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ARTSQUARTERLY VOLUME XXXI ISSUE 2

NEW ORLEANS MUSEUM OF ART

APRIL/MAY/JUNE 2009

The Art of Caring: A Look at Life through Photography BY CYNTHIA GOODMAN Guest Curator

PREFACE: Annie Leibovitz (American, born 1949) Rebecca Denison, Founder of WORLD (Women Organized to Respond to Life-threatening Diseases), 1993 Archival pigment print Courtesy Leibovitz Studio Rebecca Denison is afflicted by a life-threatening illness yet resiliently and stalwartly refuses to succumb. The words written in white on her brownpaint-smeared body pay homage to friends who have been lost to AIDS but also offer hope and inspiration to others. The words on Denison's body seem to sum up many of the themes expressed in The Art of Caring exhibition.

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FROM

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DIRECTOR

n 1999 NOMA was privileged to be one of twelve American museums to present the exhibition, Hospice: A Photographic Inquiry. Organized by the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the show featured the work of five major American photographers who were commissioned to visit various hospice situations and witness and record the end of life care which their subjects received. This was certainly one of the most moving and heartfelt exhibitions we have ever presented. Now with generous funding support from the National Hospice Foundation, NOMA has organized a new exhibition, The Art of Caring: A Look at Life through Photography. It will be on view from May 16 to October 11, a special extended showing to allow in-depth programming with community groups, including a festival of relevant HBO documentaries. With the continuing effort to recover fully from Katrina, I felt strongly that this exhibition could serve as an important reminder of the essential elements of the human experience and how they need to be nurtured and sustained. Now three years after Katrina, our country, indeed the entire world, is experiencing an equally overwhelming disaster, this time man made: the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. Like Katrina, this financial meltdown will demonstrate again that the arts are not luxuries but necessities in troubled times—a source of solace, comfort, and rejuvenation. Now more than ever the arts can inspire us with optimism and hope. The exhibition assembles more than 200 photographs by many of the masters of the medium, as well as by younger, less recognized artists. The show was guest curated by Cynthia Goodman, a distinguished historian of contemporary art and museum director. Over the past three years she has traveled the country visiting artists, collectors, galleries, museums, and archives to see thousands of photographs from which she made a sensitive and imaginative selection. The exhibition is divided into seven thematic sections, plus an eighth introductory section of photographs by the great Annie Leibovitz, specially chosen by the artist from her personal archives. Altogether The Art of Caring will be an emotional and thoughtprovoking examination of many of the transforming moments in human life. These photographs are sometimes funny, often moving, occasionally sad. Seen together in NOMA’s new exhibition, they create a passionate and compelling museum experience.

ARTSQUARTERLY VOLUME XXXI ISSUE 2

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NEW ORLEANS MUSEUM OF ART

APRIL/MAY/JUNE 2009

The Art of Caring: A Look at Life through Photography Cynthia Goodman Women Artists in Louisiana, 1825-1965: A Place of Their Own Judith Bonner THE MIND’S EYE: Without Subject Matter, What Does the Artist See? An Exhibition of Prints and Drawings from the Permanent Collection George Roland

Kara Hearn: One Thing After Another Miranda Lash e Mind’s Eye 15 A Discourse in Abstraction: Jennifer Odem Encounters NOMA’s Permanent Collection Miranda Lash 14

NOMA Borrows pre-Columbian Masterpieces from Tulane University’s Middle American Research Institute Paul Tarver

e Roland 10 18 2008 Acquisition Highlights 22 12 23

Iris Viewing Festival Debuts in the Besthoff Sculpture Garden Pamela Buckman Cher Chair: Celebrating Our Volunteers Virginia Panno

NVC Trip to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico Laura Carman ecorative Arts??? 26 Volunteers Honored at Awards Luncheon Molly St. Paul 24

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Join the Circles and Upgrade Your Support of NOMA Pop! Pop! Important Prints from the ’60s Pop into Contributions

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NOMA Education: Programs and Activities

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Museum News

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Articles appearing in any issue of Arts Quarterly do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the staff or the board of trustees of the New Orleans Museum of Art.

Editor: Caroline Goyette

SUPPORT ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Art Director: Aisha Champagne Advertising Manager: Karron Lane Printing: Roberson Printing

The programs of the New Orleans Museum of Art are supported by a grant from the Louisiana State Arts Council through the Louisiana Division of the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Arts Quarterly (ISSN 0740-9214) is published by the New Orleans Museum of Art, P.O. Box 19123, New Orleans, LA 70179-0123. 504-658-4103. Advertising 504-610-1279 or 504-658-4103. © 2009, New Orleans Museum of Art. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced or reprinted without permission of the publisher.

Free admission for Louisiana residents is sponsored by The Helis Foundation and the members of the New Orleans Museum of Art. The Museum is open Wednesday, noon to 8 p.m., Thursday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Besthoff Sculpture Garden is open Wednesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. For information on upcoming exhibitions and events at NOMA, please call 504-658-4100 or visit our website at www.noma.org.

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The Art of Caring: A Look at Life through Photography BY CYNTHIA GOODMAN Guest Curator

he Art of Caring: A Look at Life through Photography comprises seven thematic components: Children and Family, Love, Wellness, Disaster, Caregiving and Healing, Aging, and Remembering. Through photography and film, this thought- and emotionprovoking exhibition provides a visual discourse on how key life events are celebrated and honored, and how pivotal life decisions are made by a number of different cultures. Each stage of life is depicted by simple everyday situations experienced in moments of joy and gratification as well as by poignant events of passage. The unfathomable scale of devastation inflicted upon humanity and our environment by both man-made and natural disasters also is intrinsic to this life story. The selection of the more than two hundred photographs in this exhibition took shape like a complex and carefully composed mosaic in which the distinct fragments represent mothers, fathers, children, caregivers, first responders, and others from around the globe. For the viewer, encountering these photos on the walls of this exhibition is somewhat like taking a walk on a busy street in any one of a number of major metropolitan cities, where who or what you see is often a surprise impossible to plan for or predict, much like the cycle of our own respective lives.

The exhibition begins with a group of images by the world-renowned artist Annie Leibovitz, who made a special selection from her vast archive that reflects all seven themes. These images provide a concise introduction to the entire exhibition. Selections from the Time/LIFE Picture Collection include a number of classics by legendary photojournalists such as Alfred Eisenstaedt and W. Eugene Smith. The contemporary artists also include other established photographers such as Tina Barney, Nan Goldin, Chester Higgins, Sally Mann, Joel Meyerowitz, Robert Polidori, Tatsumi Orimoto, Nicholas Nixon, Neal Slavin, and Larry Sultan. The exhibition features as well a number of artists whose work is attracting increasing attention today, including Elinor Carucci, Albert Chong, Misty Keasler, Jessica Todd Harper, Dona Schwartz, Ryan McGinley, Jeff Charbonneau, and Eliza French. The photographers who have “made” the pictures in this exhibition come from divergent backgrounds and cultures. They also have crafted their photographs motivated by varied emotions and life situations. Some capture an intimate family moment. Others record a disaster of unfathomable scale. Others show the drama between two strangers who, because of unforeseeable occurrences, have come into intimate contact in a possibly life-dependent relationship with one another,

LOVE: Alfred Eisenstaedt (American, 1898-1995) V-J Day, Times Square, New York City, 1945 Inkjet print Time-LIFE Collection First published in LIFE magazine, this image expresses the exuberance of the new postwar era as well as the changing nature and attitudes in American society. Eisenstaedt captures a sailor's—and a nation's—elation at the end of the war in the Pacific and the final defeat of Japan and Germany. A new mood of optimism was then pervasive in America, although it proved short-lived with the threat of Communism and the beginning of the Cold War.

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such as an emergency room exchange between a trauma victim and a doctor or nurse. This exhibition does not purport to demonstrate that man is inherently good and caring. However, it does allege that through unpredictable life circumstances during both major and minor events, caring people around the world make incredible differences in the lives of others. Beginning at the conclusion of World War II, the slightly more than sixty-year time span encompassed by the photographs in this exhibition allows the viewer to witness many of the great events that shaped the last half-century as well as those that are shaping the next. Photographers have captured these occurrences—no matter how remote or dangerous the locale—and brought them home to our newsstands, living rooms, and classrooms. The broad chronology covered traverses enormous transformational developments in our society as well as in the field of photography, including tremendous changes in subject matter, technology, and presentation. The stage was set for photography to take on an unprecedented role as chronicler, consciousness raiser, and educator during World War II. Throughout the war, new magazines like LIFE as well as Vu in France and the Picture Post in Britain were credited for turning “… documentary photographers into

photojournalists and photojournalists like Robert Capa, Margaret Bourke-White, and W. Eugene Smith into heroes … .” After World War II, photo-essays by photographers like Smith and Gordon Parks in LIFE were credited with helping to stoke the “can-do” energy of the times. By the 1970s, many of the same established photojournalists, whose images stirred a nation and world, saw their professional lives evolve from careers replete with opportunities to have work published in the lavishly illustrated pages and photo-essays that appeared regularly in LIFE, Look and other magazines, to earning a livelihood from less constant sources upon the demise of these same publications and others. At the same time, the advent of color photography and its acceptance as a legitimate artistic medium closed the gap between fine art and commercial work in new ways. Although the exhibition has been divided into distinct sections, the photographs were not always easy to categorize. In fact, many could easily have been placed in more than one section. Caregiving and healing are transcendent exhibition themes as well as complex processes difficult both to document and assess. Whether the afflicted one is a parent, grandparent, or

CHILDREN AND FAMILY: William Wegman (American, born 1943) Mother's Day, 1989 Color C print Courtesy William Wegman Studio For forty years Wegman has enjoyed wide success with a continuous series of photographs of his Weimaraners, imaginatively posed and often costumed to imitate human attitudes. Here he has brilliantly captured the nurturing emotions of motherhood, while at the same time expressing the overwhelming surprise of the new responsibilities felt by the new mother.

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DISASTER: Joe McNally (American, contemporary) Bill Ryan, Mike Morrissey, 2001 Color polaroid Collection of the Artist Photographic images from the media coverage of the destruction of the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City on September 11, 2001, have been among the most powerful and compelling in recent history. McNally set up a temporary studio near Ground Zero to document the first responders as they came off their shifts, seeking respite from their arduous duties. Posed simply against a blank background, these truly are heroes for our time.

sibling, a patient with leprosy, AIDS, a gun wound, or suffering from emotional or physical trauma after a natural or human-inflicted disaster, lives are saved, extended, and enhanced in manifold ways in this exhibition. Photographs give us the opportunity to see and to learn more about ourselves as well as to question both our own actions and lifestyles and those of others. They also offer inspiration and motivation for social change. The people of New Orleans are critically aware of how desperately help can be needed in order to survive, and how a timely, caring hand, gesture, or other assistance can determine one’s very survival. Appropriately, in organizing this exhibition we have reached out and invited to participate as our community partners a number of organizations that played and continue to play a role not only in the recovery of New Orleans after Katrina, but also New York after September 11, 2001, Indonesia after the tsunami in 2004, in the Sudan today, as well as in innumerable disasters around the globe over the time span covered by the photographs on display. The following organizations have been selected and paired with the seven exhibition themes: for Children and Family, the Children’s Defense Fund; for Love, the American Heart Association; for Wellness and Caregiving and Healing, the American Medical Association; for Disaster, the American Red Cross and Habitat for Humanity; for Aging, AARP; for Remembering, the National Hospice Foundation. These relief, humanitarian, and educational organizations were selected to be our community partners not only because their interests reflect the thematic components of the exhibition, but also because they have the potential to contribute to the lives of visitors and other community members in each location where the exhibition will travel through critical outreach efforts. The Art of Caring celebrates diversity. This diversity is a by-product of great upheavals in both the political and sociological underpinnings of our society during the time period covered by the photographs in this exhibition. Even the formerly sacrosanct concept of what constitutes a family has been transformed. The Ozzie and Harriet-like nuclear family structure of the 1950s, which traditionally consisted of a mother, father, and child or children, was replaced by a multiplicity of societal norms. The demographics of our society are being altered in other ways. We live in a decidedly older society with the consequent social impacts that caregiving for such a population exacts on all family members. The U.S. Census report tells us that in 2030, when the baby boomer generation is 65 and older, one out of five residents in the United States is expected to be at least 65 years old. Already, as reported in the September 2008 AARP Bulletin, “about 44 million Americans act as caregivers to their spouse, parent or other adult family member or friend, a role that can be stressful— physically, emotionally and financially. Their quiet service as caregivers in their own homes is valued at a whopping $350 billion a year … .” In today’s interconnected world, photography is more a part of our everyday lives than ever before. Only a few years ago, bringing a camera with you was a conscious decision and often involved fastidious planning and the transportation of cumbersome equipment that made documentation far from spontaneous. Today, most cell phone users have a camera with them at all times. Taking a photo of anyone, anything and then transmitting it effortlessly via email to one person or many has become second nature.

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Walking, talking, shooting, and transmitting photos are now virtually synonymous. In addition to the seeming omnipresence of photography and the proliferation of often unwanted images at dizzying speed, digital technologies have not only revolutionized established modes of communicating and reporting, but also have made basic photographic processes obsolete. Kodak no longer makes slide projectors; Polaroid’s hallmark instant film is no longer available, and although many photographers still shoot in film, more often than not, the film is then scanned into a digital format prior to manipulation and/or production. From birth to death, through struggle and triumph after disaster, the photographs in this exhibition capture the complex interweaving of individuals, families, communities, governments, and humanitarian agencies that assist us all in our collective, circuitous, and unpredictable life journeys. These topics have put an emphasis in my selection process on emotionally charged situations replete with pleasures and vicissitudes. In so doing, these photographs pay tribute to the multitude of amazing caregivers who assist on the family level, the community level, and the governmental level in times of need. In the more than three years it took to select the photographs for The Art of Caring, I looked into countless highly personal moments in other people’s lives. These confrontations led me, in turn, to reevaluate certain personal occasions and activities. This reaction reveals the potency and unequalled widespread appeal of the photographic medium by virtue of its ability to convey authenticity, engender empathy, and incite action. I hope that visitors to this exhibition will feel these emotions as well and be inspired by the amazing richness of the human experience. n __________________________________________________ The Art of Caring: A Look at Life through Photography will be presented in the Ella West Freeman Gallery from May 16 through October 11, 2009. The NOMA members’ preview is Friday, May 15, from 6 to 9 p.m. A distinguished historian of contemporary art, Dr. Cynthia Goodman was recently Interim Director of the Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati, Ohio. She is a prize-winning multimedia producer, curator of numerous exhibitions worldwide, author of many publications, and former Director of the IBM Gallery of Science and Art in New York. During the six-month showing of The Art of Caring, a great many special programs have been scheduled for Wednesday evenings and Saturday and Sunday afternoons. The first weekend, on Sunday, May 17 at 2 p.m., there will be a panel discussion with several of the photographers led by Dr. Cynthia Goodman. On Saturday, May 16, the first of a series of Community Partner events will feature the National Hospice Foundation, initial funder of the exhibition, and the Louisiana-Mississippi Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. __________________________________________________

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REMEMBERING: Albert Chong (Jamaican, born 1958) Aunt Winnie, 1985 Inkjet on canvas Collection of the Artist Chong consciously preserves his past, believing that he is “a walking repository of cultural, familial, and genetic information.” This work is from a series in which he “enthroned” the spirits of a number of people who have died. His personal mysticism infuses these portraits through his uncanny ability to capture the departed who confront the viewer with forthright and often wistful stares that testify to their continuing presence on earth.

