As spring blooms in New Orleans, our attention turns towards the environment, sustainability, and climate change. Photographer Dionne Lee (American, b. 1988) considers these themes through lenses of representation, power, and personal history in the context of the American landscape. Read More
Gordon Parks famously stated that photography was his “choice of weapons” against racism, intolerance, and poverty. While photographs have certainly been used to document and advance social justice causes in the past, the use of photography in recent protest movements has demonstrated one of the dangers of the medium. While protest photographs have amplified these movements’ messages and visibility, those very same photographs have been used against their makers by other authorities. This panel explored the new emerging chapter in the ethics of photography, considering how the digital, social world has made photography an instantaneous and global “weapon” that can slip easily from one hand to another, and offering guidance on ethical and inclusive approaches to protest photography. Read More
Viewers of religious art and artifacts in a museum setting often overlook the spiritual significance of the works on display in favor of formal, aesthetic, and historical concerns. Through the lens of the Heart Sutra, the Abbot of the New Orleans Zen Temple discusses the depiction of various Buddhist figures in the exhibition “Buddha and Shiva, Lotus and Dragon,” including Shakyamuni, Avalokiteshvara, and Shariputra. Read More
Symbols of Communication is a large-scale, bas-relief mural by Enrique Alférez, a Mexican artist who lived and worked in New Orleans. The mural celebrates the diversity of human culture, and showcases our desire to share our stories and connect with one another through language. Read More
NOMA announces the opening of the Lapis Center for the Arts. The newly renovated cultural space will serve multiple functions, including film screenings, lectures, theater and dance performances, and much more Read More