ArtsQuarterlyNEW ORLEANS MUSEUM OF ART APRIL � MAY � JUNE 2012 , VOL . 34 N o .2
A Membe r s ’ P ub l i c a t i on
As an encyclopedic museum, the New
Orleans Museum of Art is committed to
examining and interpreting art through
both traditional and contemporary perspectives. We
also aspire to engage New Orleans in the most
current issues.
NOMA’s exhibition calendar demonstrates our
determination to bring the best to New Orleans.
Hard Truths: The Art of Thornton Dial is a powerful
installation. The Wall Street Journal named it one of
the best American exhibtions of 2011, and Time
magazine describes it as a “triumphant
retrospective” that presents “some of the most
assured, delightful, and powerful art around.”
I encourage you to see the show before it
closes in May.
Our summer contemporary art series in the
Great Hall continues with a new work by Katie
Holten, who represented Ireland in the 2003 Venice
Biennale. Holten’s site-specific installation will give
visitors the chance to experience our neoclassical
space in yet another way. NOMA will continue to be
a reminder of why contemporary artists are drawn to
New Orleans, and how the city acts as both a source
of inspiration and a point of departure for their work.
NOMA explores the complicated, rich relationship of
artists with the city through a new programming
series, “Inspired by New Orleans.”
As stewards of art it is vital for us to engage with
our collection and continue to enrich our holdings. A
current selection of works on display in the Great
Hall illustrates that NOMA has been a leader in the
field of self-taught art for decades, and is committed
to giving these artists their earned recognition for
their roles in American art history. In this issue you
will also read about some important recent
acquisitions: a rare Native American beaded panel
and photographs by Malian artist Malick Sidibé.
NOMA has long been a pioneer in collecting
photographs, and under the leadership of Russell
Lord, our new curator of photographs, I am
confident that it will continue to be one of NOMA’s
strongest areas.
As we maintain certain strengths, we continue to
build upon newer resources and initiatives. NOMA
uses a multitude of print and virtual media to
connect with our audiences in a variety ways. I
encourage you to explore our media presence via our
website, Facebook page or by following us on
Twitter; perhaps you will discover you have a new
favorite way of getting all of your NOMA updates.
I am also delighted to share some recent news:
the addition of Allison Reid to our staff as the
Director of Interpretation and Audience Engagement.
Under her leadership there will be much to look
forward to. We will continue to listen to our
audiences and respond with innovative
programming, and current programs, such as our
spring film and theater series, will flourish. The
Besthoff Sculpture Garden is so much more than a
green space—it serves as an outdoor art museum, a
place of wellness and community engagement, and
as we’ve discovered, a stage for film and theatre. Our
spring Movies in the Garden film series and the
return of The NOLA Project’s performances of
Shakespeare will surely be a delightful opportunity
to relax with loved ones in pleasant weather.
Susan M. TaylorThe Montine McDaniel Freeman Director
DIRECTOR’S LETTER
Susan M TaTaT ylor
From the Permanent Collection:Richard Clague, American, 1821-1873Fisherman's Camp, n.d. (detail)Oil on wood panelGift of Mrs. Benjamin M. Harrod, 13.6
CONTENTS
2 FeatureCal l and Response: Rals ton Crawford and Jazz
NOMA: Inspi red by New Orleans
6 Exhibi t ionsKat ie Hol ten chosen for NOMA’s 2012 Great Hal l P rojec t
Celebrat ing Leah Chase, a New Orleans Legend
Exhibi t ion Explores Def in i t ion of Photography
10 Museum NewsRecent Acquis i t ions: Chi ldren of the Revolu t ion
Recent Acquis i t ions: Nat ive Amer ican Blanket S t r ip
NOMA Welcomes Al l i son Reid, Di rec tor of the Depar tment of In terpre ta t ion and Audience Engagement
TAP in to Hard Tru ths
14 Exper iencing NOMAIn teract ing wi th NOMA
16 NOMA and the CommunitySummer Ar t Camps
Communi ty Par tners Teach Ar t on Fr iday Nights
F i lm Screenings and Shakespeare Spice Up the Sculp ture Garden
20 Suppor t ing NOMAExper ience the Benef i t s of a NOMA Membership
NOMA Welcomes New Trus tees of 2012
Join NOMA’s Contemporar ies
A Bi r thday to Remember
28 Prof i les in GivingThe Jones Fami ly
Arts���������2 April � May � June 2012
FEATURE
Though he is often remembered for his pre-
World-War II precisionist paintings of urban
and industrial subjects, Ralston Crawford
produced a significant body of work after 1949
inspired by the culture of New Orleans. This
summer, NOMA will present Ralston Crawford and
Jazz, an exhibition that considers the relationships
between music, photography, painting, drawing and
film as they intersect in Crawford’s work in New
Orleans. Organized by the Sheldon Art Galleries, in
Saint Louis, MO, the exhibition includes 148
photographs, prints, paintings, drawings and films,
many never before published.
Different aspects of New Orleans have inspired
many artists and writers, but for Crawford, New
Orleans jazz music had the most profound effect. In
his work, Crawford imported the elements of jazz—
syncopation, polyphony, and improvisation—and
transformed them into visual strategies. For example,
in music, syncopation breaks up the straightforward
rhythmic progression of a song and in Crawford’s
paintings, “syncopated” forms disrupt the overall
composition, entertaining the eye with a varied
landscape of shapes and colors [Figure 1]. This kind
of synesthesia—the interpretation of one field of
sensory perception (the visual) in terms of another
(the aural)—became increasingly important for
Crawford, who even analyzed the work of his
forbears in musical terms: in a notebook entry on
Leonardo da Vinci’s Virgin of the Rocks, he noted the
“contrapuntal activity” and “cross melodic
references” in the painting.1
Thinking along these lines, Crawford produced
photographs of jazz musicians that are as punchy
and rhythmic as the music that his subjects played
[Figure 2]. He made equally strong, graphic
photographs of the cemeteries, weathered buildings,
signage, and boats at dock. Always inventive,
Crawford also interpreted these same scenes in
lithographs, paintings, and films. This exhibition
brings together works in all of these media and in
some cases, displays the painting, lithograph, or
drawing next to the photograph that inspired it.
These juxtapositions demonstrate Crawford’s skill in
cultivating the unique properties of each medium.
For example in his black-and-white photograph,
Basin Street, 1974 [Figure 3], Crawford creates
Call and Response: Ralston Crawford and Jazz
Fig. 1: St. Ann Street, 1954, oil on canvas
Arts��������� 3April � May � June 2012
abstraction through contrast and tone, whereas in the
painting Basin Street Cemetery, made the following
year, form is created out of his bold use of color
[Figure 4]. Returning again to a jazz analogy, the final
result is a kind of “call and response” structure.
Although Crawford never lived in New Orleans
for any long amount of time, he continued to visit
throughout the rest of his life. When he died in 1978,
he was buried in New Orleans in St. Louis Cemetery
No. 3, with a full jazz funeral.
An Interview with Neelon Crawford
Neelon Crawford is an artist and the son of Ralston
Crawford. Russell Lord, Freeman Family Curator of
Photographs, recently had the opportunity to ask
Neelon some questions about this exhibition, his
father’s work, and his own experiences growing up
around jazz music and musicians.
RL: Your father is perhaps best known for his
paintings, but he was a wonderful photographer as
well and photography plays a central role in this
exhibition. Did he consider the photographs that he
made works of art or documents of life, or
something else?
NC: I think he saw the photographs as finished
works. They were not just documents, or recordings,
or notes. He took good equipment and lugged
around heavy tripods. He framed things carefully
and made deliberate visual decisions. There are, of
course, casual snapshots woven through his work
but those didn’t get printed, unless it was a gift
for somebody.
RL: This exhibition demonstrates that sometimes
Ralston would make a photograph that would be
transformed into a drawing, which might itself serve
as the source for a painting, and so forth. What do
you think Ralston thought of the relationship
between these works? Did he consider them as
connected or as separate things?
NC: Both. There were also conversations between
Ralston and Stuart Davis [American painter, 1892-
1964], who were peers and knew each other well.
Stuart said to Ralston something along the lines of “I
FEATU
RE
Fig. 2: Advertising theDance, 1953, gelatinsilver print
Arts���������4 April � May � June 2012
really dislike it when they want to put the drawing
next to the painting. When they put the drawing next
to the painting, somebody comes along in the gallery
and they don’t look at either one, they just look at the
comparison.” When Ralston made a drawing based
on the photograph, he would consciously go out of
his way to make sure that the drawing aspect ratio
was not the same as the photograph. Then, when he
would put the clean blank canvas on the easel he
would make sure that the aspect ratio of the canvas
was again different from the drawing. By changing
the ratio, he forced himself to change the image. He
wasn’t just making that photograph or drawing into
a painting. It made him seek new solutions.
RL: This exhibition highlights the fact that he made a
large body of photographs in New Orleans, but
Ralston made photographs in many other locations.
Are those photographs different from the work he
produced in New Orleans in some way?
