AQAprilMayJune2011

ArtsQuarterly

NEW ORLEAN S MUSEU M OF ART

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J U N E 2 011 , V O L . 3 3 N o . 2

A Members’ Publication

CELEBRATING

A

CENTURY

OF

ART

DIRECTOR’S LETTER

Susan M. Taylor The Montine McDaniel Freeman Director

I

’m composing this letter following a productive weekend spent immersed in discussions about NOMA’s future. At the museum’s annual Board of Trustees retreat, the board members and I worked to establish a clear vision for NOMA’s second century and develop a plan of action for achieving our goals.

Part of our discussion centered on NOMA’s extraordinary position of opportunity, in its centennial year, for renewed engagement with collections and communities. Drawing on the insightful framework that scholar Jim Collins lays out in his book, Good to Great and the Social Sectors, we talked about ways to maximize this moment of opportunity, raising the museum’s profile and the quality of experience we provide. I plan to share with you in future columns the various strategies we discussed for approaching this goal. I’d like to begin, however, with the idea of audience engagement.

As NOMA embarks on its next century of service, we aspire to occupy an integral place in the public life of New Orleans. In order to do so, we need to ensure we are engaging our audiences fully. According to a recent report by the American Association of Museums’ Center for the Future of Museums, we can learn much about developing audiences by looking to a specific type of visitor. This group, called “Museum Advocates,” views museums as “especially important places in their lives where they truly enjoy spending their leisure time.”

What these people have in common, the study found, is “a distinct memory of a specific, seminal museum

From the Permanent Collection: Georgia O’Keefe, American, 1887-1986 My Back Yard (detail), 1937, Oil on canvas City of New Orleans Capital Fund, 1973.8

experience, usually between the ages of 5 and 9.” By creating accessible, inviting museum experiences, developing lively programs, and partnering with schools and other organizations, we can help to develop the next generation of museum-goers at the same time that we welcome the present one.

Our upcoming exhibition, Ancestors of Congo Square: African Art in the New Orleans Museum of Art, has provided us an initial opportunity to explore this notion of audience engagement. Our education department has developed a full roster of programs to complement the exhibition and appeal to all ages and backgrounds. We are also taking a new approach to the installation of the show, introducing design and interpretative techniques which will serve as a model for future exhibitions.

Featuring more than 100 objects from our acclaimed permanent collection of African art, Ancestors of Congo Square promises to be a highlight of our centennial year.

You can read more about the exhibition and the history of the collection in this issue, which features an interview with our curator of African art, William Fagaly, conducted by well known African art dealers Kent and Charles Davis.

I look forward to sharing with you other aspects of NOMA’s plans for the future in coming issues of Arts Quarterly. In the meantime, I hope you will visit the museum as well as the exhibition to experience the early stages of our ongoing transformation. We look forward to welcoming you to NOMA!

CONTENTS

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Fe a tu re Bu il ding a Col l ection : The E volu tion of Ancestors of Congo Square

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Exh ib itio n s Read My Pins: The Madeleine Albright Collection E xpl ores J ewel r y as a Diplom atic Tool S woon’s T h a l a s s a to Trans for m N O M A’s G reat Hall

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Ce n t e n n ia l N ews

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Exp e r ie n c in g N OMA Where Y’ Ar t H appy Hou r Shakes U p Friday s at the Mu seu m

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N OMA a n d t h e C ommunity S tu dent P odcasts Of f er F res h Views of N O M A

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Su p p o r tin g N OM A

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N OMA Fa m il y Remembering J ohn Webs ter K eefe

FEATUR E Building a Collection: The Evolution of Ancestors of Congo Square

T

hroughout NOMA's centennial year, a series of special exhibitions will highlight our vast and

diverse permanent collection. One of the most impressive areas of these holdings, the museum’s extensive African collection, will be showcased this summer in Ancestors of Congo Square: African Art in the New Orleans Museum of Art. Featuring 100 works of art from across the continent, the show was inspired by a book of the same title, edited by NOMA’s African art curator Bill Fagaly (see sidebar).

In honor of the exhibition’s debut, longtime African art dealers Kent and Charles Davis sat down with Fagaly to discuss the history of the museum’s collection.

CD: Bill, how did a young man from Indiana get snake bit by African art?

BF: I attended Indiana University and was a studio and art history major. One day this man showed up who was offering a course called African art. That was Dr. Roy Sieber, who I think most people will acknowledge was the first trained African art historian in the United States. He changed the whole direction of my life and the focus of my career.

KD: After you graduated, what brought you to New Orleans?

BF: I came here because I knew I wanted to work in an art museum. In those days most American art 1. Figure of an Archer, Undetermined Inland Niger Delta Peoples, Mali, circa 11-17th century, terra cotta, iron, traces of polychrome, Gift of Robert and Helen Kuhn families, 97.138. All photographs by Judy Cooper.

2 Arts

museums did not recognize African art or display it.

It was this brand new field and new information was constantly coming forward. This appealed to me and I felt I could make a contribution.

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FEATURE

2. Memorial Staff (Asen) Fon/Hweda/Yoruba Peoples, Republic of Benin, Town of Ouidah, circa 19th century, attributed to Akati Akpele Kendo, Master of the Long-Horned Ram (fl. 1858-89), wrought iron, raffia, wood, organic materials, Gift of Françoise Billion Richardson, 89.257. 3. Face Mask (Pwo), Chokwe Peoples, Democratic Republic of Congo/Angola, wood, fiber, red pigment, copper, cane, Bequest of Victor K. Kiam, 77.273.

CD: What was the status of NOMA’s African

Orleans collectors were two artists, Robert Gordy

collection when you arrived?

and Ida Kohlmeyer.

