Arts: August 2017
Contemporary Art in New Orleans: A new exhibition at NOMA explores the rise of modern and contemporary art in New Orleans.
An exhibition at the New Orleans Museum of Art, entitled Pride of Place: The Making of Contemporary Art in New Orleans, showcases renowned art collector and gallery owner Arthur Roger’s transformational gift of his entire personal art collection to the museum. The exhibition, which runs through Sept. 3, spotlights one of the city’s most groundbreaking contemporary art collections.
The Arthur Roger Gallery, located on Julia Street, has long been one of New Orleans’ most exciting venues for contemporary art. Roger’s personal collection of more than 80 paintings, photographs and sculptures — which he has collected from the 1970s through today — reflects his skill and sophistication as an art collector.
Pride of Place incorporates many of the artists that Roger’s gallery exhibited over the years, and many works featured in his collection were purchased long before the artists became established voices in contemporary art. The exhibition speaks about place, identity and belonging in New Orleans during the past four decades.
Featured artists in the exhibition that also will be added to NOMA’s permanent collection courtesy of Arthur Roger include Luis Cruz Azaceta, Willie Birch, Douglas Bourgeois, Robert Colescott, George Dureau, Robert Gordy, Deborah Kass, Catherine Opie, Robert Polidori, Holton Rower and John Waters.
In conjunction with Pride of Place, five films by iconic movie director and artist John Waters (whose work is shown in the exhibition) will be screened in Stern Auditorium at 7 p.m. Catch Hairspray on Aug. 4, Cry Baby on Aug. 11 and Pecker on Aug. 18. 1 Collins Diboll Circle, (504) 658-4100, noma.org
Local Perspective: View artwork by the Old No. 77 Hotel & Chandlery’s Artist in Residence, Kate Lewis, during White Linen Night.
For the second summer in a row, the Old No. 77 Hotel & Chandlery has offered its Artist in Residence program. This year, Chicago-based artist Kate Lewis was invited to live at hotel during July to illustrate the historic structures of New Orleans. The resulting collection of completed artwork (large-scale black and white illustrations) will debut in the hotel lobby during White Linen Night on Aug. 5.
The hotel transformed one of the guest rooms into a permanent artist studio designed by Alex Geriner, the founding craftsman behind Doorman Designs — a local furniture company that repurposes found materials for contemporary living. The studio, which acted as Lewis’ home during the summer, will live on permanently at the hotel as a unique, bookable guest room for travelers beginning this month. It features a lofted bed fit with a sculptural handrail made in-house and a built-in workspace; custom-made accent shelves sourced from reclaimed wood; Doorman Design’s rustic Franklin Dresser made from Louisiana cypress and ashwood of the Mississippi Delta; and an art easel.
During her residence, Lewis — who first discovered a love for Southern culture while aiding in the aftermath of the BP oil spill in Louisiana in 2010 — fused art and architecture with the spaces that hold significant meaning to the community. In doing so, she has allowed her art to be guided by the stories of New Orleans’ locals that she met throughout her residency. Her artwork will be on display at the hotel through TK. katelynnlewis.com, old77hotel.com
An Eye on Louisiana: A new exhibition at THNOC features Louisiana art donated by Laura Simon Nelson.
The Historic New Orleans Collection is showing a new exhibition, entitled A Most Significant Gift: The Laura Simon Nelson Collection, through Oct. 21. THNOC’s Laura Simon Nelson Galleries for Louisiana Art are showcasing selections from the extensive collection of Louisiana art donated to THNOC by the galleries’ namesake. The largest single donation of visual art ever received by THNOC, the collection features more than 425 artworks, including 70 pieces of Newcomb pottery.
The exhibition, which was compiled with guidance from longtime friend, collector and dealer George E. Jordan, showcases the talents of many artists who lived and worked in Louisiana. More than 80 works for art are on view from the Nelson collection, including works by artists such as Wayman Adams, Jacques Amans, Knute Heldner, Morris Henry Hobbs, Clarence Millet, Achille Peretti, Paul Poincy, Ellsworth Woodward and William Woodward. Several works of Newcomb pottery will be on display, including vessels decorated by Aurelia Arbo, Henrietta Davidson Bailey, Sadie Irvine, Ada Wilt Lonnegan and Anna Frances Simpson. 400 Chartres St., (504) 523-4662, hnoc.org