Women Artists in Louisiana, 1825-1965: A Place of Their Own BY JUDITH BONNER Senior Curator, The Historic New Orleans Collection

early a century after this country’s founding, America’s first museum was established. Founded in 1773, the Charleston Museum aims to preserve and interpret the cultural and natural history of South Carolina. Charles Willson Peale subsequently opened his portrait gallery of American Revolutionary heroes in 1782, and in 1786 he founded a museum for the care and study of natural history and technological objects. First known as Peale’s Museum and later as the Philadelphia Museum, it fulfilled Peale’s objective to make expansive collections democratically accessible. It would take another century before the National Museum of Women in the Arts opened its doors in our nation’s capital. Established to expand our understanding of global history “to include the creative legacy of women artists,” NMWA sets a high standard for the nation to emulate. The museum is all encompassing, for its collections include international works from the Renaissance to the present. Cognizant of a vacuum in this state, the New Orleans Museum of Art and The Historic New Orleans Collection are presenting their fifth joint exhibition with Women

Selina Elizabeth Bres [Gregory] (American, 1870-1950) Portrait of a woman holding a ewer, between 1893 and 1896 Oil on canvas The Historic New Orleans Collection, 1997.72.2

Artists in Louisiana, 1825-1965: A Place of Their Own. NOMA recently presented French paintings in the highly successful blockbuster, Femme, Femme, Femme: Paintings of Women in French Society from Daumier to Picasso from the Museums of France. That exhibition focused on women as the subject—ranging from infancy to old age—and women of different social classes engaged in various activities and rituals. The majority of those paintings, however, were executed by male artists. Conversely, the NOMA-THNOC exhibition includes paintings, sculpture, and decorative arts dated from about 1825 through 1965 by more than forty women artists who have worked in Louisiana. During the Spanish Colonial period, only one female artist is known, Francisca de Salazar y Magaña, who assisted her father José in painting portraits until his death in 1802. Unfortunately, her only known signed portrait was destroyed in the 1988 Cabildo fire. Following the Louisiana Purchase, women artists in the city continued to be rare. Nina Meucci, who studied art under her husband’s tutelage, painted miniature portraits in collaboration with him between 1818 and 1827 until their departure from the city. The first known female painter of competence, Zulmé Maspero, painted her oval bust-length self-portrait within the French neoclassical tradition. It was long believed that one of the three women in a large portrait of Emma Olivier, Olivia Olivier, and their sister-in-law, Zulmé, was an artist. A recent donation to The Historic New Orleans Collection of three portraits of the Olivier women included a circa-1853 oval portrait signed discreetly with a small letter “Z,” revealing Zulmé Maspero as the painter. The source of Maspero’s training is unknown, but her skill and technical proficiency are comparable with male painters of the same period. Responding to the luminescent effect of J.M.W. Turner’s landscapes, aesthetician John Ruskin promoted the watercolor medium for its technical freedom and capability of capturing ephemeral effects of light and moisture. Like its European counterpart, the American watercolor movement elevated watercolor from a minor medium to a higher art. Watercolor painting was long accepted as a suitable endeavor for women. In the late nineteenth century, women artists like Louise Giesen Woodward and Marie-Paoline Coulon excelled in their watercolor compositions. Coulon’s artistic activities were essentially subjugated to her familial responsibilities; however, she assisted her husband, George David Coulon, and their artist son and daughter, in portraiture commissions. Not until the late 1880s and 1890s was there an obvious increase in the number of women artists who were active in the city. It was not uncommon for girls to study art privately, but this practice had minimal effect on the number of women known to be active artists. With the establishment of the Southern Art Union and its successor, the Artists’ Association of New Orleans, several names emerge, including Marie Madeleine Seebold, Edith Sansum, and Julia M. Massey—all of whom studied at the Artists’ Association and whose works are included in this exhibition. Seebold, whose career was sustained from about 1885 to 1943, married her teacher and friend, Andres Molinary, literally on his deathbed. This elevation to the status of a widow gave her the ability to move freely through society without an escort. Blanche Blanchard, who studied under William Aiken Walker and Charles Giroux, often painted with Giroux, with the consequence that many of his compositions were signed

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by Blanchard. Her 1893 portrait of Major General William J. Behan, mayor of New Orleans (1882-1884), underscores Blanchard’s reputation as a painter, for she also painted a portrait of President Grover Cleveland for the White House. Nearly simultaneous with the Artists’ Association, Newcomb College was founded in 1886, providing young women the opportunity to study art within a structured academic program. In 1895 Newcomb College introduced the pottery program, which was later expanded to include metalwork, bookbinding, and textile work. Experienced women were brought in as teachers and the program earned an international reputation that persists today; the pots decorated by the women are highly desirable collector’s items. The Ladies’ Decorative Art League, the Five or More Club and other support organizations sprung up around these two endeavors. Metalworker and pottery decorator Rosalie Roos Wiener (d. 1983) is represented with an oil Self-Portrait, shown with a palette in her hand and her metalworking tools on the wall behind her. During most of the existence of the Newcomb Pottery, it was considered unacceptable for women to throw pots. Despite their endeavors being limited to decorating pottery, many women found opportunities for sales, especially through the Newcomb Pottery Guild. While these structured organizations provided encouragement as well as venues for exhibiting artworks, it was not until the Arts and Crafts Club of New Orleans and its School of Art were established that women began to work alongside male artists. Indeed, some of the teachers were women. Through the years some of the women associated with Newcomb were also active with the Arts and Crafts Club, including Amelie Roman, Evelyn Gladney Witherspoon, Angela Gregory, Clayre Barr Lewis, Jane Smith Ninas, Caroline Wogan Durieux, Selina Bres Gregory, and Elizabeth Heintzen Laughlin—women whose names are still recognized by the city’s cognizanti. Gregory, who worked under sculptor Antoine Bourdelle in Paris from 1926 to 1928, executed sculptures throughout Louisiana, including the State Capitol Building, as well as in France and New Zealand. Curiously, Gregory’s success in “cutting stone,” a truly untidy endeavor, was achieved at the same time that women at Newcomb could not throw their own pots. From her initial studies at Newcomb, Witherspoon received recognition for her work, winning the Mary L.S. Neill Medal for excellence in watercolor painting in 1923, and the Alice Ravenal Huger Smith prize at the Southern States Art League’s annual exhibition in 1928. Witherspoon benefited from the opportunities then open to women, studying at the Art Students League in New York, Columbia University, the Grand Chaumière in Paris, and the Haystack School of Craft in Maine. She later returned to Newcomb to study under Katherine Choy, who was brought in by John Canaday, director of the art school, to head the pottery department after Sadie Irvine’s retirement in 1952. Educated first in her native Shanghai, Choy attended Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia, and received her B.A. from Mills College in Oakland in 1950. After studying painting at the University of California, Berkeley, Choy worked under F. Carlton Ball at Mills, completing her master’s degree. Choy augmented her studies in ceramics with research on ceramic glazes and demonstrated pottery techniques at exhibitions and numerous schools. Choy collaborated with Ball in at least one example, a circa-1954 glazed stoneware bottle.

ARTS QUARTERLY

Evelyn Witherspoon (American, 1901-1998) Ribbon Vessel Glazed earthenware New Orleans Museum of Art Gift of Evelyn Witherspoon, 91.170

Witherspoon benefited from the dynamic Choy’s tutelage and produced creative hand-built sculptural pieces. In 1957 Choy established the Clay Art Center in Port Arthur, New York, but her innovative techniques took root in Witherspoon’s ceramics. The Orleans Gallery, the city’s first co-operative gallery—and one of the first in the South—expanded opportunities for women like charter members Lin Emery and Ida Kohlmeyer, both of whom achieved international recognition for their work. Educated at Columbia and Syracuse Universities, Emery studied at the Sorbonne and then undertook an apprenticeship under abstract cubist sculptor Ossip Zadkine. Although she is known today for her wind-driven kinetic sculptures, Emery’s early work was more traditional, like her 1957 Guardian Angel. Kohlmeyer, who received her B.A. in English literature from Newcomb in 1933, took a hiatus for familial responsibilities, and then earned an M.F.A. in 1956. After study that same summer with Hans Hoffman in Rhode Island, Kohlmeyer taught at Newcomb through 1965. She is one of the foremost nationally recognized women artists. The sequence of organizations and art institutions, together with the New Orleans Museum of Art, formerly the Isaac Delgado Museum of Art, served as a platform for the vigorous art that would emerge during the last half of the twentieth century, a springboard that included women as serious artists. This exhibition, which ends on the cusp of postmodernism, brings recognition of women artists in Louisiana and offers an opportunity to explore their contributions to art and culture, and their role throughout the history of the state. n __________________________________________________ Women Artists in Louisiana, 1825-1965: A Place of Their Own is on view in the Louisiana Galleries from April 15 through September 13, 2009.

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THE MIND’S EYE: Without Subject Matter, What Does the Artist See? An Exhibition of Prints and Drawings from the Permanent Collection BY GEORGE ROLAND The Doris Zemurray Stone Curator of Prints and Drawings, NOMA

Abstraction, in one form or another, still commands the artistic allegiance of a large portion of the best talents. With few exceptions, it continues to inspire the largest ambitions. Hilton Kramer

bstraction is the unprecedented style that dominated art of the twentieth century. Many members of the public even today are finding art without subject matter to be mysterious and not easy to understand or appreciate. If a painter arranges a table with a bowl of fruit, a guitar, and a wine bottle in his studio, what he envisions is easy to grasp. A man in a field with his palette and easel will undoubtedly paint a landscape. But a blank canvas in an empty studio: what does the artist have in mind? Of course, many artists take as their subject the inner world. Ever since the surrealists showed us their dreams, the inner world, the world of emotions—anxiety, ecstasy, serenity, anger—has been an irresistible subject for art. “The modern artist, it seems to me, is looking and expressing an inner world in other words—expressing the energy, the motion and other inner forces,” noted Jackson Pollack. Or, as Franz Kline put it, “I paint not the things I see but the feelings they arouse in me.” Furthermore, attention has focused on the act of creation, the experience of making art rather than the picture that is the result. “If the ultimate subject matter of all art is the artist’s psychic state … [t]he innovation of

Action Painting was to dispense with the representation of the state in favor of enacting it in physical movement. The action on the canvas became its own representation,” observed Harold Rosenberg. An artist who is not interested in making a picture of something still must put something on a virgin surface. He must begin somehow, make the first mark on the clean paper, on the blank copper plate, on the prepared lithographic stone. Is it accidental, an effect of chance? An improvisation? Could toddlers or monkeys paint works of art? No. “Each brushstroke is a decision,” said Robert Motherwell. Every mark is deliberate. THE MIND’S EYE: Without Subject Matter, What Does the Artist See? is an exhibition drawn from the Prints and Drawings Collection of the New Orleans Museum of Art. The exhibition will explore the ways artists respond to the challenge of making abstract art. In printmaking, for example, it is impossible to prepare a matrix without a vision of what the resulting image will look like. But many, many prints are abstract. What does the artist see? The exhibition reveals that a remarkable number of artists often see the same thing. This is not creative impoverishment, it is familiar artistic practice. “If you like something of someone else’s, why not take it? The important thing is that it seem natural and fit in,” said George Balanchine. “Everything has been thought of before; the task is to think of it again,” according to Goethe. Groups of pictures in the exhibition illustrate the language of abstraction in which the same vocabulary

Howard Hodgkin (English, born 1932) Venice, Evening, 1995 Sixteen-part etching, aquatint, with carborundum and hand coloring Collection of the New Orleans Museum of Art Gift of George Roland in honor of Desmond Page, London. 96.367 “I am a representational painter, but not a painter of appearances. I paint representational pictures of emotional situations.” Howard Hodgkin “… Hodgkin was asked to illustrate Thomas Mann’s Death in Venice (it should be stressed immediately that there is no trace of Mann’s novel in the completed prints). As he dislikes the practice of simply issuing illustrations as separate prints, Hodgkin came up with the idea that the illustrations should also be fragments—‘crumbling fragments of Venice’—which when put together would form a large print that existed independently from the book. … the idea of taking the individual sheets to a further stage and issuing them separately proved no longer feasible, although a vestige of the original intention remains in the fact that the prints are made up of sixteen sheets of paper.” Craig Hartley

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seems to emerge spontaneously over and over: stripes, spots, geometry, letterforms, patternmaking, biology, collage, and the two most important subjects for art of the twentieth century, gesture and the depiction of space. Some artists retreat into minimalism. And some just doodle. Literature offers the abstract artist a depth and resonance of image, so livres d’artist (artist’s books)—a twentieth-century invention—will be included. Abstraction has always required an immense amount of explanation; the exhibition will be rich in quotes by the artists and by their critics and commentators. About 115 large and colorful pictures will be selected from more than 7,000 works on paper in the permanent collection. Prints or drawings by the following artists will be included: Josef Albers, Alexander Calder, Max Ernst, Stanley Hayter, Howard Hodgkin, Fernand Leger, Joan Miró, Robert Motherwell, Bridget Riley, and Andy Warhol. n _________________________________________________ THE MIND'S EYE: Without Subject Matter, What Does the Artist See? is on view in the Templeman Galleries of the New Orleans Museum of Art from May 16 through October 11, 2009. A Gallery Walk-through will be given by the exhibition curator, George Roland, on June 17 at 6 p.m. Free with Museum admission. _________________________________________________

Frank Stella (American, born 1936) Polar Co-ordinates II, 1980 Offset lithograph, screenprint, letterpress Collection of the New Orleans Museum of Art Roland-Geist Collection. EL 2008.154 “There are two problems in painting. One is to find out what painting is and the other is to find out how to make a painting … My painting is based on the fact that only what can be seen there is there. It really is an object … All I want anyone to get out of my paintings, and all I ever get out of them, is the fact that you can see the whole idea without any confusion … What you see is what you see.” Frank Stella “Stella is one of the first major painters in the modern tradition to have been formed virtually entirely through the practice of abstract art, which amounts to saying that he skipped dealing with nature and the imagination and devoted himself entirely to problems.” William S. Rubin “In recent years––especially in the series of paintings based on the form of the protractor—the materials have become more luxuriant and ornamental. A lush, fluorescent chromaticism, abetted by an almost baroque elaboration of form, now seduces the eye with a delicious bath of visual sensation and exotic shapes. The result remains cold, calculated, and cerebral, but this cold-blooded rationality is now wedded to an extravagant decorative taste.” Hilton Kramer

Stanley Hayter (English, 1901-1988) Danäe, 1959 Color etching, aquatint Collection of the New Orleans Museum of Art Gift of Mr. & Mrs. P. Roussel Norman. 74.311 “Abstract drawing is a necessary thing to do even though it is difficult, and it’s more difficult than people think.” Stanley Hayter “Though he worked in the technically demanding process of engraving, the artist strove to find inspiration in the unconscious mind, and worked spontaneously, without preconceiving his designs.” David Acton

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Kara Hearn: One Thing After Another BY MIRANDA LASH Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art

yearlong series of video art screenings at NOMA will kick off with a piece by Houston-based artist Kara Hearn. Recreating the “head space” of dreams and reverie, Hearn takes her viewer through a series of vignettes, casting herself in all the character roles. An interdisciplinary video artist, she makes what she describes as “quiet and absurd work about the way tragedies reside in the head; the way heroisms play out in the mind’s eye, the inside place where stories get conjured, dreamed, remembered.” Using only her own body and materials found on hand at the time, her videos “end up degrading mainstream cinema by being too sincere, too simple, telling too many stories with very little stuff.” In One thing after another, Hearn’s 24-minute work winds its way through scenes of everyday life and private dramas, from car crashes to babysitters to waiting in line at the post office. Hearn describes the piece as “taking a look at the way travesties large and small hang about; the way regret, grief, humiliation, and tension play

themselves out after the fact, shifting in and out of consciousness, repeating endlessly, and being re-made along the way.” Kara Hearn’s work has been screened and exhibited nationally and internationally at such venues as DiverseWorks, Houston; White Columns, New York; the Luckman Gallery, Los Angeles; the Pacific Film Archive, Berkeley; the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis; the Dallas Video Festival; Women in the Director’s Chair International Film and Video Festival; and the Festival Tous Courts International Festival of Cinema. She received an M.F.A. from the University of California, Berkeley, in 2007 and is currently a Core Fellow at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. For more information please visit her website at www.karahearn.com. n __________________________________________________ Kara Hearn: One Thing After Another is on view in the second-floor contemporary galleries through May 24, 2009. A Gallery Talk will be given by the artist on Wednesday, April 29, at 6 p.m. __________________________________________________

Kara Hearn (American, born 1973) Still from One thing after another, 2007 Video, trt: 24 minutes, 44 seconds Courtesy of the Artist

NEW ORLEANS MUSEUM OF ART

A Discourse in Abstraction: Jennifer Odem Encounters NOMA’s Permanent Collection BY MIRANDA LASH Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art

OMA is proud to present the sculptures of Jennifer Odem as the first in a series of exhibitions dedicated to highlighting Louisiana contemporary art. Situated in dialogue with abstract paintings from NOMA’s permanent collection, Odem’s works position themselves at the crossroads between monumentality and playfulness. Combining materials such as Hydro-stone with flocking fiber, Odem’s sculptures walk the line between extreme contrasts. In her artist statement, she explains:

The idea of vulnerability as strength underlies my investigation of forms and materials. The industrialization of organic material inverts characteristics of stability and fragility. Seemingly delicate sculptures made from strong, durable materials expose a gap that exists between the permanent and impermanent, the feminine and masculine, the natural and artificial. Subverted meanings, humor, and absurdity all play a role in my portrayals of gender issues, human relationships, and our connection to the land, while the interplay between contradictory and exaggerated forms allows me to question social traditions and belief systems.

