Gambit: Jan 5, 2021

January 5-11 2021 Volume 42 Number 1

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CONTENTS

JAN. 5 — 11, 2021 VOLUME 42 || NUMBER 1 NEWS

after 2020!

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Gambit (ISSN 1089-3520) is published weekly by Capital City Press, LLC, 840 St. Charles Ave., New Orleans, LA 70130. (504) 4865900. We cannot be held responsible for the return of unsolicited manuscripts even if accompanied by a SASE. All material published in Gambit is copyrighted: Copyright 2021 Capital City Press, LLC. All rights reserved.

Masters of the Krewe-niverse

Phunny business PHUNNY PHORTY PHELLOWS ALWAYS COSTUMES TO KICK OFF THE CARNIVAL SEASON ON KING’S DAY, but this year, the members will mask for the pandemic season as they are joined by the Storyville Stompers to ride a streetcar down St. Charles Avenue. The Carnival group departs at 7 p.m. from the Willow Street Car Barn. More information can be found at phunnyphortyphellows.com.

The photo book ‘I Wanna Do That!’ explores the world of marching krewes

BY WILL COVIELLO WITH CARNIVAL PARADES CANCELLED

in New Orleans, there won’t be big floats covered in lights or paper flowers, masked riders tossing beads or local high school marching bands on the streets. There also won’t be processions of colorful dance teams for adults that have become popular in recent years, such as the Camel Toe Lady Steppers, Pussyfooters, 610 Stompers, Bearded Oysters, 689 Swampers and many others. The Laissez Boys and the Rolling Elvi will have to ride their motorized armchairs and scooters elsewhere.

In the years since Hurricane Katrina, Carnival parades have swelled with new marching groups, from the proliferation of dance groups to the Mexican wrestling-inspired El Lucha Krewe. The smaller-scale, independent, DIY krewes have become a big part of Carnival. A few parades are collections of many individual subkrewes, such as the satirical and raunchy Krewe du Vieux and the massive sci-fi confederation, the Intergalactic Krewe of Chewbacchus.

It’s an ever-expanding “Kreweniverse.” That term was coined by Echo Olander and Yoni Goldstein for their recently released photo book “I Wanna Do That!,” in which they captured as many of the groups as possible during Carnival 2020.

After watching a number of the marching krewes participate in the Orpheus parade in 2019, they wanted to see if they could compile a list of all the groups. They realized it was a phenomenon that was ripe for a photography project.

“This is a big cultural movement that no one has documented,” Olander says. “If you conservatively estimate how many people are in these krewes, it’s 10,000 people.”

They ultimately included more than 320 groups in the book, and they acknowledge that there are some more out there.

“Free expression is what it’s all about,” Goldstein says. “For some groups that’s costuming. For some it’s performative — like a dance routine is the important thing.”

The authors had to impose some constraints, such as including only locally based groups and only those

Joan of park

focused on Carnival, so there are no social aid and pleasure clubs.

Much of the book is covered with brilliant, full-page photos. Most of the images were shot by Ryan HodgsonRigsbee and Patrick Niddrie in 2020, and there are a few historical photos.

As a snapshot of last year, it does not include past or dormant groups.

There is a brief history of Carnival and thick chapters on the Black masking groups that created and follow some of the oldest local marching traditions, including Black Masking Indians, Baby Dolls and skeleton gangs, which have histories dating back a century or more.

The book focuses on the explosion of groups in the last 15 years. Several of the dance groups are in the initial chapter titled “Innovators,” which also includes the Baby Dolls. The book also acknowledges the origins of some long active groups. Krewe du Vieux’s predecessor, the Krewe of Clones, was created by a community of artists and paraded in the Warehouse District in the 1980s. The Societe de Ste. Anne also gets credit for its lavish costuming. The Jefferson City Buzzards are noted for its century of marching on Fat Tuesday.

The Krewe-niverse is chaotic by its nature, and the book brings some order to it by grouping krewes with similar elements. The chapter for parades that include many marching subgroups features Krewe du Vieux, Chewbacchus,

P H OTO B Y RYA N H O D G S O N - R I G S B E E

Baby Dolls are among the New Orleans marching traditions captured in ‘I Wanna Do That!’

krewedelusion and Boheme. There also are solo groups that are their own parades, such as Societe de Ste. Anne, Mondo Kaya, Krewe of Cork, Box of Wine and Krewe de Jeanne d’Arc. Photos capture the artistry of ’tit Rex’s shoebox floats, and the beads and bustiers of several women’s groups that party in the French Quarter on the Friday before Fat Tuesday. Hodgson-Rigsbee has spent years photographing Black Masking Indians and they are well represented.

The book includes a Krewe-niverse compendium, with short glosses on the identities or activities of each group. There are lists of more than 60 Masking Indian tribes, a dozen Baby Dolls groups and more than 100 Chewbacchus subkrewes.

The pandemic gave Olander and Goldstein time to work on the project, though it also scuttled their original idea to have a parade to celebrate its release. But the book may be inspiring in a year when Carnival will be a smaller scale affair.

“This year the marching krewes will be the only ‘formal’ activity,” Olander says. “They haven’t shared it with me, but I’ve heard a few things. The spirit of that is not going to die.”

KREWE DE JEANNE D’ARC CELEBRATES IN A NEW WAY IN 2021. INSTEAD OF ITS ANNUAL PARADE, the krewe holds a tableaux in Behrman Memorial Park in Algiers. In addition to the regular groups of knights, angels and other medieval marchers, the krewe is setting up several scenes, including Joan on the pyre, Joan receiving her sword and a soldiers’ encampment.

Some scenes include action or music from bagpipes or a brass band. Attendees will drive by the scenes, and women who have been honored as Joan in recent years will appear as the young martyr in different scenes. Tickets are available via the krewe website (joanofarcparade.org) and Eventbrite, and tickets come with a link to play a Joan of Arc trivia game and to listen to stories about her in English or French.

The tableaux is 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Wednesday, Jan. 6.

Duo tones ALEXIS & THE SAMURAI, or Sweet Crude’s Alexis Marceaux and Sam Craft, perform a show to be livestreamed from d.b.a. at 8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 7. Find the link at stageit.com/dbalive.

Green party SOUL, funk and R&B group Sierra Green & the Soul Machine perform at the Broadside at 8 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 9. Find tickets at Broadsidenola.com.

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N E W

O R L E A N S

N E W S

+

V I E W S

Scientists confirm 2020 lasted eleventy billion decades

# The Count

Thumbs Up/ Thumbs Down

339,000

The Emeril Lagasse Foundation will award more

The approximate number of Americans who have died from COVID-19 as of Dec. 30, when this issue of Gambit went to press.

than $240,000 to 11 nonprofit organizations in support of initiatives that mentor and help youth learn culinary skills and nutritional and arts education. Among the recipients are New Orleans organizations Sprout NOLA, Cafe Hope, the Youth Empowerment Project and the Louisiana Hospitality Foundation.

P H OTO B Y S O P H I A G E R M E R / T H E T I M E S - P I C AYUN E | T H E N E W O R L E A N S A DVO C AT E

Later, 2020

COVID-19 case spike closes indoor bar service The National Independent Venue Association scored a big win for New Orleans music venues when Congress on Dec. 23 finally passed the Save Our Stages Act, a relief package that will provide $15 billion to independent venues across the country. Howie Kaplan, the owner of The Howlin’ Wolf, has been NIVA’s Louisiana precinct captain, and Rob Mercurio, who co-owns Tipitina’s with his Galactic bandmates, has been a frequent advocate on a national level for struggling venues.

Louisiana’s U.S. House Delegation, with the nota-

ble exceptions of Reps. Cedric Richmond and (we can’t believe we’re saying this) Clay Higgins, voted against increasing the coronavirus relief checks to $2,000, despite widespread public support and the backing of President Donald Trump. The measure passed the House last week but was stonewalled by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell as of press time.

NEW ORLEANS CITY OFFICIALS ON DEC. 30 ANNOUNCED bars would no

longer be allowed to have indoor service after two straight weeks of COVID-19 testing rates above 5% triggered a statewide restriction.

Prior to Dec. 30, Orleans had been the only parish in the state in which bars could have at least partial indoor service, which had proved a welcome, if only marginal, amount of income to some businesses and bartenders. Although bars can continue to have limited outdoor service and serve go-cups, many establishments in the city aren’t set up to do so, and in many cases, it does not make economic sense for them to remain open without any indoor service allowed.

Mayor LaToya Cantrell and city officials had warned since Thanksgiving that they would swiftly impose the state mandated ban if testing rates spiked.