BF: We had some spears and shields of non-aesthetic

KD: Can you elaborate on that pivotal moment when

value that had been given in years past. But, with a

NOMA received an enormous treasure of African art

couple of exceptions, there was little of any

from Victor Kiam?

significant artistic merit.

BF: It was 1974, and it really put us on the map. Kiam CD: What collectors, if any, were in the city at the

was a native New Orleanian who lived in New York

time?

and had a superb collection of African and Oceanic sculptures, as well as paintings and sculptures by

BF: Well, technically our biggest collectors were Mimi

modern masters. The collection was pursued by a

and Fred Stafford. They weren’t living in New

number of New York museums, but Kiam decided it

Orleans, but Mimi was a New Orleanian. We did an

would be better appreciated in a smaller museum

exhibition of their collection when I first arrived in

like NOMA.

1966, Odyssey of an Art Collector. They had a really

After the bequest, word spread like wildfire.

extraordinary small collection of African works,

Before it was ever shown publicly, many scholars and

many of which the museum now owns thanks to

collectors made a special trip to New Orleans to see

their benefaction. The only other early, serious New

this mysterious Kiam collection.

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Arts 3

FEATURE

Davis Gallery, cultivated the community and developed major collectors who have since donated many fine objects to the museum. We also have three local universities that have offered courses in the history of the sub-Saharan art of Africa: Southern University, University of New Orleans, and Tulane University. And finally, we have the Frere Josef Cornet Field Archives at Loyola University. Cornet was one of the great scholars working for many years in the Democratic Republic of Congo, particularly with the Kuba peoples.

All in all, I think what has made our museum collection a success is the fact we had curators, dealers, collectors, and university professors who are all active participants. We’ve had a divergence of approaches to the subject of African art.

CD: Surely another pivotal moment for the collection and for you was the establishment of the Françoise Billion Richardson curatorial chair.

BF: Françoise underwrote the funds for the curatorship of African art. It was kind of a validation of everything we were doing here. It gave concrete 4. Standing Female Figure, Mende or Sherbro Peoples, Sierra Leone, wood, iron, Bequest of Victor K. Kiam, 77.153.

solidity to the program. She also provided the funds, in memory of her parents, for the building of the new African galleries when the museum expanded in 1993. That’s not the only thing she’s done, by far.

CD: The buzz in the African art world is that what has happened here at NOMA, in terms of the quality and growth of the collection, has been a “perfect alchemy.” Can you explain?

BF: Our collection is the product of many elements. It could not have happened without the vision of former director Jim Byrnes hiring a curator of African art and bringing him to New Orleans to develop the collection. When Byrnes left and John Bullard became director, he too understood the importance of an African art collection and supported and encouraged its development. And then of course, there was the Kiam moment.

She’s been extremely generous over the years in the donation of important artworks to the collection. She also created a special fund, the Richardson fund, for African art purchases, which we rely on from time to time to buy important objects for the collection.

CD: Don’t you also have an endowment from [artist] Robert Gordy?

BF: Yes, we do. Bob was passionate about African art, and it had a definite influence on his own work.

With those two endowments, we have been able to fill gaps in the foundation established by the Kiam collection.

New Orleans African art dealers, primarily the 4 Arts

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FEATURE

KD: Bill, what is your favorite work in the collection?

BF: They’re all my children, so how do you say which child you like more? But I will! [laughter] There are some pieces that I just love regardless of monetary value or rarity. To me, they are sublime sculptures aesthetically. One is that very abstracted Mende figure (see figure 4)—it is one of a kind and a tour de force. And then I’m in love with that little Luba ivory amulet. It’s such a gorgeous little piece. I also like the Bamana bolis; that little bovine animal is not of any significant value, but it’s just a charmer.

KD: Our last question is probably the most important.

What do you envision for the collection that, thanks to you, has greatly outgrown its present space?

BF: Continue growing.

KD: Where? How? BF: We’re going to continue our pursuit of objects that are needed for the collection. As a matter of fact, we have a few cards up our sleeve for the November 2011 exhibition planned to celebrate the gifts given to NOMA for its centennial [Future Present (working title)]. Thus far we have four major African gifts which will be great additions to our holdings.

Also, I don’t think it’s too soon to start talking about expansion of gallery spaces. I’ve been accused, and I admit my guilt, of cramming too much into the galleries, but I just love all that stuff, and I think people need to see it [laughs]. It’s very hard for me to take something off view.

Ancestors of Congo Square is on view in the Ella West Freeman Galleries May 13-July 17, 2011. NOMA will welcome several distinguished speakers in conjunction with the exhibition. Please see the AQ calendar for program details.

The full text of this interview is available online at

THE BOOK THAT INSPIRED IT ALL Museum exhibitions usually give rise to accompanying books, not the other way around. In the case of Ancestors of Congo Square, however, a comprehensive book about the museum’s collection inspired the show. Edited by curator William Fagaly and published by Scala Publishers, the 376-page book features forty-eight contributors, including top scholars in the field of African art from North America, Europe, and Africa.

Fagaly has been at work on the book for years, and its publication—just in time for the exhibition—will make available to the public the most up-to-date information about hundreds of important artworks in NOMA’s collection.

www.noma.org. Thanks to NOMA intern Elizabeth Soland for her editorial assistance with this article.

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Arts 5

EXHIBITIONS Read My Pins: The Madeleine Albright Collection Explores Jewelry as a Diplomatic Tool

Katrina Pin, 1994, designer unknown (USA).