NC: Well, he would wear a [35 millimeter] Leica
camera all the time. 35 mm was a joy for him because
of the quality and portability, but in New Orleans he
mostly made pictures with 4 x 5 and 8 x 10 [inch
negative] cameras. One of the things you can notice
in the catalogue is that he would see something that
many people would just walk by and he would
frame it and crop it in such a way that it suddenly
snapped into place as a “Ralston Crawford”
composition. It’s uncanny. After you are tuned in to
his work you can spot his kind of images all over the
place, whether it was a fishing village in France, or
holy week in Spain, or the docks in New Orleans, or
in Manhattan.
RL: What went into his decision to be buried here?
NC: The thing about New Orleans is that its
exuberance and life energy—well, it’s pretty much
unlike anywhere else in the world. I remember when
I was young, Ralston would say definitive statements
like “Dixieland jazz is the best music!” and I would
think, now wait a minute, there’s a lot of other music
FEATU
RE
Fig. 4: Basin Street Cemetery, 1975, oil on linenFig. 3: Basin Street, 1974, gelatin silver print
Arts���������
out there! But he really meant it. He would say “New
Orleans, there’s nothing else like it.” I think his
decision...it was basically because of his love of the
place and the food and the music and energy.
RL: Do you remember any stories about meeting
musicians with Ralston in New Orleans?
NC: I remember one night it was about 11 o’clock. We
were staying at the Hotel Monteleone and Ralston
said “come on let’s go meet so and so” and so we
went to one of the clubs on Bourbon Street to meet
up with this friend. I was a little tired. It was late and
I’m not even of drinking age yet. Midnight comes
and goes. But right around 1 o’clock Billie and Dede
[Pierce] [1907-1974 and 1904-1973] show up and start
playing. I don’t know if that was expected or if it was
just coincidence. But I wasn’t tired anymore. I woke
right up. There was this mixture of pure gold…the
integrity and the love…just the two of them, trumpet
and piano. There are life moments like that when
something happens and its very powerful, but good
for you. And you can’t always plan it. For me, now,
recounting that—I don’t think I’ve told anyone that
in years—but I’m realizing, that’s probably why
Ralston went to New Orleans. This is the real deal.
It’s the real music in the real place.
Ralston Crawford and Jazz will be on view in the Ella
West Freeman Galleries from June 21 to October 14, 2012.
A fully illustrated catalogue is available in the Museum
Shop, published by the Sheldon Art Galleries and Virginia
Publishing (162 pp., $24.95).
Notes
1. Crawford drawing notebook, undated, unpaginated, c. 1951, quoted
and cited in Barbara Haskell, Ralston Crawford (New York: Whitney
Museum of American Art, 1985), 79.
FEATU
RE
Arts���������
NOMA: INSP IRED BY NEW ORLEANS
NEW ORLEANS, KNOWN FOR ITS UNIQUE art,architecture, literature, cuisine and music, has been amuse to artists working in a variety of disciplines. Thisyear, NOMA wishes to pay homage to the city with athematic approach to programming, examining thebreadth, diversity, and beauty of artistic works thathave been and continue to be inspired by NewOrleans.
The museum’s weekly Friday night Where Y’Art!?programs will soon include the “Inspired by NewOrleans” programs and lecture series. Those featuredwill be artists, politicians, writers, directors, authors,architects, and chefs whose works have beeninfluenced by New Orleans. Some Friday nights willbe spent in the Besthoff Sculpture Garden, where wewill have film screenings, musical performances, andtheatrical productions, all related to this inspiring city.Support for Where Y’Art!? programming has beenprovided in part by grants from the Office of theLieutenant Governor Department of Culture, Recreation
and Tourism, Ruby K. Worner Charitable Trust, and theNew Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival andFoundation.
The exhibition calendar for 2012 is rich with NewOrleans influence as well. Dario Robleto: The Prelivesof the Blues, Leah Chase: Paintings by Gustave BlacheIII, and Ralston Crawford and Jazz all illustrate NewOrleans inspiration, through imagery, music and theculinary arts.
NOMA invites visitors to link the creative processwith the city, providing them with opportunities to seeboth art and New Orleans in a fresh light. Be on thelookout for more information on upcoming events,programming and exhibitions surrounding this theme.
The “Inspired by New Orleans” programming issupported in part by an award from the NationalEndowment for the Arts.
FRIDAY, JUNE 22, 7 P.M.Panel discussion on Ralston Crawford in New Orleans with OliviaLahs-Gonzales, Director of The Sheldon Art Galleries and John H.Lawrence, Director of Museum Programs at The Historic NewOrleans Collection. Moderated by Russell Lord.
Arts���������6 April � May � June 2012
EXHIBIT IONS
This summer, the museum looks forward to a
new large-scale work by Katie Holten, an
internationally renowned artist who
represented Ireland in the Irish Pavilion of the 2003
Venice Biennale. This will be the museum’s second
site-specific installation for the Great Hall; the first
being Thalassa, Swoon’s stunning sea goddess of
last summer.
Living and working in New York, Holten (born
1975, Dublin, Ireland) received her bachelor’s degree
from the National College of Art and Design in
Dublin in 1998. She moved to the United States after
receiving a Fulbright Scholarship from Cornell
University in 2004. As an artist Holten is known for
creating thoughtful sculptures, drawings, and public
art that respond to specific urban and rural ecologies.
Her artist statement explains:
I am interested in creating works that contribute to an
awareness of 'place' while reflecting the vulnerabilities
implicit in everyday life. At the root my practice is a
curiosity with life's systems. My work is an ongoing
investigation of the inextricable relationship between man
and the natural world in the age of the Anthropocene.
In addition to her fascination with “deep time,”
Katie Holten chosen for NOMA’s 2012 Great Hall ProjectMiranda Lash, Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art
Excavated Tree (FloweringDogwood), 2007Newspaper, cardboard, steel,PVC, wire, and duct tape.Soloexhibition at the ContemporaryArt Museum St. Louis.Photograph by Mike Schuh.Courtesy CAMSTL.
biodiversity, fractal patterns of natural growth, and
the scientific “average colour of the universe,”
Holten’s work includes ongoing interest in the
shapes and roles of trees. This was the focus of her
Tree Museum, a public art project commissioned by
the Bronx Museum in 2009. For this project Holten
researched 100 trees along the Grand Concourse of
the Bronx, compiling maps, information, and oral
histories relating to the different trees
(www.treemuseum.org). Other past projects by
Holten include in 2006, a pop-up market in Mexico
City titled Gran Bazaar, where the artist sold original
artworks made from recycled materials, in 2007 a tree
installation titled Paths of Desire for the
Contemporary Art Museum, St. Louis, and most
recently, a public art project in 2011 in Dublin, where
she adorned various streets with hand-painted
ceramic tiles containing excerpts from “On The
Nature of Things,” a poem by Lucretius.
In January and February, Holten completed a six-
week residency at Tulane University’s Studio in the
Woods, located in a serene forest on New Orleans’s
west bank. During this residency Holten explored
different regions of Louisiana, from the marshes of
Cocodrie, to the unique trees and wild areas of City
Park. Her piece for the Great Hall will be inspired by
her time spent in New Orleans and her impressions
of the city and its environment.
Katie Holten’s installation will be on view in the
Great Hall from June 15 through September 9, 2012. The
artist will give a lecture in the Stern Auditorium on
Friday, June 15 at 6 p.m.
On the Nature of Things (Branch Like Atoms), 2011Ceramic tiles. Public artwork in the streets of Dublin city for DublinContemporary. Photograph by Renato Ghiazza.
ON VIEW
Self-taughtArtistsfrom the PermanentCollectionGreat HallLast day:June 10
Without knowledge of the artistic mainstream,these self-taught artists of the American South weresometimes referred to as folk or “outsider” artists.They lived, however, as insiders, deeply rooted intheir communities, unaffected by the synergy of thecommercial urban art world. Often their ownenvironment and life experiences were the sourcefor their imagery, ideas, and materials.Biographical and local in its initial reference, theimagery in their work is often universal in itsmessage and visual appeal.
NOMA has collected the works of self-taughtartists since the 1960s, and has been a leader ineducating the public on this important chapter ofAmerican art history. Works on view includepaintings and sculpture from Clementine Hunter,Sister Gertrude Morgan, William Hawkins, andone of Thornton Dial’s earliest large-scaleassemblages, among others. Curated by AliceYelen, Senior Curator of Collections Research.
Hard Truths:The Art ofThornton DialElla WestFreemanGalleriesLast day:May 20
Don’t miss this exhibition featuring over forty worksby Thornton Dial from the past twenty years.Created using found objects, his assemblages,sculptures, and drawings address some of the mostprevalent social ills in the United States, and serveas a historical account of a working-class blackman living in the Deep South. Curated by JoanneCubbs, Adjunct Curator of American Art at theIndianapolis Museum of Art. Organized by theIMA.