2020 through the eyes of our friends Times of tragedy and major social upheaval have long been the breeding ground for extraordinary journalism, and 2020 was no different.

Last week, we brought you a selection of some of our favorite stories

by Gambit staff and contributors from 2020. This week, we would like to present work from our friends and peers at other publications, including stories by local freelancers for national outlets.

THE LENS For a decade, The Lens has provided in-depth investigative coverage of our community, and in 2020 they truly shined. In February, The Lens published the first part of its ambitious Section G Project, a multimedia mix of long-form journalism and podcast episodes about the notorious local judge Frank Shea and the rise of mass incarceration in New Orleans. It’s well worth the time to read and listen to. https://thelensnola.org/category/section-g/ Meanwhile, Lens education reporter Marta Jewson continued her stellar coverage of local schools. Education reporting was turned on its ear thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, to say the least. It’s a tough but important beat, and Jewson used her deep sourcing and knowledge of the education system to help parents navigate efforts to control the spread of the virus in city schools — while continuing to provide in-depth coverage of the many longstanding problems that

According to Louisiana Department of Health data, of the 301,000+ Louisianians who have been infected, at least 7,448 have died, at least 679 in Orleans Parish, 668 in Jefferson Parish, and 39 in St. Bernard Parish.

Worldwide, more than 1.8 million people have been killed by the pandemic.

Public health officials believe more Americans will die from the pandemic than the 407,316 servicemembers killed during World War II.

C’est What

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How long do you keep up the tree after Christmas?

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THE TREE IS UP UNTIL AT LEAST NEW YEAR’S DAY

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Vote on “C’est What?” at www.bestofneworleans.com

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have plagued our schools, including the on-going controversy at John F. Kennedy High School. https://thelensnola.org/2020/11/ 10/new-testimony-reveals-recordkeeping-issues-at-kennedy-hs-wentback-years/ https://thelensnola.org/2020/10/ 26/what-to-know-about-nola-publicschools-covid-19-tracker/ ANTIGRAVITY In addition to reliably providing New Orleans area readers with thoroughly researched, comprehensive “AntiOppression/Anti-BS” voter education guides, Antigravity delivered razor-sharp commentary and dug into problems crippling our society.

Jules Bentley back in May wrote “The ReNopening,” highlighting the cruelties of late-stage capitalism and the mass suffering caused not just by COVID-19 itself as a deadly disease, but by politicians’ ongoing decisions to place the economy on a pedestal while stomping on public health. http://antigravitymagazine.com/ feature/the-renopening/ The alt-monthly also published “Den of Thieves,” the following month, examining the institutionalized exploitation of wealth and power among the tourism elite. “The unlawful use of public funds may be the textbook definition of corruption, but proving criminal mismanagement in New Orleans would be very difficult,” notes writer Holly Devon. “Many of the tourism special interest board members are also high profile lawyers; to catch one of these elite public figures in the act of nepotism, graft, subterfuge, or any other breach of Louisiana’s governmental ethics laws requires a skilled investigator.”

Devon took to task the Louisiana Stadium and Exposition District, which runs the Superdome, Champions Square, Smoothie King Center, the Saints Training Facility, the TPC Louisiana Golf Course, the Shrine on Airline and the Alario Center for receiving tens of millions of dollars on hotel tax, among others. http://antigravitymagazine.com/ feature/den-of-thieves/ Throughout the year, Antigravity also posted correspondences from an imprisoned writer, shed light on the undeniable psychological shifts happening during the pandemic and took a deep dive (again, with Bentley) on what “defunding the police” could mean.

THE ILLUMINATOR Meanwhile, The Illuminator opened up a newsroom in Baton Rouge to cover the capitol shenanigans, and let’s just say thank God south Louisiana got Jarvis DeBerry and Julie O’Donoghue back — among other talented staff. In addition to providing the state with news briefs, they are also working on ongoing

investigations and covering the legislature’s daily antics when in session. One of our favorite stories was O’Donoghue’s look at truck stop casinos operating during the coronavirus pandemic and the gamblers who can’t stay away. https://lailluminator.com/2020/ 08/07/business-is-booming-in-louisianas-truck-stop-casinos-during-coronavirus/ As editor, DeBerry delivers powerful commentary on COVID-19 disproportionately impacting the Black community and recently wrote a thoughtful piece advocating for the support of the people of Lake Charles who have lost so much this year from hurricanes. https://lailluminator.com/2020/12/ 25/lake-charles-and-all-of-southwest-louisiana-deserve-your-christmas-generosity/ FREELANCE WRITERS Early this year, New Orleans-based writer and teacher Jason Christian wrote an article for Country Roads about the “small but thriving community” of Japanese professional musicians that call New Orleans home.

Christian spends time with pianist Yoshitaka “Z2” Tsuji and trombonist Haruka Kikuchi — who also happen to be married — and digs into the interesting jazz bridge spanning from New Orleans to Japan. https://countryroadsmagazine.com/ art-and-culture/people-places/ nippon-orleans/ In February, The New York Times published New Orleans-based photographer and journalist L. Kasimu Harris’ photo-heavy article on the vanishing Black bars and lounges on St. Bernard Avenue. Harris writes that he began photographing those St. Bernard Avenue businesses two years ago. “The trend is not limited to this avenue, though,” he writes.

“Central City, a neighborhood in Uptown New Orleans that was once a bevy of Black spaces, is experiencing a similar shift. Tradition is paramount — and I fear what will become of my city if these traditions are lost.” https://www.nytimes.com/2020/ 02/24/us/new-orleans-black-barssecond-lines.html New Orleans journalist Katy Reckdahl and photographer Kathleen Flynn captured how the coronavirus pandemic forced Black New Orleanians to break or adapt from the city’s funeral traditions. In absorbing description and beautiful photos, Reckdahl and Flynn documented how families grieved in 2020 in smaller funerals and without second lines and other traditional New Orleans sendoffs. https://www.vox.com/2020/6/5/ 21275105/new-orleans-funerals-covid-19-pandemic

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COMMENTARY

AS WE START THE NEW YEAR , we take

this moment to thank you, our readers. 2020 challenged us, to say the least. COVID-19 changed everything for the worse, climate change unleashed one of the most destructive hurricane seasons ever, and too many of our elected officials chose to grandstand rather than lead.

Realistically, 2021 may not be a particularly good year, but we find reasons for hope, even in these dark times, thanks to our fellow citizens’ collective response to the difficulties of 2020.

P H OTO B Y M I C H A E L D E M O C K E R / When the pandemic T H E T I M E S - P I C AYUN E began, many cast New Fireworks explode over the big lake at Orleans as one of the City Park on New Year’s Eve 2018. hardest-hit communities in the world. We are, after all, an affectionate bunch.

Other krewes and Carnival groups Singing, dancing and gathering are doing what New Orleans does in large numbers are as natural to best: getting creative. From the New Orleanians as breathing. But Mahogany Baby Dolls returning New Orleans’ culture is much more to their historical roots to krewes than our love of a good party, so we raising funds for worthy causes to donned strange, drab masks and the Krewe of House Floats, New learned to keep our distance. The Orleanians are sending a clear fact that New Orleans closed out message to the world: Keeping each 2020 as arguably the safest city in other safe doesn’t mean letting go of the South relative to other metropolwhat makes us, well, us. itan areas when it comes to Covid And when Louisiana took it on reflects the determination and civic the chin — again — during hurricane mindedness of its people. season, all of southeastern Louisiana Assuming things go reasonably responded admirably by opening close to the government’s vaccitheir arms, homes and wallets to nation plans, we could return to our neighbors in Lake Charles and “normal” by early fall. The prospect of other regions. music returning to our streets — and Perhaps most importantly, 2020 posteriors to our favorite barstools — showed us the power and efficacy excites us all. Hopefully, the promise of second lining and crowding around of grassroots organizing. From anti-police brutality protests in tables at neighborhood boils will fuel the summer to the fall’s successful our resolve to stay masked up and efforts to protect the city’s libraries socially distant during this next (and to beginning the process of changhopefully last) leg of the pandemic.

We also draw hope from the remark- ing the criminal justice system, New Orleanians flexed their muscles able way in which New Orleanians in an extraordinary way last year. responded to Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s In doing so, citizens rejected the decision to call off major Carnival notion of “that’s just the way it is” and Mardi Gras events this year. As and set the stage for a potentially our cover story this week shows, monumental citywide election our community has responded not next Fall. with defiance but with responsibility.