Photograph by John Bigelow Taylor.

traveling exhibition of pins from the personal

A

highest-ranking woman in the history of the U.S.

collection of Madeleine Albright, former U.S.

government. While serving under President Bill

Secretary of State, is coming to the New Orleans

Clinton, Albright became known for wearing

Museum of Art this summer. Organized by the

brooches that purposefully conveyed her views

Museum of Arts and Design in New York, Read My

about the situation at hand. “I found that jewelry had

Pins: The Madeleine Albright Collection features more

become part of my personal diplomatic arsenal,”

than 200 pins, many of which Secretary Albright

Albright has said. “While President George H. W.

wore to communicate a message during her

Bush had been known for saying ‘Read my lips,’ I

diplomatic tenure. The exhibition examines the

began urging colleagues and reporters to ‘Read my

collection for its historic significance as well as the

pins.’”

expressive power of jewelry and its ability to

The collection that Secretary Albright cultivated

communicate through a style and language of its

is distinctive and democratic, spanning more than a

own.

century of jewelry design and including fascinating

In 1997, Albright was named the first female Secretary of State and became, at that time, the 6 Arts

pieces from across the globe. The works on view are chosen for their symbolic value, and while some are April May June 2011 ●

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COLLECTION SPOTLIGHT fine antiques, many are costume jewelry. The exhibition explores the stories behind these works and their historical and artistic significance, and is accompanied by a book, Read My Pins: Stories from a Diplomat’s Jewel Box (2009), published by HarperCollins, which also serves as the catalogue for the show.

Over the years, Albright’s pins became a part of her public persona, and they chart the course of an extraordinary journey, carving out a visual path through international and cultural diplomacy. A highlight of the exhibition will be the brooch that initiated her unusual use of pins as a diplomatic tool.

After Saddam Hussein’s press referred to her as an “unparalleled serpent,” Albright wore a golden snake brooch pinned to her suit for her next meeting on Iraq. Read My Pins will feature the famous brooch among many other pins with similar stories—some associated with important world events, others gifts from international leaders or close friends.

See a different object from NOMA’s permanent collection on view each month in the Great Hall.

From seldom-viewed works to new acquisitions, this special focus highlights the depth and breadth of the museum’s collection.

The exhibition will also showcase a group of Americana pins, which is at the center of the Madeleine Albright collection. One of her most original pieces is a silver brooch that shows the head of Lady Liberty with two watch faces for eyes, one of which is upside down—allowing both her and her visitor to see when it is time for an appointment to end. Another piece, the most poignant in the collection, will be of particular interest to local viewers. Albright refers to it as the “Katrina Pin,” and it was given to her by a man in 2006 after a speech she gave at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans. He said the pin, which is made of amethysts and diamonds, had been a sixtieth wedding anniversary gift to his mother from his father, a veteran who was awarded two purple

A p r i l F e At u r e d O b j e c t Blue-and-White Month Cup, china, Qing dynasty, 1644-1911* This delicately potted and decorated porcelain cup is one of a set of twelve commissioned by the second Qing emperor Kangxi (reigned 1661-1722). Known as "month cups," these small vessels were created for use by the emperor, who would use only the relevant cup during the corresponding month of the year. Created in both blue-and-white and enameled versions, each cup has a specific floral decoration, accompanied by a seasonal couplet from a Tang poet. This cup, featuring flowering orchids growing from the banks of a stream, symbolizes the tenth month. NOMA's permanent collection includes nine month cups from an original set of twelve.

hearts. His mother, who died as a result of Katrina, had greatly admired Albright and her family believed she would have wanted Albright to have the pin.

Read My Pins: The Madeleine Albright Collection will be on view at NOMA in the second-floor Louisiana Galleries from May 24 through August 14, 2011.

up Next...

MAY: Modern and contemporary collection Alphabet Fetish for Setchie Sino, 1995, by Jeffrey Cook (American, 1961-2009) juNe: decorative Arts collection Stomacher, circa 1760-1780, by unknown maker (Spain or France)

*Kangxi era 1661-1722; Porcelain, with underglaze blue decoration; Bequest of Dorothy and Robert C. Hills, 2001.253.380. Photograph by Judy Cooper.

EXHIBITION

Swoon’s Thalassa to Transform NOMA’s Great Hall Miranda Lash, Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art

(Example previous work by Swoon) Irinia, 2006, Bilbao.

Courtesy of the Artist.

T

his summer the New Orleans Museum of Art is

work at Deitch Projects, New York. Over the

proud to present a new, large-scale installation

following six years, Swoon transitioned into

by the internationally renowned artist Swoon.

Based in New York, Swoon (born 1977, Daytona

displaying her work in gallery and museum settings, while continuing her outdoor practice. Today her

Beach) is recognized for her large-scale paper cut-

work is in collections including the Museum of

outs wheat-pasted on the exteriors of buildings. Her

Modern Art, New York and the Institute of

work often depicts portraits of families, friends, and

Contemporary Art in Boston. Many of Swoon’s

neighborhood locals performing everyday activities,

projects are motivated by a strong sense of social

such as building, bicycling, or sitting on stoops. The

justice, addressing issues such as the unsolved

evocative nature of their gaze and stance, however,

murders of women in Juarez, and the devastation

elevates them to a mythical, almost transcendent

caused by the 2010 earthquake in Haiti.

status. As an artist working extensively in prints and

During the past three years Swoon has

cutouts, Swoon takes inspiration from the German

developed a close relationship to the city of New

Expressionists of the early twentieth century as well

Orleans and a number of artists based here. In 2008

as Indonesian shadow puppetry. She began her

she began wheat-pasting cutouts in the streets of the

career as a street artist in 1999 after graduating from

Bywater. Since then she has committed to an ongoing

Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. In 2005 she exhibited her

collaboration with the New Orleans Airlift (an

8 Arts

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district.1 Newspaper caricatures depicted these

artistic ideas between New Orleans and other

“loose” women as ensnaring men, women, and

countries) on the creation of a musical arts venue and

children. The piece thus connects to both New

house in the Bywater, titled Dithyrambalina.

