LA 70113
T: (504) 571-7373
F: (504) 571-7368
www.louisianaartworks.org
info@louisianaartworks.org

This program is made possible by the Joan Mitchell Foundation and a grant from the Louisiana State Arts Council through the Louisiana Division of the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.

"The Mixed Bag" @ Galerie Gigi

Who: James Taylor Bonds, John Fields, Hayley Gaberlavage, John K. Lawson, Jimmy Mac, and Vitalija Svencionyte

What: “The Mixed Bag” Art Exhibition

When: Opening reception: Friday, October 2, 2009 at 6PM. Exhibition runs through 10/30/09

Where: Galerie Gigi 627 Saint Peter St. (between Royal and Chartres)

Press Release:

Galerie Gigi is proud to present “The Mixed Bag”. This group exhibition, curated by Terrence Sanders features large-scale works that reflect the diversity, eccentricity, and individuality of New Orleans’ unique visual culture. The artists featured in this exhibition explore the personal, the political, and the geographical narrative of a city, a nation, and a people full of contrasts.
When Katrina ravished John K. Lawson’s studio containing 25 years of artwork, the artist’s work turned to exploring the fragility of life using salvaged artwork and encaustic. Recently Lawson has incorporated blueprints from the 1984 World Fair and New Orleans city ordinance and zoning maps into his work, presenting a refashioned body of work that has stepped out of the personal and into the world at large.
Birmingham native John Fields works with opposing forces. Whether it is the fundamental contrasts of black and white, the humorous and the horrible, or the sexy and the disgusting, his work attempts to present both sides of a question, forcing the opposing sides into a single gestalt unity. His new body of work explores personal and political questions involving the new, so-called “post-racism” America that began with last November’s elections.
James Taylor Bonds’ work is a depiction of New Orleans as seen through the eyes of a southern boy lost in the romanticism and despair of the stories of a city who sleeps with its’ past. Bonds offers the vision of a silent wanderer, exploring a city whose history is prominently stained on its streets and its’ people.
Jimmy Mac has traded in his instruments for acrylics and hand ground pastels. After 2 decades of performing with Cajun rock band Loup Garou, Jimmy Mac is now creating canvases that dance between the figurative and the abstract. Hayley Gaberlavage is inspired by a love of fashion, furniture, and design creating perceptual eye-candy with a color scheme reminiscent of a retro 1970s interior. Her paintings present the figurative by creating graphic patterns, creating a canvas that is playful, unique, and very much alive. Vitalija Svencionyte offers a colorful and abstract tribute to Louisiana’s contemporary jazz and blues. Her current work features portraits of musicians painted through the point of view of their instruments, thus conveying something improvisational and interpretive, much like a visual-jazz experience.
Join us on Friday, October 2nd, 6 pm at Galerie Gigi for an opening reception with the artists. The exhibition runs at Galerie Gigi from October 2nd – the 30th, Thursday through Sat 11am to 5pm. For more information visit www.galeriegigineworleans.com or contact Galerie Gigi director, Lindsay Viner at (713) 385-7890 or lindsay.viner@gmail.com.

Art for Arts' Sake - October 3rd!

Art for Arts' Sake

Saturday, October 3, 2009
6-9pm
Spotlight on Julia Street and the New Orleans Arts District
Gallery openings, a free outdoor block party, cash bars & food, and interactive art installations.

Citywide Art Openings from Magazine Street to the French Quarter and beyond.

Julia St. Block Party
6 - 9pm
300-600 blocks of Julia St.
Free Admission

Food:
Aloha Sushi, Le Citron Bistro, Crepes a la Cart, GW Fins, Sun Ray Grill

ART-mosphere:
Interactive art & sound installations by Marcus Brown & Nathan Weidenhaft, G.A.S. (Generic Art Solutions), Brandan Odums, Addi Somekh and others.

The Official Art for Arts' Sake Celebration & Afterparty at the CAC
6pm - midnight

CASH BARS & FOOD

Music:
9pm: Mardi Gras Indian Rhythm Section featuring members of the Black Eagles, Creole Wild West, Wild Magnolias

9:30pm: Kora Konnection featuring Morikeba Kouyate, Tim Green & Jeff Klein

11pm: N'Kafu Traditional African Dance Ensemble

Throughout the evening: SpunTV.com Fashion Show mingling in the crowd

Admission:
$10 at the door, or FREE for CAC members.
Doors open at 6pm.
Call (504) 528-3805 or visit www.cacno.org