As we begin 2021, let us remain The city’s Big Chiefs and the leaders vigilant yet hopeful, and let us never of Zulu are powerful voices in New forget the harsh lessons we learned Orleans, and they’ve used that power to try to protect all of us. in 2020.

Thank you for supporting us through the difficulties of 2020.

Wishing you and your families a healthy & peaceful holiday.

Looking forward to a new year and new beginnings.

pandemic hours mon - sat 10 - 5:30 7732 m a p l e 865 . 9625

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Amid 2020’s harsh lessons, there are reasons for hope in 2021

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December 8-14 2020 Volume 41 Number 47

December 1-7, 2020 Volume 41 // Number 46

December 15-21 2020 Volume 41 Number 48

December 22-28 2020 Volume 41 Number 49

December 29, 2020January 4, 2021 Volume 41 Number 50

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CLANCY DUBOS

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@clancygambit

Timing a big factor in race to succeed Jason Williams on City Council WHILE IT’S TRUE THAT MONEY IS THE MOTHER’S MILK of

politics, it’s equally true that timing can turn an election on a dime. Case in point: the race to succeed at-large City Councilman Jason Williams, who takes his oath as New Orleans’ new district attorney on Jan. 11.

The timing of Williams’ resignation from the council will determine if his successors-in-waiting compete in a special election this spring or in the scheduled citywide elections in October. It literally comes down to a matter of hours.

The City Charter has very time-specific provisions for filling a council vacancy. The remaining council members must choose an interim successor within 30 days — after that, the mayor names an interim replacement.

The charter further provides that a vacancy occurring with “one year or more” remaining in the term requires a special election to fill the vacancy. If the vacancy occurs with “less than one year” remaining, there is no special election.

Which brings us to the timing of Williams’ resignation. He takes his oath as DA on Jan. 11. The current council terms end on Jan. 10, 2022, which means a resignation by Williams effective Jan. 11 would create a vacancy for the maximum possible time without requiring a special election. If, on the other hand, Williams were to resign shortly before midnight on Jan. 10, the vacancy would occur for exactly a year — and require a special election.

I could not reach Williams to ask him about this, but several people close to him say he intends to resign right before taking his oath as district attorney — on Jan. 11.

The difference of a few hours in Williams’ resignation creates a world of difference in the political dynamics of the race to succeed him. A special election would allow elected officials (other than judges) to run without risking their current jobs.

At least two council members — Kristin Gisleson Palmer and Jared Brossett — are keen to run for Williams’ seat. If the race to succeed Williams happens in October, Palmer will have to choose between

P H OTO B Y C H R I S G R A N G E R / T H E T I M E S - P I C AYUN E | T H E N E W O R L E A N S A DVO C AT E

At-large City Councilman Jason Williams will be sworn-in as district attorney on Jan. 11.

seeking re-election to her District C seat and running for the at-large seat; she tells me she plans to run at-large, period. Brossett is term limited in District D so it’s up-or-out for him either way.

Of the timing, Palmer says she expects it to be in October. She adds that she’s in no hurry to begin campaigning “because we all have a lot of things to focus on in 2021.”

Others looking at the seat include state Rep. Royce Duplessis and former state Sen. JP Morrell. Duplessis probably prefers an October election because lawmakers must be in Baton Rouge almost daily starting in April (the likely date for a special election).

Morrell is out of public office, thanks to legislative term limits, though he has had his eye on an at-large council seat for some time.

District B Councilman Jay Banks, who does not appear anxious to make the at-large race, offered his own take on the matter of timing.

“It’s still very early,” Banks said.

“A whole lot could happen to change things between now and qualifying.”

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A NOLA.com article about Gayle Benson’s new winery, Twelfth Labour Wine Co., said the name was a reference to it being Tom Benson’s twelfth line of business. Can you name all 12?

Dear reader, Twelfth Labour Wine Co. is a small winery that Gayle Benson said her husband Tom began before his death in 2018. The wines, which debuted locally last month, are made in California with grapes from Napa Valley and Sonoma.

The name references Benson’s 12 fields of business and the Twelve Labours of Hercules, the tasks the Greek mythological hero had to complete.

According to spokesman Greg Bensel, here are Tom Benson’s twelve “labours:” the U.S. Navy, the automotive business, banking, Benson Financial Corp., football, basketball, thoroughbred horse racing/breeding, ranching, real estate, television, beer and wine.

Born in 1927, Tom Benson enlisted in the Navy in 1945, when he was a 17-year-old student at Loyola University. Near the end of World War II, he served in the Pacific aboard the U.S.S. South Dakota.

After the war, Benson entered the automotive business. He took a job as a bookkeeper for Cathey Chevrolet, which was later bought

by Mike Persia. Persia became Benson’s mentor, making him the dealership’s office manager and then sales manager. In 1958, Benson moved to San Antonio to run Persia’s Chevrolet dealership.

Over the years, Benson would become a car dealer himself, owning 33 dealerships in Texas and Louisiana.

He also entered the banking business, purchasing his first bank in 1978. He would go on to own five banks, eventually placing his holdings under the umbrella of Benson Financial Corp.

Locally, Benson is best known as a sports titan. In 1985, he led a group of 25 investors that bought the New Orleans Saints for $70 million. His proudest moment was hoisting the Lombardi Trophy when the team won its first Super Bowl in 2010. Benson also made a foray into the Arena Football League in 1998 by purchasing the New Orleans VooDoo.

P H OTO B Y B I L L F E I G /A P

Tom Benson and his wife, Gayle, on the sidelines at a Saints Game in 2017.

In 2012, Benson bought New Orleans’ NBA franchise, then called the New Orleans Hornets.

Tom and Gayle Benson, who married in 2004, paid $338 million for the team which they renamed the Pelicans.

Benson also entered the ranching business in Texas. According to a 2017 Times-Picayune article, he also raced quarter horses and owned show horses at his Johnson City ranch. That interest would reemerge in 2014, when the Bensons established GMB Racing. The thoroughbred racing and breeding business bears Gayle Marie Benson’s initials. GMB owned the 2016 Kentucky Derby starters Mo Tom and Tom’s Ready, as well as 2018 contender Lone Sailor.

Benson also branched out into real estate, through his company Zelia LLC. In 2009, the company purchased the Dominion Tower near the Superdome (renaming it Benson Tower). Benson also purchased the 400,000-square foot New Orleans Centre mall and parking garage. Since Benson’s death, Gayle Benson has continued to acquire real estate, with her business, GMB Properties, purchasing a stake in the Hyatt Regency Hotel last year.

In 2008, Tom Benson became a major player in broadcasting when he paid $41 million for WVUE-TV Fox 8. The Bensons owned the station until 2017.

Although wine is a new business for Gayle Benson, she does own a brewery. In 2017, the Bensons purchased a majority interest in Dixie Beer. Last November, Benson announced that the name would be changed to Faubourg Brewing Company.

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SOCIAL DISTANCE NOW

s U k n i r D And Some Wine NEW ORLEANS’ PLANS FOR AN UNUSUAL MARDI GRAS TAKE SHAPE

BY M AT T H A INE S

P H OTO B Y J A M E S C U L L E N , T H E AC C I D E N TA L C A J U N | P R OV I D E D B Y A A R O N “ F L AG B OY G I Z ” H A R T L E Y

Aaron “Flagboy Giz” Hartley at Super Sunday of 2019

Editor’s note: this is one of a series of stories Gambit is running on how Carnival and Mardi Gras plans are changing due to the coronavirus.

for so long, my ass would fall asleep,” he says with a laugh. And he talks with excitement about his role on Mardi Gras Day, for miles carrying the flag of — and sending signals for — one of New Orleans’ most famous Black Masking Indian tribes.

CARNIVAL IS GOING TO LOOK A LOT DIFFERENT

P H OTO B Y H E N R Y YO R K | P R OV I D E D B Y A N I TA O U B R E

Members of the Mahogany Blue Baby Dolls

this year for Aaron “Flagboy Giz” Hartley.

If this was a normal January, Hartley — who has been the Flag Boy for the Wild Tchoupitoulas Mardi Gras Indian Tribe for the last six years — would be obsessing over his suit.

He spends hundreds and sometimes more than a thousand hours throughout the year sewing together colorful beads and feathers.

“I start working on it in March,” he says. “When Super Sunday and St. Joseph’s Night are done and I’m soaking in my Epsom salt, I’m already sketching out my next idea. Then I’m sewing seven days a week. Six if it’s a bad week.”