Often returning to the shape of “mounds” in her work, Odem’s sculptures emphasize the idea of an interior and exterior space. In the case of Bluebell, Myrrh, and Salt Mound, she describes the mounds as having a vessel-like, feminine quality, despite their

overall phallic shape. Her freestanding curtain, Drape, similarly creates an architectural interior by partially enclosing space inside its crescent shape. Based in New Orleans, Louisiana, Jennifer Odem has exhibited her work both locally and abroad. Her 2008 and 2009 exhibitions include a solo show at 511 Gallery in New York and group shows at the Winkleman Gallery in New York, the Front Gallery in New Orleans, and Tulane University’s Newcomb Center for Women. She has drawn a great deal of inspiration from her seven artist residencies abroad in locations including Ireland, England, and Poland, as well as from her 2007 residency at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts. Odem is the author of several outdoor sculptural installations, including Wheels of Fortune, created in the salt flats of Utah for the Center for Land Use Interpretation (1998), Island, created for the Center for Polish Sculpture in Oronsko, Poland (2004), and the St. Rose Project, a private commission in St. Rose, Louisiana. Her upcoming installation, Blue Fence, a site-specific sculpture presented in collaboration with AORTA projects, will be unveiled on Saturday, April 11, from 2 to 5 p.m. This project, located in the Upper Ninth Ward at the intersection of Poland Avenue and North Miro, is funded by the Joan Mitchell Foundation. n ____________________________________________________ A Discourse in Abstraction: Jennifer Odem and NOMA’s Permanent Collection is on view in the Frederick R. Weisman Galleries through May 24, 2009. A Reception to honor the artist will take place on Wednesday, April 15, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. A Gallery Walk-through will be given by the artist on Sunday, April 19, at 2 p.m.

Jennifer Odem (American, born 1961) Bluebell, 2007 Cast Hydro-stone, fibers, Austrian crystals 55 x 44 (diameter) inches Courtesy of the Artist

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NOMA Borrows pre-Columbian Masterpieces from Tulane University’s Middle American Research Institute BY PAUL TARVER Curator of Native American and pre-Columbian Art

ounded in 1924, the Middle American Research Institute (MARI) at Tulane University described its mission in a 1928 publication as existing “for the purpose of advanced research into the history, archeology, botany, natural resources and products of Mexico, the Central American countries and the West Indies.” The publication goes on to describe the department as “developed along four distinct but closely related lines, namely, the library, research work, expeditions and collections.” For the first half of the twentieth century, MARI organized numerous archeological expeditions to Mexico and Central America. The collection is particularly strong in Mesoamerican and Maya material but also has important native North American, Central, and South American art. The collection also includes rare photographs, glass slides, and documentary research materials from MARIsponsored excavations and field research. Kathe Lawton, assistant director for MARI, released the following statement regarding the NOMA/MARI collaboration: Tulane University's Middle American Research Institute is loaning the New Orleans Museum of Art the best of its preColumbian collection while its Dinwiddie Hall location is being renovated. The attic of Dinwiddie Hall has been home to MARI since its beginning in 1924. The old fashioned attic gallery and archives have always inspired romantic thoughts of the many

(Figure 1) Olmec Culture, Mexico, Gulf Coast Kneeling Bearded Figure, 600-400 B.C. Jadeite Collection of the Middle American Research Institute

real life “Indian Joneses” who contributed to the outstanding collections, but they have not provided the environmentally safe and visitor-friendly atmosphere that was desperately needed. The complete renovation that the building will undergo during the next 18 months will provide not only the basic requirements needed for the safekeeping of amazing collections from Latin America, Louisiana, the American Southwest and other locations from around the world, but also give the Tulane and New Orleans community a beautiful new gallery and a world-class learning facility. A strong emphasis will be placed on student research and public outreach in the new facility, with the MARI collections serving as a focus for both.

In all, MARI has loaned NOMA thirty-four preColumbian objects, including Olmec, Maya, Aztec, Huastec, Mixtex, and Zapotec works of art as well as a selection of Peruvian ceramics. The objects are on display with NOMA’s pre-Columbian collection on the third floor. A few exquisite examples of the MARI loans are illustrated for this article. The first is a particularly fine Olmec sculpture entitled Kneeling Bearded Figure (figure 1). The sculpture is carved from jade and is a mere 3-5/8 inches tall. Despite its size, the sculpture has all the force of the colossal portrait heads created by the Olmec culture. With its earliest beginnings reaching back to 1500 B.C., Olmec civilization is considered the mother culture of Mesoamerica. For fifteen centuries the Olmec prospered and then collapsed. The customs and rituals we associate with later cultures such as the Maya and Aztec all had their origins in Olmec times. These include the ball game, human sacrifice, and the beginnings of glyphic writing, although the Olmec never became literate. As a result, the culture has been interpreted entirely by the magnificent art that has survived, yet, for the most part, the Olmec are still a mystery. Kneeling Bearded Figure belongs to a group of images referred to by scholars as “transformation figures.” These portray male figures, most likely shamans or rulers, kneeling on folded legs, body bent forward with clenched hands planted on the knees. It is believed that Olmec shamans, with the aid of hallucinogens, would enter a trance state and experience a ritual morphing from man to jaguar.1 In this state, the shaman could access the supernatural world, the force that controlled nature. Many of these sculptures portray the shaman already transforming—part man, part feline. Others, including the MARI figure, depict men with trimmed mustaches and goatees, in the beginning of the trance state. The MARI figure is symbolically describing the very first stage in this psychic journey. With vigor, the oval face juts off the body of the figure. The artist has directed his talent most intently on the face. The hollow eyes, flared nostrils, and expectant lips define a body that is about to transform to an animal and enter a world that men cannot. The two shell ornaments from MARI (figure 2) are products of the Huastec culture. The Huastecs, like the Olmec, have a mysterious story. Related to the Maya by language, they inhabited the coastal area close to present day Vera Cruz, far north of Maya territory. How they ended up so far removed from the majority of the Maya is not known. Rich in resources, Huasteca had the attention of the Aztecs. The Aztec ruler, Montezuma I, vanquished the region in the middle of the fifteenth century. Descendents of the Huastec still live in the region today.

NEW ORLEANS MUSEUM OF ART

(Figure 2) Huastec Culture, Mexico, Gulf Coast Pectoral Pendant and Discoidal “Ear Flare,” 600-900 Shell Collection of the Middle American Research Institute

The Huastecs and their Maya cousins to the south both excelled in the art of shell carving, but the Huastecs in particular produced a quantity of these kinds of ornaments. The discoidal objects (figure 2) are each one of a pair. These types of objects are often referred to as “ear flares,” while the triangular object is a “gorget” or “pectoral pendant.” In a paper published in 1934, MARI professor Hermann Beyer discussed Huastec shell ornaments2 including two of the objects illustrated for this article (the ear flare on the left and the pendant in the center). At the center of the ear flare on the left is a cross-like form with curled ends, most likely representing human bones; small round turquoise stones are set in the ends. Around the center emblem is a circle of five human skulls with tiny turquoise stones for eyes. From their open mouths, a scroll symbol emerges. The outer circle is decorated in a step, block, and scroll motif, which Beyer believed to be a cloud symbol.3 The shell pectoral is a much more complicated object and a remarkable one considering the tremendous skill required to produce it. The design is a narrative; there are no purely decorative elements. The maker of the pectoral has designed the restrictive space precisely in order to relay the mythological tale depicted here. In Beyer’s interpretation, the two figures at the top of the pectoral are, on the left, the god of fire and human sacrifice, Mixcoatl, and on the right, the goddess of fertility and death, Tlazolteotl.4 Tlazolteotl wears a human skull headdress on her head; on his chest, Mixcoatl wears a shell disc. Both deities are perched on the open maws of two plumed serpents emerging from behind a vessel containing water or some other liquid. Rising from the vessel is an image of reeds bound in a container, a Mesoamerican calendar glyph. On each side is an image of a seashell, possibly a conch shell, the material the pectoral is most likely carved from. Under the vessel is a zoomorphic creature holding up or trapped under the scene above. The most important detail in this narrative lies in the hand of the figure on the left. Beyer theorized that Mixcoatl is holding an extracted human heart through which a tube has been run to funnel human

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blood into a bowl, which rests below on the bodies of the intertwined serpents.5 In 1986, two Belgian scholars, Jean-Claude Delhalle and Albert Luykx, published a paper on the same MARI pectoral.6 They theorize that the pectoral is a rare depiction of an ancient Mesoamerican creation myth, and that the god on the left is engaged in penis mutilation. This myth describes how after the destruction of the fourth world, there were no more humans. Missing their admiration, the upperworld gods Quetzalcoatl and Xolotl entered the land of the dead and stole the bones of humans from the gods of the underworld. The bones were ground down and Quetzalcoatl pierced his penis to shed his most potent blood to mix with the ground bones, thus creating the human population of the present world. The MARI pectoral is believed to date to the postclassic period, 1492-1592. If the Delhalle and Luykx theory is correct, then the MARI pectoral is a late Huastec interpretation of a very ancient Gulf Coast creation myth, recorded on a shell ornament not long before the coming of the Spaniards and the end of the Mesoamerican world. n Notes 1. Michael Coe, “The Shamanic Landscape and Journey,” in The Olmec World: Ritual and Rulership (Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Art Museum, 1966), 163-96. 2. Hermann Beyer, “Shell Ornament Sets From the Huasteca, Mexico,” in Studies in Middle America (New Orleans: Tulane University Department of Middle American Research, 1934), 161-212. 3. Ibid. p. 184 4. Ibid. p.172, p.177 5. Ibid. p.175 6. Jean-Claude Delhalle and Albert Luykx, “The Nahuatl Myth of the Creation of Humankind: A Coastal Connection,” American Antiquity, 51, no.1 (1986): 117-21.

2008 Acquisition Highlights PHOTOS BY JUDY COOPER

2008 proved to be an outstanding year for the growth of NOMA’s Permanent Art Collections, with major acquisitions in nearly all areas of the Museum’s special interests. Five hundred sixty-eight works of art were acquired, many by purchase from NOMA’s art endowment funds, but the majority from generous gifts from collectors. While many were gifts of just one work, NOMA received two large gifts which deserve special mention: 152 contemporary American, European, and Japanese photographs from Diego Cortez, and thirtyeight paintings, drawings, and sculptures, the bequest of Abby Rae Catledge. Only twelve of the 2008 new acquisitions could be illustrated here, but NOMA is grateful to all of the donors to the collection for their great generosity and support.

Tiffany Studios, Corona, New York Twelve-Light Lily Table Lamp, circa 1900 Bronze: cast, chased and parcel-gilt; “Favrile” glass: mold-blown and iridized, 14 in. h. Museum Purchase: William McDonald Boles and Eva Carol Boles Fund, 2008.3

Frederick Carl Frieseke (American, 1874-1939) Roses at Mid-Day, The Garden at Giverny, circa 1910-1915 Oil on canvas, 25-1/2 x 32 in. Museum Purchase: Maya and James Brace Fund and George L. Frierson, Jr., Fund, 2008.1

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (German, 1880-1938) Sawmill in Koningstein, 1916 Oil on canvas, 19-3/4 x 29-1/4 in. Gift of Eleanor B. Kohlmeyer and Museum Purchase, 1990.200 (Received in 2008)

John Chamberlain (American, born 1927) Inka Dinkadew, 1991 Painted and chrome-plated steel, 103 in. h. Gift of Sydney and Walda Besthoff, 2008.46

NEW ORLEANS MUSEUM OF ART

Gabriele M端nter (German, 1877-1962) Main Street in Murnau, 1908 Oil on cardboard, 12-7/8 x 16 in. Gift and Bequest of Eleanor B. Kohlmeyer, 1998.218 (Received in 2008)

Lino Tagliapietra (Italian, born 1934) Vase: Bilbao, 2004 Colorless, yellow, aquamarine, violet, and cobalt blue nonlead glass: blown and incised, 17 in. x 16-1/4 in. x 7-3/4 in. Museum Purchase: William McDonald Boles and Eva Carol Boles Fund, 2008.66

Sam Doyle (American, 1906-1985) No More We Hear, circa 1982 Paint on metal, 29-1/4 x 53-3/4 in. Gift of Alice Rae Yelen and Dr. Kurt A. Gitter, 2008.85

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Cornelis van Poelenburgh (Dutch, 1586-1667) Italianate Landscape with Sleeping Venus and Spying Satyrs, circa 1640-1650 Oil on panel, 9-1/4 x 13-3/8 in. Gift of Mrs. Henry H. Weldon, 2008.204

Alexander Calder (American, 1898-1976) Yellow Planet Over the Steeple, 1965 Painted steel, 51 x 66 in. Gift of Sydney and Walda Besthoff, 2008.135

James Rosenquist (American, born 1933) Pop Eyeâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Speed of Light, 2001 Oil on canvas, 66 x 76 in. Gift of Sydney and Walda Besthoff, 2008.140

NEW ORLEANS MUSEUM OF ART

Peter Carl Fabergé (Russian, 1846-1920) Figure of a Bison, 1908-1917 Red jasper and diamonds, 2-7/8 x 5-1/4 x 2 in. Gift of the D. Lee Hodges Family in honor of the NOMA staff who produced the catalogue of the family’s Fabergé Collection: John Webster Keefe, author; Wanda O’Shello, editor; Judy Cooper, photographer, 2008.206

Jean-Frederic Schall (French, 1752-1825) Dancer Holding Her Skirt, circa 1780-1790 Oil on panel, 12-1/2 x 9-1/2 in. Gift of the Helis Foundation, 2008.71

Ejagham peoples, Nigeria Animal Cap Crest Mask Wood, cane basketry, animal skin, kaolin, pigment, cloth, metal, and glass, 24-1/2 x 31 x 7-3/4 in. Museum Purchase: Françoise B. Richardson and Robert Gordy Funds, 2008.2

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Iris Viewing Festival Debuts in the Besthoff Sculpture Garden

BY PAMELA BUCKMAN Sculpture Garden Manager

pring is in full bloom! There are many blooms in the Garden, ranging from Japanese magnolias to camellias, sasanquas, azaleas, and irises. The Iris Viewing Festival on April 4 will be a first for the Sculpture Garden, featuring iris-related activities and participation from several community groups. Patrick O’Connor, former president of the Louisiana Iris Society and owner of Zydeco Louisiana Iris Garden, and Mark Schexnayder, LSU AgCenter agent and coastal advisor, will provide educational information about Louisiana irises and demonstrations of how to propagate them. Other activities will include ikebana demonstrations, native flower arranging, and music performances. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Museum Shop will offer a book on irises and a beautiful print for sale. The Museum-City Park Cultural District, Department of Culture, Recreation, and Tourism group will be on site as well as the NOMA Education Department with summer art class information. Christy Hengst, an artist from Santa Fe, New Mexico, will present her installation of Birds in the Park, consisting of about thirty porcelain birdlike forms to be placed in the Oak Grove for the weekend. You won’t want to miss this! The Iris Viewing will be spectacular and enjoyed by all ages. Please note that the viewing will be canceled in the event of rain. Call the Museum for information, and stay tuned to our website, www.noma.org, for updates on the blooms. Events in the Sculpture Garden coming up in late spring include a visit and tour for the Louisiana Master Gardener Conference on May 23. The Louisiana Master Gardener™ program is a service and educational activity offered by the LSU AgCenter. The program is designed to recruit and train volunteers to help meet the educational needs of home gardeners while providing an enjoyable and worthwhile service experience for volunteers. Garden Club of America Zone IX will visit the Garden as a part of their annual conference on April 1. The Garden Study Club of New Orleans is hosting the conference for all garden clubs in the southern zone. The

