Needless to say, New Orleans is a city teeming with all kinds of artists, from painters to poets to musicians and mystics. The array of events can be overwhelming to keep track of, especially when juggling classes and events around Tulane’s campus. To stay up to date, continue reading for a non-exhaustive list of art-related events taking place in New Orleans this fall. Most are art exhibits, with a few festivals sprinkled in. For more information on upcoming festivities, check out neworleans.com.
To kick things off, on October 1st, right here in Uptown Art for Art’s Sake stretches six miles down Magazine Street, and boasts food, music, and art on display for everyone to enjoy. The best part? All of the galleries will be free to stroll through! Magazine Street is easily accessible for anyone living around Tulane’s campus, and this is a great way to get an intimate feel for a part of the city off campus! Whether it is your first time venturing down this iconic street, or a return to your favorite location, this is a great opportunity to experience the area.
On October 8th and 9th, The Gentilly Festival will be happening in Pontchartrain Park. From noon to 8 pm each day, this festival boasts continuous live music across three stages, with food, and art from local vendors surrounding the areas. Well-known local musicians including The Batiste Brothers and Bo Dollis and the Wild Magnolias will be performing, as well as Water Seed, who performed at Tulane’s Crawfest last spring. The price of a ticket? Nothing! Since Pontchartrain Park is about a half-hour drive away from campus, this is a great opportunity to explore a different part of the city.
Closer to home, Tulane’s Newcomb Art Museum is currently displaying an exhibit titled To Survive on This Shore. The Newcomb Museum is always free for students, and this particular collection, open until December 10th, highlights the experiences of transgender and gender nonconforming older adults. This collection of photographs is the result of five years of work by artist Jess T. Dugan in cooperation with Vanessa Fabbre, who is a social worker and an assistant professor at the University of Washington in St. Louis.
To continue highlighting works focusing on underrepresentation in the art world, the Arabi Visual Arts Gallery on St. Claude Avenue is hosting an exhibit titled “Metamorphosis: From Marginalized to Magnificent” from now until October 7th, displaying works about and by those who have ever been marginalized by someone else. It features the works of 23 different artists, including work by Jill Stoll, a professor in the Tulane School of Architecture.
At the Gallier House, a historical home in the French Quarter, an exhibit of black and white film photography entitled Death and the Maiden by artist Brittany Markert will be open from October 5th to November 14th. This exhibit is in conjunction with the annual Creole Death and Mourning exhibit, displayed Markert in a way specifically designed for the house. One exhibit at the New Orleans Museum of Art is a collection of work by the artist Polo Silk, who has photographed Black New Orleans for more than three decades. This exhibit demonstrates Silk’s massive role in photographic history, and demonstrates his blending of street photography, portraiture, fashion, and performance. It is described by neworleans.com as a “must-see” exhibit for the month of September, and is on display until January 8th, 2023.
Finally, at the Ogden Museum, the 9th Annual HBCU Showcase exhibits work from students at Dillard University, Xavier University, and the Southern University of New Orleans. This exhibit closes on October 2nd.
Every option listed provides is a unique New Orleans experience. Don’t feel a need to jam them all in, as many will return again! Whichever events you choose to explore, be sure to embrace all that they have to offer! Welcome to fall in the Crescent City.
Featured image via neworleans.com