Sewing his suit is a major focus of Hartley’s life throughout the year, so much so that when he worked as a bellman, Hartley would request the graveyard shift so he could keep working when no one was around. “I’d sit there sewing

BUT THE CORONAVIRUS — WHICH HAS KILLED MORE THAN 330,000 AMERICANS, including

more than 7,400 Louisianans, and disproportionately impacted the Black community — has derailed those traditions.

This year, the Wild Tchoupitoulas won’t be celebrating Mardi Gras as a group.

“Our Big Chief said he doesn’t want us out there this Mardi Gras because of Covid,” Hartley says. “‘Cause he says it’s not safe for our members or the public.”

Hartley says most of the Black Masking Indians he talked to from other tribes said their Big Chiefs told them the same thing: Stay home, stay safe. And he understands it. Hartley lost an uncle to coronavirus. He says he doesn’t want

P H OTO B Y B R A N DA N “ B - M I K E ” O D U M S

Aaron “Flagboy Giz” Hartley

to violate any of City Hall’s public safety guidelines or to put anyone else at risk.

But still, there’s disappointment.

“I work a lot,” says Hartley, who leads kayak trips and produces music. “And when I’m not working, I’m sewing. The only time I really get out is for Second lines on the weekend, Mardi Gras, Super Sunday and St. Joseph’s Night. That’s it. Now we don’t have any of those things. And I want to do something.”

WITH CARNIVAL SEASON ABOUT TO KICK OFF, much of the city

can relate to Hartley’s desire to “do something.”

On Nov. 17, Mayor LaToya Cantrell announced that the usual slate of Carnival parades would not take place in Orleans Parish in 2021. But no one can “cancel” Mardi Gras — Carnival traditions are centuries old and have been celebrated in numerous ways, from small feasts to blow-out balls. Cantrell noted New Orleans’ Mardi Gras 2021 would just look different than it has in some time.

The city opened a month-long brainstorm session to residents and received more than 300 proposals, ranging from socially distanced neighborhood mini-parades to citywide scavenger hunts to something involving hot air balloons.

Cantrell’s announcement came

WE EVENT EKE THIS ND !

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even as a number of krewes and Carnival parades were already pulling the plug on their 2021 plans.

From Rex to Chewbacchus, organizers were bowing to the inevitability of the deadly pandemic.

The decision to call off major parades and other events may have been painful, but it was also obvious. While many people are disappointed that Carnival won’t feature those large, communal experiences, nearly everyone has backed the decision, particularly Black New Orleanians, who have borne the brunt of the disease’s deadly impacts.

“Of course, it’s shocking to hear that parades are cancelled,” says Anita Oubre, the founder of the Mahogany Blue Baby Dolls. “But look at all the deaths from Covid.

Cancelling was the only decision that could be made.”

The Mahogany Blue Baby Dolls won’t be parading this year, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be celebrating, Oubre says. “The dresses might not be as elaborate as in years past, and we’re not going to frequent the neighborhood bars or parade from place to place with a full band like we normally do,” she says. “But we’ve got to put on the dresses. It’s part of our history.”

In fact, Mahogany and other Baby Doll groups are looking to their history for inspiration. “We’re thinking of going back to the good old days and just getting our small group together outside,” Oubre says.

“In the 1930s, Babydolling was centered around family,” she adds.

“Some members of the family played music on washboards and kazoos while the women soaked beans and fried chicken. They’d dress their children for the day and then put on their own bonnets and lace.”

A smaller affair would also create space to acknowledge the seriousness of the pandemic and remember lost loved ones, even while the Baby Dolls celebrate life. “I think a small gathering in our dresses with prayer, music and some dancing among ourselves could be a really special Mardi Gras,” Oubre says.

“Then we’ll do it big again in 2022.”

A major unknown is what, if anything, Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club will end up doing this year. A highlight not only of Mardi Gras but the entire Carnival season, Zulu’s parade has been a fixture in the city’s Black community for more than a century.

Zulu has already announced it won’t be parading this year, and it won’t crown a king or queen. It also has officially cancelled the various events associated with the annual parade. A spokesperson for Zulu did not respond to a recent request for comment, but Zulu President Elroy James told Gambit in late November that if the krewe does ultimately decide to organize any public event during Carnival, it would likely be last-minute and small.

“Whatever we put together is going to be small in scale,” he said.

“We probably won’t do a lot of advertising because we know that we have the gravitas to where if we put something out, the community is really plugged into things that the organization hosts.”

AS CARNIVAL SEASON BEGINS, SEVERAL GROUPS HAVE ALREADY ANNOUNCED THEIR UNIQUE PLANS

for a non-traditional Mardi Gras.

Krewe of Bacchus, for example, has partnered with programmers to create “Throw Me Something Bacchus,” an app that will be available on Twelfth Night.

The app will host a new virtual parade every Sunday through Feb. 14, when Bacchus’ parade was originally scheduled to roll. Parades will feature virtual throws and opportunities to win prizes.

Some krewes and dance groups are announcing fundraisers for causes they support in lieu of events this year. The Pussyfooters will be raising money for the Metro Centers for Community Advocacy, which works to aid survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking.

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single theme — Algiers Point has a “Staycation Paradise” theme; the Irish Channel is doing “Channel Surfing”; St. Roch is “Krewe of St. Roch and Roll”; and Bayou St. John has “How Sweet it is to be Loved Bayou.”

Krewe of House Floats is encouraging interested individuals and families to register via its website

by Jan. 6 (your home doesn’t have to be decorated by then) in order to appear on an app showing socially distanced revelers where to find decorated homes on a map.

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will earn you and your household a performance by a small group of Pussyfooters. You can find more details on the krewe’s Facebook page beginning Jan. 22.

The Historic New Orleans Collection is rethinking Carnival as well with a series of “virtual field trips” on a range of topics, from king cakes to Black Masking Indians. Each field trip is hosted by New Orleans luminaries, such as Big Chief Gerald Paige of the Great Spirit Warriors Indian Tribe.

“Carnival is about so much more than just parades,” explained Jenny Schwartzberg, THNOC’s curator of education. “It’s about celebrating the incredible culture and traditions of our city — and even more than that, it’s about reveling in New Orleanians’ ability to preserve those traditions even in the face of great challenges.”

And then there’s the Krewe of House Floats. The group, which Gambit reported on Nov. 30, features people — as the name suggests — turning their homes into parade floats. Participants can decorate their home themselves, or contract with local Mardi Gras artists, many of whom have lost their livelihood because of the pandemic.

“Everyone says Mardi Gras is this great free show, but those who live here know that’s not true,” says Megan Joy Boudreaux, the founder and “Admiral” of Krewe of House Floats. “There’s a whole economy around it. Through krewe dues or the purchases we make throughout the season we’d normally be supporting our neighbors, artists and culture bearers. It’s important we still find ways to do that.”

The Krewe of House Floats Facebook group now has more than 8,500 members and, as of late December, 950 homes had registered to participate. Registrations, Boudreaux says, have come from across Louisiana and the U.S. as well as a couple in Saudi Arabia and Australia.

By now, most of the city’s neighborhoods have krewe captains with their own Facebook pages to organize their neighbors around a

TWELFTH NIGHT IS BYWATER BAKERY OWNER CHAYA CONRAD’S FAVORITE DAY of the year. But this

year, it too will be different.

“We usually celebrate with a big block party to launch us into carnival season,” she says, “but this year that would be irresponsible, so we’re working on a virtual party instead.”

Bywater Bakery’s king cakes are some of the most sought after in the city. The bakery is tucked away on a residential street in the Upper 9th Ward. A Carnival season without parades is a real threat to Conrad and her employees’ livelihoods.

Parades like Krewe du Vieux and Chewbacchus bring a lot of people to the neighborhood and her bakery. Without those parades, she expects to take a hit. And offices account for a lot of king cakes, Conrad says, but with so many people working from home, those orders will likely dry up.

To make up for the lower-than-normal local king cake sales, Conrad says she’s breaking one of her golden rules. “I promised I’d never ship king cakes, but it’s a promise I can compromise on if it means keeping our business open,” she says. “We operate on thin margins, and king cakes double our business, so we really count on them to help us the rest of the year.”

But that doesn’t mean she’s upset with the mayor’s decision. Conrad’s mother is currently recovering from her own battle with COVID-19

P H OTO B Y J O S H H A I L E Y | P R OV I D E D B Y C H AYA C O N R A D

Chaya Conrad dances in front of her Bywater Bakery.

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and was just recently taken off a ventilator. A lot of New Orleanians haven’t been so lucky, and she supports the decision to be careful. Still, it’s a decision that’s painful for a lot of small businesses like hers as well as for the city’s artists and musicians.