Garden Study Club has been a generous contributor to the development of the Sculpture Garden. We’ve had many volunteer groups and individuals helping to keep things beautiful; together, they’ve provided about one thousand hours of work. City Park Super Saturday volunteers, in cooperation with Jim Morrison, City Park volunteer coordinator, have assisted us on the first Saturday of each month. This partnership has also afforded us the donation of quantities of bark mulch that City Park has been providing from trees lost during the last several storms. Magnolia School’s horticulture class has returned for monthly visits to the Garden to work and practice their skills. Sheriff Gusman’s Community Service Program has provided more than five hundred hours of service work, undertaking tasks such as mulching, watering, pruning, and grooming the groundcovers and vines along the perimeter fences. We are thankful for this generous contribution. White Dove Landscaping of Covenant House New Orleans has also provided more than five hundred hours of service, performing major pruning and shaping of the larger shrubbery. The open, clean look of the garden can be attributed to their hard work. Looking forward to seeing you out there as a spectator or volunteer! n ____________________________________________________ NOMA Inaugurates Cell Phone Tour of Sculpture Garden Coinciding with the Iris Viewing Festival on April 4, 2009, NOMA will launch its first audio tour of the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden. The five-acre garden is home to more than sixty sculptures by twentieth- and twenty-first-century European, Latin American, Israeli, Japanese, and American artists. The guide, which is accessible through visitors’ cell phones, highlights twenty of the sculptures in the Garden. The tour will be available free of charge. ____________________________________________________

Photos by Judy Cooper

NEW ORLEANS MUSEUM OF ART

Cher Chair: Celebrating Our Volunteers BY VIRGINIA PANNO NVC Correspondent

iane Walmsley’s southern charm and friendly manner make it easy to identify her New Iberia roots. Home of leaders (former Governor Kathleen Blanco), artists (George Rodrigue), and spice (Tabasco), Diane is a happy combination of the above. Widening her horizons, Diane left the bayou country and moved to New Orleans in August 1985, where she worked as a paralegal at Porteous, Hainkel and Johnson until 2000. Her marriage to Hughes Walmsley shifted her focus to the volunteer sector. She became an active supporter of Start the Adventure in Reading (STAIR), a literacy organization that provides tutors for second-grade students in Orleans and Jefferson parishes, and an exhibition volunteer at the Historic New Orleans Collection. In March 2005, Diane began her involvement with the New Orleans Museum of Art through the traditional route—a visit to NOMA Volunteer Coordinator Molly St. Paul. Diane’s engaging manner was soon delighting visitors at the front desk and in the Besthoff Sculpture Garden. That same year, the NOMA Volunteer Committee (NVC) was celebrating its fortieth birthday and Diane was quickly recruited to help with its anniversary luncheon. As NOMA struggled to reopen its doors following the brutal impact of Katrina, the NVC looked to its unscathed members to help in the reactivation of its events and fundraisers. Though already working with Trinity Church’s Mobile Loaves and Fishes, a program that fed Katrina volunteers pouring in from all parts of the country, Diane graciously took on the chairmanship of the Love in the Garden fundraiser in the spring of 2006. Her involvement in all things NVC led to her current starring role as NVC Chair. With the goal of increasing membership and assisting NOMA through such major fundraisers as Love, Art In Bloom, and Odyssey Ball, Diane’s days are full. She starts each morning walking her two Labrador retrievers, Cole and Lucy. Diane’s big brown eyes light up when she recounts Lucy’s latest puppy antics. “This year I have several big challenges,” she chuckles. As chair, Diane spends most of her days at NOMA. Her pleasing manner and welcoming smile greet

all who enter the NVC office. She encourages new members to get involved. “Volunteering at the Museum has been such a fulfilling experience. The friendships formed through working on our different activities and committees are the key to the NVC’s success and longevity. Our members are great!” Many New Orleanians are finding the NVC a perfect fit in terms of talents and free time. After twenty-seven years as an estate planning and administration lawyer, Laura Carman saw NOMA as a natural place to find a volunteer opportunity. “I remember fondly years of art lessons in the Great Hall of NOMA as a child and continued to enjoy frequent museum visits. Early retirement can be lonely if you don’t reach out to find volunteer activities. The NVC appealed to me as both a civic and a social outlet. I have met some very talented, energetic women, ranging from currently working and retired professionals to women who have devoted their lives to home and volunteerism. My new NVC assignment this year, assisting with writing for Arts Quarterly and the NVC newsletter, is one that uses skills developed in my career that I enjoy using.” Glendy Forster echoes Laura’s sentiments. Glendy joined the NVC ranks in 2008 after thirty-four years in the Jefferson Parish Public Schools. “After Hurricane Katrina and as retirement approached, I wanted to give back to the New Orleans community in some way, shape, or form. My association with the NVC has been a very positive experience. I have met so many vibrant, caring, and interesting women of all different age groups.” Glendy is the 2009 Vice-Chair of Membership. Her enthusiasm and attention to detail make her the perfect choice for this job. “Without the NVC, we’d have to close the doors!” proclaims NOMA Director E. John Bullard. “The NVC is central to the operation of the Museum. Certainly 2009 will be another year of accomplishment.” Diane Walmsley invites all NOMA members, male and female, to consider joining this dynamic group. For more information, contact the NVC office at 504-658-4121 or nvcnoma@noma.org. n

2009 NVC Chair Diane Walmsley with canine companions, Cole and Lucy. Photo by Wendy Black

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NVC Trip to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico BY LAURA CARMAN NOMA Volunteer Committee Member

Photo by Ann Duffy

magine arriving in colonial San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, being greeted by lively mariachi music and offered cool margaritas and hors d’oeuvres, checking in at luxury hotel Antigua Villa Santa Monica, then spending days touring the studios of visual artists, jewelry artisans, museums, and private homes. That dream was a reality for twenty-seven New Orleans Museum of Art Volunteer Committee (NVC) travelers, who spent February 5-9 in this wonderful location. Thanks to Anne Gauthier, NVC Art Trips Chair, and JoAnn Christopher, trip organizer, the voyage was leisurely yet “extremely well planned and organized,” said participant Bernice Daigle. Despite the comfortable pace, special experiences abounded. After a walking tour of the historic center of the city, the group visited Mexican silver artisans’ studios, including that of artist Pepe Cerroblanco, whose ancestors have created silver jewelry for more than ninety years. The following day, the group visited four visual artists’ studios and the art and design center Fabrica La Aurora, which is housed in a converted factory. Saturday was another busy day, with a tour of Atotonilco, a UNESCO World Heritage site; a visit to the Haas Museum, a private museum of folk art; and another to the Casa de la Cuesta, a mask museum. There, the NVC group feasted on an outstanding traditional Mexican buffet. That evening, the travelers were treated to champagne, chocolates, and studio-hopping at the Fabrica La Aurora anniversary party, where funds were raised for a local orphanage. Having become familiar with the historic city, the group was introduced to the modern San Miguel on a special art tour of two private mansions: Casa de la Piña, which featured pineapple motifs, and the Casa Renacimiento. Sunday night, the NVC travelers, accompanied by a mariachi band, promenaded across Parque de Juarez to the colonial home of Louise Ewing, a friend of NOMA. There, in the expansive, secluded yard, with mariachi playing, mojigangas (larger-than-life Mexican puppeteers) dancing, and a burro bearing tequila, the merrymakers celebrated and concluded their Mexican sojourn with an al fresco dinner. n

(Left to right, first row) JoAnn Christopher, Anne Gauthier, Ruby Barrios, Merlyn Weilbaecher, Margie Scheuermann, Carolyn Capps, Jackie Lothschuetz (Left to right, second row) Charlie Mims, JoAnn Greenberg, Marie Schramel, Jo-Ann Adams, Bernice Daigle, Elaine Mintz, Sally Richards (Left to right, third row) Jane Schramel, Pam Rogers, Dianne Huber, Phyllis Stacy, Virginia Rufin (Left right, fourth row) Eleanor Straub, James Riopelle, Elizabeth White, Ann Duffy, Jackie Charbonnet, Jamie Madere On the trip but not pictured: Irene Klinger & Ed Stacy Photo by Ann Duffy

Photo by Ann Duffy

NEW ORLEANS MUSEUM OF ART

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Volunteers Honored at Awards Luncheon BY MOLLY ST. PAUL Volunteer Coordinator

n 2007 and 2008, the Museum held six major exhibitions: Femme, Femme, Femme, Blue Winds Dancing, Rodrigue’s Louisiana, The Baroque World of Fernando Botero, Prospect One, and the Fabergé exhibit, Objects of Desire. It would not have been possible to meet the needs of the many visitors who came to see these exhibitions without the help of our devoted and dependable NVC, chamberlain, and docent volunteers. We are, as always, very grateful for their help. The 2009 Awards Luncheon, held Sunday, March 1, celebrated the past two years of effort by our volunteers, who together gave a total of 34,245 hours of service to NOMA. The chamberlain group gave 18,490 hours, including the mailing committee, who processed 131,658 pieces of mail. Docents gave tours to 23,000 visitors equaling 4,137 hours, while students volunteered 2,627 hours to fill service requirements for school. Through the significant efforts of the NVC’s fundraising events, approximately half a million dollars each year was donated to the Museum. The very active ambassadors have distributed information about NOMA and special events throughout the city.

Volunteers of the Year Charles Mims (2008) and Sandra Blount (2007).

NOMA Deputy Director Jackie Sullivan and 2008 NVC Chair Brenda Moffitt.

Jackie Sullivan and Best All-around Volunteer Chetta Lavene.

Special awards were given to the day captains, Sandra Blount, Buddy Hanemann, Rosemarie Fowler, Robert Cardona, Naomi Bender, Barbara Tureaud, Maria Daly, Nancy Vandenakker, Dixie Williams, and Charles Mims. The Outstanding Sculpture Garden Volunteers for 2007 and 2008 were Don Meriwether, Undra Gilbert, and John (Mickey) Dupuy. Docent Awards were given to Billy Taylor and Ann Duffy. Jane Wheelahan received the Gift Shop Volunteer Award. Admission Desk Awards were given to Marie Muller, Linda Bjork, and Sheryl Benezac. Rita Dejan received the Check Room Award and the Mailing Committee Award went to Sandra Blount. The Best All-around Volunteer was Chetta Lavene. The Best All-around NVC Award went to Cammie Mayer. Dana Hansel was honored for her hard work as Art In Bloom chair. NVC Chairs Kay McArdle and Brenda Moffitt were awarded for their tireless efforts. Volunteers who served the most hours were Kay McArdle, Rita Dejan, Sandra Blount, and Cammie Mayer. Special mention also goes to Mary Lynne Stumpf for the table favors and for her efforts in obtaining several gift certificates.

Volunteers of the Year present at the event (front row, left to right): Mary Lynne Stumpf (2005); Rosemarie Fowler (2003); Jerry Ingolia (1983); Dixie Williams (1996); Buddy Hanemann (2006); (back row) Charles Mims (2008); Sandra Blount (2007); Cammie Mayer (1999); Jean Taylor (1992); Mary Elise Merriam (1983 and 1987).

Jackie Sullivan and current NVC Chair Diane Walmsley.

NEW ORLEANS MUSEUM OF ART

Volunteer of the Year for 2007 was awarded to Sandra Blount, a volunteer for two decades. She is currently chair of the NVC mailing committee, a day captain, a Sculpture Garden volunteer, and a hostess for member previews. Volunteer of the Year for 2008 was given to Charles Mims, who has been a NOMA volunteer for twenty-eight years and serves as the Sunday day captain. We would like to take this opportunity to recognize Mary Elise Merriam, who was Volunteer of the Year in 1987 and is the volunteer serving for the longest amount of time. NOMA Deputy Director Jackie Sullivan stood in at the ceremony for Director E. John Bullard, who was out of town. The awards presentation was followed by a lovely brunch complete with flowers on the tables and gifts for all. n

Outstanding Sculpture Garden Volunteers John (Mickey) Dupuy (left) and Undra Gilbert (right) with Sculpture Garden Manager Pamela Buckman (center). (Honoree Don Meriwether is not pictured.)

(Left to right) Day Captain Robert Cardona, NOMA Banker and Day Captain Staff Liaison Helen Bernier, and Day Captains Buddy Hanemann, Nancy Vandenakker, Barbara Tureaud, Naomi Bender, Rosemarie Fowler, Sandra Blount, Dixie Williams, and Charles Mims. (Day Captain Maria Daly is not pictured.)

Jackie Sullivan and Dana Hansel, 2008 co-chair of Art In Bloom. Admission Desk Award winners Linda Bjork (left) and Sheryl Benezac (right) with Jackie Sullivan (center). (Honoree Marie Muller is not pictured.)

(Left to right) Sandra Blount, Rita Dejan, Cammie Mayer, and Kay McArdle (not pictured) were the volunteers who served the most hours. Docent Award winners Billy Taylor (left) and Ann Duffy (right) with NOMA Associate Curator of Education Marney Robinson (center).

ARTS QUARTERLY

Circles and Fellows of the New Orleans Museum of Art

he two most prestigious levels of annual giving in support of the New Orleans Museum of Art are the Circles and the Fellows. We invite you to consider upgrading your support of NOMA and join the following Circles and Fellows of the New Orleans Museum of Art. For information, please call 504-658-4107. n

Circles CIRCLES

ircles

PRESIDENT’S CIRCLE

Mrs. Jack R. Aron Mr. and Mrs. John D. Bertuzzi Mr. and Mrs. Sydney J. Besthoff III The Booth-Bricker Fund Mr. and Mrs. Ralph O. Brennan Mr. and Mrs. John H. Bryan III Collins C. Diboll Private Foundation Mr. and Mrs. David F. Edwards Mr. and Mrs. S. Stewart Farnet Dr. and Mrs. Ludovico S. Feoli Mr. and Mrs. Stephen A. Hansel Ms. Adrea D. Heebe and Mr. Dominick A. Russo, Jr. Helis Foundation Mr. Jerry Heymann Heymann-Wolf Foundation Mrs. Killian L. Huger, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. David A. Kerstein Mr. Paul J. Leaman, Jr. Mrs. Paula L. Maher Mr. and Mrs. Charles B. Mayer Mrs. Robert Nims Mr. and Mrs. Gray S. Parker Mr. and Mrs. Charles S. Reily, Jr. Mrs. Françoise B. Richardson Mr. and Mrs. George Rodrigue Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin M. Rosen Mr. and Mrs. Robert Shelton Mrs. Patrick F. Taylor Mrs. John N. Weinstock Zemurray Foundation

DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE Mr. and Mrs. F. Macnaughton Ball, Jr. Ms. Tina Freeman and Mr. Philip Woollam Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence D. Garvey Mrs. Harry Greenberg Mrs. Charles W. Ireland Mr. and Mrs. Erik F. Johnsen Mr. and Mrs. Peter R. Monrose, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Robert J. Patrick Dr. and Mrs. James F. Pierce Ms. Debra B. Shriver Mrs. Margaret B. Soniat and Mr. Joel J. Soniat

Dr. and Mrs. Richard L. Strub Mr. and Mrs. St. Denis J. Villere Mrs. Nan S. Wier

PATRON’S CIRCLE Mr. and Mrs. William D. Aaron, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Wayne F. Amedee Mr. E. John Bullard Mr. and Mrs. William K. Christovich Dr. and Mrs. Isidore Cohn, Jr. Mr. Leonard A. Davis Mr. and Mrs. Prescott N. Dunbar Mr. and Mrs. H. M. Favrot, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Timothy Francis Mr. and Mrs. Richard W. Freeman, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. James J. Frischhertz Mr. and Mrs. Edward N. George Mrs. John D. Guthrie Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Heebe Ms. Allison Kendrick Mr. Henry M. Lambert and Mr. R. Carey Bond 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. Edward C. Mathes Ms. Kay McArdle Mr. and Mrs. James McClennen Dr. and Mrs. Alvin S. Merlin Mr. and Mrs. R. King Milling Mrs. Ellis Mintz Mr. and Mrs. Michael D. Moffitt Robert and Myrtis Nims Foundation Dr. Howard and Dr. Joy D. Osofsky Mr. and Mrs. R. Hunter Pierson, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. James J. Reiss, Jr. Dr. and Mrs. Edward F. Renwick Mr. and Mrs. R. Randolph Richmond, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Brian A. Schneider Mr. and Mrs. Edward Shearer Mr. and Mrs. Bruce L. Soltis Mrs. Harold H. Stream, Jr. Ms. Jude Swenson Mr. and Mrs. James L. Taylor Mrs. Henry H. Weldon Mr. and Mrs. Louis A. Wilson, Jr.