Fridays, April 6 and May 18, 7 p.m.: Film: Mr. Dial Has Something to Say
Friday, April 20, 6 p.m.: Exhibition walk-through and discussion by artist Willie Birch
Friday, May 18, 6 p.m.: Art historians JaneLivingston and John Beardsley will discuss theevolution of the modern folk art movement inAmerica
Arts���������8 April � May � June 2012
Leah Chase, co-owner and chef of Dooky
Chase Restaurant, is one of the city’s most
beloved icons. To celebrate her and her many
contributions to New Orleans, NOMA will host a
gala preview of Leah Chase: Paintings by Gustave
Blache III. In the exhibition, Blache investigates the
chef in her environment at her famous restaurant.
The restaurant is named after its original owner,
Leah’s father-in-law, Dooky Chase. In 1945 Leah
married Dooky Chase Jr., a jazz musician, and began
working in the restaurant during the 1950s. The
restaurant became famous as a meeting place for civil
rights activists during the 1960s, and today it remains
a favorite destination for locals and tourists alike.
Blache, New Orleans-raised but now living in
Brooklyn, chiefly depicts Leah in the less glamorous
but nonetheless essential aspects of the restaurant
business. Wearing her often seen pink cap, Leah cuts
squash and scallions, pours oysters and parsley into
her mixing bowl, and even washes the dishes. Leah is
in her element, carefully stirring her concoctions.
While endeavoring to capture the spirit of her
cooking, Blache nonetheless took care to keep the
ingredients generic enough not to reveal any secrets
to her recipes.
In addition to being an award-winning chef,
Leah is also known as a life-long advocate of the arts,
particularly by African American artists, and is
currently an honorary life trustee of NOMA. The gala
preview will be on Monday, April 23, from 6 to 8
p.m., and will also serve as the inauguration of the
Leah Chase Art Purchase Fund, which will support
the acquisition of works by African American artists.
Join us to celebrate art and one of its greatest
champions. Gala tickets prices start at $75. For more
details or to purchase tickets, contact Marilyn
Dittmann at (504) 658-4107 or [email protected].
Tickets may also be purchased on the web at
www.noma.org.
Leah Chase: Paintings by Gustave Blache III will
be on view in the Louisiana Galleries from April 24—
September 9, and is sponsored by Richard Colton Jr. and
Liberty Bank and Trust.
Celebrating Leah Chase, a New Orleans Legend
EXHIBITIO
NS
Clockwise from top left:
Cutting Squash, 2010(detail), Oil on wood
Courtesy of the National Gallery of Art, Smithsonian Institution
Transferring Squash, 2010(detail), Oil on wood
Courtesy of Dr. Glenfield and Gradie Night
Dining Room (Leah Greeting Guests), 2011
(detail), Oil on woodCollection of
Richard Colton
Arts��������� 9April � May � June 2012
Exhibition Explores Definition of Photography Russell Lord, Freeman Family Curator of Photographs
What is a photograph? How do we define
its history? This exhibition, compiled
mostly from NOMA’s permanent
collection, examines many forms of photography
from the 1840s to the present, in order to explore
these questions. Over the past 190 years,
photography has infiltrated almost every aspect of
modern life, from birth to war and science to religion.
During this time, the photograph has taken many
forms, such as the daguerreotype, cyanotype, and
gelatin silver print. Scholars and historians have
often found it difficult to write a history that gives
equal weight to each of these distinct forms, but
recent technical developments in photography have
made it even more complicated. With the advent of
the digital era, it appears that we must once again
begin rewriting photography’s history to include not
only images on metal plates, paper, and cloth, but
also images on laptop screens and handheld devices,
images that have no physical support and may never
physically exist at all. It has become clear that a
history that narrowly defines photography as one
medium is insufficient. Photography, it seems, is not
one medium, but many.
This exhibition describes and includes many of
the most common photographic processes
(daguerreotypes, salted paper prints, gelatin silver
prints, and inkjet prints), but it also includes objects,
artifacts, and practices that have typically been
considered marginal to the history of photography
(reproductions of photographs in ink, negatives,
camera-less photographs, cartes-de-visite, color
processes, and even a piece of jewelry). These
disparate works invite you to consider what—if
anything—links them together within the history of
photography.
What is a Photograph? will be on view from April
20 to August 19, 2012 in the Templeman Galleries.
Anonymous, Portrait of Young Female Child (Mourning Bracelet), circa 1855, Daguerreotype mounted on inside of bracelet locket with the initial"C" woven out of human hair under glass on the opposite side. Gift of an anonymous donor, 83.184. Photography by Judy Cooper.
This object was probably made to commemorate the untimely death of a young girl. Her portrait is on one side of the locket, and what is mostlikely her initial woven out of her hair is on the other side.
Arts���������10 April � May � June 2012
MUSEUM NEWS
RECENT ACQUISIT IONSChildren of the RevolutionRussell Lord, Freeman Family Curator of Photographs
Recently, the artist Philip Taaffe gave
NOMA 187 small vintage prints by Malick
Sidibé (Malian, born 1935). These prints,
mounted to eleven sheets, enter the permanent
collection as only the second major group of
twentieth-century African photography, following a
2005 gift of eight photographs by Seydou Keita
(Malian, 1921-2001). Keita and Sidibé, who were both
active in the capitol of Bamako in the 1950s and 60s,
are the two most recognizable photographers in
western African from that time period. Sidibé in
particular became famous for his pictures of parties
and events in Bamako, and played a significant role
in the transformation of African photography.
In 1960, the Republic of Mali declared its
independence, finally shrugging off the mantle of
French colonial rule that extended back to the 19th
century. Eager to erase the trappings of western
European influence, leaders of the new Republic
sought to establish a particularly African style of
political, social and cultural policies.1 Many young
Malians, however, viewed independence as a chance
to celebrate personal freedom, which surprisingly
meant importing the music, clothing, and attitudes of
western European and American culture.
In Bamako, young people began to search for a
new form of visual representation. Staid studio
portraiture, with its roots in static nineteenth century
images of wealth and power, was rejected as
conservative and artificial. Instead, they wanted
pictures that matched the dynamic, vibrant energy of
the culture they were importing. This desire led them
to seek out mobile, engaged photographers who
could depict them as autonomous, joyful, and
independent. They found the perfect accomplice in
Malick Sidibé.
Sidibé was born in 1935 in Soloba, a village
about 200 miles from Bamako. He was hired by a
French photographer in Bamako, Gérard Guillat
(nicknamed Gégé la pellicule, or Gégé the film) to
serve as his assistant. Sidibé eventually launched his
own “Studio Malick” in 1960. Although in-studio
portraits were his primary business, as early as 1957
he had begun photographing private events in and
around Bamako. Ultimately, he became a permanent
fixture in the social clubs or Grins that formed in
post-colonial Bamako. The Grins, named after music
idols or cultural phenomena from the western world
(The Beatles, Les Monkees, Las Vegas, etc.), would
serve as meeting places to discuss current social
topics of Western and African culture.
Using a small 6 x 6 cm or 35 mm camera, Sidibé
photographed the discussions, people drinking and
dancing, and captured impromptu portraits of
people in their finest western style attire. After the
gathering, he would spend most of the night making
small proofs for the party attendees to look at the
next day. These small work prints were then
mounted to supports and numbered, so that
customers could choose which prints to purchase.
Ironically, these images that chronicle the
vibrancy of the young Bamakois’ cultural revolution,
were often affixed to a banal manila (or colored)
administrative folder. Nevertheless, the energy and
camaraderie of the Grins unfold through these small
and often sequential photographs. In one sheet of
prints, Les Copains, four dapper young men pose
rather seriously in front of a stark white wall and are
later seen smiling and dancing in other images on the
same support. In another, Las Vegas, 3e Anniversaire
Independance, Malians celebrate the third anniversary
of Malian independence (September 22, 1963). Sidibé
Arts��������� 11April � May � June 2012
also photographed public events outside of the
private clubs. For example, in Gala de Boxe, he
photographs a boxing match in which we see both
participants and spectators. From this particular
series, the passage of time is explicitly marked: we
see boxers posing for quick portraits, squaring off to
fight, and then finally, the referee raises the victor’s
hand in the last picture.
For a few decades, these small intimate prints
were all that existed of Sidibé’s work. In 1995,
however, he was included in an exhibition at the
Fondation Cartier pour l’Art Contemporain, in Paris.
Since then, professional printers have made huge
prints from his negatives (with his approval) for
exhibitions in museums and commercial galleries.
These enlargements draw upon the graphic
sensibilities of the original—the patterned clothing
and textured surfaces—but explode them to
enormous proportions. As a result, the intimacy, the
context of independence, and the cultural shift
implicit in the originals are cast aside in favor of the
pictures’ formal qualities. In effect, the pictures have
been transformed from document to art, removed
from the administrative folders and launched onto
the walls of fine art institutions.
This is not necessarily a contradiction. Indeed for
Sidibé, whose pictures are certainly beautiful, these
new prints represent a level of perfection that was
unavailable to him. The work of Seydou Keita
underwent a similar transformation, about which he
has said, “You can’t imagine what it was like for me
the first time I saw prints of my negatives printed
large-scale, no spots, clean and perfect. I knew then
that my work was really, really good.”2 There is no
doubt that Sidibé’s work is deserving of attention for
its form, pattern, and composition, but it is equally
important not to lose the backdrop of political, social,
and cultural change that made such pictures
possible.