The King Cake Hub, which sells king cakes from Bywater Bakery, announced in December it would be set up this year at The Broadside — the outdoor venue owned by Mid-City’s Broad Theater — and will be selling more than 60 varieties of king cake from 15 different vendors. King Cake Hub opens for the season on Jan. 6, and delivery is now available through DoorDash.

The King Cake Hub also launched a new online television channel called MardiGrasTV.com, showing a rotating variety of new and classic New Orleans programming ranging from concerts and comedy to history, sports and the arts.

“TO ME, WHAT THE BLACK MASKING INDIANS DO is the dopest

Contact Ad Director Sandy Stein 504.483.3150 or sstein@gambitweekly.com

part of the richest culture in the country,” says Hartley. “That New Orleans culture’s going to take a hit from a lack of tourism and I really feel for everyone I know in that industry. They’re struggling.”

While it’s been a tough 10 months for everyone, New Orleans’ musicians, artists and culture bearers have been hit hardest of all.

“We don’t think of our artists enough when we think about Carnival,” says Devin De Wulf, Krewe of Red Beans founder. “We see the floats, but we don’t think about who made them — like they came out of thin air or something. But with parades cancelled, these are real New Orleanians so

important to our culture who are unable to make a living.”

De Wulf says a well-known Mardi Gras artist, Caroline Thomas, came to him with the idea to help put some of these laid off artists back to work.

Thomas was being contacted by a lot of New Orleanians who had heard of the new Krewe of House Floats, offering to commission her to help them decorate their home for the season. She saw this as an opportunity to get other artists like her steadier pay.

“We took inspiration from what Krewe of House Floats was doing,” De Wulf says, “but rather than encouraging people to decorate themselves, we wanted to offer the option of having a full team of professional artists do it for them.

We hire local designers to create the vision, local artists to create the decorations, local carpenters to install them, and we even hire local musicians to perform at the ribbon cutting. It’s all about getting people back to work doing what they’re great at.”

The initiative is called Hire a Mardi Gras Artist and has so far put 25-30 New Orleanians back to work. The work is funded by commissions and by small-donation crowdfunding through the website HireAMardiGrasArtist.com. The initiative has so far raised $150,000, with 13 homes fully funded and the hope of doing as many as 40.

Twenty percent of the money raised from this initiative goes to Feed the Second Line, which pays young out-of-work artists and musicians to buy groceries for older artists and musicians who shouldn’t be going out to the store during a pandemic.

“Mardi Gras is special because of our culture bearers,” De Wulf says. “And if we really value them then we need to step up and help, especially during this challenging time.”

Fresh start Louise offers baked goods and a cafe menu in Marigny

BY B E T H D ’A D D O N O WHEN LOUISE OWNERS BRITTEN AND DAVID CARBONI saw their CBD

customer base disappear overnight in mid-March, the writing was on the wall. Once COVID-19 forced most of their regulars to work and shelter at home, the busy breakfast and lunch eatery that had sustained them for three years became a ghost town.

“We saw restaurants closing all around us,” says Britten Carboni, the chef and baker behind the enterprise.

“It was either close or move.”

The couple opted to move in October, taking over the space vacated by Cake Cafe, the beloved Marigny bakery and restaurant at 2440 Chartres St. The plan was to recreate Louise, named for their oldest daughter, in a residential neighborhood setting.

Covid wasn’t the only complication in their reopening plan. A one-two punch of hurricanes left them without power the second week the cafe was open. While limited by pandemic measures for physical distancing, Louise has tables outside and a few tables inside with table service available. There also was a bit of an adjustment to their new home.

“We immediately felt supported and welcome by the neighbors,” Britten Carboni says. “But their rhythms and what and when they wanted to eat was a little different than what we were used to.”

Notably, many of their new neighbors wanted leisurely breakfasts.

While their former client base was in a hurry, current customers want to relax.

Carboni’s bold breakfast burrito is a huge hit. It’s a flour tortilla stuffed with scrambled eggs, poblano potatoes, avocado, cheese, house-made salsa and chorizo.

Toasts topped with whipped ricotta or avocado and vegetables are popular options. The veggie bagel — with bagels from Maple Street Patisserie — arrives topped with goat cheese,

avocado and sprouts.

Steel-cut oats are the foundation of a hearty and healthy bowl, topped with fresh and dried fruit, almonds and a choice of milks.

For lunch, Carboni’s cochon de lait po-boy delivers slow-cooked pork topped with slaw on French bread.

Shrimp and grits feature large shrimp cooked New Orleans barbecue style with Worcestershire sauce and butter.

Another favorite is the cheeseburger, featuring a straightahead griddled burger topped with American cheese and tomatobacon relish on a brioche bun served with french fries.

Many items are pre-packaged to go, including quarts of gumbo and soups, salads and starters.

“People couldn’t be more kind,” the chef says. “They are clearly trying to support local businesses.” The Carbonis and their daughters Louise, 5 and Inez, 2, (who share the same birthday) live in the Marigny neighborhood, which is another plus when it comes to time management and wrangling family obligations.

The couple hails from New Orleans, with Britten’s family a long-time fixture in the hospitality business.

Her uncle Richard Hughes owns The Pelican Club, which she helped reopen after Hurricane Katrina. Another uncle, Michael Schramel, opened Mat and Naddie’s in the ’90s. David Carboni has worked in the business since he was 15, bussing and waiting tables to make money while he was in school.

He pursued a career in real estate until the couple opened Louise.

There is plenty of local competition, with the vegetarian-focused Small Mart a few blocks away and Bywater Bakery and Alma cafe nearby. But Britten Carboni is focused on her own style and menu. “My baking is

Open table

THE NEW A TAVOLA RESTAURANT & WINE BAR takes culinary cues from

different parts of Italy. It also draws inspiration from what its creators say has proven a successful recipe in Metairie — a family-friendly approach with a large dining bar for times when the family is not in tow.

P H OTO B Y I A N M C NU LT Y/ T H E T I M E S - P I C AYUN E | T H E N E W O R L E A N S A DVO C AT E

P H OTO B Y C H E RY L G E R B E R

Owners David and Britten Carboni serve shrimp and grits at Louise in Marigny.

rustic,” says the culinary school graduate. “I’m not so much about laminated doughs — more pies, cakes, scones and biscuits.” She bakes carrot cake and chocolate espresso cake that oozes with melted caramel.

Scone flavors change regularly.

Looking ahead, Carboni hopes more chefs will use Louise for popups. Persian Lime is offering a kebab dinner Jan. 8, with upcoming events listed on Louise’s Instagram and Facebook pages.

“We’ve opened a restaurant in the middle of a pandemic, which is not easy,” she says. “Business is always a little inconsistent around the holidays. It’s a wait-and-see sort of thing for the new year. We are going to figure things out.”

?

WHAT Louise

WHERE

1140 Chartres St., (504) 267-7088; louisenola.com

WHEN

7 a.m.-2 p.m. Wed.-Fri.; 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Sat.-Sun.

HOW

Email dining@gambitweekly.com

Dine in, outdoor seating and grab-and-go meals

CHECK IT OUT

A bakery and cafe in Marigny

Located at the intersection of Veterans Memorial Boulevard and Severn Avenue, part of the Lakeside Shopping Center complex, a Tavola opened just before Christmas. It occupies the space that was long home to the popular chain restaurant Bravo!, and it’s the latest move from Creole Cuisine Restaurant Concepts, a New Orleans company that has been growing in Jefferson Parish.

Despite the pandemic, Marv Ammari, CEO of the company, sensed an opportunity to offer a different concept here.

“We’re trying to bring something crisp and fresh to the market,” he says.

While the area has many CreoleItalian restaurants, a Tavola was drawn up to stand apart. Chef Steven Marsella says the intent is to blend traditional and contemporary elements across the restaurant and its menu, where flavors from Sicily, Naples and Venice share space.

A dome-shaped pizza oven holds down one corner of the open kitchen, turning out Neapolitanstyle pies and focaccia draped with caramelized onions.

Meatballs, baked goat cheese with pesto, and seared tuna “semi crudo” with lemon-chili vinaigrette start things off. Pasta dishes include lasagna, lobster ravioli and baked shells with pancetta and Gorgonzola. For entrees, there’s steak, veal piccata,

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FORK CENTER

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Ad Director Sandy Stein 504.483.3150 or sstein@gambitweekly.com

chicken Marsala and a range of fish, including grilled swordfish with tomato-olive salsa.

For dessert, there’s mascarpone cheesecake, hazelnut torte and gelato from Piccola Gelateria.