FELLOWS Mrs. Adele L. Adatto Dr. and Mrs. Kenneth N. Adatto Mr. John Albajian and Mr. Scott Simmons Mrs. Jimi Andersen Mrs. Jack R. Anderson Mrs. H. W. Bailey Mr. and Mrs. William F. Banta Mrs. Howard T. Barnett Ms. Roberta P. Bartee Mr. and Mrs. Beauregard L. Bassich

NEW ORLEANS MUSEUM OF ART

Mr. Robert M. Becnel and Ms. Diane K. Zink Mr. and Mrs. Edward B. Benjamin, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. W. Mente Benjamin Mr. and Mrs. Dorian M. Bennett Mr. and Mrs. Michael A. Berenson Mrs. Marian Mayer Berkett Ms. Virginia Besthoff and Ms. Nancy Aronson Dr. Siddharth K. Bhansali Mr. Harry J. Blumenthal, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Robert H. Boh Mr. and Mrs. Donald T. Bollinger Mrs. Jane Bories and Mr. Sam Corenswet Ms. Jean M. Bragg Dr. and Mrs. Joseph Brenner Mr. and Mrs. Edgar E. Bright, Jr. Mrs. B. Temple Brown, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Perry S. Brown Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Bruno Ms. Debra Bryant and Mr. Fred Riddlemeyer Ms. Pamela R. Burck Mr. Harold H. Burns Mr. and Mrs. Joseph C. Canizaro Dr. and Mrs. Edgar L. Chase III Mr. and Mrs. William J. Chaucer, Jr. Dr. Victor P. Chisesi Mr. Stephen W. Clayton Mr. and Mrs. John Clemmer Mr. and Mrs. Thomas B. Coleman Ms. Shirley Colomb and Don Clausing Mr. Barry J. Cooper and Mr. Stuart H. Smith Mr. and Mrs. Orlin Corey Mr. and Mrs. Camille A. Cutrone Mr. and Mrs. Charles B. Davis III John W. Deming and Bertie Murphy Deming Foundation Mr. and Mrs. Con G. Demmas Mr. and Mrs. George Denegre, Jr. Drs. Raja W. and Nina Dhurandhar Mrs. Albert S. Dittmann, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Clancy DuBos Dr. Clayton B. Edisen Dr. and Mrs. John Ollie Edmunds, Jr. Mrs. Eleanor T. Farnsworth Dr. and Mrs. K. Barton Farris Mr. and Mrs. C. Allen Favrot Mr. and Mrs. D. Blair Favrot Mr. and Mrs. Thomas B. Favrot Mr. and Mrs. Edward Feinman Mr. and Mrs. Darwin C. Fenner Ms. Natalie Fielding Mrs. Julia Fishelson Ms. Anne A. Fitzhugh Mr. and Mrs. Richard B. Fox Mr. and Mrs. Louis M. Freeman Mrs. Gore Friedrichs Mr. and Mrs. Louis L. Frierson Mrs. Anne Gauthier Dr. and Mrs. Charles F. Genre Mrs. Dennis A. Georges Dr. Kurt Gitter and Mrs. Alice Rae Yelen Mrs. Luba B. Glade Mrs. Louis A. Glazer Mr. and Mrs. Mason Granger Mrs. Harold S. Grehan, Jr. Ms. Susan Talley and Mr. James C. Gulotta, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. James O. Gundlach

ARTS QUARTERLY

Mr. and Mrs. John W. Hall Mrs. H. Lloyd Hawkins, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Edward M. Heller Mr. and Mrs. Theo M. Heller Mrs. S. Herbert Hirsch Mrs. William H. Hodges Joan Von Kurnatowski Hooper and Julian Feibelman Mr. and Mrs. John C. Hope III Mr. Harry T. Howard III Mr. and Mrs. Arthur W. Huguley III Mr. and Mrs. Alex T. Hunt, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Marvin L. Jacobs Mr. and Mrs. Harold B. Judell Mrs. Arthur L. Jung, Jr. Mrs. Gloria S. Kabacoff Mrs. Irene Klinger Mr. and Mrs. John E. Koerner III Mrs. E. James Kock, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. John P. Laborde Dr. and Mrs. W. Wayne Lake, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Charles W. Lane III Mrs. James M. Lapeyre, Sr. Mr. and Mrs. James M. Lapeyre, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. John H. Lawrence Rita Benson LeBlanc Mr. Victor C. Leglise, Sr. Mr. and Mrs. Frank L. Levy Dr. and Mrs. Samuel Logan Mrs. Russell Long Mr. Edward B. Ludwig, Jr. Dr. and Mrs. George D. Lyons Dr. Cris Mandry Mr. and Mrs. Stephen D. Manshel Mr. and Mrs. Adam B. Marcus Mrs. Shirley R. Masinter Mr. and Mrs. Bernard Mason Ms. Elizabeth R. McCall Mr. and Mrs. John McCollam Mr. and Mrs. William McCollam, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Michael J. Mestayer Mr. and Mrs. Albert Mintz Mrs. Bernard D. Mintz Mr. and Mrs. Saul A. Mintz Mr. and Mrs. Donald P. Mitchell Mrs. Louise Moffett Ms. Stephany S. Monteleone Mrs. George R. Montgomery Dr. and Mrs. Lee Roy Morgan, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Walter Morton Mrs. AndrĂŠe Moss Dr. and Mrs. Bert Myers Mrs. Elizabeth S. Nalty Mr. Max Nathan, Jr. Mrs. Isidore Newman II Mr. and Mrs. John B. Noland Mr. and Mrs. W. D. Norman, Jr. Dr. and Mrs. John L. Ochsner Mr. Roger H. Ogden Dr. Sanford L. Pailet Mr. and Mrs. Norvin L. Pellerin Mrs. Ben J. Phillips Mr. and Mrs. John Phillips Mr. and Mrs. Dick H. Piner, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. O. Miles Pollard, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Arthur C. Pulitzer

Ms. Sally E. Richards Mr. and Mrs. Leon H. Rittenberg Mr. and Mrs. John K. Roberts, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. James C. Roddy Mr. Andre Rodrigue Mr. Jacques Rodrigue Mr. Arthur Roger Mrs. Carol H. Rosen Mr. and Mrs. Paul S. Rosenblum, Sr. Mr. and Mrs. Louie J. Roussel III Mr. and Mrs. Hallam L. Ruark Mrs. Basil J. Rusovich, Jr. Ms. Nadine C. Russell Miss Courtney-Anne Sarpy Mr. and Mrs. Richard Schornstein, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Aaron Selber, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. William H. Shane, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Lester Shapiro Mrs. Shepard H. Shushan Mr. and Mrs. Michael J. Siegel Mr. and Mrs. Edward M. Simmons Mr. and Mrs. Richard L. Simmons Dr. and Mrs. Julian H. Sims Mrs. Evald L. Skau Mr. and Mrs. Timothy C. Slater Mrs. Joe D. Smith, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Rodney R. Smith Mr. and Mrs. Charles A. Snyder Mr. and Mrs. Harry C. Stahel Mrs. Frederick M. Stafford Mrs. Mary E. Stern Ms. Anne Reily Sutherlin Dr. and Mrs. Harold M. Stokes Dr. Nia K. Terezakis Ms. Catherine Burns Tremaine Mr. and Mrs. Bernard Van der Linden Mr. and Mrs. George G. Villere Mr. and Mrs. R. Preston Wailes Dr. and Mrs. Cedric Walker Mr. and Mrs. Albert J. Ward, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Hugo Wedemeyer Dr. and Mrs. Robert G. Weilbaecher Ambassador and Mrs. John G. Weinmann Mrs. Karolyn Kuntz Westervelt Mrs. Donald L. White Mr. Robert J. A. Williams and Mrs. Norris Williams Mrs. James A. Wysocki Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Young, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Robert E. Young

CORPORATE MEMBERSHIP

e are deeply grateful to the following member firms whose investment in the Museum makes it possible for NOMA to pay dividends in service to the public, to the business community, to the City of New Orleans, to the greater metropolitan area, and to the State of Louisiana.

GUARANTOR Jones, Walker, Waechter, Poitevent, Carrere & Denegre Superior Energy Services Whitney National Bank of New Orleans Willoughby Associates, Ltd.

BENEFACTOR Antenna Audio, Inc.

PATRON Brian Schneider Company The Sydney and Walda Besthoff Foundation

MASTER Christie’s Fine Art Auctioneers Dooky Chase’s Restaurant Energy Partners, Ltd. McIlhenny Company MPress The Schon Charitable Foundation

LEADER Boh Bros. Construction Company, Inc. Gambit Communications, Inc. Hotel Monteleone Laitram, LLC M. S. Rau Antiques, LLC Neal Auction Company, Inc. New Orleans Silversmiths Rathborne Companies East, LLC Republic National Distributing Company The Times-Picayune

UNIVERSITY MEMBERS Delgado Community College Dillard University Loyola University Elaine P. Nunez Community College Our Lady of Holy Cross College Saint Scholastica Academy (High School) Tulane University University of Louisiana at Lafayette University of New Orleans

ASSOCIATE Bockman Forbes + Glasgow, Architecture + Design Bowie Lumber Associates Royal Antiques, Ltd. Waggonner & Ball Architects

CONTRIBUTOR A. L. Lowe Picture Framing Company Aquatic Gardens As You Like It Silver Shop Bolton Ford Gulf Coast Bank Hirsch Investment Management, LLC Milling Benson Woodward, LLP Mudbug Media, Inc. Teri Galleries, Ltd.

NEW ORLEANS MUSEUM OF ART

Join the Circles and Upgrade Your Support of NOMA

he Board of Trustees of the New Orleans Museum of Art cordially invites you to upgrade your support and become a member of the Patron’s Circle, Director’s Circle or President’s Circle. These categories, our most prestigious levels of annual giving, are comprised of individuals who contribute $5,000, $10,000 or $20,000 each year in unrestricted funds. NOMA is pleased to extend unique privileges including Fellows and Collector’s Society memberships to those who demonstrate their commitment at these levels. We are most grateful for your generous and continuing support.

President’s Circle

$20,000

Director’s Circle

$10,000

• Invitations to attend behind-the-scenes events with Museum curators • Advance announcements for special travel programs • Annual listing on Donor Wall as a member of the Circle group • Special recognition in Arts Quarterly • Two complimentary publications selected by the Museum • An opportunity to use an elegant private gallery with the rental fee waived • Complimentary use of Woldenberg Board Room during Museum hours

_________________________________________ Patron’s Circle

$5,000

GENERAL MEMBERSHIP PRIVILEGES, PLUS: • Free admission to the Museum and Sculpture Garden plus free admission for additional guests when accompanied by the donor

These circles recognize cumulative giving in a calendar year, restricted to gifts of Annual Appeal and membership dues. Contributions to capital projects and special events do not apply. _________________________________________ For further information on NOMA’s Circles, please call 504-658-4107. ■

• Reciprocal membership in major art museums across the U.S. and Canada • Complimentary membership in The Fellows and Collector’s Society • All Members’ Previews of special exhibitions; with prior arrangement, Circle members may bring additional guests • 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 • An invitation to attend a private dinner with the Board President, Museum Director and a private collector in a major city • A special dinner in a private collector’s home

Circles

ircles

• For private parties, elegant private galleries are available for rental

ARTS QUARTERLY

O N T R I B U T I O N

he New Orleans Museum of Art has established a number of special funds for gifts in honor of or in memory of friends or family members or to commemorate an event. Recipients or their families will be notified of the gift and will be acknowledged in Arts Quarterly. For information on NOMA special funds, call (504) 658-4100. Donations for all funds should be mailed to the New Orleans Museum of Art, PO Box 19123, New Orleans, Louisiana 70179-0123. ■

BESTHOFF SCULPTURE GARDEN FUND IN HONOR OF WALDA & SYDNEY BESTHOFF: Gerard Henry

E. JOHN BULLARD, JACQUELINE L. SULLIVAN, MS. ALICE RAE YELEN, DR. KURT A. GITTER, DR. SIDDARTH K. BHANSALI: Lisa Rotondo-McCord

CAMMIE AND CHARLES MAYER: Mr. and Mrs. James Farwell

IN MEMORY OF ROBERT KORNFELD’S BIRTHDAY: Mrs. S. Herbert Hirsch

IN MEMORY OF MRS. MERCEDES SILVERMAN: Dr. & Mrs. J. Ollie Edmonds MARY NELL NOLAN: Mr. & Mrs. Harley Howcott, Jr. Linton & Kirstin Young Dr. & Mrs. J. Ollie Edmonds New Orleans On Stage Mr. & Mrs. Casey Willems Lynne Rothschild Stern The House of Broel Foundation Brison & Betsy Woods

JOHN HAWKSHEAD: Cammie and Charles Mayer JOSEPH JOHN INGOLIA III: Mrs. James Taylor and Mrs. Leslie Curran CECIL KEENEY: Mr. and Mrs. James L. Taylor BARBARA LILL: Cammie and Charles Mayer JUDGE MARCEL LIVAUDAIS: Mrs. James L. Taylor and Mrs. Leslie Curran

PHOTOGRAPHY FUND

JACK COOLEY: Nancy & Peter Briant

IN MEMORY OF

MS. JEANNE BULTMAN: Mr. & Mrs. Stephen L. Sontheimer

FRANCES O’KEEFE: Kimberly & Harry Rosenberg

ALAIN DE LA VILLESRET: Ann Yvette de la Villesbret

ARCHIE CASBARIAN: Kimberly & Harry Rosenberg

LIBRARY FUND

NVC FLOWER FUND

JACOB HOSLI: Kimberly & Harry Rosenberg

IN HONOR OF

FRANÇOISE B. RICHARDSON: Norma Freiberg

ANNE GAUTHIER AND JO ANN CHRISTOPHER/NVC ART TRIP: JoAnn Greenberg & Jane Schramel

DR. & MRS. JAMES WOOTEN’S 50TH ANNIVERSARY: Harry and Kimberly Rosenberg

IN MEMORY OF DR. PHILIP RONALD LORIA: Paul J. Leaman, Jr.

MR. & MRS. MOISE STEEG: Marilyn, Paul, Phyllis, Lisa Gentry MRS. ROSEMARIE FOWLER: Leonore Prieto

MR. AND MRS. PRESCOTT DUNBAR’S ANNIVERSARY: Cammie and Charles Mayer

NEW ORLEANS MUSEUM OF ART

WAYS OF GIVING

he future of the New Orleans Museum of Art depends to a large degree on the foresight and generosity of today’s visionaries— our members—who are willing to consider new ways to make gifts. Here are a few suggested methods of making a difference for NOMA:

GIFT OF CASH OR MARKETABLE SECURITIES Gifts may be restricted to a designated program or applied to NOMA’s general operating fund.

GIFT OF LIFE INSURANCE Name NOMA as policy owner and beneficiary and receive immediate tax deductions on your premium.

GIFT OF PROPERTY Gifts of real estate, boats, or artwork provide NOMA with marketable assets and may enable you to avoid capital gains taxes.

NAMED ENDOWMENT FUND The principal of a fund established in your name—or for someone you wish to honor or memorialize—is managed for growth, while the income from the fund supports Museum programs.

CHARITABLE REMAINDER TRUST/CHARITABLE LEAD TRUST Provide NOMA or yourself with a steady income stream and, with a remainder trust, leave a significant future gift to NOMA. Both arrangements entitle you to considerable tax savings.

BEQUESTS Name NOMA as a beneficiary in your will and make a lasting contribution to the Museum.

For more information about any of these suggested methods of giving to NOMA, call (504) 658-4107.

I SUPPORT

THE PORTICO RENOVATION FUND Yes, I want to help support the NOMA Volunteer Committee’s Pledge to the NVC Portico Renovation Fund. Funds collected defray expenses associated with a new entry ramp, refurbished decking, urns and torchieres flanking NOMA’s main entrance at Lelong Avenue, and for providing attractive trash receptacles. NAME _____________________________________________________________________________ ADDRESS __________________________________________________________________________ CITY/STATE/ZIP ____________________________________________________________________

Enclosed is my donation in the amount of: ❑ $10 ❑ $15 ❑ $25 ❑ $50 ❑ $100* Other __________ Please make checks payable to the NOMA Volunteer Committee. Mail to: New Orleans Museum of Art • NOMA Volunteer Committee PO Box 19123 ª New Orleans LA 70179-0123 We will be happy to accept credit card payments for contributions of $50 or higher. Please call the NVC Office, 504-658-4121, to donate by credit card.

Thank you! *All contributions in the amount of $100 or more will be acknowledged in Arts Quarterly.