Notes
1. Manthia Diawara, Malick Sidibé Photographs
(Göteborg, Sweden: Hasselblad, 2003): 11.
2. Interview with Seydou Keita in Michelle Lamunière, You
Look Beautiful Like That: The Portrait Photographs of Seydou
Keïta and Malick Sidibé (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University
Art Museums, 2001): 47.
This fall, look for these photographs in an exhibition
titled, Photography, Sequence & Time.
Malick Sidibé, Les Copains, April 30, 1970, 22 gelatin silver prints mounted to administrative folder, Gift of Philip Taaffe, 2011.52.3
RECENT ACQUISIT IONSNative American Blanket StripPaul Tarver, Curator of Native American Art
In December of 2011, NOMA
accessioned a Native American beaded
panel referred to as a blanket strip. This
object, created by a Native American
woman in the Upper Missouri Valley, was
made from large blue and white glass pony
beads and sewn on to buffalo hide. The
finished strip was then attached to a high-
ranking individual’s buffalo robe. Native
American objects created prior to 1850 are
rare, and most of them belong to European
museums. NOMA’s blanket strip dates to
circa 1830, making it an important acquisition.
After the signing of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, Thomas Jefferson
commissioned Lewis and Clark to explore the northern boundaries of the
territory. They were to learn as much as possible about the land and to let
the inhabitants know they had a new “father.” Among the many trade
items they took with them were large bags of blue and white glass beads
made in Venice, Italy. These beads came to be referred to as “pony” beads
and became instantly popular among the women of the region.
In the early 1830s, painters George Catlin and Karl Bodmer visited
the upper Missouri to document the native tribes. Both artists painted
portraits of important leaders in full regalia, dressed in robes with blue
and white pony-beaded strips. In 1837, a smallpox epidemic swept the
region, leaving only a few hundred survivors, which may account for the
lack of surviving material culture from that area. Only four known pony-
beaded blanket strips exist today, and only NOMA’s is in a public
collection.
The provenance, or history of ownership of this piece can only be
traced back to the late twentieth century, when it came into the collection
of the former senator and one time presidential candidate Barry
Goldwater. Goldwater, a collector of Native American art, donated it to
the Smoki Museum in Prescott, Arizona in the early 1990s. Later it was
sold to a private collector, and eventually ended up in a Santa Fe Gallery,
where NOMA found it.
Figure 1: Northern Plains Culture, United States, Beaded Panel (Blanket Strip), circa1830, Glass "pony" beads, buffalo hide, sinew, Museum purchase: The BraceEndowment Fund. On view in the Kresge Foundation Gallery, 3rd floor. Photo courtesyof H. Malcom Grimmer.
Figure 2: Karl Bodmer, Switzerland, 1809-1893, Two Mandan Men, 1833 (detail);Digital print from an engraving of an original watercolor.Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Arts��������� 13April � May � June 2012
NOMA Welcomes Allison Reid, Director of theDepartment of Interpretation and Audience Engagement
TAP into Hard Truths
Previously the Vice President for Collections
& Programs at Cheekwood Botanical Garden
& Museum of Art in Nashville, Tennessee,
Allison Reid comes to NOMA with nearly fifteen
years of museum experience and a strong hands-on,
visitor-focused philosophy toward exhibitions and
programming.
Recently, Reid acted as a senior manager in
planning and preparation for Cheekwood's fiftieth
anniversary in 2010, which included a year-long
celebration and marked the presentation of the
institution's largest exhibition. During Reid's tenure,
Cheekwood saw its annual visitation double and its
membership rates steadily grow.
Before Hurricane Katrina, Reid served as the
Assistant Director for Education at NOMA (1999-
2006), where she led the department in developing
educational programming grounded in the
museum's expansive encyclopedic collection.
NOMA's Department of Interpretation and
Audience Engagement (formerly known as the
Department of Education) is dedicated to providing
educational opportunities to broaden the
understanding of
and interaction with
the arts and creative
thinking. The
department offers
tours, programs and
art-making activities
that engage diverse
communities with
the collections and
exhibitions on view
at NOMA. Programs
for students,
educators, and the public are thoughtfully designed
to awaken the imaginations of museum visitors and
foster inquisitiveness in the creative process.
"I am thrilled to be joining the team at NOMA,
especially as they embark on the creation of a new
platform of educational initiatives," says Reid. "I
share NOMA's vision of strong community
engagement and continued audience growth and
look forward to building on the visitor experience
with the museum."
On view through May 20,
Hard Truths: The Art of
Thornton Dial includes
over forty works from the past
twenty years of Dial’s life.
Participate in an exciting new feature of NOMA’s
exhibition experience by taking a TAP tour of Hard
Truths. The TAP program, developed by the
Indianapolis Museum of Art, provides visitors the
opportunity to immerse themselves in the exhibition
through an engaging and thought-provoking
multimedia experience. For just $3, visitors can rent
an iPod with the programmed TAP tour. Look for the
TAP logo throughout the exhibition and tap the
corresponding number into the keypad. The TAP
iPod tour includes exclusive video and audio of the
artist himself; a guided investigation of Thornton
Dial’s works by Joanne Cubbs, the curator of Hard
Truths; and interviews with the conservators and
photographers who worked on the exhibition
and catalogue.
Photograph by Judy Cooper
MUSEU
M N
EWS
Arts���������14 April � May � June 2012
EXPERIENCING NOMA
NOMA is committed to getting you all the
information you need on museum events
and exhibitions, through a variety of
media. Our website, Facebook, and Twitter pages
always have the most up-to-date information, so
you’ll never miss out on what’s going on. Here’s a
quick run-down of all the ways you can interact with
NOMA.
Arts Quarterly
Our award-winning Arts Quarterly has been a
longtime favorite resource for museum members.
Here, you can read interviews and get behind-the-
scenes information on current and upcoming
exhibitions. The pull-out events calendar also
provides a three-month schedule of lectures, special
events, wellness activities and more (not to mention,
it doubles as an art poster).
www.noma.org
If you haven’t seen NOMA’s new website, be sure to
visit for the latest information about exhibitions and
events, as well as videos and press. Browse the
collection and design your own tour, and sign up for
our weekly e-newsletter at the top of the right hand
side of the screen.
On Facebook, the New Orleans Museum of Art has a
page where you can browse photos and read posts
about the permanent collection. You can check out
our events, RSVP to them, and invite your friends to
come, too! NOMA’s Facebook page is also a great
way to get exclusive access to what’s going on at the
museum. Signing up for a Facebook account is easy
and free.
www.facebook.com/NOMA1910
Click “like” on our page, and all of NOMA’s updates
will show up on your Facebook news feed (a.k.a. the
home page). Click “Join My List” on the left hand
side of the screen to get our weekly e-newsletter sent
to your email.
Interacting with NOMAGrace Wilson, Director of Communications and Marketing and Elizabeth Soland, Communications Assistant
Arts��������� 15April � May � June 2012
Twitter is a way to instantly see what’s going on at
NOMA. Think of it as blogging, but each mini post is
called a “tweet.” We live-tweet at events, show you
behind-the-scenes images and sometimes give
special deals to our followers. (We even made a
Super Bowl bet of a priceless painting with another
museum over Twitter!) See what others are tweeting
about NOMA, and if you have a Twitter account, you
can always mention us or “retweet” information
we’ve shared. Mention @NOMA1910 next time you
visit. Again, signing up is simple and free.
www.twitter.com/NOMA1910
Click “follow” to have all of @NOMA1910’s tweets
show up on your home page.
If you like photography, be sure to explore
Instagram. An application you can download on an
iPhone or iPad, Instagram is used to create and share
photos with others. Download it and follow
@NOMA1910. There are funky filters and effects you
can use to create your own artsy shots with your
device’s camera, or you can just browse NOMA’s.
Add us to your feed to keep up with our
photographic journey, or take your own photos of
NOMA (and tag us in them so we can see them too).
YouTube
YouTube is a free, video sharing service. Over the
past year, the museum has produced numerous
videos, which can all be seen on our YouTube page
and on NOMA’s website.
www.noma.org/videos
www.youtube.com/user/NewOrleansMuseumArt
Click “subscribe” at the top of our YouTube page,
next to the title “New Orleans Museum of Art” and
you’ll be informed every time we add a new video.
NEXT UP AT BOOK CLUB
APRIL Joan Mitchell: Lady Painter by Patricia Albers April 12, 10 a.m.: Field Trip to the Joan Mitchell CenterApril 18, 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m.: Special Program on JoanMitchell by Miranda Lash
April 26, 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m.: Discussion Group
MAY The Vanished Smile: the Mysterious Theft of Mona Lisa by R.A. ScottiMay 17, 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m.: Discussion Group
JUNEMy Name is Red by Orhan PamukJune 8, 11:30–1 p.m.: Special Program by Lisa Rotondo-McCord
June 14, 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m.: Discussion Group
Each month a different work of fiction or non-fiction, all with art or museum-related content, is selected fordiscussion in the Felix J. Dreyfous Library. The Book Clubalso engages in curatorial programs and field tripscorrelating with each book. To join or for more info,contact the librarian at (504) 658-4117 or [email protected].