Art:
Make It Right: From Concept to Community
Hot Up Here: New Work by NOLA Artists
20 x 3, 2010: Student works from NOCCA, DSOA and DASH
ART-IN-ME-MO-RI-AM by Kristen Struebing-Beazley


ALSO CHECK OUT New Orléans Afrikan Film and Arts Festival: October 17, 2009 www.neworleansafrikanfilmfest.org

Louisiana Artworks: Who Loves a Garden Still His Eden Keeps

Who Loves a Garden Still His Eden Keeps
Louisiana ArtWorks Exhibition Program in collaboration with arts + gardens + new orleans
Opening Reception October 3, 2009 in conjunction with Art for Arts’ Sake

What:
2nd Floor Gallery Exhibition: Who Loves a Garden Still His Eden Keeps
This quote, by 19th century transcendentalist Amos Bronson Alcott, is the inspiration for a fantastic interpretive garden. The idea behind the exhibition is to challenge the traditional garden constructs while inspiring the viewer experience. The following artists are included:
Kenneth Baskin (Lake Charles) fabricates oversized industrial forms in ceramic for a surreal effect
Ben Diller (Baton Rouge) fuses forms found both in the body and in the landscape into paintings and sculptures
Stephen Collier, (New Orleans) debuts a sound installation by his band Shadows of a Unicorn
Kathryn Hunter (Baton Rouge) blends traditional symbols with her signature avian imagery in metal & enamel mandalas and colorful prayer flags
Kelli Scott Kelley (Baton Rouge) explores humankind’s connections, disconnections and impact upon the animal world in narrative paintings rich with symbolism.

1st Floor Lobby: Jesse, a life-sized pastoral sculpture by Deborah Masters

Project Space: Aviary, a site-specific origami environment by Mia Kaplan

When:
Opening Reception Saturday, October 3, 2009 from 6:00-9:00pm as part of Art for Arts’ Sake
Exhibition will remain on view through Saturday, January 23, 2010. Gallery hours: Saturdays 11:00 am until 5:00 pm

Where:
Louisiana ArtWorks
725 Howard Avenue (at Carondelet)
504-571-7373 or www.louisianaartworks.org

For more information, call Karen Louise Crain at 504-571-7373, or 504-723-6593, email her at klcrain@louisianaartworks.org or visit the website at www.louisianaartworks.org.

Lecture at Louisiana Artworks: University Galleries & the Exhibition World

LOUISIANA ARTWORKS PRESENTS ARTSESSIONS
University Galleries & the Exhibition World
Tuesday, September 29th, 2009

WHAT: The September installment of Louisiana ArtWorks ongoing series of discussions on contemporary art, ArtSessions. University art museums and galleries explore a variety of innovative exhibition themes with a focus on education components, resulting in unique learning opportunities for students, the academic community, and the public at large. Unconstrained by considerations of selling work, University galleries occupy a unique role in the exhibition world, serving as a venue for far reaching work. Join Louisiana ArtWorks on September 29th as moderator Charles Lovell and panelists Benito Huerta, Kaytie Johnson, Christopher Saucedo, and Karoline Schleh explore the role of University Galleries in the exhibition world.

Suggested Donation $3.00.

WHEN: Tuesday, September 29th, 2009 from 7:00 – 9:00 PM.

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

WHO: Moderator: Charles Lovell, Director, Newcomb Art Gallery, Tulane University

Panelists:
Benito Huerta, Director/Curator, the Gallery at UTA, University of Texas at Arlington
Kaytie Johnson, Director and Curator of University Galleries, Museums and Collections, DePauw University
Christopher Saucedo, Professor of Fine Arts, Curator of Galleries at University of New Orleans
Karoline Schleh, Director, Collins C. Diboll Art Gallery & Asst. Professor of Foundations, Loyola University

CoLAB Projects presents Ann Schwab: ‘PURE’

Work displayed within postcard - Maple Seed: Horizontal Suture, mixed-media and encaustic, 4” x 6” x 1.5”

October 3 – 31, 2009
Opening Artist Reception: October 3, 2009 from 6pm – 9pm during ‘Art for Arts’ Sake’

"My photographic work depicts different steps in the process of coping with physical and emotional trauma, the physical wounds often acting as metaphors for emotional ones. Depiction of uncomfortable, disquieting acts, evidence of the sources of strength within and the course of healing provide trauma and healing as the point and counter point in the stages of affliction and recovery.

This current body of work – PURE – focuses on the regenerative, curative power of the natural world. The exaltation of the humble, the reverence of the beauty and singularity of form and the evocation elicited by a site or entity are presented as a balm for healing from injury.