While the food is fixed on Italy, a Tavola incorporates some lessons learned down the street at Boulevard American Bistro. Creole Cuisine opened a second location of Boulevard in Harahan in May, one of the first new restaurants to arrive during the pandemic.

Both locations feature large, four-sided dining bars. Given their popularity, that design was worked into a Tavola as well.

The new restaurant has a second service bar for tables and patio seating. That’s intended to help staff at the main bar focus on the customers seated there.

As Bravo!, the restaurant space featured faux Roman ruins. The new restaurant has a much more modern style, with bare wood, gleaming tile and sleek light fixtures lining the M A X B E C H E R E R , N O L A . C O M , T H E T I M E S - P I C AYUN E open rafters.

T H E N E W O R L E A N S A DVO C AT E The term “a tavola” comes Tujague’s Restaurant is now at 429 Decatur St. from an Italian expression for the joy of the dinner table. A large, 12-seat communal table is part of the The city’s second-oldest restaunew restaurant’s design. rant, dating to 1856, Tujague’s is A Tavola has two dining patios, and transplanting an institution deeply one is covered and equipped with rooted in the ranks of Creole dining. heaters. At the daily happy hour, the The move is just a few blocks upriver restaurant serves $7 appetizers, $5 from the old location at 823 Decatur house cocktails, wines by the glass St., but it’s a monumental change and half-price pizza. The restaurant for a restaurant long treasured for its serves lunch and dinner daily. — IAN sense of history and place.

McNULTY/THE TIMES-PICAYUNE | Relocating means Tujague’s will THE NEW ORLEANS ADVOCATE lose its signature stand-up bar, deemed too fragile to survive Tujague’s reboot the journey. The same holds for the towering sign that traces the THE TUJAGUE’S CREW had lots of Tujague’s name in green neon over boxes to unpack as the historic Decatur Street. restaurant made the move to its Latter has built a bar at the new new location in the French Quarter. location, and, pending permitting, They sorted through vintage phohe plans to replicate the lighted tos of the old location, art pieces, Tujague’s sign. furnishings, fixtures and a masMore important to Latter than sive collection of miniature liquor the building is how Tujague’s can bottles, one of the many quirks that rejuvenate connections with its filled the previous space over time. former patrons and draw in the Mark Latter, a second-generanext generation. tion owner of Tujague’s, said it was “Our traditions are important, but important to bring along as much the business has to be viable for of the past as possible to reopen them to continue at all,” he says. the restaurant.

“Hopefully, we have a chance now “I know a lot of people will miss to reintroduce Tujague’s to people, the old place, but the truth is if we so they can build their own tradiwere still there Tujague’s would not tions here as we continue our own.” exist anymore,” Latter said. “It’s In a city famous for historic very important to me and my famrestaurants, only Antoine’s is older ily that this restaurant continues.”

Tujague’s reopened Dec. 28 at than Tujague’s. But this is not the 429 Decatur St. The move has been restaurant’s first move. It originally in the works for more than a year, was opened at 811 Decatur St. by predating the pandemic.

Guillaume Tujague, an immigrant

from France who once had a butcher’s stand in the French Market, according to “Tujague’s Cookbook,” by Poppy Tooker.

In 1914, the restaurant relocated to 823 Decatur St., which had previously been home to Begue’s Exchange, a famous dining destination of its day.

Brothers Steven and Stanford Latter bought the restaurant in 1982. Steven Latter served as proprietor, and he became the embodiment of his restaurant, cultivating a cast of regulars at the bar and steadfastly tending Tujague’s traditions.

The best known of those is its five-course table d’hote menu, which included boiled brisket, shrimp remoulade, bread pudding and hot coffee served in short glasses.

In 2013, Steven Latter died at age 64. It looked like Tujague’s might close for good, but his son Mark Latter was able to buy the restaurant business from his family, and he secured an eight-year lease on the building from his uncle. | Stanford Latter later sold the property to a company controlled by Mike Motwani, the local real estate mogul.

Latter would not discuss those lease terms, but he said with that lease coming due in 2021 he had to move Tujague’s to keep the restaurant in business.

Last week, Motwani said the property at 823 Decatur St. is up for lease, and he hopes to find a restaurant tenant for it.

Tujague’s new address previously was home to Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. The three-story structure dates to the 1840s, and inside, there are exposed cypress beams, brick walls and a patina of plaster, tile and mirrors.

The new restaurant opens to a bar and lounge on the first floor, a small courtyard and two upper floors of various rooms for open dining or private events.

Tujague’s executive chef is Thomas Robey, a longtime Commander’s Palace chef who came to Tujague‘s in 2018. He will work in more seasonal items and a wider palette of dishes. New items include duck and goat cheese crepes, chicken with mayhaw glaze and redfish with local legumes.

Tujague’s new kitchen is larger and newly equipped through the renovation.

Tujague’s is open for brunch and dinner Wednesday through Sunday. — IAN McNULTY/THE TIMES-PICAYUNE | THE NEW ORLEANS ADVOCATE

19

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Contact Will Coviello wcoviello@gambitweekly.com 504-483-3106 | FAX: 504-483-3159 C O M P L E T E L I S T I N G S AT W W W. B E S T O F N E WO R L E A N S . C O M Out 2 Eat is an index of Gambit contract advertisers. Unless noted, addresses are in New Orleans and all accept credit cards. Updates: email willc@gambitweekly.com or call (504) 483-3106.

Notice: Due to COVID-19, dining at restaurants is impacted, with limited indoor seating and other recommended restrictions. All information is subject to change. Contact the restaurant to confirm service options.

BYWATER Luna Libre — 3600 St. Claude Ave., (504) 237-1284 — Roasted chicken enchiladas verde are filled with cheese and served with housemade cheese dip. The menu combines TexMex and dishes from Louisiana and Arkansas.

Curbside pickup is available. B Sat-Sun, D Wed-Sun. $

CARROLLTON Mikimoto — 3301 S. Carrollton Ave., (504) 488-1881; mikimotosushi.com — The South Carrollton roll includes tuna tataki, avocado and snow crab. Takeout and delivery available. L Sun-Fri, D daily. $$ Pyramids Cafe — 3151 Calhoun St., (504) 861-9602 — Diners will find Mediterranean cuisine featuring such favorites as shawarma prepared on a rotisserie. Takeout and delivery available. L, D daily. $$

CITYWIDE Breaux Mart — Citywide; breauxmart.com — The deli counter’s changing specials include dishes such as baked catfish and red beans and rice. L, D daily. $

FAUBOURG MARIGNY Carnaval — 2227 St. Claude Ave., (504) 2658855; carnavallounge.com — The Cozinha de Carnaval kitchen serves Brazilian street food. Frango is chicken cooked with thyme, rosemary and cumin and served with rosemary-garlic aioli. No reservations. Takeout available. D Sat-Mon. $ Kebab — 2315 St. Claude Ave., (504) 383-4328; kebabnola.com — The sandwich shop offers doner kebabs and Belgian fries. A falafel sandwich comes with pickled cucumbers, arugula, spinach, red onions, beets, hummus and Spanish garlic sauce. No reservations.

Takeout and delivery available Thu-Mon. $

FRENCH QUARTER Desire Oyster Bar — Royal Sonesta New Orleans, 300 Bourbon St., (504) 586-0300; sonesta.com/desireoysterbar — The menu features Gulf seafood in traditional and contemporary Creole dishes, po-boys and more. Char-grilled oysters are topped with Parmesan, herbs and butter. Reservations recommended. Takeout available. B, L and D daily. $$

HARAHAN/JEFFERSON/ RIVER RIDGE The Rivershack Tavern — 3449 River Road, (504) 834-4938; therivershacktavern.com —

B — breakfast L — lunch D — dinner late — late 24H — 24 hours

$ — average dinner entrée under $10 $$ — $11 to $20 $$$ — $21 or more

This bar and music spot offers a menu of burgers, sandwiches and changing lunch specials. Curbside pickup and delivery available. L, D daily. $ Theo’s Neighborhood Pizza — 1212 S. Clearview Parkway, Elmwood, (504) 733-3803; theospizza.com — There is a wide variety of specialty pies and toppings to build your own pizza. The menu also includes salads and sandwiches. Curbside pickup and delivery available. L, D Tue-Sat. $

LAKEVIEW Lakeview Brew Coffee Cafe — 5606 Canal Blvd., (504) 483-7001; lakeviewbrew.com — This casual cafe offers coffee, pastries, desserts, sandwiches and salads. Tuna salad or chicken salad avocado melts are topped with Monterey Jack and Parmesan. Takeout, curbside pickup and delivery are available.