ONE NIGHT, 100 PHOTOGRAPHERS
The New Orleans Museum of Art, inpartnership with the New Orleans Photo Alliance, ispleased to present PhotoNOMA, a photographers'portfolio night at the museum. On Friday, May 11 from5:30 to 8:30 p.m., 100 photographers, from beginnersto the well established, will display their work for acommunity walk-through. Admission is $10 for thegeneral public, $5 for Photo Alliance members and asalways, NOMA members get in free. Photographyenthusiasts and the public at large are encouraged tocome out to see the wide range of work that will be ondisplay and to take advantage of the wonderfulopportunity to meet and engage with the artists.
All photographers who are interested in participatingshould register (at no cost) with the New Orleans PhotoAlliance. The first 100 photographers to register will beallowed to display their portfolios. At 5 p.m. on the dayof the event, participants should line up at the securityentrance of the museum with their portfolios and uponentering, will be allowed to choose their own table. Formore information, please contact the New Orleans Photo Alliance at (504) 610-4899 orwww.neworleansphotoalliance.com.
Arts���������16 April � May � June 2012
NOMA AND THE COMMUNITY
NOMA is teaming up with KID smART
and Young Audiences to offer Summer Art
Camps for children ages 5 – 12. All camps
feature NOMA’s permanent collection or special
exhibitions, and are taught by professional artists.
“In the Studio” visual art camps will be offered in
the mornings in our first floor art studio. “On the
Stage” afternoon camps will take place in the Stern
Auditorium and will include theater, creative
writing, photography and puppetry.
Camps are arranged for students aged 5 – 8 or
aged 9 – 12 on alternating weeks. Students may sign
up for morning only, afternoon only or full day. If
your child will be attending for a full day, please
send a sack lunch. The cost of each summer camp
session is $120 for NOMA members and $150 for
non-members, with all materials included. Each
session meets for one week, Monday through Friday.
Contact Elise Solomon at 504-658-4128 or
[email protected] to register your child.
JUNEIn the Studio: 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
June 4 – 8: Hold the Line, Ages 5 - 8
Line, form, color and texture will be the focus as
students explore the basics of drawing. Students will
work with pastels, colored pencils, charcoal and
graphite.
June 11 – 15: Drawing Is Fundamental, Ages 9 - 12
Students will learn how artists make two-
dimensional drawings appear to have depth and
form. Two-dimensional design principles, basic
composition, and the illusion of space will be taught
in this “back to basics” art class.
June 18 – 22: Art is Multicultural, Ages 5 - 8
Visit the world without ever leaving NOMA’s third
floor! Children will explore many places where art is
made and will create their own unique works of art
inspired by the arts of the world.
June 25 – 29: Art through the Ages, Ages 9 - 12
From pre-Columbian Maya to modern New York,
NOMA’s collection includes works that span diverse
places and times. After exploring he museum’s
galleries, students will create works inspired by art
from around the world.
On the Stage: 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.
June 4 – 8: A Group Picture, Ages 5 - 8
Students will learn how to use body language and
tableaux to create short scenes inspired by works of
art in NOMA’s collection.
June 11 – 15: Statues Come to Life, Ages 9 - 12
Drama students will create characters and brief scenes
to tell stories about the works of art they encounter in
museum galleries and the Sculpture Garden.
June 18 – 22: A Thousand Words, Ages 5 - 8
During this creative writing camp, students will work
as a class to reconstruct works of art the on the page,
focusing on setting and environment.
June 25 – 29: Every Picture Tells a Story, Ages 9 - 12
Students will learn play-writing techniques as they
work together to write a short play based on works of
art from NOMA’s galleries.
JULYIn the Studio: 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
July 9 – 13: Monsters, Magic and Myth, Ages 5 - 8
Imaginations will run wild as students conjure up
whimsical beasts out of every material under the sun.
2-D and 3-D techniques will be used as students bring
their fantasies to life.
Summer Art Camps
July 16 - 2: Mixing with Mixed Media, Ages 9 - 12
Students will travel all over the museum to discover
new and unusual materials from around the world,
then use found objects to create works of art using
mixed media.
July 23 – 27: About Face, Ages 5 - 8
Students will learn the history of portraiture and the
wide range of ways that artists have used the body
as inspiration. They will use pencil, charcoal,
printmaking and watercolor.
July 30 – August 3: Figure This Out, Ages 9 - 12
The human figure is one of the most widely depicted
subjects in art. After looking at examples from
NOMA’s collection, students will create their own
figurative drawings and paintings using charcoal,
pencil, watercolor, and printmaking materials.
On the Stage: 1:00-4:00 p.m.
July 9 – 13: Photo Shoot, Ages 5 - 8
This camp will emphasize fun and photography as
students explore NOMA and the Sculpture Garden
with camera in hand. Students will explore
photography through a variety of formats including
film, digital, and solar prints.
July 16 – 20: Snap a Picture, Ages 9 - 12
Young photographers will learn basics of
photography, emphasizing composition, color and
form, as they snap photos of the museum and its
surroundings.
July 23 – 27: Puppetry in Motion, Ages 5 - 8
Students will build their own puppets and use them
to tell a story inspired by NOMA’s collection.
Shadow puppets, hand held and stick puppets will
all be introduced.
July 30 – August 3: Up My Sleeve, Ages 9 - 12
Different styles of puppetry and puppet traditions
from around the world will be discussed as students
build their own puppets and create a set in which a
story can unfold.
Photography by Roman Alokhin and Grace Wilson
The 2012 Louisiana Iris Rainbow FestivalJoin NOMA as wecelebrate the beautifulbloom of our Louisianairises in the BesthoffSculpture Garden with theLouisiana Iris RainbowFestival, on Sunday, April1, from 12 - 4 p.m.Whether you’re aseasoned gardener, justplanting your first bulb, orif you just want to spend arelaxing day in the Gardenamong radiant flowers, thisfree event is for you.
The festival will include live music by Cindy Scott,gourmet sliders and pomme frites from the SliderShak foodtruck, and family art-making activities provided by NOMA’sDepartment of Interpretation and Audience Engagement.
Eileen Hollander, Vice-President of the Greater NewOrleans Iris Society (GNOIS) and Master Gardener ofGreater New Orleans, will speak on three topics: “TheLegend of the Fleur de Lis,” “How to Distinguish LouisianaIrises from the Imitators/Impersonators,” and “How to GrowLouisiana Irises.” Joe Musacchia will lead a walk through theGarden to demonstrate how to identify good Louisiana irisesin a garden setting. Patrick O'Connor, President of theGNOIS and owner of the Zydeco Louisiana Iris Garden willalso be available for questions.
For more information, contact Pamela Buckman at (504) 658-4153 or [email protected].
Congratulations to the winners of theannual Cox Art Contest!To celebrate 200 years ofLouisiana statehood, thisyear’s theme was “LivingLouisiana!” Students wereasked to create a work ofart that reflected someaspect of Louisiana’s richculture and traditions.
Talented students fromJefferson, Orleans, St.Bernard, and St. Charlesparishes competed to win$6,000 in scholarships.Entries were judged onquality of line or paintapplication, completenessof composition, expressionof artwork, and originalityand creativity.
NOMA is proud tohave partnered with Coxand Cox Media for the lastfifteen years to support artcreated by local students.This year’s finalists allshowed incredible artistictalent and merit. Thanks toall who entered—NOMAcan’t wait to see what nextyear’s contest will bring!
Jeffery Nguyen, Dr. John: Such a NightPencil, NOCCA, 11th Grade1st Place: 9 - 11 Category.
Photograph by Judy Cooper.
Community Partners Teach Art on Friday Nights
Friday nights at NOMA offer art activities for
visitors of all ages at our "Where Y'Art?! Cart"
located in the first floor elevator lobby. While
NOMA’s art teacher, Kate Ryan leads these activities
twice a month, the museum has been inviting local
arts organizations to lead the activities on select
Friday evenings. Past activities include photo
transfer projects, making collage wearable pins and
masks, and creating vases with self-drying clay.
In addition to a stipend for labor, art activity
hosts receive the chance to work with a cross-section
of the community and spread the word about their
organization's mission, while NOMA gets the
opportunity to interact with new audiences. If your
organization is interested in teaming up with NOMA
on Friday nights, please contact Tracy Kennan at
(504) 658-4113 or at [email protected].
Thanks to all of our past and upcoming partners:
3 Ring Circus Arts Education Center
Ashé Cultural Center
KID smART
New Orleans Craft Mafia
Preservation Resource Center
Press Street
A Studio in the Woods
YAYA
Young Audiences of Louisiana
Film Screenings and Shakespeare Spice Up the Sculpture Garden
This spring, bring your blankets and folding
chairs to Movies in the Garden! NOMA is
partnering with the New Orleans Film
Society to present more screenings of your favorite
classic films. On the second Fridays of April, May,
and June, Where Y’Art?! programming will move to
the Sculpture Garden. Music and art-making
activities begin at 5 p.m. in the Pine Grove, near the
garden’s front entrance. At 7:30 p.m. (or sundown),
the films will be shown on a large outdoor screen in
the Oak Grove.