Plants or natural forms figure prominently in my work. The human healing process is metaphorically paralleled and facilitated by nature. The aesthetics/beauty of nature allows for a rejuvenation of the spirit, and function as a wellspring of strength. Also, the self-healing capabilities of plants are contrasted with the human process of healing. I am fascinated with a plant’s ability to regenerate. I draw parallels between our human methods of overcoming trauma– both emotional and physical– and the growth processes of the natural world.

For the Lilt installation, and the other works based on maple seeds, I was captivated by the dual fragility and durability of these seeds. Their diaphanous structures– seemingly so tenuous– are tenacious, and result in the propagation of the species. These seeds have a strength that belies their delicate appearance.

In both the Ultrasounds series and in Linger, this parallel between our human progress and the growth processes of the natural world manifests itself in a different manner. While viewing jellyfish, I was struck by the similarity of their movements in the water with the movements of my unborn son in the amniotic fluid of the womb. The elegant, languorous movements of the jellyfish were hypnotic and soothing. I was again made aware of the commonalities of all living organisms and the underlying connections between us.

Formally, I enjoy creating relationships between disparate elements. And, through the use of multiples and serials of prints, I am able to reveal narratives and to draw correlations between seemingly incongruous elements. In Ultrasounds, I have created a relationship between an image and a sound component. When experienced in conjunction with one another, each element becomes greater than the sum of its parts– and maintains a symbiotic dependency. By utilizing a variety of materials, I can develop a more interactive piece of work with which the viewer can have a dialogue. In Lilt, by freeing the image from the confines of the standard rectangle, and by giving it a three-dimensional form, the images become interactive with the viewer’s space– blurring the edge of where the piece ends and the outside world begins. Employing varied media and alternative formats allows me a simultaneous freedom and accuracy which traditional photography alone does not provide. It allows me to correlate my idea with my piece more exactly to most effectively convey my message.” – Ann Schwab


About the artist:
Ann Schwab works in photography, mixed media and installation and received her B.F.A. from the Maryland Institute College of Art and an M.F.A. from Tulane University. She has been the recipient of numerous awards including: a Maryland State Arts Council Fellowship, a Louisiana Division of the Arts Fellowship, a Surdna Foundation Fellowship and professional development grants from the Louisiana Division of the Arts and the Surdna Foundation. Ann Schwab's work has gained critical acclaim in publications such as Art Papers, New Orleans Art Review, Kansas City Art Review and The Gambit. Her works have been exhibited nationally and internationally and are held in numerous institutional and private collections.

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A selection of current works by Ann Schwab may be viewed online at: http://www.colabprojects.com/gallery/19143/Ann%20Schwab

527 St. Joseph Street, New Orleans, LA 70130 – 504.566.8999
www.colabprojects.com
info@colabprojects.com

Love in the Garden at NOMA

Friday, September 25, 7-11 p.m.
Love in the Garden
Now in its fifth year, Love in the Garden has become one of the Museum's most popular annual events, with delectable dining from more than 30 of the city's finest restaurants, an open bar, live music, and dancing under the stars and the oaks in the city's most romantic setting, the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden. Ten New Orleans-based artists will be honored for their artistic accomplishments as well as for active support of the New Orleans arts community. This year's entertainment will be provided by Joe Simon Jazz (Patron Party, 7-8 p.m.) and Deacon John (Garden Party, 8-11 p.m.). For more information, including the complete lists of honorees and participating restaurants, or to order tickets, visit noma.org/love. To order tickets by phone contact NOMA's Kristen Jochem at (504) 658-4121.

NOMA: Tour of the Asian Art Collection with Lisa Rotondo-McCord

Wednesday, September 2
6 p.m.
Tour of the Asian Art Collection with
Lisa Rotondo-McCord

Lisa Rotondo-McCord, Assistant Director for Art and Curator of Asian Art, leads an informal tour of the new installation of Asian Art. The New Orleans Museum of Art's Asian Art collection is one of the most distinguished in the Gulf South. The richness, variety and breadth of the arts of China, Japan and India are showcased in the Museum's renowned holdings. The collection includes objects which range in date from the Neolithic to the contemporary, and include screens and scroll paintings, miniatures, calligraphy, woodblock prints, ceramics, bronzes, jades, and the decorative arts of East Asia and the Indian sub-continent. The tour is part of the Mid-Week in Mid-City series of public programs on Wednesday evenings, when the Museum stays open until 8 p.m.