Orleans’s past and present, and its complex and deep

For her installation in NOMA’s Great Hall, Swoon was inspired by our city’s ties to the sea, as

history as a port city.

Thalassa will be on view in the Great Hall from June

we dearly depend on water for commerce,

8-September 25, 2011. The artist will give a lecture in the

transportation, energy, and food. Her installation

Stern Auditorium on Friday, June 10, at 6 p.m.

Thalassa is named after the Greek goddess revered as the mother of all sea creatures. The twenty-foot tall

A closing party for Thalassa will take place on Friday, September 16, starting at 5 p.m.

piece will depict a towering female deity with extended tentacles. The octopus-design of Thalassa also echoes nineteenth-century depictions of New Orleans women who worked in Storyville’s red-light

T he Mak ing of

1. See Al Rose, Storyville New Orleans: Being an Authentic, Illustrated Account of the Notorious Redlight District, Alabama: University of Alabama Press, 1974.

Tha l a s sa TO DEVELOP THE DESIGN for Thalassa, Swoon began by carefully examining NOMA’s Great Hall during her visits to New Orleans. She created sketches of the installation in ink, superimposed on photographs of the space. These drawings will provide the conceptual basis for her block prints and paper cut-outs. Once the face of Thalassa is printed and wheat-pasted onto a structure, the body of the sculpture itself will be made from a combination of found materials, fabric, and paper. As in all her work (including street art), Swoon creates prints and paper cut-outs in advance and then brings them with her to the site of her artwork (they are relatively light and compact to transport).

Over the course of a few weeks, Thalassa will be built and tested in an offsite location in New Orleans, then transported to NOMA. The twenty-foot tall structure will be the first work of art ever to be suspended in NOMA’s Great Hall.

With her tentacles extended in mid-air, Thalassa will strike an imposing and aweinspiring pose.—M.L.

EXHIBITIONS

organization dedicated to the cross-pollination of

CENTENNIAL NEWS NVC Home and Art Tour Returns for Centennial Year Laura Carman, NVC Publications Co-Chair

3 Everett Place

17 Rosa Park

4717 St. Charles Avenue

1640 State Street

1931 State Street

1804 State Street

O

n hiatus since 2005, the NVC Home and Art

Neoclassical, Georgian, Mediterranean, and Tudor-

Tour is back for the museum’s centennial year!

inspired. The art collections promise to be as eclectic

Saturday, April 16, put on your walking shoes and

as the homes. The gracious homeowners and hosts

tour six historic homes in the vicinity of St. Charles

are: Mr. and Mrs. Richard Currence, 17 Rosa Park;

Avenue and State Street. Participants are free to

Mr. and Mrs. Frank Friedler III, 3 Everett Place; Mr.

follow their own schedules, visiting the featured

John Houghtaling, 4717 St. Charles; Mr. and Mrs.

homes between 10:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. NVC

Gordon Kolb, 1640 State; Mr. and Mrs. Adam

volunteers will greet participants at each home and

Marcus, 1931 State; and Mr. and Mrs. Poco Sloss,

provide historical information. At the mansion of

1804 State.

John Houghtaling, which has never before been open

Don’t want to wait in line? Patron tickets are $75,

to a public tour, visitors will enjoy refreshments and

which includes priority admission and a centennial

an NVC centennial boutique showcasing the

plaque. Regular ticket prices in advance are $25 for

centennial reprint of the NOMA Cookbook.

members, $30 for non-members. Day of tour tickets

Event co-chairs Carol Hall and JoAnn

are $35. Tickets may be purchased by calling the

Christopher promise a wide-ranging tour, with

NVC office at (504) 658-4121 or online at

architectural styles including Southern Colonial,

www.noma.org/homearttour.

10 Arts

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CENTENNIAL NEWS

Centennial Sponsors Thanks to our sponsors for their generous support of NOMA’s centennial exhibitions, programs, and festivities.

Great Collectors / Great Donors: The Making of the

Fabergé Egg Hunt, April 10, 2011

New Orleans Museum of Art, 1910-2010,

Catherine Burns Tremaine

November 13, 2010-January 23, 2011 The Sheraton New Orleans Hotel

100 Masterworks for the Next 100 Years: Celebrating the Centennial of the New Orleans Museum of Art,

Great Collectors / Great Donors Video

November 12, 2011-February 19, 2012

E. Alexandra Stafford & Raymond Rathle, Jr., and Mr.

Eugenie and Joseph Jones Family Foundation and

and Mrs. John F. Stafford

Jones, Walker, Waechter, Poitevent, Carrere and Denegre

Centennial Year Kickoff Party, January 8, 2011 JPMorgan Chase and Bellwether Technology

Centennial Birthday Party, December 16-18, 2011

Corporation

Lakeside Shopping Center and the Feil Family Foundation

Director’s Dialogue Series, January-November 2011 J.P. Morgan, Stone Pigman Walther Wittmann L.L.C.,

Centennial Year Public Relations and Marketing

Postlethwaite & Netterville C.P.A., and Adler’s

Sponsors The Sheraton New Orleans Hotel and New Orleans

Copley to Warhol: 200 Years of American Art

Tourism and Marketing Corporation

Celebrating the Centennial of the New Orleans Museum of Art, February-December 2011

Suppor t NOMA Dur ing Our

Centennial Year!

Chevron with additional support from the following State Advisory Council Members: Adele Adatto, Katie Arimura, Janet Blocker, June Brandt, Scott Chotin, Kent Davis, John W. Deming

To ensure NOMA's success for the next 100 years, we invite you to donate to our:

and Bertie Murphy Deming Foundation, Joy Hodges,

•

Endowment—support educational programs, exhibitions, and publications.

•

Centennial Event Sponsorships—support educational activities and family fun.

•

John Bullard’s Retirement Gift Fund— purchase a piece of art in honor of John Bullard’s thirty-seven years of service as director of the New Orleans Museum of Art.