Theater also returns to the Garden this May,
when NOMA and The NOLA Project will present a
rendition of another Shakespearean classic: As You
Like It. Seven performances are listed below, all
beginning at 7 p.m. in the Sculpture Garden. Stay
tuned for announcements of fall collaborations
between NOMA and The NOLA Project, and for
future programs in the Garden. NOMA promises to
keep providing the public with family-friendly
events like these in the months to come.
April 13: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
May 11: Breakfast at Tiffany’s
June 8: The Wizard of Oz
In April and June, La Cocinita will serve gourmet LatinAmerican street food, and in May Crepes a la Cart will bemaking fresh sweet and savory crepes. No outside food orbeverages will be permitted. Admission is $6 for adults, $3for NOMA and NOFS members, and children 17 andunder get in for free.
Wednesday, May 9; Thursday, May 10; Sunday, May13;Wednesday, May 16; Thursday, May 17; Friday,May 18; Sunday, May 20
Tickets are $16 for adults, and $8 for students, children,and NOMA members. They may be purchased onNOMA’s website or at the front desk during museumhours.
Did you know The NOLA Project and NOMAwere nominated for five Big Easy Awards this year fortheir production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream?
The spring 2012 film schedule:
As You Like It performance schedule:
NOMA A
ND TH
E COMMUNITY
Arts���������20 April � May � June 2012
SUPPORTING NOMA
PRESIDENT’S CIRCLEMr. and Mrs. John D. Bertuzzi
Mr. and Mrs. Sydney J. Besthoff III
Mr. and Mrs. David F. Edwards
Dr. and Mrs. Ludovico Feoli
Mr. and Mrs. Stephen A. Hansel
Ms. Adrea D. Heebe and
Mr. Dominick A. Russo Jr.
Mrs. Paula L. Maher
Mr. and Mrs. Charles B. Mayer
Mrs. Robert Nims
Mrs. Charles S. Reily, Jr.
Jolie and Robert Shelton
Kitty and Stephen Sherrill
Mrs. Patrick F. Taylor
DIRECTOR’S CIRCLEMrs. Jack R. Aron
The Booth-Bricker Fund
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas B. Coleman
Mr. Leonard A. Davis
Mr. and Mrs. H. M. Favrot Jr.
Mrs. Lawrence D. Garvey
Mrs. JoAnn Flom Greenberg
Mr. Jerry Heymann
Mr. and Mrs. Erik F. Johnsen
Ms. Kay McArdle
Mrs. Peter R. Monrose Jr.
Dr. Howard and Dr. Joy D. Osofsky
Mr. and Mrs. Robert J. Patrick
Mr. and Mrs. Edwin R. Rodriguez Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin M. Rosen
Ms. Debra B. Shriver
Mr. and Mrs. Bruce L. Soltis
Margaret B. and Joel J. Soniat
Mrs. Harold H. Stream Jr.
Dr. and Mrs. Richard L. Strub
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Taylor
PATRON’S CIRCLEMrs. Adele L. Adatto
Dr. Ronald G. Amedee and
Dr. Elisabeth H. Rareshide
Mr. and Mrs. Robert H. Boh
Mr. E. John Bullard III
Mr. and Mrs. Mark Carey
Dr. and Mrs. Isidore Cohn Jr.
Mrs. John J. Colomb Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Prescott N. Dunbar
Mr. and Mrs. Timothy Francis
Mr. and Mrs. James J. Frischhertz
Mr. and Mrs. Edward N. George
Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Heebe
Ms. Allison Kendrick
Mr. Henry M. Lambert and
Mr. R. Carey Bond
Mr. and Mrs. H. Merritt Lane III
Mr. Paul J. Leaman Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas B. Lemann
Dr. Edward D. Levy Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. J. Thomas Lewis
Dr. and Mrs. E. Ralph Lupin
Mr. and Mrs. Paul J. Masinter
Mr. and Mrs. R. King Milling
Mrs. Ellis Mintz
The James R. Moffitt Family Foundation
Mr. and Mrs. Michael D. Moffitt
Robert and Myrtis Nims Foundation
Dr. Andrew Orestano
Dr. and Mrs. James F. Pierce
Mr. and Mrs. James J. Reiss Jr.
Dr. and Mrs. Edward F. Renwick
Mr. and Mrs. R. Randolph Richmond Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. George Rodrigue
Mr. and Mrs. Brian A. Schneider
Mr. and Mrs. Edward Shearer
Mr. and Mrs. Lynes R. Sloss
Ms. E. Alexandra Stafford and
Mr. Raymond M. Rathle Jr.
Mrs. Frederick M. Stafford
Mr. Stephen F. Stumpf Jr.
Mr. Hollis C. Taggart
Mr. and Mrs. James L. Taylor
Mrs. Hendrik Willem van Voorthuysen
Mrs. John N. Weinstock
Mrs. Dorothy R. Weisler
Mrs. Henry H. Weldon
Mr. and Mrs. Douglas Brent Wood
We appreciate the generous and continuing support of our Circle members.
Circles of the New Orleans Museum of Art
The NOMA Board of Trustees cordially invites you to join the Circles, the museum’s most prestigious membership group.
President’s Circle: $20,000
Director’s Circle: $10,000
Patron’s Circle: $5,000
UPGRADE YOUR SUPPORT OF NOMA
For more information, please call (504) 658-4107.
Arts��������� 21April � May � June 2012
$525,000
Patrick F. Taylor
Foundation
—Endowment Fun d
—Education Programming
Zemurray Foundation
—Endowment Fun d
—Spanish Colonial
Assessment
$450,000
Helis Foundation
—Endowment Fund
—Free Wednesdays
—Art Purchase
$300,000
Save America’s Treasures
—Permanent Collection
Conservation
$100,000
Collins C. Diboll
Foundation
—Endowment Fund
$50,000
The Selley Foundation
—Re-design and Re-launch
Website
$20,000 - $49,999
American Express
Foundation
—Urn Restoration
The Bertuzzi Family
Foundation
—Hard Truths: The Art of
Thornton Dial
Louisiana Division of
the Arts
—General Operating Support
Luce Foundation
—Kuntz Galleries Renovation
The Lupin Foundation
—Odyssey Ball, 2011
National Endowment of
the Arts
—Publishing of Permanent
Collection (Sculpture
Garden book)
—Inspired by New Orleans
Office of the Lieutenant
Governor State of
Louisiana
—Where Y’Art!?
Programming
The RosaMary Foundation
—General Operating Support
Andy Warhol Foundation
—Curatorial Research
$10,000 - $19,999Libby Dufour Foundation
—Urn Restoration
Goldring Family
Foundation
—Odyssey Ball, 2011
GPOA Foundation
—Language and Art
Eductional Programming
Eugenie and Joseph Jones
Family Foundation
—Art In Bloom, 2012
Ruby K. Worner
Charitable Trust
—Where Y’Art!?
Programming
$20,000 - $49,999
Richard C. Colton Jr.
—Leah Chase: Paintings
by Gustave Blache III
IBERIABANK
—Odyssey Ball 2011
International Well Testers
Inc.
Liberty Bank and Trust
—Leah Chase: Paintings
by Gustave Blache III
Peoples Health
—Odyssey Ball 2011
Robert and Jolie Shelton
—Odyssey Ball 2011
Whitney National Bank
—Art in Bloom 2012
$10,000 - $19,999 Chevron
—Odyssey Ball 2011
DocuMart
—Odyssey Ball 2011
Garden Study Club
—Sculpture Garden
Beautification Project
June and Bill McArdle
—Odyssey Ball 2011
Adrea D. Heebe
—Hard Truths: The Art
of Thornton Dial
$50,000 - $74,999
Sheraton New Orleans
Hotel
$20,000 - $49,000 The Ralph Brennan
Restaurant Group
Landis Construction
$5,000 - $9,999
Soniat House Hotel
$1,000 - $4,999
Kentwood Spring Water
Christie’s Fine Art
Auctioneers
Dooky Chase’s Restaurant
Degas House
NOMA’s exhibitions and special programs are made possible through the generosity of our
sponsors. If you would like additional information on sponsorship, please contact the
museum’s Development Department at (504) 658-4107.
Foundation and Government Support
Corporate and Individual Support
In-Kind Corporate Donations
SUPPO
RTING N
OMA
Arts���������22 April � May � June 2012
Individual Membership: $60
• Free admission at all times open to the
public for one adult
• Complimentary subscription to Arts
Quarterly
• Invitations to members-only preview
receptions and special events
• 10%-20% discount in the Museum Shop
• Discounts on art classes and other
educational programs
• First notices of special events at NOMA
• Free admission to select Sculpture Garden
evening events
• Free admission to all festivals at NOMA
Dual/Family Membership: $75
Same privileges as Individual membership, plus:
• Free admission at all times open to the
public for one additional adult, plus
children or grandchildren 17 and under
Sustaining Membership: $125
Same privileges as Dual/Family membership, plus:
• Free NOMA admission for two additional
guests when accompanied by the member(s)
• Reciprocal membership privileges to
numerous major art museums throughout
the United States and Canada (check NOMA
website for details)
Benefactors: $250
All Sustaining membership benefits, plus:
• Priority reservations and seating for select
NOMA lectures and intimate preview events
• Invitations to the annual NOMA holiday
party
Young Fellows (Individual): $250
Young Fellows (Couple): $400
This new membership group is dedicated to members
ages 21 through 45. Young Fellows receive
Benefactors membership privileges as well as a 15%
discount on tickets to NOMA events, including the
Odyssey Ball and LOVE in the Garden.