Culture Collision this Wednesday at NOMA!

Wednesday, September 2
6-8 p.m.

Find out everything you need to know about the fall cultural season and score specially discounted tickets at this meet-up of local arts organizations sponsored by WWNO, with complimentary bites by Café Degas and mojitos by Old New Orleans Rum. Organized by the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, New Orleans Ballet Association, New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans Opera Association and Southern Rep, additional partners include Arts Council of New Orleans, Contemporary Arts Center, FourFront Theatre, Friends of the Cabildo, Friends of Music, The Historic New Orleans Collection, Jefferson Performing Arts Society, Le Petit Théâtre du Vieux Carré, Louisiana ArtWorks, Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, Louisiana State Museum, The National World War II Museum, New Orleans Film Society, New Orleans Photo Alliance, NOMA Volunteer Committee, Ogden Museum of Southern Art and Southern Food and Beverage Museum. Operatic trio Bon Operatit will perform in between sets by DJ Matty (of Saturn Bar Mod Dance Party fame) and prizes donated by participating arts organizations-including memberships, free tickets, books, gift bags and more-will be raffled off throughout the evening. Regular Museum admission rates apply, which means this event is FREE to Louisiana residents through the generosity of The Helis Foundation.

Visit the New Orleans Museum of Art table in the Great Hall to meet New Orleans-based artist Skylar Fein, who will be on hand to tell visitors about his first solo museum exhibition, Youth Manifesto, opening September 12, and to learn about the upcoming major exhibition, Dreams Come True: Classic Fairy Tales from the Walt Disney Studio, opening November 15. Visit the NOMA Volunteer Committee table, also in the Great Hall, to find out about Love in the Garden and other NVC events.

CoLAB Project Presents, ‘Holy Cards and Other Versions of Mortality’

Immaculate Open Heart of Mary and Sacred Open Heart of Jesus, mixed-media on shrinky dink, 5”x3.5” each

CoLAB Projects presents
Jessica Goldfinch: ‘Holy Cards and Other Versions of Mortality’
September 5 – 27, 2009
Opening Artist Reception: September 5, 2009 from 6pm – 9pm

Artist Statement:
"Many religious myths have parallel storylines and meaning, and are thought to have the same historical point of origin. To explore this complex nature of religion, the Holy Card series collapses religious concept and imagery into one ideal, incorporating iconography from the Egyptian bird god Horus to Michelangelo’s Pietà, as well as other religious signifiers such as the Christian cross, the veil of Muslim faith, and the Hindi multiple-armed figures. In repealing the fourth-century Nicene Creed and humanizing the divine, the series is intended to depict humanist “religious” imagery that fits human concerns and needs more truthfully in our times. These works are meant to investigate the commonalities of humanity and to dissect the global clash of cultures and values present in our world today. Although the works illustrate the mystery and beauty of religion, they also are intended to be ironic and secular — an attempt to humanize the concept of “god.”– Jessica Goldfinch

About the Artist:
Growing up in an urban commune in 1970s New Orleans, Jessica Goldfinch was exposed to unconventional worldviews from a very early age. From her elementary school years at the countercultural Free School through her graduate studies at the University of New Orleans, Jessica focused on studying world ideologies and creatively incorporating them into her art. Jessica's artistic curiosity has led her to travel to places as diverse as Nicaragua, Indonesia, and central India, and she has frequently incorporated both iconographic elements and an Asian sense of balance in her work. Raised as a Secular Humanist but schooled in many other religions from her upbringing, academic studies, and travels, she is fascinated with blind faith as well as religious artwork from an outsider's perspective. Religious views of mortality infuse her work, and are often framed in scientific depictions of issues of life and death.

Jessica Goldfinch received her MFA in Sculpture, BA in Fine Arts and BA in Sociology from The University of New Orleans. Since 2000, her artwork has been exhibited in over 40 different museums, universities, art centers and galleries in New Orleans, throughout the gulf coast of the United States, Washington, DC, New York and Europe. Throughout her exhibition history, Jessica Goldfinch's artwork has been reviewed extensively in the Times-Picayune, Gambit, and New Orleans Art Review. Her work has also been reviewed regionally in the Mobile Register and Gulf Coast Review, nationally in Art Papers, and internationally in the Osterreich Journal (Austria).

Holy Cards and Other Versions of Mortality’ will be viewable online at www.colabprojects.com beginning September 6, 2009. A forthcoming companion exhibition book with an introductory essay by noted art critic D. Eric Bookhardt will be released on September 15, 2009.