John Lolley, Valerie Marcus, Brenda Moffitt, Peter Monrose, Mary Morse, Andrée Moss, Carolyn Nelson, Edward Renwick, Peggy Selber, Aimee Siegel, Jude Swenson, Catherine Burns Tremaine, Fran Villere Art in Bloom, March 30, 2011 Whitney Bank

April May June 2011 ●

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To donate: Call (504) 658-4107, email: mdittmann@noma.org, or give online at www.noma.org.

Arts 11

EXPERIENCING NOMA Where Y’Art Happy Hour Shakes Up Fridays at the Museum Grace Wilson, Director of Communications and Marketing

Clockwise from left: Music by Luke Winslow King; The Sound of One Hand exhibition; Kaminari Taiko drummers; Buddah Boards™; Mardi Gras coconut decorating. Photography by Grace Wilson.

N

ew Orleans is a city of traditions. Join a second line parade on Sundays, eat red beans

Initially conceived as a night that would attract young professionals, Where Y’Art has proven

and rice on Mondays, dance to Rebirth Brass Band

appealing to all different audiences. Couples look at

uptown on Tuesdays, catch Irvin Mayfield in his

art arm in arm, groups gather to drink wine and

downtown jazz club on Wednesdays, and on

socialize, and parents bring their children to create

Thursdays, count on Kermit Ruffins in the Bywater.

their own artworks.

On Fridays, NOMA is launching a new tradition:

"One of the most satisfying aspects of Where

innovative programming called “Where Y’Art?”

Y'Art has been seeing so many families coming to

Every Friday from 5 to 9 p.m., live music fills the

NOMA after-hours," said Director Susan M. Taylor.

Great Hall, families enjoy art-making activities, and a

"During the week, it's hard for families to break their

variety of events unfold around the museum. From

school routines, but Fridays have been a perfect night

film screenings and lectures in the Stern Auditorium

for parents to bring their children to the museum. We

to artist demonstrations and walk-throughs in the

offer family-friendly activities, and each week the

galleries, NOMA is the place to get your weekend

diverse programming features something for every

started.

age, every interest."

12 Arts

April May June 2011 ●

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and beer. The Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture

advantage of the extended hours to spend more time

Garden is also open late on Fridays, until 8:45 p.m.

in the Great Hall and the galleries. Instead of coming

Warm weather will bring programming outside; look

to see a special exhibition and then leaving, visitors

for Shakespeare in the Garden and outdoor film

are exploring the second and third floors or taking

screenings in the spring.

time to listen to a music set (or two) in the Great Hall.

“We are presenting art while stimulating the

“I can’t wait for the energy of Where Y’Art to liven up our garden on Friday evenings,” said

senses with music, food, and drink, giving the

Pamela Buckman, Sculpture Garden Manager. “It

opportunity for the viewer to unwind and take it in,”

really is a great way to get to know like-minded

said Rebecca Thomason, Public Programs

people and start off an evening. You can come to

Coordinator. “We are using Where Y'Art as a way to

NOMA early and still attend nighttime theater and

show people that museums are for everyone and a

music shows.”

vibrant part of our community.”

Ralph Brennan’s Courtyard Café stays open

It’s true! You can attend Where Y’Art early on Friday evenings and still catch late night music acts

during Where Y’Art so patrons can catch an early

and theatrical performances. There’s always

dinner or enjoy cheese selections from St. James

something happening in New Orleans!

Cheese Company. The Café offers soups, tapas, wine,

Director’s Dialogue: conversations with america’s art museum leaDers DON’T

MISS the spring edition of our Director’s Dialogue series. The program, which brings museum

©Terri Glanger

leaders from across the country to New Orleans to discuss innovations in practice, will address topics such as diversity, technology, education, permanent collections, and new audience development. NOMA Director Susan M. Taylor will moderate these illuminating discussions.

Friday, April 1, 2011, 6-7 p.m. maxwell l. anderson Director, indianapolis museum of art Anderson has been a leader in introducing new technologies to art museums, expanding museum audiences to the World Wide Web and beyond.

Friday, May 20, 2011, 6-7 p.m.

Bonnie Pitman Director, Dallas museum of art Pitman has devoted her career to developing education programs for art museums, making them more welcoming and relevant to visitors of all ages.

The series takes place in the Stern Auditorium, New Orleans Museum of Art.

EXPERIENCING NOMA

NOMA has found Where Y’Art visitors taking

NOMA

AND THE

COMMUNITY

Student Podcasts Offer Fresh Views of NOMA John d’Addario, Associate Curator for Education

West Jefferson High School students tour NOMA’s collection, gathering information for podcast tours. Photography by Sarah Rosedahl.

T

o many of us, the New Orleans Museum of Art

permanent collection. The podcasts are available for

is like a second home, full of familiar objects and

members of the public to listen to during their visits

faces that we have come to know and feel

to the museum, and are also available for free

comfortable with over the years. But imagine being a

download online.

high school student visiting the museum for the very

The project began in January when Ms. Burton

first time. Wouldn’t it be great to have a friend by

and her class from West Jefferson High School visited

your side to introduce you to some of the strange and

the museum for guided tours. For many of the

wonderful things you’ll encounter once you come

students, it was their first time inside NOMA. Led by

inside?

museum docents, students were divided into small

That’s the idea behind a unique collaboration

groups and introduced to selected masterworks from

between NOMA’s Education Department and a team

the permanent collection. After “meeting” these

from the Jefferson Parish Public School System

works of art in an intimate, casual setting, students

(JPPSS). Led by West Jefferson High School teacher

picked their favorites and decided for themselves

Valerie Burton, and coordinated by members of the

which works they would research for their

JPPSS technology team, a class of ninth grade

individual podcast presentations.