Advocates: $500
In addition to Benefactors privileges, Advocates
receive:
Experience the Benefits of a NOMA Membership
SUPP
ORT
ING N
OMA
Photograph by Judy Cooper
Arts��������� 23April � May � June 2012
• Invitations to an annual special event
• Free museum admission for two guests
when accompanied by the member(s)
• One museum catalogue selected by NOMA
• The opportunity to give one Dual/Family
membership as a gift
Fellows: $1,500
In addition to Benefactors privileges, Fellows receive
• Discounts on special event rentals
• Invitations to NOMA’s annual Fellows
Dinner, a special event held in their honor
• Free museum admission for four guests
when accompanied by the member(s)
• Two free museum catalogues selected by
NOMA
• The opportunity to give two Dual/Family
memberships as gifts
Family Circle: $2,500
NOMA created this new membership level for our
members who are dedicated to sharing NOMA’s
permanent collection, educational activities, and
special exhibitions with their families. Grandparents
are welcome! Family Circle members receive docent-
guided tours (with prior reservation) complete with
educational materials tailored for your family as well
as VIP reservations and access for public family art-
making activities. Additionally, enjoy free admission
for your family to our annual Fabergé Egg Hunt.
This level includes all Fellows benefits,
complimentary copies of educational materials for all
special exhibitions, and special recognition in our
Arts Quarterly.
PRESIDENT’S CIRCLE: $20,000
DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE: $10,000
PATRON’S CIRCLE: $5,000
The Circles, our most prestigious levels of annual
giving, are comprised of individuals who contribute
$20,000, $10,000 or $5,000 each year in unrestricted
funds. NOMA is pleased to extend these unique
privileges to those who demonstrate their
commitment at these levels:
All Fellows membership category privileges, plus
• Discounts on special event rentals
• Annual listing on Donor Wall as a member
of the Circles
• Invitations to our exclusive annual Circles
event
• Free admission for all additional guests to
the museum and Sculpture Garden when
accompanied by the donor
• Reciprocal membership to numerous major
art museums
• With prior arrangement, Circle members may
bring additional guests to members'
previews of special exhibitions
• Special recognition in Arts Quarterly
• Advance announcements for special travel
programs
• Use of the Woldenberg Board Room for
meetings
• An opportunity to have a private tour with
the director or curator of a collection or
special exhibition of your choice, with
complimentary beverages in the Woldenberg
Board Room, for a party of up to six
individuals, at a mutually agreed upon time
According to IRS guidelines, only contributions over the
value of goods and services are tax deductible. We estimate
the nondeductible portion of your contribution to be as
follows: Advocates, $200; Fellows, $200; Patron’s Circle,
$200; Director’s Circle, $200; President’s Circle, $200.
For additional membership information, please call
Marilyn Dittmann at (504) 658-4107.
Join the NOMA family today!
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Arts���������24 April � May � June 2012
Justin T. Augustine III is the
Chief Executive Officer of the
New Orleans Regional Transit
Authority as well as a Vice
President of Veolia
Transportation. He received his
undergraduate degree from
Xavier University where he studied accounting.
Augustine is also a member of many past and
present boards, including the NOLA Business
Alliance Board, Industrial Development Board of
New Orleans, and the New Orleans Urban League.
Kia Silverman Brown earned a
BA in Art History from St.
Lawrence University followed by
a Masters in Chinese Medicine
from TAI. She moved to New
Orleans from Virginia where she
has been actively involved in the
arts for many years, serving on numerous non-profit
boards, helping to enrich the arts within her
community. She is married to Christian Brown, a life
long New Orleanian.
Grammy nominee Robin
Burgess is the co-owner of Over
the Garage Productions, a firm
devoted to the careers of
recording and performing artists.
It represents multiple Grammy
nominees and winners, Emmy
nominees, Golden Globe nominees, and has
collaborated with many of today’s prominent figures
in the music, film, and television industries. She has
served as music coordinator on over 41 films and
documentaries, including Their Eyes Were Watching
God, When the Levees Broke, and Red Tails.
A native of South Carolina, Daryl
G. Byrd graduated from Samford
University in Birmingham,
Alabama, and earned a MBA at
the University of Alabama in
Birmingham. He started his
career at Vulcan Materials
Company in Birmingham and then moved into the
banking industry when he joined the Trust Company
Bank (now SunTrust) in Atlanta. First Commerce
Corporation brought him to Louisiana where he
served in a number of capacities in Lafayette,
Alexandria and New Orleans. He was recruited to
join IBERIABANK as President and CEO in 1999.
Collette Creppell, AIA, LEED AP,
is the university architect and
director of campus planning for
Tulane University (2003-present).
Ms. Creppell returned to New
Orleans in 1994 to establish an
architectural firm and to teach at
the Tulane School of Architecture. She is Vice Chair of
the Board of the New Orleans Building Corporation
and serves on the boards of the Tulane School of
Architecture and Benjamin Franklin High School. She
is married to Stephen Higginson; they have three
children.
Dr. John F. Fraiche is a native of
New Orleans who resides in both
Baton Rouge and New Orleans.
He is married to Donna D.
Fraiche, an attorney, and they
have two children, Dr. Geoff
Fraiche and CoCo Fraiche. Dr.
Fraiche is a former member of the Board of the
Contemporary Arts Center, New Orleans and the
New Orleans City Ballet. He was a partner in Galerie
Simone Stern.
NOMA Welcomes New Trustees of 2012
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Love contemporary art? Then join the
Contemporaries, NOMA’s new affinity group
for individuals interested in learning about
contemporary art; meeting artists; and supporting
exhibitions, programs, and art acquisitions in
NOMA’s contemporary department.
Events for the Contemporaries will include tours
of local artist studios and private collections, private
artist receptions, and the opportunity to vote on an
acquisition of a work of contemporary art for
NOMA’s collection. This fall, Contemporaries can
also look forward to a guided visit through the St.
Claude Arts District, New Orleans’s most vibrant
destination for emerging experimental art. Future
trips to New York City to visit galleries and artists are
on the horizon as well.
You can take advantage of this unique
opportunity for $1,000 plus NOMA membership
dues. Your yearly contribution will directly offset the
cost of Contemporaries programming, a portion of
which goes towards a fund for Contemporaries
acquisitions.
For more information, contact Miranda Lash at (504)
658-4138 or [email protected], or Marilyn Dittmann at
(504) 658-4107 or [email protected].
Join NOMA’s Contemporaries
Michael J. Siegel, President of
Corporate Realty, Inc., is a Tulane
graduate and has been involved
in the commercial real estate
business for over thirty years. He
is an Emeritus board member
and a three time President of the
Board of Directors of the Contemporary Arts Center,
and Vice Chair and incoming Chair of the Metairie
Park Country Day School. Siegel is also a member of
the Business Council of New Orleans and the River
Region. He is married to the former Aimee Farnet;
they have two children.
Kitty Duncan Sherrill is a New
Orleans native who studied Fine
Arts as an undergraduate at
Harvard and resides in
Manhattan with her husband
Stephen and three children. Kitty
has served as a trustee of The
Buckley School of New York and a member of the
Administrative Board of The Society of Memorial
Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. She works with The
Second Stage Theatre in New York and with The
Addison Gallery at Phillips Academy, Andover.
Suzanne Thomas is a native of
New Orleans. She earned a BA in
Fine Arts from Dominican
College and a MBA from the
College of William & Mary. She
began her banking career thirty
years ago and is currently the
Executive Vice President & Chief Credit Officer of
Whitney Bank. She has served on numerous non-
profit boards and is a past Chair of the Board of
Trustees of the Academy of the Sacred Heart. She is
married to Robert E. Thomas, and has two grown
children. In the 1970s she was an intern in NOMA’s
Registrar’s office, around the time of the Treasures of
Tutankhamen exhibition.
Sunday, April 15Studio visit with Cuban artist, Luis Cruz Azaceta, 11 a.m.
Thursday, May 10 - Thursday, May 17NOMA guided trip to Cuba to tour the Havana Biennial
Thursday, May 31Reception for NOMA exhibiting artist Dario Robleto, 6 p.m.
UPCOMINGCONTEMPORAR IES EVENTS
Mr. and Mrs. John D. BertuzziMr. and Mrs. Sydney J. Besthoff III
Mrs. Susan BrennanMr. and Mrs. Thomas B. ColemanMr. and Mrs. George Denegre Jr.