B, L daily. $ Lotus Bistro — 203 W. Harrison Ave., (504) 533-9879; lotusbistronola.com — A Mineko Iwasaki roll includes spicy snow crab, tuna, avocado and cucumber topped with salmon, chef’s sauce, masago, green onion and tempura crunchy flakes. The menu also includes bento box lunches, teriyaki dishes, fried rice and more. Takeout and delivery are available. L and D Tue-Sun. $$

METAIRIE Andrea’s Restaurant — 3100 N. 19th St., Metairie, (504) 834-8583; andreasrestaurant. com — Chef Andrea Apuzzo’s speckled trout royale is topped with crabmeat and lemon-cream sauce. Capelli D’Andrea combines house-made angel hair pasta and smoked salmon in cream sauce. Curbside pickup and delivery available. L, D daily, brunch Sun. $$$ Kosher Cajun New York Deli & Grocery — 3519 Severn Ave., Metairie, (504) 888-2010; koshercajun.com — This New York-style deli specializes in sandwiches, including corned beef and pastrami that come from the Bronx. Takeout available. L Sun-Thu, D Mon-Thu. $ Mark Twain’s Pizza Landing — 2035 Metairie Road, Metairie, (504) 832-8032; marktwainpizza.com — Mark Twain’s serves salads, po-boys and pies like the Italian pizza with salami, tomato, artichoke, sausage and basil.

Takeout and curbside pickup are available. L Tue-Sat, D Tue-Sun. $ Theo’s Neighborhood Pizza — 2125 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Metairie, (504) 510-4282; theospizza.com — See Harahan/Jefferson section for restaurant description. $

MID-CITY/TREME Angelo Brocato’s — 214 N. Carrollton Ave., (504) 486-1465; angelobrocatoicecream.com — This sweet shop serves its own gelato, spumoni, Italian ice, cannolis, fig cookies and other treats. Window and curbside pickup.

L, D Tue-Sun. $

P H O T O B Y DAV I D G R U N F E L D/ T H E T I M E S - P I C AY U N E | T H E N E W O R L E A N S A DVO C AT E

Annunciation (1016 Annunciation St., 504-568-0245; annunciationrestaurant.com) serves dishes such as trout amandine.

Brown Butter Southern Kitchen & Bar — 231 N. Carrollton Ave., Suite C, (504) 6093871; brownbutterrestaurant.com — Sample items include smoked brisket served with smoked apple barbecue sauce, smoked heirloom beans and vinegar slaw. A Brunch burger features a brisket and short rib patty topped with bacon, brie, a fried egg, onion jam and arugula on a brioche bun.

Dine-in, takeout, curbside pickup and delivery available. L and D Wed-Sat, brunch Sat-Sun. $$ Doson Noodle House — 135 N. Carrollton Ave., (504) 309-7283; facebook.com/dosonnoodlehouse — Bun thit is Vietnamese-style grilled pork with cucumber, onions, lettuce, mint, cilantro and fish sauce served over rice or vermicelli. The menu includes pho, spring rolls and more. Takeout, curbside pickup and delivery are available. $$ Five Happiness — 3511 S. Carrollton Ave., (504) 482-3935; fivehappiness.com — The large menu of Chinese dishes includes wonton soup, sizzling seafood combinations served on a hot plate, sizzling Go-Ba and lo mein dishes. Takeout and delivery available. $$ Katie’s Restaurant — 3701 Iberville St., (504) 488-6582; katiesinmidcity.com — Favorites include the Cajun Cuban with roasted pork, grilled ham, cheese and pickles pressed on buttered bread. The Boudreaux pizza is topped with cochon de lait, spinach, red onions, roasted garlic and scallions. Takeout, curbside pickup and delivery available. L and D Tue-Sun. $$ Nonna Mia — 3125 Esplanade Ave., (504) 948-1717; nonnamianola.com — A Divine Portobello appetizer features chicken breast, spinach in red pepper sauce and crostini. The menu includes salads, sandwiches, pasta, pizza and more. Curbside pickup and delivery are available. Service daily. $$ Theo’s Neighborhood Pizza — 4024 Canal St., (504) 302-1133; theospizza.com — See Harahan/Jefferson section for restaurant description. $

NORTHSHORE Theo’s Neighborhood Pizza — 70488 Highway 21, Covington, (985) 234-9420; theospizza.com — See Harahan/Jefferson section for restaurant description. $

UPTOWN Joey K’s — 3001 Magazine St., (504) 8910997; joeyksrestaurant.com ­— The menu includes fried seafood platters, salads, sandwiches and red beans and rice. Sauteed trout Tchoupitoulas is topped with shrimp and crabmeat and served with vegetables and potatoes. Takeout and delivery available. $$ Red Gravy — 4206 Magazine St., (504) 561-8844; redgravycafe.com — Thin cannoli pancakes are filled with cannoli cream and topped with chocolate. The menu includes brunch items, pasta dishes, sandwiches,

baked goods and more. Takeout available. $$ Theo’s Neighborhood Pizza — 4218 Magazine St., (504) 894-8554; theospizza.com — See Harahan/Jefferson section for restaurant description. $ Tito’s Ceviche & Pisco — 5015 Magazine St., (504) 267-7612; titoscevichepisco. com — The Peruvian menu includes a version of the traditional dish lomo saltado, featuring beef tenderloin tips sauteed with onions, tomatoes, cilantro, soy sauce and pisco, and served with fried potatoes and rice. Dine-in, outdoor seating and delivery available. L and D Mon-Sat., brunch Sun. $$$

WAREHOUSE DISTRICT Annunciation — 1016 Annunciation St., (504) 568-0245; annunciationrestaurant. com — The menu highlights Gulf seafood in Creole, Cajun and Southern dishes.

Fried oysters and skewered bacon are served with meuniere sauce and toasted French bread. Reservations required. D Thu-Sun. $$$ Carmo — 527 Julia St., (504) 875-4132; cafecarmo.com — Carmo salad includes smoked ham, avocado, pineapple, almonds, cashews, raisins, cucumber, green pepper, rice, lettuce, cilantro and citrus mango vinaigrette. The menu includes dishes inspired by tropical cuisines. Takeout and delivery are available.

Mon-Sat. $$ NOLA Caye — 898 Baronne St., (504) 302-1302; nolacaye.com — The menu features Caribbean-inspired dishes and Gulf seafood. Seared ahi tuna is served with mango, avocado, mixed greens, citrus vinaigrette and sesame seeds. Takeout, delivery and outdoor seating available. D daily, brunch Sat-Sun. $$$ Provisions Grab-n-Go Marketplace — Higgins Hotel, 500 Andrew Higgins Blvd., (504) 528-1941; higgingshotelnola.com — The coffeeshop serves salads, sandwiches, pastries and more. Takeout available.

Service daily. $

WEST BANK Mosca’s — 4137 Hwy. 90 W., Westwego, (504) 436-8950; moscasrestaurant.com — This family-style eatery serves shrimp Mosca, chicken a la grande and baked oysters Mosca, made with breadcrumbs and Italian seasonings. Curbside pickup available. D Wed-Sat. Cash only. $$$ Specialty Italian Bistro — 2330 Belle Chasse Hwy., Gretna, (504) 391-1090; specialtyitalianbistro.com — The menu combines Old World Italian favorites and pizza. Paneed chicken piccata is topped with lemon-caper piccata sauce served with angel hair pasta, salad and garlic cheese bread. Takeout and delivery available. Service daily. $$

21

MUSIC

AND

L O O SCH ATION C U D E AND S ISSUE SECTIONS L A I C E SP

Album reviews standard “Ruby.” The song again was recorded in a single take. It’s a wistful yet satisfying ending to “Waking Up in Dreamland.”

Ledbetter told Gambit earlier this year that he plans to continue to release unpublished Harris material. As Harris’ final studio recordings, “Waking Up in Dreamland” is like a warm “see ya soon” from the charismatic New Orleans singer. — JAKE CLAPP

Duff Thompson ‘Haywire’ Mashed Potato Records duffthompson.bandcamp.com P H OTO P R OV I D E D B Y D E E VA R E C O R D S

Leigh Harris ‘Waking Up in Dreamland’ Deeva Records leighharris.bandcamp.com

IN THE TITLE TRACK OF HIS NEW ALBUM “Haywire,” Duff Thompson

gently picks his guitar and sings “It’s not quite Heaven but you’ve come for the view / Spend all your time chasing things that don’t move.” He’s a master

IN MAY, A NEW TAKE ON THE SONG

ISSUE DATES

SAVE THE DATES

JANUARY 19 School Registration/ Spring Open House Directory

FEBRUARY 23 Summer Camps

APRIL 13 Annual Guide to Schools

AUGUST 17 Back to School

USE SCHEDULE SCHOOL OPEN HO OP EN US ES A GAMB IT

PRE-SCHOOL

Academ(Age 1 – Grade

Grades: Charles Ave. 4521 St. LA 70115 New Orleans, .org (504) 891-1943 a Website: ashrosary 213 to schedule Call 504-269-1 private tour.