English/Language Arts students recently worked

Back at school, students began to record their

together to research and produce a series of podcast

podcasts with the assistance of technology consultant

audio tours exploring selected works in NOMA’s

Sarah Rosedahl, who has worked on similar projects

14 Arts

April May June 2011 ●

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have grown and matured in ways that I hadn't

including the Ogden Museum of Southern Art and

imagined.”

the Louisiana State Museum. "The podcast audio

The West Jefferson High School student podcasts

tour project is an exciting and innovative way to

include some of the most popular and best-loved

create an authentic learning experience for students

works in the museum’s collection, including the

that promotes twenty-first century skills,” she said.

Master of Calamarca’s Archangel with a Matlock Gun

In addition to learning about art and art history,

and Mary Cassatt’s Mother and Child in the

students who participated in the podcast program

Conservatory. Visitors to the museum can access these

exercised their reading, writing, performance, and

audio tours free of charge on their cellphones and

computer software skills—all of which illustrate

gain fresh insight on the artworks from the students’

NOMA’s commitment to making the museum a

points of view.

cross-disciplinary educational resource.

The project has allowed students to develop and

NOMA celebrated the launch of the West Jefferson High School podcast audio tours with a

learn in other significant ways as well, says teacher

gala event at the museum in March to which

Valerie Burton. “My students were given a once-in-a-

students brought their families and friends. Next

lifetime opportunity to help the museum provide a

time you’re at the museum, don’t forget to look for

personal experience for its visitors,” she says. “It is

the special wall labels indicating available student-

amazing how a 90-second voice clip can help change

produced podcast audio tours for some of your

and empower the life of a 14 year old. Those students

favorite works of art. You just might learn something

who [were involved with the] podcasting project

new—and make a new friend in the process.

NOMA W E L C O M E S 2011 NVC C H A I R K I M B E R LY Z I B I L I C H THE NOMA VOLUNTEER COMMITTEE (NVC) and the museum are proud to welcome Kimberly Zibilich as 2011 NVC Chair. Founded in 1965, the NVC supports the museum in a variety of ways, from organizing major fundraising events such as Odyssey Ball, to arranging flowers in the Great Hall and acting as art ambassadors in the community.

A licensed real estate agent and associate with Event Specialists of New Orleans, Zibilich has an extensive background in community service. She began her NVC chair

April May June 2011 ●

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duties with gusto, helping to orchestrate NOMA’s hugely successful centennial celebration and planning a full NVC calendar, including the Home and Art Tour on April 16. In addition, Zibilich has redesigned the NVC newsletter and directory and is working to create new activities for the organization’s nearly 400 members.

The NVC and NOMA are grateful to Zibilich for bringing her energy and vision to the museum’s centennial year!—Virginia Panno, NVC Correspondent

Arts 15

NOMA AND THE COMMUNITY

with other New Orleans cultural institutions

SUPPORTING NOMA UPGRADE YOUR SUPPORT

OF

NOMA

President’s Circle: $20,000 Director’s Circle: $10,000 The NOMA Board of Trustees cordially invites you to join the Circles, the museum’s most prestigious membership group.

Patron’s Circle: $5,000 For more information, please call (504) 658-4107.

Circles of the New Orleans Museum of Art We appreciate the generous and continuing support of our Circle members.

PresideNt’s CirCle Mr. and Mrs. John D. Bertuzzi Mr. and Mrs. Sydney J. Besthoff III Mr. and Mrs. Ralph O. Brennan Collins C. Diboll Private Foundation 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. Helis Foundation Mr. and Mrs. David A. Kerstein Mr. Paul J. Leaman, Jr. Mrs. Paula L. Maher Mr. and Mrs. Charles B. Mayer Mrs. Robert Nims Mrs. Charles S. Reily, Jr. Mrs. Françoise B. Richardson Jolie and Robert Shelton Mrs. Patrick F. Taylor Zemurray Foundation

direCtOr’s CirCle Mrs. Jack R. Aron Mr. and Mrs. F. Macnaughton Ball, Jr. The Booth-Bricker Fund Mrs. Lawrence D. Garvey Mrs. JoAnn Flom Greenberg Mr. Jerry Heymann Mr. and Mrs. Erik F. Johnsen

16 Arts

Mr. and Mrs. Peter R. Monrose, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Robert J. Patrick Mr. and Mrs. George Rodrigue Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Rodriguez, Jr. Ms. Debra B. Shriver Margaret B. and Joel J. Soniat Dr. and Mrs. Richard L. Strub

PAtrON’s CirCle 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. Leonard A. Davis Mr. and Mrs. Prescott N. Dunbar Ms. Mignon Faget Mr. and Mrs. H. M. Favrot, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. James J. Frischhertz Mr. and Mrs. Edward N. George Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Heebe Mrs. Gloria S. Kabacoff Mr. Henry M. Lambert and Mr. R. Carey Bond Mr. and Mrs. H. Merritt Lane III 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. Edward C. Mathes Ms. Kay McArdle Mr. and Mrs. R. King Milling Mr. and Mrs. Michael D. Moffitt Robert and Myrtis Nims Foundation Dr. Andrew Orestano Dr. Howard and Dr. Joy D. Osofsky 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. Benjamin M. Rosen Mr. and Mrs. Brian A. Schneider Mr. and Mrs. Edward Shearer Mr. and Mrs. Lynes R. Sloss Mr. and Mrs. Bruce L. Soltis Ms. E. Alexandra Stafford and Mr. Raymond M. Rathle, Jr. Mrs. Frederick M. Stafford Mrs. Harold H. Stream, Jr. Mr. Stephen Stumpf Mr. and Mrs. James L. Taylor Mr. and Mrs. David S. Thomas, Jr. Mrs. Hendrik Willem van Voorthuysen Mrs. John N. Weinstock Mrs. Henry H. Weldon

April May June 2011 ●

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Corporate Membership

NOMA’s exhibitions and special programs are made possible through the generosity of our sponsors. We are deeply grateful to these friends for their continued commitment. If you would like additional information on sponsorship, please contact the museum’s Development Department at (504) 658-4107.