ARTS QUARTERLY

The Felix J. Dreyfous Library

Library Happenings NOMA Library Book Club Join us as we read and discuss fiction and nonfiction books related to art, art museums, NOMA’s collections, and NOMA’s exhibitions. We meet monthly from noon to 1 p.m. in the library to discuss selected books; occasional special meetings feature programs related to that month’s book selection. Bring a sack lunch (NOMA provides soft drinks and water) and enjoy this lunchtime break. Please call the Museum Shop at 504-658-4133 to order books (allow at least two weeks before the discussion) or try local new and used bookstores, online booksellers, or your local library to obtain a copy. SPACE IS LIMITED. Contact the librarian, Shelia Cork, at 504-658-4117, or via e-mail at scork@noma.org, to reserve a place.

APRIL’S BOOK IS: The Posthuman Dada Guide: Tzara and Lenin Play Chess by Andrei Codrescu “… an impractical handbook for practical living in our posthuman world … a battle between radical images of art and ideological revolution …” (Publisher’s promotional material) Codrescu is a New Orleans author and national radio personality whose recent works, New Orleans, Mon Amour and Jealous Witness, are timely reminders of the spirit of our great city. Thursday, April 16 Book Discussion Group: Noon to 1 p.m. Thursday, April 30 Special Event: 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Members of the NOMA Book Club have been invited to East St. John High School, Reserve,

Louisiana, to view a mural and talk to the students who created it. The students and their teachers attended the book club discussion of The Rape of Europa and their mural features World War II. The school’s culinary arts program will provide a catered lunch that will cost $10 per head. Members will pay for their own lunches. Assemble at NOMA at 9:30 a.m. and prepare to carpool there and back. Interested members should contact the librarian (504-658-4117 or scork@noma.org) as soon as possible as the school requires a head count for lunch.

MAY’S BOOK IS: The Tale of Murasaki: A Novel by Liza Dalby “In The Tale of Murasaki, Liza Dalby has created a breathtaking fictionalized narrative of the life of this timeless poet—a lonely girl who becomes such a compelling storyteller that she is invited to regale the empress with her tales. The Tale of Murasaki is the story of an enchanting time and an exotic place. Whether writing about mystical rice fields in the rainy mountains or the politics and intrigue of the royal court, Dalby breathes astonishing life into ancient Japan.” (Barnesandnoble.com.) Wednesday, May 6 Lisa Rotondo-McCord, Assistant Director for Art and Curator of Asian Art, will present a special program from noon to 1 p.m. Thursday May 14 Book Discussion Group: Noon to 1 p.m. Sunday May 17 3 p.m.: “Meet the Author” reception in the library. 3 to 5 p.m.: Book signing in the gift shop, Join us from 2 to 3 p.m. as we welcome John W. Scott, author of Natalie Scott: A Magnificent Life (our June book club selection), to NOMA. Refreshments will be served. Space is limited, so please call ahead to reserve a spot. The event will be followed by a book signing and purchase in the Museum Shop from 3 to 5 p.m. For more information about the book signing, call the shop at 504-658-4133.

JUNE’S BOOK IS: Natalie Scott: A Magnificent Life by John W. Scott (See above for information about special events for this book.) “Natalie Scott was one of the best newspaperwomen in America and spearheaded a colony of intellectuals who gathered in New Orleans’ French Quarter during the 1920s. She also was a war nurse, awarded France’s highest medal for bravery after rescuing patients from a bombed medical building, as well as a celebrated journalist and socialite.... An excellent survey of the vivid life and accomplishments of Natalie Scott.” (Midwest Book Review quoted at Amazon.com.) Photo by Aisha Champagne

NEW ORLEANS MUSEUM OF ART

Friday, June 26 Book Discussion Group: Noon to 1 p.m.

Notable New Additions to the Library (The number in parentheses following the review is the number where the book is shelved in the library.)

Hidden Meanings in Chinese Art by Terese Tse Bartholomew. Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, 2006. (shelved at R 738.20951 B286hmi) Hidden Meanings in Chinese Art is a wellorganized and informative book. The text provides simple descriptions of the meanings and symbols in Chinese art, including puns and multiple meanings where they exist. The lavishly illustrated book is arranged according to motifs—“Motifs for Blessings,” “Motifs for Wealth,” and by significant events such as annual festivals. The illustrations are often photographs of works of art; information about works included is provided in the section, “About the Illustrations” (p. 293). An English Language Index (p. 310) helps readers locate information by entry number. Other indexes include a Pinyin Subject Index and the Pinyin Auspicious Phrase Index. If you are interested in Chinese art, consulting this book will give you a greater understanding of the many symbols used by Chinese artists. Jorge Macchi: Buenos Aires Tour by Jorge Macchi. Turner/MUSAC, 2003. (shelved at 702.81 M124jmb) Jorge Macchi: Buenos Aires Tour is a guidebook with a difference. The book is divided into eight trips or “itineraries”—nothing new there, perhaps, except that to establish the routes and locales for the trips, Macchi broke a glass over a map of Buenos Aires and used the fracture lines as the points of his journeys. Likewise, the format of Buenos Aires Tour is quite different from that of the Frommer’s travel guides we are familiar with in the United States. In addition to the obligatory guidebook information, this book contains postcards and stamps, a CD-ROM of music and sounds, and many other intriguing items, and directs you to sites that no other guide would take you to. All in all an intriguing and unusual book, Buenos Aires Tour will make you think of your own neighborhood in a new way—and perhaps inspire you to create your own guidebook.

ARTS QUARTERLY

Great Collectors of Our Time: Art Collecting Since 1945 by James Stourton. Scala Publishers, 2007. (shelved at 700.74 S889gco) Have you ever wondered why art collectors collect? How about why they collect the things they do? Great Collectors of Our Time: Art Collecting Since 1945 will answer those questions. Arranged by fields of collecting interest (e.g., “School of Paris” and “Europe Since the 1950s”), which are then further subdivided into narrower topics, the book discusses some of the leading collectors of 1945 (the period immediately following World War II) through 2005. The book primarily deals with collectors of Europe and North American art, but there is a “sideways glance” at the Far East. Great Collectors contains a brief introduction to each of the fields of collecting, followed by a biographical article including the motivation of the collector and description of the collection. One of Stourton’s criteria for selecting the various collectors featured is the type of art collected. This approach can result in a fairly narrow focus, but the comprehensiveness of each article compensates for that. The book contains a general index, so it is possible to look up individual collectors and artists; however, a separate index of artists and works collected would also have been useful.

About the Library The Felix J. Dreyfous Library is located in the basement of the New Orleans Museum of Art. The library’s services and collection (20,000 books and more than 70 periodicals) are available for use by members of NOMA. Members of the public, local students, and educators are also welcome. The library is staffed by Sheila Cork, who holds a master’s degree in Library and Information Science and has an extensive background in reference and research. In addition, the library is fortunate to have volunteers who help on a regular basis. Use of the library is by appointment only, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call 504658-4117 or e-mail the librarian at scork@noma.org to make an appointment to use this valuable resource.

Volunteer Opportunities in the Library The library always needs volunteers to help with routine tasks such as processing and shelving books, organizing and filing catalogue cards, sorting and adding material to the artist files, organizing the periodical display area, and setting up for meetings and programs. If you are interested in contributing your time to the library, please call Molly St. Paul, volunteer coordinator, at 504-6584137, or contact the librarian, Sheila Cork, by phone at 504-658-4117, or e-mail at scork@noma.org. n

NOMA EDUCATION: Lectures and Walkthroughs

Wednesday, April 1, 6 p.m. Author and Subject: Murasaki Shikibu and The Tale of Genji (Japanese Galleries) Walk-through of Exhibition by Lisa Rotondo-McCord, Curator of Asian Art, NOMA This year marks the 1,000th anniversary of the world’s first novel, The Tale of Genji. Written by an extraordinary court lady, Murasaki Shikibu, this novel traces the life and loves of the “Shining Prince,” Genji. Since its publication, the novel has inspired artists to illustrate both scenes from the novel and portraits of the author. This installation features works from NOMA’s permanent collection and is made possible in part by generous loans from the Gitter-Yelen Foundation in New Orleans.

cityscapes with his sculptures. This powerful and often sizeable work is based on the tetrahedron, the use of one geometric element in repetition. Featured widely in national and international publications, Silverman has executed more than 400 metal sculptures of various proportions. In New Orleans alone, more than thirty public buildings feature his artwork. Such a body of work is a significant opus and has been completed. Tulane University will house the Silverman archives for posterity.

Sunday, April 19, 2 p.m. A Discourse in Abstraction: Jennifer Odem and NOMA’s Permanent Collection (Frederick R. Weisman Galleries) Walk-through of Exhibition by artist Jennifer Odem The first in a series of exhibitions dedicated to highlighting Louisiana contemporary art, A Discourse in Abstraction features the work of New Orleans-based sculptor Jennifer Odem. The artist will lead a walk-through of the exhibition.

Wednesday, April 22, 6 p.m.

Ikeda Koson (Japanese, 1801–1866) Ishiyama-dera Ink and colors on silk Museum Purchase, 2008.59 Photo by Judy Cooper

EXPRESSION, INNOVATION AND DESIGN: American Studio Ceramics from the Permanent Collection (Lupin Cameo Gallery) Walk-through of Exhibition by John W. Keefe, the RosaMary Foundation Curator of the Decorative Arts, NOMA During the past eighteen years, the Museum has been assembling a collection of American studio ceramics to complement its renowned collection of art pottery. The present Cameo Gallery exhibition highlights the studio pottery in the permanent collection, revealing the breadth and depth of expression and innovation within the vibrant American studio pottery scene. This in-gallery talk will focus on the development of studio pottery within this country from the 1930s through the present day.

Wednesday, April 8, 6 p.m.

Sunday, April 26, 2 p.m.

Artist Forum: Celebrating Sculptor Arthur Silverman’s 45 Years in the Arts (Café) Panelists: Ivan Mandich, architect; Patricia Chandler, curator of the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Foundation; and John Clemmer and James Lamantia, artists More than four decades ago, Arthur Silverman began distinguishing

The Southern Cosmopolitan: Sophisticated Southern Style (Stern Auditorium) Followed by a book signing by Susan Sully, renowned author on southern-style architecture and interior design The Southern Cosmopolitan takes a fresh look at styles shaping the South’s architecture and interior design today.

A selection of luxurious houses from Charleston, Savannah, New Orleans, Atlanta, Natchez, and the Washington, D.C. area celebrates the sophisticated side of southern style with a mix of modern art, cherished antiques, and exotic textiles. Featured in tantalizing color images are select private residences decorated by leading tastemakers, including Thomas Jayne, Amelia Handegan, Nancy Braithwaite, and Hal Williamson. An immaculately restored mansion in Natchez and a collector’s treasure trove in Alexandria reveal the South’s love affair with historic European and American architecture, art, and antiques. A classic re-do of a Colonial Revival home in Spring Valley, Maryland and a modern Atlanta condominium decorated with French antiques and contemporary art reveals the ease with which southerners blend the old and the new. A Greek Revival house in Charleston filled with an international collection of textiles and an Italianate townhouse in Savannah decorated in opulent Venetian style display the South’s fascination with global tastes. This lecture, which mirrors the inspiring book of the same title, is perfect for those who aspire to the essence of southern style. Susan Sully is a renowned expert on southern style whose books include Charleston Style: Then and Now; Savannah Style: Mystery and Manners; Casa Florida: Spanish-Style Houses from Winter Park to Coral Gables; New Orleans Style: Past & Present; and The Southern Cottage: From the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Florida Keys. An author and photographer, Ms. Sully’s work has appeared in Veranda, Town & Country, Southern Accents, and other major magazines.

Wednesday, April 29, 6 p.m. Kara Hearn: One Thing After Another (second-floor contemporary galleries) Gallery Talk by video artist Kara Hearn Houston-based artist Kara Hearn will discuss her work on view at NOMA, One Thing After Another. Hearn’s work has been screened and exhibited nationally and internationally at such venues as DiverseWorks, Houston; White Columns, New York; The Luckman Gallery, Los Angeles; the Pacific Film Archive, Berkeley; and the Walker Art Center. She is currently a Core Fellow at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston’s Glassell School.

NEW ORLEANS MUSEUM OF ART

PROGRAMS & ACTIVITIES Collection. Mrs. Bonner has recently curated four joint exhibitions at the New Orleans Museum of Art, including: Louisiana: Where Land Meets Water (2007-08) and New Orleans: A Sense of Place (2008); as well as Legacy of the Arts and Crafts Club, for which she authored the accompanying catalogue. She curated the Newcomb Centennial Exhibition held at the New Orleans Museum of Art, and authored the catalogue for the exhibition (1987). She has taught at Xavier University of Louisiana and the United States Air Force Academy and has published essays on southern art in major journals. For twenty years, Mrs. Bonner has published an annual bibliography on southern art and architecture in the Southern Quarterly, for which she serves on the editorial board.

Wednesday, May 13, 6 p.m.

William Zorach, The Future Generation, 1942-47 Besthoff Sculpture Garden Photo by Judy Cooper

Wednesday, May 6, 6 p.m. Women Artists in Louisiana, 18251965: A Place of Their Own (Louisiana Galleries) Walk-through of Exhibition by Judith Bonner, Senior Curator, The Historic New Orleans Collection This collaborative exhibition features painting, sculpture, and pottery by women artists who visited or resided in New Orleans from the 1830s through the present. Drawn from the collections of both NOMA and THNOC, in their fifth joint exhibition, the Museums celebrate the accomplishments of Louisiana women artists. Noting that the emergence of women into the art field has been a slow, arduous ascendancy both locally and nationally, the exhibition features the work of Blanche Blanchard, Marie Madeleine Seebold [Molinary], Selina Elizabeth Bres [Gregory], Angela Gregory, Helen Turner, Evelyn Witherspoon, Margaret Witherspoon, Elizabeth Heintzen Laughlin, Ida Kohlmeyer, Hazel Guggenheim McKinley, Caroline Durieux, and Lin Emery, among others. Judith H. Bonner is the senior curator for The Historic New Orleans

ARTS QUARTERLY

Walking Tour of the Sculpture Garden by Pamela Buckman, Sculpture Garden Manager The Sculpture Garden Manager will conduct a walking tour highlighting the local plant life. Come join us for a leisurely stroll through the garden as you learn about whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s growing around the sculptures.

Sunday, May 17, 2 p.m. The Art of Caring: A Look at Life through Photography Panel Discussion moderated by Cynthia Goodman, Ph.D., Guest Curator (Stern Auditorium) This panel will provide an overview of the art and issues explored through seven thematic components in The Art of Caring: Children and Family, Love, Wellness, Disaster, Caregiving and Healing, Aging, and Remembering. Participants on the panel will include Neal Slavin, former LIFE photographer Bob Gomel, and others who will tell the stories behind their photographs in the exhibition. Check the NOMA website for updates.

Wednesday, May 20, 6 p.m. The Art of Caring: A Look at Life through Photography (Ella West Freeman Galleries) Walk-through of Exhibition by Alice Webb Dickinson, Institutional Curator for The Art of Caring, Associate Collections Manager, NOMA

Through photography and film, The Art of Caring examines how key life events are celebrated and honored and how pivotal life decisions are made by a number of different world cultures. Each stage of life is depicted by simple everyday situations experienced in moments of joy and gratification as well as by poignant events of passage. The unfathomable scale of devastation inflicted upon humanity and our environment by both man-made and natural disasters is also central to this story. The tour will look at the themes and artists highlighted in the show and discuss the way in which photography is used to document life.

Wednesday, June 3, 6 p.m. Walking Tour of the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden by Miranda Lash, Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, NOMA Inaugurated in 2003, the Besthoff Sculpture Garden proudly displays more than fifty masterworks from the twentieth- and twenty-first centuries, made by artists from around the globe. Highlights of the walking tour will include the modernist abstractions of Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth, the pop creations of Claus Oldenberg and Robert Indiana, and the enigmatic works of Louise Bourgeois and Rona Pondick.

Wednesday, June 17, 6 p.m. The Mindâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Eye: Without Subject Matter, What Does the Artist See? (Templeman Galleries) Walk-through of Exhibition by George Roland, Doris Zemurray Stone Curator of Prints and Drawings, NOMA What does the artist have in mind? If he doesn't want to make a picture of something, say a still-life or a nude or a landscape, what does he see when he faces the blank sheet of paper? By looking at a collection of large and colorful abstract works, the viewer finds that many artists see very similar things and that these form the themes and subjects of abstract art. Even though abstract art is still a puzzle for many art lovers, it has been the dominant style of art for more than a century. An overview of this period of art from the permanent collection of Prints and Drawings under the guidance of the exhibition organizer will give visitors the opportunity to see what the artist sees.