THE MAGNIFICENT 7

From Galerie Gigi:

THE MAGNIFICENT 7
PRESS RELEASE

WHO: Group exhibition featuring 7 local artists
WHAT: "The Magnificent 7" art exhibition
WHEN: September 5th - October 1st, Opening Reception Sept. 5th at 6PM
WHERE: Galerie Gigi, 627 St. Peter (In the Quarter between Royal and Chartres)

We are thrilled to announce the unveiling of “The Magnificent 7” at
Galerie Gigi. The much anticipated group show, curated by Terrence
Sanders, features work by artists Blaine Capone, Colin Meneghini,
Anthony Carriere, Tony Nozero, Bruce Davenport, Steve Soltis, and Chad
Moore.

The Magnificent 7 is an important exhibition featuring our top seven
local rising stars of the contemporary art world. This show features a
group of artists with styles and backgrounds as diverse, unique, and
eccentric as the populous of this city.

The 9th ward, homegrown, self-taught talent, Bruce Davenport is best
known for his ink drawings portraying the marching bands from his
youth. Detroit native and proud New Orleans transplant, Tony Nozero
has switched gears from professional musician to visual artist,
creating an astonishingly deep and prolific body of work in his last
few years in the city. Anthony Carriere, who's upbringing was seeped
in Southwest Louisiana's Cajun french culture, made his own toys from
found and created objects as a child; this sense of playfulness
coupled with a compulsive need to discover and create informs his
current collage work. This list goes on and on.

"The Magnificent 7 features New Orleans Artists who articulate
figurative relations in their work", explains curator Terrence
Sanders. "New Orleans has a strong tradition of draftsman who are
rooted in the practice of drawing and painting. These young draftsman
featured in this exhibition are the not so distant cousins of Dali,
Van Gogh, Basquiat, and even Alex Katz." While the figure is a
powerful tool for the artists, each piece articulates its message
through a diverse range of techniques and processes, from
impressionistic brush strokes, to collage work reminiscent of the
surrealists, to the direct and concise message of graffiti art. "New
Orleans is fast growing into a Contemporary Art hub" explains Sanders,
"but will never in my opinion lose it's influence on new painters that
explore the representational aspects of the human figure."

Join us on September 5th, 6 pm at Galerie Gigi for an opening
reception with the artists. The exhibition runs at Galerie Gigi from
Sept.5th to Oct. 1st, Thursday through Sat 11am to 5pm. For more
information visit www.galeriegigineworleans.com or contact Galerie
Gigi director, Lindsay Viner at (713) 385-7890 or
lindsay.viner@gmail.com.

Skylar Fein: Youth Manifesto opening reception and concert

Saturday, September 12, 5:30-10 p.m.
Skylar Fein: Youth Manifesto opening reception and concert

Join us to celebrate the opening of Skylar Fein: Youth Manifesto with an opening and reception, plus live music with a lineup of New Orleans-based bands hand-picked by Fein. Focusing on youth culture, rock and roll, Americana and advertising, Youth Manifesto tackles the pervasive power and symbiotic relationship between rock music and consumerism. The high-energy exhibition is comprised entirely of new work, including painting, sculpture, video and screen prints.

Painting 101: Learn painting basics @ Ogden!

PAINTING 101:
September 15, 2009 – October 20, 2009 (6 weeks)
Every Tuesday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Study and learn basic painting materials and techniques in a museum setting. Artist Anastasia Pelias (www.anastasiapelias.com) will provide individual instruction as she leads an investigation of the dynamics of color, line, scale, and space.

This course is designed for novices, but anyone wanting a refresher is welcome.

RESERVATIONS REQUIRED: Limited to 20 students

Members: $150 plus $30 supply fee /
Non-members: $175 plus $30 supply fee

For more information or to reserve a spot, contact Stephanie Spicer at 504.539.9616 or sspicer@ogdenmuseum.org

This program is supported in part by the Louisiana Division of the Arts and the Windgate Charitable Foundation.

No Dead Artists

Amy Guidry
And Justice for All, Void where Prohibited
Acrylic on canvas, 40 x 30 in.

13th Annual No Dead Artists
Group Show
A Juried Exhibition of Louisiana Art Today
September 1 - Sept 26, 2009
http://www.jonathanferraragallery.com/dynamic/exhibit_artist.asp?ExhibitID=147&Exhibit=Current
400a Julia Street
New Orleans, LA
70130
(504) 522-5471 tel
(253) 399-1649 fx
info@jonathanferraragallery.com