Noontime talks are casual conversations between artists, curators, and other special guests with NOMA visitors frequently scheduled throughout the year. Every Wednesday Louisiana residents receive free admission to NOMA courtesy of The Helis Foundation.

Join Decorative Arts Curator Mel Buchanan as she leads visitors through A Queen Within: Adorned Archetypes, NOMA’s first-ever exhibition devoted to fashion. Experimental gowns, headpieces, and jewelry by avant-garde fashion designers Alexander McQueen, Gucci, Gypsy Sport, and Iris van Herpen investigate symbols of womanhood and challenge conventional notions of beauty. More than 100 articles of daring fashion are presented in a dramatic gallery design that explores eight archetypal personality types.