The following corporate members make it possible for NOMA to serve the public.

$100,000+ the Helis Foundation – Free Wednesdays for Louisiana residents save america’s treasures – Permanent collection conservation Zemurray Foundation – General operating support $99,999 - $50,000 the selley Foundation – Art storage building renovation and website re-launch $49,999 - $20,000 Heebe-russo Family – Odyssey Ball robert Lehman Foundation – Ancestors of Congo Square catalogue Luce Foundation – Kuntz Galleries renovation the Lupin Foundation – Odyssey Ball national endowment for the arts – Art storage building renovation the rosaMary Foundation – General operating support

Patron The Sydney and Walda Besthoff Foundation

andy Warhol Foundation – Curatorial research Whitney national bank –Art in Bloom

Master Christie’s Fine Art Auctioneers Dooky Chase’s Restaurant The Schon Charitable Foundation

$19,999 - $10,000 Garden study Club – Centennial beautification Goldring Family Foundation – Odyssey Ball John burton Harter Foundation – Odyssey Ball Louisiana endowment for the arts – General operating support Morris G. and Paula L. Maher Foundation – Odyssey Ball Jolie and robert shelton – Odyssey Ball Mrs. Frederick M. stafford – Odyssey Ball ruby K. Woerner Foundation – Programming dathel and tommy Coleman – Art in Bloom Georges enterprises – Art in Bloom entergy – Art in Bloom eugenie and Joseph Jones Family Foundation – Art in Bloom

Leader Boh Bros. Construction Co., L.L.C. Bolton Ford Hotel Monteleone Laitram, L.L.C. New Orleans Silversmiths Rathborne Companies East, L.L.C. The Times-Picayune

VOLUNTEERS HONORED ANNUAL LUNCHEON

assoCiate Bowie Lumber Associates M. S. Rau Antiques, L.L.C. Neal Auction Company, Inc. Contributor A. L. Lowe Picture Framing Company As You Like It Silver Shop Coffee Roasters of New Orleans Gulf Coast Bank Hirsch Investment Management, L.L.C. Kentwood Spring Water, Inc. Mignon Faget, Ltd. Mudbug Media, Inc. Sisung Securities Corporation Wirthmore Antiques, Ltd.

AT

ON JANUARY 30, 2011,

Volunteer of the Year Kay McArdle (front row center) and family. Photography by Judy Cooper.

SUPPORTING NOMA

Program sponsors

NOMA celebrated our outstanding volunteers with an awards ceremony and luncheon. Museum staff “volunteered” at the event to serve the honorees – passing food, bartending, and clearing plates.

Local vendors generously donated wares and gift certificates for awards.

Docents, chamberlains, NVC members, and youth volunteers received awards in various categories, including “most hours” and “special recognition.”

This year’s Volunteer of the Year award went to Kay McCardle. “She’s done everything from working blockbuster exhibitions to chairing the NVC to serving on the Board of Trustees,” said Kristen Jochem, Development Associate for NVC Fund-Raising. “Kay is dependable and dedicated,” added Brad J. Caldwell, Volunteer Coordinator. “She always goes above and beyond.”

Thanks to all of our volunteers for their valuable contributions to NOMA.

Centennial Kickoff and Bullard Bash Draw Crowds to NOMA

N

OMA kicked off its centennial celebration on January 8, 2011, with a jam-packed day

of free festivities. Attended by more than 1,500 people, the party started with the St. Aug Marching 100, parading down Lelong Drive to the steps of the museum. Dance, opera and other fine arts performances, family art activities, face painting, photographs by Dear World, delicious BBQ by Ralph Brennan’s Courtyard Café and birthday cake were all part of the fun.

On January 29, NOMA paid tribute to Director Emeritus E. John Bullard, who is retiring after thirty-seven years. The gala event saw a receiving line of well-wishers snaking down the red carpet and out the front steps of the museum.

Mayors Mitch Landrieu and Moon Landrieu were among the more than 600 guests. Joe Simon Jazz filled the Great Hall with classic jazz while partygoers mingled, brandishing masks with Bullard’s likeness. Thanks to Honorary Life Trustee Sandra Draughn Freeman for chairing the organizing committee for this fabulous celebration.

Photography © www.alokhin.com and ©www.dearworld.me

18 Arts

April May June 2011 ●

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SUPPORTING NOMA

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John Bullard’s Retirement: 5. Lee Morais, Simon Gunning, Robert Tannen; 6. (Seated, left to right) Sandra Winns, Vanessa Smith, Tameka Reynolds, Arcola Sutton, (Standing, left to right) Jermaine Reynolds, Byron Winbush, Roy Harrison; 7. Councilmember Susan G. Guidry, Bullard, Councilmember Jackie Clarkson; 8. Jean Taylor, Bullard, Sandra Draughn Freeman; 9. Bullard and NOMA Director Susan M. Taylor; 10. Verna Landrieu, Bullard, Moon Landrieu; 11. Robert Shelton, Bullard, Jolie Shelton; 12. Walda Besthoff, Bullard, Sydney Besthoff; 13. Cheryl Landrieu, Bullard, Mayor Mitch Landrieu; 14. Judy Chicago and Bullard.

Photographs by Judy Cooper.