Ms. Sheila R. FentonMs. Anna HaudenschildMr. David Workman
NOMA CONTEMPORAR IES(AS OF FEBRUARY 1, 2012)
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A Birthday to Remember
What better way to commemorate a
milestone than with a two-day
extravaganza? On December 16 and 17,
2011, NOMA celebrated its 100th birthday
surrounded by thousands of good friends and family.
For thirty-one hours, over 3,000 guests enjoyed live
music, poetry, art-making activities, film screenings,
lectures, and more. Highlights included a
performance and book signing by Irvin Mayfield,
comedic improv tours with The New Movement, and
a late night DJ set by Quintron. Congratulations also
to the winner of our NOMA 100 Green Playhouse
Raffle, Bill Dalton. NOMA gives special thanks to
Lakeside Shopping Center, the Feil Family
Foundation, and the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel for
sponsoring the monumental occasion.
NOMA worked with dozens of community
partners to produce a variety of events, at no cost to
the public. NOMA thanks the community for coming
out to support the museum on such a memorable
occasion.
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1. Director Susan M. Taylor; 2. Youth Ballet Ensemble from Woodmere Elementary; 3. Isidore Newman Choir; 4. Amanda Shaw; 5. Author MarkYakich; 6. The New Movement giving a comedic improv tour of the NOMA 100 exhibition; 7. New Orleans Ballet Association Youth; 8. IrvinMayfield. Photography by Judy Cooper and Grace Wilson.
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7 8
3
Arts��������� 27April � May � June 2012
9. Bruce Davenport Jr. and Russell Lord; 11. The Roots of Music; 11. Quintron; 12. Helen Newell, a visitor who was born in the museum 95 years ago(shown with her family), Photography by Grace Wilson, Allison Abney, Michael Hays, and Elizabeth Soland.
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11 12
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PROFILES IN GIVING
The charitable works of the Jones family
have offered unique support to the New
Orleans Museum of Art for over three
decades. Their tradition of philanthropy, originally
led by Joseph Merrick Jones, is now continued by his
descendants via three entities: the Canal Barge
Company; the law firm of Jones, Walker, Waechter,
Poitevent, Carrère & Denègre L.L.P.; and the Eugenie
and Joseph Jones Family Foundation. NOMA is
grateful to be a continued recipient of their generous,
grouped donations, most recently including $75,000
for our successful exhibition, NOMA 100: Gifts for the
Second Century. They have also contributed to two of
NOMA’s major fundraisers, Art in Bloom and the
Odyssey Ball.
Founded in 1933, the Canal Barge Company, Inc.
is a family-owned, independent marine
transportation company headquartered in New
Orleans, Louisiana. The name “Canal Barge” dates
back to their early years when they operated one
barge exclusively along the Gulf Intracoastal
Waterway. Today they are one of the most diverse
marine transportation companies in the country.
Canal Barge recently celebrated its seventy-fifth year
in operation, and their longevity is a testament to
their insight and commitment to the region.
Since its inception in 1937, the law firm of Jones,
Walker, Waechter, Poitevent, Carrère & Denègre
L.L.P. has grown over the past several decades in size
and scope to become one of the largest law firms in
the Gulf South. It serves local, regional, national, and
international business interests in a wide range of
markets and industries. Jones Walker proudly
supports more than 150 civic and charitable
organizations, NOMA included. Often, their
attorneys are personally involved with a number of
local organizations, fundraising events and charities.
In 2012, Jones Walker will celebrate its seventy-fifth
anniversary.
The Eugenie and Joseph Jones Family
Foundation, incorporated in 1955 in Louisiana,
primarily gives to organizations in the greater New
Orleans area with a special emphasis on education,
the arts and other community services. Their support
has proven to be invaluable to NOMA, providing
funding in the formative years of the Besthoff
Sculpture Garden, offering support immediately
following Hurricane Katrina, and bestowing funds to
increase NOMA’s collection.
Through the Jones family’s foundation support
and corporate gifts, NOMA has not only grown its
collection but has been able to expand its
programming and offer exciting exhibitions to the
public. By supporting NOMA for over thirty years,
the Jones family is ensuring that the museum will
continue its mission well into the future.
The Jones Family
CHARITABLE GIFTS to NOMA
Make a lasting contribution to the museum with a gift of cash, stock, real estate, or other assets. Such gifts may allow for significant tax savings. For more information, please call (504) 658-4107.
1. Susan Gundlach, Andrew andSusu Stall; 2. St. Denis J. Villere II,Herschel Abbott, Susan Gundlach,Marjorie Villere, Jimmy Gundlach;3. Mimsy Lindner, Sally Lapeyre,Sarah Merrick; 4. Poco Sloss,Christy Brown, Bill Hines; 5. Merritt Lane, Peter Stephaich. © Grevy Photography
1 2
3 4
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Board of TRUSTEES
National TRUSTEES
Susan G. Guidry,Councilmember District “A”
Lee Hampton Stephen A. HanselAdrea D. HeebeMs. Allison KendrickMayor Mitch LandrieuMrs. Merritt LanePaul J. MasinterMrs. R. King MillingMichael D. MoffittMrs. Michael D. MoffittHoward J. Osofsky, MD, PhDMrs. James J. Reiss Jr.Mrs. George RodrigueDonna Perret RosenMrs. John RyanBrian Schneider Mrs. Jolie L. SheltonKitty Duncan SherrillMike SiegelMrs. Lynes SlossE. Alexandra Stafford Mrs. Richard L. StrubRobert TaylorSuzanne ThomasBrent Wood
Mrs. Charles B. Mayer,President
Sydney Besthoff III, Vice-President
Julie Livaudais George, Vice-President
E. Ralph Lupin, MD, Vice-President
Timothy Francis, SecretaryMs. Kay McArdle, TreasurerWilliam D. Aaron Jr.Justin T. Augustine IIIMrs. John BertuzziDr. Siddharth K. BhansaliSusan BrennanKia Silverman BrownRobin Burgess Daryl ByrdMrs. Mark CareyEdgar L. Chase IIITommy ColemanCollette CreppellLeonard Davis David F. EdwardsH. M. “Tim” Favrot Jr.Mrs. Ludovico FeoliDr. John Fraiche
H. Russell Albright, MD Mrs. Jack R. Aron Mrs. Edgar L. Chase Jr. Isidore Cohn Jr., MDPrescott N. Dunbar S. Stewart FarnetSandra Draughn FreemanKurt A. Gitter, MDMrs. Erik JohnsenRichard W. Levy, MDJ. Thomas Lewis Mrs. Paula L. Maher
Mrs. J. Frederick MullerMrs. Robert NimsMrs. Charles S. Reily Jr.Mrs. Françoise Billion
RichardsonR. Randolph Richmond Jr.Mrs. Frederick M. StaffordHarry C. StahelMrs. Moise S. Steeg Jr.Mrs. Harold H. Stream Mrs. James L. TaylorMrs. John N. Weinstock
Joseph BaillioMrs. Carmel CohenMrs. Mason GrangerJerry HeymannHerbert Kaufman, MD
Mrs. James PierceDebra B. Shriver Mrs. Henry H. Weldon Mrs. Billie Milam Weisman
E D I T O R: Taylor MurrowA RT D I R E C T O R: Aisha ChampagneP R I N T I N G: DocuMart
Arts Quarterly (ISSN 0740-9214) is published by the New Orleans Museum of Art, 1 Collins Diboll Circle, New Orleans, LA 70124.
© 2012, New Orleans Museum of Art. All rightsreserved. No part of this magazine may bereproduced or reprinted without permission of thepublisher.
SUPPORT ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The programs of the New Orleans Museum of Art aresupported by grants from the Louisiana State ArtsCouncil through the Louisiana Division of the Arts,the National Endowment for the Arts, the Office ofthe Lieutenant Governor Department of Culture,Recreation and Tourism, Ruby K. WornerCharitable Trust, and the New Orleans Jazz andHeritage Festival and Foundation.
MUSEUM HOURS
The museum is open Tuesday through
Thursday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.,
and Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Closed Monday and all legal holidays.
The Besthoff Sculpture Garden is open every day,
10 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., except Fridays, when it is open
until 8:45 p.m. For information on upcoming
exhibitions and events at NOMA, please call
(504) 658-4100 or visit our website at www.noma.org.
Honorar y L i fe TRUSTEES
Cover Image:Ralston CrawfordAdvertising the Dance, 1953, gelatin silver print
P. O. Box 19123New Orleans, LA 70179-0123
NON-PROFIT ORG.US POSTAGE
PAIDNEW ORLEANS
PERMIT #108
Arts���������
NOW AVAILABLE IN THE MUSEUM SHOP
NOMA is pleased to announce the release of the much-anticipated book, The Sydney and Walda BesthoffSculpture Garden at the New Orleans Museumof Art. Designed as an expanded companion to theGarden's Artspaces "mini-guide," this beautifully illustratedhardcover provides detailed entries on every artwork in theGarden, as well the history of the Garden's founding andits exquisite plant life. Edited by Miranda Lash, curator ofcontemporary art and published by SCALA Publishers ofLondon. 192 color pages, $49.95.
This book has been sponsored in part by a NEA grant.
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