NEW ORLEANS MUSEUM OF ART HOSTS ITS ANNUAL FUNDRAISER LOVE IN THE GARDEN PRESENTED BY HANCOCK WHITNEY
The garden party in NOMA’s Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden is on Friday, September 22.
NEW ORLEANS – The New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA) will host its popular fundraising event LOVE in the Garden Presented by Hancock Whitney on Friday, September 22, 2023. Held in NOMA’s Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden, LOVE in the Garden celebrates the culture and spirit of New Orleans through food, drink, and music—all in support of the museum’s mission to inspire lifelong learning through the arts.
“LOVE in the Garden is a beloved New Orleans tradition, and we look forward to welcoming attendees to celebrate our city in the truly unique setting of NOMA’s Besthoff Sculpture Garden,” said Susan M. Taylor, The Montine McDaniel Freeman Director of NOMA. “We are thankful to presenting sponsor Hancock Whitney for helping us organize this important event, which raises necessary funds for NOMA’s exhibitions and programs all year round.”
“It’s an honor to support the New Orleans Museum of Art as presenting sponsor for LOVE in the Garden,” said Elizabeth Hefler, Greater New Orleans Regional President of Hancock Whitney and NOMA Trustee. “NOMA is a vital part of the city’s cultural landscape, and Hancock Whitney is delighted to be a continued partner with the museum for this one-of-a-kind event.”
Named one of the best sculpture parks in the country by USA Today’s 10Best, NOMA’s Besthoff Sculpture Garden is home to nearly 100 sculptures by some of the most renowned artists from the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries—all installed in a landscape unique to South Louisiana. In addition to offering attendees the opportunity to explore the Besthoff Sculpture Garden under the stars, LOVE in the Garden will feature festive live music from NOCCA Trio and Raw Deal.
The eighth annual LOVE in the Garden Cocktail Challenge presented by Sazerac spotlights five of the city’s most creative bartending talents, who will each present a unique drink inspired by a different type of love. This year’s challengers are Zen Castro (Latitude 29, Espiritu, and Turning Tables), Lara Desmond (DBA NOLA and USBG), Mark Griffin (Pigeon and Whale), Chris Hannah (The Bar at the Jewel of the South), and Sam Kiley (Dovetail and Turning Tables).
Featured cuisine is provided from over two dozen top New Orleans restaurants, chefs, and caterers, including Acme Oyster House, Angelo Brocato’s Italian Ice Cream and Pastry, Aunt Sally’s Pralines, Barracuda, Blue Oak BBQ, Café Degas, Café NOMA, Crescent City Brewhouse, Crescent City Steakhouse, Elizabeth’s Restaurant, G’s Pizza, Gracious Bakery and Café, Highly Seasoned Catering, Ice Cream 504, Jewel of the South, Lula Restaurant Distillery, Martin Wine Cellar, Nothing Bundt Cakes – Metairie, P.F. Chang’s, Picnic Provisions & Whiskey, Silk Road, Southern Candymakers, Swiss Confectionery, The Station Coffee Shop & Bakery, The Vintage, and Velvet Cactus.
This year’s LOVE in the Garden event committee is led by event chairs Carroll Gelderman and Carter Perrilliat with NOMA Volunteer Committee chair Elizabeth Grimes. The patron party begins at 7 pm, and the garden party is 8–11 pm. Attire for the event is garden party casual.
Tickets are available at noma.org/love.
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About NOMA and the Besthoff Sculpture Garden
The New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA) and its Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden are home to innovative exhibitions, installations, educational programs, and research. Exploring human creativity across time, cultures, and disciplines, the global scope of the museum’s initiatives open a vibrant dialogue with the history and culture of New Orleans. The museum stewards a collection of nearly 50,000 works, with exceptional holdings in African art, photography, decorative arts, and Japanese art, as well as strengths in American and French art, and an expanding collection highlighting contemporary artists. The museum’s exhibitions and dynamic learning and engagement offerings serve as a forum for visitors to engage with diverse perspectives, share cultural experiences, and foster a life of learning at all ages. Recent exhibitions include Black Orpheus: Jacob Lawrence and the Mbari Club, Called to the Camera: Black American Studio Photographers, The Orléans Collection (an exhibition of forty European masterpieces from the collection of the city’s namesake, Philippe II, Duc d’Orléans), East of the Mississippi: Nineteenth Century America Landscape Photography, Changing Course: Reflections on New Orleans Histories (seven contemporary art projects focusing on reimagining stories from the city’s past), and Ancestors of Congo Square: African Art in the New Orleans Museum of Art.
NOMA’s 12-acre Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden expands visitors’ experiences of the museum with one of the most notable sculpture gardens in the country. The Besthoff Sculpture Garden, free and open to the public seven days a week, has nearly 100 sculptures and outdoor works of art situated in a unique landscape featuring Spanish moss-laden live oaks and a sinuous lagoon surrounded by an expansive ecosystem of native plants. The works in the garden range from the 19th to the 21st centuries, with pieces by Auguste Rodin, Henry Moore, Louise Bourgeois, Ida Kohlmeyer, Claes Oldenburg, Sean Scully, Maya Lin, Do Ho Suh, Ugo Rondinone, Wangechi Mutu, Hank Willis Thomas, and many others. The Besthoff Sculpture Garden features contemporary design elements—including a sculpture pavilion, an amphitheater, and an architecturally significant canal link bridge connecting the garden’s original 2003 footprint with a 2019 expansion. Its water management practices support the health and resiliency of New Orleans City Park and the surrounding environment. Throughout the year, NOMA hosts outdoor programs in the Besthoff Sculpture Garden including festivals, performances, wellness classes, tours, and more.
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Media Contact:
Charlie Tatum, Director of Marketing and Communications
ctatum@noma.org | 504.658.4103