April May June 2011 ●

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Arts 19

NOMA FA MILY Remembering John Webster Keefe

F

ebruary 28, 2011, was a

day of tears, laughter,

Whether in writing or in person, sharing his knowledge was another passion of Keefe’s. “John

and fond reminiscing at

was a born teacher. He shared his enthusiasm and

NOMA as friends and

love of objects with everyone he met,” said Lisa

colleagues gathered to

Rotondo-McCord, Assistant Director for Art at

celebrate the life of longtime

NOMA. Sara Anderson, Keefe’s goddaughter,

decorative arts curator John

described a dynamic, generous, and funny mentor,

Webster Keefe (1941-2011).

always game for a children’s tea party or a play, who

His impeccable taste, prolific

began offering her tutorials in art when she was a

scholarly production, and

very young child: “Rococo is the flowers, and

larger-than-life personality

Baroque is the angels.”

were recalled as a series of

Others recalled fondly Keefe’s penchant for

speakers reflected on his

storytelling, his irreverence, and his general zest for

tremendous contribution to

life. “He never left his listener bereft,” said Stephen

the museum community.

Harrison, Curator of Decorative Art and Design at

“I called him the grand acquisitor,” said Director

the Cleveland Museum of Art. “John was a party

Emeritus John Bullard, describing Keefe’s dedication

waiting to happen,” O’Shello said. “He never lost his

to building the decorative arts collection at NOMA.

youthful exuberance.” “He had an infectious smile,”

A leading authority on Fabergé and Paris porcelain,

recalled collector Jolie Shelton. In the final days of his

Keefe possessed vast art historical knowledge and a

life, she added, she had never seen him so happy.

keen eye for objects others might overlook. “He

“All of you have wonderful memories of John,”

could go into a flea market or an antique store and

concluded Bullard. “The great thing is we can go

find the one item that had real value and quality,”

upstairs to the galleries and see his taste and his eye,

Bullard said. Keefe’s passion and charisma helped

so he really will live forever here at the New Orleans

him build relationships with collectors, who, in turn,

Museum of Art.”

were willing to trust their collections with NOMA. Since joining the museum staff in 1983, Keefe curated 112 exhibitions and contributed hundreds of

Contributions in John’s honor may be made to the John W. Keefe Memorial Fund at the New Orleans Museum of Art.

articles to Arts Quarterly and national publications including The Magazine Antiques, Verandah, and Southern Living. He also authored scores of museum catalogues. All of these works were composed longhand, on his signature yellow legal tablets. “No one was a more gifted writer than John,” said Wanda O’Shello, retired Publications Coordinator and Arts Quarterly Editor. “Brilliance sprang from the pages of those yellow tablets. And he never met a deadline he

CH ARITABLE G IFTS 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.

couldn’t miss.”

20 Arts

April May June 2011 ●

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Boar d of TRUSTEES

(as of Februar y 2011)

SUPPORT ACKNOWLEDGMENT Mrs. Charles B. Mayer, President Mrs. James J. Frischhertz, Vice-President E. Ralph Lupin, M.D., Vice-President Phyllis M. Taylor, Vice-President Timothy Francis, Treasurer Michael D. Moffitt, Secretary William D. Aaron, Jr. Mrs. John Bertuzzi Mrs. Mark Carey Edgar L. Chase III Leonard Davis David F. Edwards H. M. “Tim” Favrot, Jr. Mrs. Ludovico Feoli Julie Livaudais George Susan G. Guidry, Councilmember District “A” Terence Hall Lee Hampton

Stephen A. Hansel Adrea D. Heebe Ms. Allison Kendrick Subhash Kulkarni Henry Lambert Mayor Mitch Landrieu Mrs. Merritt Lane Paul J. Masinter Ms. Kay McArdle Alvin Merlin, M.D. Mrs. R. King Milling Mrs. Michael D. Moffitt Howard J. Osofsky, M.D., Ph.D. Mrs. Robert J. Patrick Mrs. James J. Reiss, Jr. Mrs. George Rodrigue Brian Schneider Mrs. Jolie L. Shelton Mrs. Lynes Sloss E. Alexandra Stafford Mrs. Richard L. Strub Mrs. Kimberly Zibilich

The programs of the New Orleans Museum of Art are supported by grants from the Louisiana State Arts Council through the Louisiana Division of the Arts, the Arts Council of New Orleans, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

H onorar y L if e TRUSTEES MUSEUM HOURS

H. Russell Albright, M.D. Mrs. Jack R. Aron Mrs. Edgar L. Chase, Jr. Isidore Cohn, Jr., M.D. Prescott N. Dunbar S. Stewart Farnet Sandra Draughn Freeman Kurt A. Gitter, M.D. Mrs. H. Lloyd Hawkins Mrs. Killian Huger Mrs. Erik Johnsen Richard W. Levy, M.D. J. Thomas Lewis

Mrs. Paula L. Maher Mrs. Frederick Muller, Jr. Mrs. Robert Nims Mrs. Charles S. Reily, Jr. Mrs. Françoise Billion Richardson R. Randolph Richmond, Jr. Mrs. Frederick M. Stafford Harry C. Stahel Mrs. Moise S. Steeg, Jr. Mrs. Harold H. Stream Mrs. James L. Taylor Mrs. John N. Weinstock

National TRUSTEES

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.

Caroline Goyette Aisha Champagne P R I N T I N G : DocuMart EDITOR:

ART DIRECTOR:

Joseph Baillio Mrs. Carmel Cohen Mrs. Mason Granger Jerry Heymann Herbert Kaufman, M.D.

Mrs. James Pierce Ms. Debra B. Shriver Mrs. Billie Milam Weisman Mrs. Henry H. Weldon

Arts Quarterly (ISSN 0740-9214) is published by the New Orleans Museum of Art, 1 Collins Diboll Circle, New Orleans, LA 70124. © 2011, New Orleans Museum of Art. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced or reprinted without permission of the publisher.

Arts P. O. Box 19123 New Orleans, LA 70179-0123

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