AQJunJulAugSept06

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A benefit of membership with the New Orleans Museum of Art

ARTSQUARTERLY VOLUME XXVIII ISSUE 1

NEW ORLEANS MUSEUM OF ART

JUNE/JULY/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2006

NOMA Survives Katrina

NOMA Director E. John Bullard (at the podium) during the March 3 grand reopening of the Museum. (seated left to right) NOMA Trustee Paul J. Leaman, Jr., NOMA President S. Stewart Farnet, New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin, authors Ernest Gaines and Richard Ford, Wendy and artist George Rodrigue. Photo by Judy Cooper

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fter more than seven months of hearing the voices of only fellow staff members throughout the Museum, NOMA reopened its doors on March 3 to the sounds of hundreds of hopeful and happy visitors, all thrilled to see the Museum intact, unharmed and reopened. The three-day reopening celebration included a salute to the arts entitled “The HeART of New Orleans.” Festivities included performances by Irvin Mayfield, Shades of Praise, Paul Soniat, Philip Manual, Fredy Omar, Delta Festival Ballet and readings and book signings by Richard Ford, Chris Rose, Patricia Brady, Christina Vella, George Rodrigue, among many others. Additionally, four new exhibitions premiered on March 3—Seen in Solitude: Robert Kipniss Prints from the James F. White Collection, Recent Paintings by Robert Kipniss; Inside the Congo: An Introduction to the Field Research Archives of Frère Joseph Cornet, and A Keen Eye: Louisiana Art from the Martha Ann and Ray Samuel Collection. The three-day reopening weekend was celebrated by more than 6,500 visitors. Prior to NOMA’s reopening, the New Orleans Museum of Art faced historic and unprecedented challenges. Although the Museum survived Hurricane Katrina with virtually no damage to the art inside the

building, NOMA suffered many losses, including the layoff of eighty-five percent of its staff and the death of staff member Mathilde “Mimi” Laudumiey. Due to the heroic actions of our staff, the Museum’s collection is safe, but basement offices, mechanical and electrical systems, archival areas and storage areas were damaged. The Besthoff Sculpture Garden also suffered extensive damage to its landscaping. lighting and lagoons, and one sculpture, Virlane Tower by Kenneth Snelson, was seriously harmed. The Museum and the Sculpture Garden sustained $6 million in damage. For several months, communications at NOMA was limited to cell phones and wireless laptops. Through the generosity of the Louisiana Arts and Science Museum, NOMA was given temporary office space for some of its staff members. In Baton Rouge, we were able to set up computers and have access to email, fax and landlines. In the weeks following Hurricane Katrina, the Museum’s staff and board of trustees embarked on an ambitious recovery strategy, which included a financial recovery plan of $15 million over three years that would allow the Museum to reopen and to rehire staff. Buoyed

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AQJunJulAugSept06 by New Orleans Museum of Art - Issuu