NOMA Creative Assembly seeks to give renewed expression to the diverse voices embodied in New Orleans’ various neighborhoods. These neighborhoods are places that give birth and places where the honored dead remain present. They invite belonging, whether for a day or for many generations. Gathered between the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain, our neighborhoods are spaces where cultures flow from across continents and oceans to flourish. They are landscapes where nature takes on countless culinary, linguistic, ancestral, and sacred forms. Neighborhoods allow us to share our anguish and ask us to offer a voice for those who have suffered in the silences of injustice and ignorance. Through music, dance, images, and stories, we hope to create a space of belonging where people can see reflections of their own neighborhoods and find themselves at home.
New Orleans is one of the most culturally rich cities in the world, and its layers of culture can be experienced in an endless number of ways. As the largest museum in the region, the New Orleans Museum of Art has a singular opportunity to serve as a nexus and forum for New Orleans’ vast cultural production. The Creative Assembly Cohort is a multidisciplinary group of New Orleans-based creators who immerse themselves within the museum’s collection and use the institution as a catalyst for their own work and creativity.
The disciplines of cohort members vary, but range from musicians, dancers, and poets to mixologists, activists, and educators. Cohort members use the museum as a space for inspiration and collaboration and work with the museum and its staff to develop and implement programs that speak to a diversity of perspectives.
On August 21, the New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA) hosted a film screening and discussion event centered around the documentary Katrina Babies, directed by Edward Buckles Jr. This powerful film, which provides an intimate look at the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and its enduring impact on the youth of New Orleans, marked an important occasion in remembrance of the hurricane's 19th anniversary.
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On Wednesday, July 24, community members gathered for a poignant event, titled "Black People Be: An Evening with Creative Assembly Cohort Artist Jourdan Barnes." This program featured a selection of photography from Barnes's Black People Be series, portraying the vibrancy and multifaceted nature of Black existence.
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The New Orleans Museum of Art is seeking applicants for the 2024-2025 Creative Assembly Cohort. The Creative Assembly Cohort is a multidisciplinary group of New Orleans-based creators who immerse themselves within the museum’s collection and use the institution as a catalyst for their work and creativity. The disciplines of cohort members range from musicians, dancers, and poets to mixologists, activists, and educators.
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Creative Assembly Cohort artist Simone Immanuel has just launched Created to Create, a new talk show designed to spark important conversations about creativity in New Orleans.
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