NOMA EDUCATION: Summer Art Studio at NOMA for Teens

June 13, Ages 13-17 Project NOMA

Cost is $45 for Museum Members and $60 for NonMembers. Registration is taken on a first-come, first-served basis. Please register early to reserve a spot. Payment methods accepted are check or credit card. Please remember that registration is not complete until tuition is paid in full! All programs are nonrefundable unless canceled due to low enrollment. Each workshop will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on a Saturday, and students should bring a brown-bag lunch. Regrettably, there are no restaurant facilities on the premises. Class size is restricted to twelve.

Imagination, composition, color, texture, and material will be the focus of Project NOMA: a full day of creating a wearable work of art. Teens can explore combinations of traditional two-dimensional art-making techniques and unconventional media as they learn methods of construction and three-dimensional design.

Photo by Marney Robinson

July 11, Ages 13-17 2-D to 3-D Students will choose a favorite two-dimensional work of art from NOMAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s galleries that will serve as the inspiration for their own threedimensional masterpiece. Instructors

will be on hand to introduce innovative methods of construction and a wide variety of traditional and nontraditional materials will be available.

August 8, Ages 13-17 Drawing Studio Designed for the beginning to intermediate artist, this course is an introduction to many drawing approaches with a variety of media and subject matter. Basic figure-drawing techniques will be introduced as well as drawing from life with a clothed model.

Photo by Marney Robinson

NEW ORLEANS MUSEUM OF ART

PROGRAMS & ACTIVITIES Summer Art Studios

Summer Art Studios at NOMA! Looking for ways to engage your children or teens this summer? Consider the New Orleans Museum of Art Summer Art Studio for ages 4 to 17, which features nine sessions designed for particular age groups highlighting different media and subjects. Weeklong, half-day art workshops for children ages 4-12 and all-day Saturday workshops for teens ages 13-17 are taught by professional art teachers and artists. Each class offers an in-depth exploration of a variety of art mediums and approaches, spanning both traditional and non-traditional methods. All workshops are based on different aspects of NOMA’s permanent collection and special exhibitions. Call the Education Department at 504-658-4128 to register for workshops. Registration is taken on a first-come, first-served basis. Please register early to reserve a spot. Payment methods accepted are check or credit card. Please remember that registration is not complete until tuition is paid in full! All programs are non-refundable unless canceled due to low enrollment and a substitute session cannot be found. A limited number of scholarships based on need and merit are available with teacher recommendation. Teachers interested in submitting a recommendation should contact the Education Department.

Summer Art Studio at NOMA for Children Cost is $100 for Museum Members and $125 for NonMembers. Both morning and afternoon classes are available. All classes run Monday through Friday for two hours a day. Morning classes are from 10 a.m. to noon. Afternoon classes are from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Class size is restricted to twenty. As art can sometimes be messy, students should wear old or play clothes to the workshops!

June 8-12, Ages 4-6 Powwow at NOMA Artists will explore the art and culture of Native American tribes featured in NOMA’s permanent collection while learning elements of art such as line, shape, color, pattern, and more! Exciting projects will incorporate a variety of two- and threedimensional media and emphasis will be placed on imagination, creative expression, and skills that will help children develop hand/eye coordination. Snacks will be provided for the artists.

June 15-19, Ages 7-9 Be Like Mic…elangelo Michelangelo was a sculptor, architect, painter, philosopher, and as much of a celebrity in his day as any Ninja Turtle! Through Renaissanceinspired projects, students will learn about Michelangelo by painting scenes of their own world using his techniques. The workshop will focus on highlighting artistic techniques with different media and introducing the vocabulary of the Italian Renaissance.

June 22-26, Ages 10-12 Space: The Final Frontier According to twentieth-century artist Frank Stella, “the aim of art is to create space.” By examining NOMA’s collection of modern and contemporary art, participants will discover how artists use different materials to create and engage space and how the viewer is affected by

these choices. Hands-on projects involving printmaking, drawing, found objects, and three-dimensional construction will allow the young artists to explore new methods of artmaking and will highlight the principles behind much of twentiethcentury art.

July 6-10, Ages 4-6 Mid-Summer Mardi Gras Who doesn’t love Mardi Gras? Participants will be inspired by local artists and themes within the Museum’s galleries as we celebrate our favorite holiday and learn about art! New Orleans-themed projects involving float-making, food, costuming, music, and more will conclude with our own parade around NOMA. Associated art elements, techniques, and imagination will be highlighted with each project.

July 13-17, Ages 7-9 PAINT, PAINT, PAINT… Artists will delve into color, materials, and classic painting techniques as well as off-the-wall methods of paint application. Drawing inspiration from the wide variety of painting styles in the galleries of NOMA, participants will explore their creativity with everyone’s favorite medium, PAINT! Develop basic painting skills using watercolor, tempera, and acrylic paints, exploring texture, color, composition, light, and shadow. Prepare to be messy!

July 20-24, Ages 10-12 Mixed Media Mish-Mash A great way to introduce young artists to different art mediums! This is a workshop with classes focusing on drawing, painting, and sculpture as well as other fun and interesting materials. Each session focuses on different mediums and artistic styles; we will also study famous artists featured in NOMA’s galleries.

Photo by Marney Robinson

ARTS QUARTERLY

NOMA EDUCATION: Films

Iris Festival

Photo by Judy Cooper

Wednesday, May 27, 6 p.m. What Remains: The Life and Work of Sally Mann (Stern Auditorium) “As one of the world’s preeminent photographers, Sally Mann creates artwork that challenges viewers’ values and moral attitudes. Described by Time magazine as ‘America's greatest photographer,’ she first came to international prominence in 1992 with Immediate Family, a series of complex and enigmatic pictures of her own children. This work, and the controversy that followed it, was chronicled in Steven Cantor’s Academy Award-winning short film, Blood Ties.

April 4, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden Last winter, the Louisiana Iris Society planted hundreds of iris bulbs along the banks of the lagoons in the Sculpture Garden. In celebration of their first blooming this spring, NOMA will host the Iris Viewing Festival. Speakers from several community groups will be featured, including former Louisiana Iris Society President Patrick O’Conner and LSU AgCenter Agent and Coastal Advisor Mark Schexnayder. Other activities will

Art of Caring Community Partners Day

The Art of Caring: An Afternoon Focus on Hospice In conjunction with the exhibition The Art of Caring, the New Orleans Museum of Art is collaborating with a range of social service organizations to enable those agencies to utilize the exhibition and related documentary films to raise public awareness of

HyogoNOMA Art Therapy Initiative Events

The New Orleans Museum of Art received a grant from the Prefecture of Hyogo, Japan, in spring 2007 to pilot an art therapy program in New Orleans public schools. As part of the HyogoNOMA Art Therapy Initiative, the Museum is offering a series of events to promote a sense of support and community in the post-Katrina environment. Community art-making is supported by the Hyogo Prefecture of Japan.

Saturday, May 16, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

What Remains returns to follow the creation of Mann’s seminal new work: a photo series revolving around various aspects of death and decay. Never one to compromise, Sally Mann reflects on her own personal feelings toward death as she continues to examine the boundaries of contemporary photography. Shown at home on her family farm in Virginia, she is surrounded by her husband and nowgrown children, and her willingness to reveal her artistic process as it unfolds allows the viewer to gain exclusive entrance to her world. Spanning five years, What Remains contains

unbridled access to the many stages of Mann’s work, and is a rare glimpse of an eloquent and brilliant artist.” www.zeitgeistfilms.com

include ikebana demonstrations and musical performances. Christy Hengst, an artist from Santa Fe, New Mexico, will showcase her installation of Birds in the Park, consisting of approximately thirty porcelain bird-like forms to be placed in the Oak Grove for the weekend. NOMA will inaugurate audio-tours of highlights of the Sculpture Garden, accessible free of charge via visitor cell phones, and the Museum Shop will offer a book on irises and a beautiful print for sale. Organizations will provide educational information about

Louisiana irises as well as demonstrations of how to propagate them. The Museum-City Park Cultural District, Department of Culture, Recreation, and Tourism group will be on site as well as the NOMA Education Department with Summer Art Studio information and an art activity for children. You won’t want to miss this event! Please note that the viewing will be canceled in the event of rain. Call the Museum for information.

humanistic issues that affect everyone. The first program, scheduled on opening weekend, focuses on Hospice. The Louisiana-Mississippi Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (www.lmhpco.org) will provide visitors with an opportunity to meet with hospice professionals, learn about community resources for improving end of life care, view art from children who have experienced the death of a loved one, and see photographs from

Louisiana State Penitentiary Hospice at Angola. An award-winning HBO film, Letting Go: A Hospice Journey, will be shown in the Museum’s Stern Auditorium and the exhibition is open for viewing at visitors’ leisure. Additional Community Partner events are scheduled for Saturday, June 13 and Saturday, June 27, 2009. See website for further information.

Saturday, May 9, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

necessary. This event is free for Louisiana residents.

Family Community-Art-Making by Holly Wherry, Art Therapist, NOMA Come make art with us! Create a family portrait just in time for Mother’s Day. NOMA’s art therapist, Holly M. Wherry, will be helping families use collage materials to construct family portraits they will treasure for years. Bring the whole family! This event is appropriate for children and adults of all ages. No artistic experience is

Wednesday, June 24, 6 p.m. Annie Leibovitz (Stern Auditorium) “Take a peek into the illustrious career of one of today’s most prolific photographers, Annie Leibovitz. The film depicts the various phases that shaped her life while tracing her photographic life. ... The images form a narrative rich in contrasts and continuities in this collection of her work from 1990-2005.” www.pbs.org

Wednesday, June 10, 6 p.m. Community Art Studio (for adults) by Holly Wherry, Art Therapist, NOMA Explore your creative side in a relaxing and inspiring environment with other adults. Art therapists will guide you in expressing yourself with a large selection of provided art materials in this open studio. No artistic experience is necessary. This event is free for Louisiana residents.

NEW ORLEANS MUSEUM OF ART

PROGRAMS & ACTIVITIES

Docent Recruiting

Call for Docents! Are you interested in playing an active role in the New Orleans Museum of Art? Consider joining the Education Department’s volunteer corps of docents! The New Orleans Museum of Art is currently accepting applications for a new class of docents. Please review the following information carefully before submitting an application. Applications are due August 4, 2009.

What is a docent? Docents are at the heart of the museum experience. The word docent comes from the Latin word “docere,” meaning “to teach.” NOMA docents represent a corps of trained volunteers who serve as a vital link between the public and Museum exhibitions and facilitate learning by helping audiences of all ages understand and enjoy the art in the galleries.

Who should apply to become a docent? If you enjoy learning and sharing knowledge, the docent program offers the opportunity to learn about other cultures, historical periods, artwork, and artists. All ages are welcome. Volunteer docents must have a genuine appreciation for all visitors, including adults and children from diverse backgrounds, and must convey information in a clear, concise, and articulate manner. Prior background in the arts is not necessary, but a love of learning and art is crucial. Volunteers should be prepared to make a two-year commitment.

ARTS QUARTERLY

What are the docent training requirements? Docents-in-training are expected to attend the entire training course. The training runs weekly from late August 2009 to May 2010, except for holidays. Following the initial training year, continuing education for all docents is required monthly during the academic year. Training is comprehensive but rewarding. It includes classes and workshops in teaching theories, museum education, art history, methods of interpretation, and touring techniques. These sessions provide information on the history of NOMA, the Museum's permanent collections, and special exhibitions. Out-of-class work such as readings and tour development will be required.

What are the benefits of becoming a docent at NOMA?

n Satisfaction from sharing your interest in art with Museum visitors n Active involvement with the Museum and its staff n Opportunities to work and socialize with others who share a common interest n Lectures by Museum curators, visiting scholars, and artists n Unlimited free admission to the Museum n Discount in the Museum Shop

How are docents selected? The first step in the application process is to fill out the application form available online at http://www.noma.org/docents.html or by request through the mail. Return the completed form by mail, fax, or email to the Education Department by August 4, 2009. Applicants will be contacted for in-person and/or phone interviews with NOMA education staff and experienced docents during the week of August 10, 2009. The docent program strives to include people who represent the diversity of the greater New Orleans area and nearby communities. The number of docents selected for each training class varies depending upon the needs of the Museum. If you would like more information, please contact Marney Robinson, Associate Curator of Education, at 504-658-4113 or mrobinson@noma.org. Education Department New Orleans Museum of Art P.O. Box 19123 New Orleans, LA 70119 504-658-4128 504-658-4199 (fax) education@noma.org

PROGRAM SPONSORS A

nnual operating support for NOMA’s exhibitions, the “Van Go,” free admission for Louisiana residents, family workshops, films, lectures, art classes, and numerous other special programs enjoyed by visitors from throughout the city, the state, the country, and, indeed, the world, are made possible through the generosity of our many sponsors. The New Orleans Museum of Art and its thousands of visitors 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, (504) 658-4100. ■

BECOME A NOMA SPONSOR

$99,999 – $50,000 CHEVRON: Rodrigue’s Louisiana: Cajuns, Blue Dogs, and Beyond Katrina Exhibition Support Handbook of School Programs Teacher’s Packets LAKESIDE SHOPPING CENTER AND THE FEIL ORGANIZATON: Rodrigue’s Louisiana: Cajuns, Blue Dogs, and Beyond Katrina Exhibition Support Dreams Come True Exhibition Support

$100,000 + ACADIAN AMBULANCE SERVICE: Rodrigue’s Louisiana: Cajuns, Blue Dogs, and Beyond Katrina Exhibition Support THE AZBY FUND: General Operating Support Besthoff Sculpture Garden Operating Support Security Equipment ANONYMOUS DONORS: Rodrigue’s Louisiana: Cajuns, Blue Dogs, and Beyond Katrina Exhibition Support FORD FOUNDATION: Planning and Exploration of New Orleans Audiences GETTY FOUNDATION: Conservation of the Besthoff Sculpture Garden THE HELIS FOUNDATION: Free Admission for Louisiana Residents

LOUIS ARMSTRONG NEW ORLEANS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT: Rodrigue’s Louisiana: Cajuns, Blue Dogs, and Beyond Katrina Exhibition Support

$34,999 - $20,000 ELIZABETH HEEBE-RUSSO: Dreams Come True Exhibition Sponsor D. LEE HODGES SHERRI S. LOGAN: Objects of Desire: Fabergé from the Hodges Family Collection Exhibition Catalogue Support Odyssey Ball 2008 LOUISIANA ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES: Living Color: Photographs by Judy Cooper Exhibition, Programming and Catalogue Support THE LUPIN FOUNDATION: Odyssey Ball 2008 PAN AMERICAN LIFE INSURANCE GROUP: The Baroque World of Fernando Botero Exhibition Support

LOUISIANA DIVISION OF THE ARTS: Institution Stabilization Arts in Education General Operating Support

THE ROSAMARY FOUNDATION: Family Workshops Handbook of School Programs

THE LUPIN FOUNDATION: General Operating Support Art in Bloom 2009 Odyssey Ball 2008 LOVE in the Garden 2008

JOLIE AND ROBERT SHELTON INTERNATIONAL WELL TESTERS, INC.: Living Color: Photographs by Judy Cooper Exhibition Catalogue Support Rodrigue Aoili Dinner Odyssey Ball 2008

SELLEY FOUNDATION: General Operating Support SHERATON NEW ORLEANS HOTEL: The Baroque World of Fernando Botero Exhibition Support

WWL-TV: Rodrigue’s Louisiana: Cajuns, Blue Dogs, and Beyond Katrina Exhibition Support

Dreams Come True Exhibition Support

THE PATRICK F. TAYLOR FOUNDATION: Taylor NOMA Scholars Program ZEMURRAY FOUNDATION: General Operating Support

NEW ORLEANS MUSEUM OF ART

$19,999 - $10,000 AT&T: Odyssey Ball 2008 DOWNMAN FAMILY FOUNDATION: NOMA Exhibitions FRIEND OF ART IN BLOOM: Art in Bloom 2009 EAST JEFFERSON GENERAL HOSPITAL: LOVE in the Garden 2008 GOLDRING FAMILY FOUNDATION: Odyssey Ball 2008 THE GPOA FOUNDATION: Educational Pre-Visit Video of African Art Collection GOLDRING FAMILY FOUNDATION: Odyssey Ball 2008 GREATER LAKESIDE CORPORATION: Odyssey Ball 2008 INTERNATIONAL WELL TESTERS, INC. AND JOLIE AND ROBERT SHELTON: Odyssey Ball 2008 EUGENIE AND JOSEPH JONES FAMILY FOUNDATION: Art in Bloom 2009 GLORIA S. KABACOFF: Odyssey Ball 2008

$9,999 - $5,000 AT&T: Odyssey Ball 2008

LAMAR ADVERTISING: Rodrigue’s Louisiana: Cajuns, Blue Dogs, and Beyond Katrina Exhibition Support THE LUPIN FOUNDATION: Art in Bloom 2009

MR. AND MRS. JOHN D. BERTUZZI: Odyssey Ball 2008

LUZIANNE: Art in Bloom 2009

THE BOOTH-BRICKER FUND: Odyssey Ball 2008

MATHES BRIERRE ARCHITECTS: Odyssey Ball 2008

ENTERGY LOUISIANA: Educational Programs

MR. AND MRS. FRANK NORMAN: P. R. Norman Fund Art Acquisition

MRS. ANNE GAUTHIER: Odyssey Ball 2008

GRAY S. AND MARY KAY PARKER: Odyssey Ball 2008

MRS. JEAN R. HEID: Art Acquisition Fund

IRENE W. AND C.B. PENNINGTON FOUNDATION: Odyssey Ball 2008

IBERIABANK: Art in Bloom 2009

REILY FOODS: Art in Bloom 2009

LEXUS OF NEW ORLEANS: Odyssey Ball 2008 IRENE W. AND C. B. PENNINGTON FOUNDATION: Odyssey Ball 2008

RUTH’S CHRIS STEAKHOUSE: LOVE in the Garden 2008 SUPERIOR ENERGY SERVICES, INC.: Art in Bloom 2009

J. ARON AND COMPANY, INC.: Educational Programs THE JOHN BURTON HARTER CHARITABLE FOUNDATION: Gentlemen Callers Exhibition Support

PAULA L. MAHER: Odyssey Ball 2008 NATIONAL FEDERATION OF COFFEE GROWERS OF COLOMBIA: The Baroque World of Fernando Botero Exhibition Support NEW ORLEANS SAINTS: Odyssey Ball 2008 PAUL PRUDHOMME: Rodrigue Aoili Dinner RUBY K. WORNER CHARITABLE TRUST: Mid-Week in Mid-City SAKS FIFTH AVENUE: Art in Bloom 2009 MR. AND MRS. CLAUDE SCHLESINGER: Odyssey Ball 2008

RECEIVE NOMA E-NEWS ON UPCOMING ACTIVITIES Would you like to receive emailed updates on events and exhibitions coming to the New Orleans Museum of Art? If so, Go to http://www.noma.org/enews.html to sign up for E-News from NOMA. We will alert you to upcoming festive events, programs and new exhibitions, and we will provide links back to the NOMA website for more details.

ARTS QUARTERLY

MUSEUM NEWS MUSEUM NEWS MUSEUM BOARD OF TRUSTEES NEW NOMA TRUSTEES Three new persons have been elected to the Board of Trustees since the first of the year. They are Roy A. Glapion, President of PSI; Subhash V. Kulkarni, President of Kulkarni Consultants; and Sarah Freeman (Mrs. Mark) Carey. Mrs. Carey is the third generation member of the Freeman family to serve as a NOMA trustee, an association that began in 1960. She follows in a great tradition of community activism and philanthropy, having been preceded at NOMA by her grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Richard W. Freeman; her father, Richard W. Freeman, Jr., and her mother, Sandra D. Freeman, who is a past NOMA Board President and now an Honorary Life Trustee; her uncle, Louis A. Freeman; and most recently, her aunt, Tina Freeman. BOARD MEETING SCHEDULE The NOMA board of trustees will meet on Wednesday, April 15, May 20, and June 17 at 4 p.m.

MEMBERS ATTENTION NOMA MEMBERS In an effort to go paperless and to reduce mailing costs, we are asking NOMA members to supply a valid email address to the Museum. We appreciate your cooperation with this process. Please send email addresses to: elevy@noma.org, or call 504-6584127, or mail to PO Box 19123 New Orleans LA 70179-0123.

NVC STUDIO SALONS Chairs Mimi Schlesinger and Betty Kern will be starting the 2009 Studio Salons at the top—that is, in the Ritz-Carlton penthouse of studio glass artist Julie Juneau. On Tuesday, May 5, 2009 from 2 to 4 p.m, participants will enjoy penthouse views, light refreshments, and the artistry of Ms. Juneau, whose works are already in the collections of the Ritz-Carlton and discerning local and

national collectors. Participation is limited to 20-25 NOMA Volunteer Committee members. The fee is $25.00. Watch your mail for further announcement of this event. SAVE THE DATE—NOMA’S FALL FUNDRAISERS Love in the Garden— Friday, September 25, 2009. NOMA on the Northshore— Saturday, October 10, 2009. The 44th Odyssey Ball—“What Dreams Will Come”— *Friday, November 13, 2009 (*Date Change). NVC MEMBERSHIP Membership in the NOMA Volunteer Committee is open to all NOMA members. Through its many functions throughout the year, the NVC plays a vital fund-raising role within NOMA. Lectures, studio visits, home tours, galas and children’s events are offered through an NVC membership. Three general meetings a year plus a myriad of other activities and volunteer efforts keep the NVC calendar busy. From stuffing Odyssey Ball invitations and assisting in Art in Bloom setup to gallery visits and out of town trips, the NVC has a spot for you in its family. Dues are nominal. Friendships are free. For more information, contact the NVC office at (504) 658-4121, or go to www.noma.org/membership. NVC GENERAL MEETING The NVC announces its May 11 general meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. in the NOMA auditorium. Because of the popularity of last year’s early evening time slot, Chair Diane Walmsley again invites NVC members and their guests to reap the benefits of daylight savings time and attend this after-hours gathering. Updates on the latest NVC fundraisers, membership drive, and a fascinating lecture are planned. A light supper will follow. n

SENIOR STAFF E. John Bullard, The Montine McDaniel Freeman Director Jacqueline L. Sullivan, Deputy Director Marilyn Dittmann, Director of Development Lisa Rotondo-McCord, Assistant Director for Art/Curator of Asian Art Alice Rae Yelen, Assistant Director for Education Gail Asprodites, Controller Pamela Buckman, Sculpture Garden Manager Aisha Champagne, Director of Publications and Design Sheila Cork, Librarian Diego Cortez, The Freeman Family Curator of Photography Sarah Davidson, Coordinator of Special Events William A. Fagaly, The Françoise Billion Richardson Curator of African Art Julie Galstad, Grants Officer Caroline Goyette, Editor of Museum Publications Jennifer Ickes, Assistant Registrar Kristin Jochem, Development Associate for NVC John W. Keefe, The RosaMary Foundation Curator of The Decorative Arts Miranda Lash, Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art Elizabeth Levy, Membership Assistant Katherine Marquette, Education Assistant James Mulvihill, Director of Communications and Marketing Karl Oelkers, Facilities Manager Marney N. Robinson, Associate Curator of Education George Roland, The Doris Zemurray Stone Curator of Prints and Drawings Paul Tarver, Registrar/Curator of Native American and Pre-Columbian Art Patricia Trautman, Museum Shop Manager Laura Wallis, Development Associate for Membership and Annual Appeal Holly M. Wherry, Art Therapist, Katrina Initiative NOMA BOARD OF TRUSTEES Stephen H. Hansel, President Leonard Davis, Vice-President Mrs. Charles B. Mayer, Vice-President Mrs. James Frischhertz, Vice-President William Aaron, Treasurer David Edwards, Secretary Mrs. Françoise Billion Richardson, Assistant Treasurer Mrs. John Bertuzzi Sydney J. Besthoff III Mrs. Mark Carey Edgar B. Chase III Isidore Cohn, Jr., M.D. S. Stewart Farnet H. Mortimer Favrot Mrs. Ludovico Feoli Timothy Francis Roy A. Glapion Lee Hampton Adrea Heebe Ms. Allison Kendrick Subhash V. Kulkarni Henry Lambert Paul J. Leaman, Jr. Paul Masinter Edward C. Mathes Kay McArdle Alvin Merlin, M.D. Councilmember Shelly Midura Mrs. R. King Milling Michael Moffitt Mayor C. Ray Nagin Howard Osofsky, M.D. Mrs. Robert J. Patrick Thomas Reese, Ph.D. Mrs. James Reiss Mrs. George Rodrigue Bryan Schneider Mrs. Lynes R. Sloss Charles A. Snyder Mrs. Richard Strub Mrs. Patrick F. Taylor Mrs. Hughes P. Walmsley, Jr. Louis A. Wilson, Jr. HONORARY LIFE TRUSTEES H. Russell Albright, M.D. Mrs. Jack R. Aron Mrs. Edgar B. Chase, Jr. Prescott N. Dunbar Mrs. Richard W. Freeman, Jr. Kurt A. Gitter, M.D. Mrs. H. Lloyd Hawkins Mrs. Killian L. Huger Mrs. Erik Johnsen Richard W. Levy, M.D. J. Thomas Lewis Mrs. Paula L. Maher Mrs. J. Frederick Muller, Jr. Mrs. Jeri Nims Mrs. Charles S. Reily Mrs. Françoise Billion Richardson R. Randolph Richmond, Jr. Mrs. Frederick M. Stafford Harry C. Stahel Mr. and Mrs. Moise S. Steeg, Jr. Mrs. Harold H. Stream Mrs. James L. Taylor Mrs. John N. Weinstock

NATIONAL TRUSTEES Joseph Baillo Mrs. Carmel Cohen Mrs. Mason Granger Jerry Heyman Herbert Kaufman, M.D. Mrs. James Pierce Mrs. Benjamin Rosen Mrs. Robert Shelton Ms. Debra Shriever Mrs. Henry H. Weldon

NEW ORLEANS MUSEUM OF ART

NOMA Exhibition Schedule

STYLE, FORM AND FUNCTION: Glass from the Collection of Jack M. Sawyer (organized by NOMA) (EWF Galleries) Through April 26, 2009

The Mind’s Eye: Without Subject Matter, What Does the Artist See? (organized by NOMA) (Templeman Galleries) May 16 - October 11, 2009

With a Little Help from Our Friends: New Acquisitions in the Decorative Arts (organized by NOMA) (Lupin Cameo Gallery) June 20, 2009 - January 3, 2010

Frederick Brown: New Portraits of Jazz Greats

William Woodward: Impressionist in Louisiana (organized by HNOC and NOMA) (Louisiana Galleries) October 17, 2009 - February 28, 2010

(organized by NOMA) (EWF Galleries) Through April 26, 2009

EXPRESSION, INNOVATION AND DESIGN: Studio Ceramics from the Permanent Collection (organized by NOMA) (Lupin Cameo Gallery) Through June 7, 2009

Dreams Come True: Art of the Classic Fairy Tales from the Walt Disney Studio

Evening in Paris: NOMA Celebrates the City of Light with Posters and Photographs from the Permanent Collection

(organized by NOMA) (EWF Galleries) November 15, 2009 - March 14, 2010

Through June 28, 2009

Dreams Come True showcases original artwork from legendary Disney animated films, including Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast, and will feature a children’s section celebrating Disney’s connections with jazz music and the Crescent City. The artworks, on loan from the Walt Disney Studio Animation Research Library, will be accompanied by film clips to demonstrate how individual sketches and paintings lead to a finished celluloid masterpiece. Organized by the Walt Disney Animation Research Library and the New Orleans Museum of Art, this once-in-a-lifetime exhibition, which cannot be seen anywhere else, is set to coincide with the premiere of Disney’s upcoming animated feature, The Princess and the Frog, set in New Orleans during the 1920s Jazz Age.

Author and Subject: Murasaki Shikibu and The Tale of Genji (organized by NOMA) (Stafford Gallery) Through June 29, 2009

Women Artists in Louisiana, 1825-1965: A Place of Their Own (organized by HNOC and NOMA) (Lupin Cameo Gallery) April 15 - September 13, 2009

Käthe Kollwitz: Graphics from the Stein Collection The Art of Caring: A Look at Life through Photography (organized by NOMA) (EWF Galleries) May 16 - October 11, 2009

ARTS QUARTERLY

(organized by NOMA) (Templeman Galleries) November 15, 2009 - March 14, 2010

For further information on upcoming exhibitions and events at the New Orleans Museum of Art, call 504-658-4100, or visit our website at www.noma.org. n

NOMA Calendar of Events LEGEND: ●

Art Therapy Events

✣

Art of Caring Community Partner’s Day

¶ Exhibitions ■

Films

❃

Lectures and Walk-Throughs

❂

Library Events

❖

Mid-Week in Mid-City (Museum Hours on Wednesdays: 12:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.)

APRIL 2009

Sunday

✖

Sculpture Garden Events

◆

Summer Art Studios

Monday

Tuesday ❃❖

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

7 ❃❖

Women Artists in Louisiana, 1825-1965: A Place of Their Own and A Discourse in Abstraction: Jennifer Odem and NOMA’s Permanent Collection opens.

6:00 p.m. EXPRESSION, INNOVATION AND DESIGN: American Studio Ceramics from the Permanent Collection (Lupin Cameo Gallery)

❃

2:00 p.m. The Southern Cosmopolitan: Sophisticated Southern Style (Stern Auditorium)

12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. Book Discussion Group: Posthuman Dada Guide: Tzara and Lenin Play Chess by Andrei Codrescu

2:00 p.m. A Discourse in Abstraction: Jennifer Odem and NOMA’s Permanent Collection (Frederick R. Weisman Galleries)

❂

❃❖

Last Day: Glass from the Jack M. Sawyer Collection and Frederick J. Brown: New Portraits of Jazz Greats

6:00 p.m. Artist Forum: Celebrating Sculptor Arthur Silverman’s 45 Years in the Arts (Café)

❃

4 ✖ 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Iris Festival

6:00 p.m. Author and Subject: Murasaki Shikibu and The Tale of the Genji (Japanese Galleries)

Saturday

❃❖

❂

6:00 p.m. Gallery talk with video artist Kara Hearn

9:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Book Club - Field trip to the East St. John High School

Monday

MAY 2009

Sunday

❃

❂

Friday

Saturday

8 ●

12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. Book Discussion Group: Lisa Rotondo-McCord - Murasaki Shikibu and The Tale of the Genji by Liz Dalby

11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Family Community Art-Making

❃❖ 6:00 p.m. Women Artists in Louisiana, 1825-1965: A Place of Their Own

❃ ✖❖

❂

6:00 p.m. Horticulture walking tour in the Sculpture Garden

12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. Book Discussion Group:Tale of Murasaki: A Novel by Liz Dalby

6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Members’ Preview of The Art of Caring: A Look at Life through Photograpy

10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. The Art of Caring and The Mind’s Eye opens to the public

✣ 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. The Art of Caring : An Afternoon Focus on Hospice National Hospice Foundation Day

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

❃❖

2:00 p.m. Panel Discussion, The Art of Caring: A Look at Life through Photography

6:00 p.m. The Art of Caring: A Look at Life through Photography (Ella West Freeman Galleries)

❂

3:00 p.m. Meet the Author - John W. Scott, author of Natalie Scott: A Magnificent Life.

Thursday

Wednesday

Tuesday

■❖ 6:00 p.m. What Remains: The Life and Work of Sally Mann (Stern Auditorium)

JUNE 2009

Sunday

Tuesday

2 ❃ ✖❖

6:00 p.m. Walking tour of the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden

◆

✣

Art Studio for Children Powwow at NOMA Ages 4-6

11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. The Art of Caring Community Partners Day

●❖ 6:00 p.m. Community Art Studio (For Adults)

◆

Art Studio for Children Be Like Mic...elangelo Ages 7-9

Monday

❃❖ 6:00 p.m. The Mind’s Eye: Without Subject Matter, What Does the Artist See? (Templeman Galleries)

◆

✣

Art Studio for Children Space: The Final Frontier Ages 10-12

11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. The Art of Caring Community Partners Day

■❖

❂

6:00 p.m. Annie Leibovitz film (Stern Auditorium)

12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. Book Discussion Group: Natalie Scott: A Magnificent Life by John W. Scott

Post Office Box 19123 New Orleans, Louisiana 70179-0123

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