OCTOBER 19 Fall Open House Calendar

Charter Einstein(PK-12)

Rummel Archbishop High School

Grades: (8-12)Ave. 1901 Severn 70001 Metairie, LA iders.com (504) 834-5592 Website: rummelra melrairders.com 19, 2020, 6 PM Email: info@rum November Open House:

Academy Arden Cahill (Infant-12)

Grades: Blvd.

3101 Wall 70056 Gretna, LA illacademy.com (504) 392-0902 2020 Website: ardencah to October 22, the most up Open House: website for Check the n. date informatio

n Charter Audubo(PK-8)

Benjamin Franklin ary School Element(PK-8)

High Benjamin Franklin

NOVEMBER 16 Guide to Giving

Hynes Charter (PK-8)

School

Grades: (PK – 5th): Lower School St. 421 Burdette location) (temporary LA 70118 New Orleans, (6 – 8th): Upper School Ave. 401 Nashville LA 70115 New Orleans, yben.org (504) 304-3932 Website: www.bab

School

McGehe Louise S. (Pre K-12)

s

ry Health Kenner Discove s Academy Science(K-12)

(K, 8-9th) (504) 267-9467 Jefferson Campus Hwy, 2012 Jefferson LA 70121 Jefferson, discoveryhsf.org Website:

Private School CastleBlvd.

Lake Hayne

Virtual: 5:30-6:30 pm

School pm in Cabrini High later r 2, 2020, 3:30-6:30

4123 WoodlandLA 70131 New Orleans, (504) 394-7744 .edu and virtual Website: go.uhcno In-person Open House: visits available

Novembe options available person. Virtual in the week

s both campuses Christian Brother House for

ori School

Montess University indergarten

Virtual Open g beginning Monday,tours. on cbs-no.or Sign up for in-person October 19, 2020.

20 Months-K St. 7508 Burthe LA 70118 New Orleans, (504) 865-1659 rg Website: umsnola.o

Academy

ity View Charter School) Univers(K-12 online

Grades: Creek Drive 3113 Valley LA 70808 Baton Rouge, view.

(225) 421-2900 go to university Open House: for more informaent. academy/contact an appointm tion and schedule

School

Science and NO Charter High School atics Mathem(9-12)

Grades: Ave., 5625 Loyola LA 70115 New Orleans, cihigh.org (504) 324-7061 Website: www.nos

od Ridgewotory School Prepara

Grades: (PK-12)Ave. 201 Pasadina 70001 Metairie, LA (504) 835-2545 Daily Open House: .com Call or email woodprep rps@ridge dprep.com for an appt.

Website: ridgewoo

St. Edward or School the Confess (PK1-7)

ityDay School Commun Jewish October 18 at 12 pm.

Academy

Grades: (PK-8th) LA 70119 Lopez Campus New Orleans, 211 S. Lopez, (504) 373-6258(9-12th) Clark Campus 1301 N. Derbigny, LA 70116 New Orleans, (504) 355-0210 risjeffschool.org ww.morrisjeffEmail: info@mor Website: https://w school.org

Grades: (1st-7th) 70003 Main CampusAve., Metairie, La 2504 Maine (504) 233-4720 (10-12th) 70065 La Vintage Campus Dr., Kenner, 201 Vintage (504) 267-9470 70062 Campus (K) Rivertown Blvd., Kenner, La 415 Williams

High School n Franklin10, 2020 Benjami Tuesday, Nov.

of University College Holy Cross Ave.

Grades: Blvd.

7027 Milne LA 70124 New Orleans, 5, 2020, (504) 288-7626 November Open House: pm. com 2:00-7:30 mcacubs.

Website:

Grades: Esplanade Ave. 3747 W. LA 70002 Metairie, rg (504) 887-4091 18 Website: jcdsnola.o Sunday, October Open House: at 12 pm. private tours available Virtual and by appt.

Thursday, October .com up to ardencahillacademyfor the most website Check the n. date informatio

6601 Franklin LA 70122 New Orleans, (504) 267-9765 ls.org Website: eqaschoo

Grades: St., 2401 HumanityLA 70122 New Orleans, hunenola.org (504) 324-7076 Website: www.bet

ity Day School Commun Jewish (Infants – Grade 6)

High Rummel6 pm Archbishop 19, 2020, at November Academy Arden Cahill 22, 2020

The NET Charter – Gentilly High School Ave.

Bethune Mary McLeod ary School Element(PK-8)

Community Morris Jeff (PK-12)

AT A GLA NCESchool

1614 Oretha LA 70113 New Orleans, (504) 267-9060 ls.org Website: eqaschoo

3649 LA 70115 New Orleans, ls.org (504) 267-3882 Website: eqaschoo

School of

HO

– High School The NET Charter Central CityCastle Haley Blvd.

Accelerated New Orleans High School Laurel Street

Mount Carmel (8-12)

ORLEANS AREA

Middle School

Ave. 2405 Jackson LA 70113 New Orleans, (504) 931-7929 ls.org Website: eqaschoo

Grades: (K-5th): Willow Campus St., 7315 Willow LA 70118 New Orleans, (504) 862-5110 (6-12th): LA Freret Campus St., New Orleans, 5624 Freret erschool.org (504) 304-3960 Website: www.lush

Schools

GREATER NEW

The Bridge

Charter Lusher (K-12)

Grades: (K-2nd): Orleans, Dixon Campus Street, New 4040 Eagle LA 70118 (504) 934-4875 (3rd-8th): Uptown Campus St., 1400 Camp LA 70130 New Orleans, (504) 654-1088 Campus (K-5th): Westbank St., 502 Olivier LA 70114 New Orleans, du.org (504) 274-4571 Website: www.isl-e

4600 LA 70119 New Orleans, City Park (504) 488-4426 Ave. #8 Friedrichs LA 70124 New Orleans (504) 486-6770 House Website:cbs-no.org g Virtual Open on cbs-no.or Open House: 19, 2020. for both campuses Monday, October beginning in-person tours.

Sign up for

GES IN THE

ns.com

e School

Grades: St. 2343 PrytaniaLA 70130 New Orleans, chool.com (504) 561-1224 Website: mcgehees PK – 4th October Open House: 15, 2020 October 22, 2020 October 5th – 12th (8 weeks – 3 yrs.)

Little Gate & 30, 2020 November 11, 2020 PK – 12th7, 2021 January

Grades: t St., 727 CarondeleLA 70130 New Orleans, 703 ola.org Phone: 504-613-5 Website: www.ihsn

Grades: Street 1400 Moss LA 70119 New Orleans, h.com (504) 482-1193 2, 2020 Website: cabrinihig November Open House: in person later in 3:30-6:30 pm vailable Virtual options a the week.

de Ecole Bilingue e-Orleans la Nouvell (PK-8)

neworlea (504) 242-6270 Website: lakecastle

High School International Orleans of New (9-12)

School

DIREC TORY

COLLE SCHOOLS AND

Grades: Ave, 990 Harrison LA 70124 New Orleans, (504) 324-7160 school UNO (K-2) Hynes Charter (504) 359-7700School Coghill Hynes Charter (K-8) esschool.com at Parkview Website: www.hyn

International a Louisian (K-8)

Grades: (9-12) C. Simon Dr., 2001 Leon LA 70122 New Orleans, sla.org (504) 286-2600 Website: www.bfh sla.org Email: info@bfh House: Virtual Open 10, 2020 Tuesday, Nov. 5:30-6:30 pm

n Brother Christia Canal St.

Schools

de Grades: Charter School at Village Einstein l’Est (PK-5th) Blvd – Extension 5316 Michoud LA 70129 New Orleans, T. (504) 324-7450 Middle at Sarah Einstein Charter Reed (6-8th) High Einstein Charter Reed (9-12th) at Sarah T. Blvd 5316 Michoud LA 70129 New Orleans, 503-0470 Middle: (504) 503-0749 High: (504) School Einstein Charter Forest at Sherwood (PK-5th) Marion Dr., 4801 Maid LA 70128 New Orleans, teincharter.org (504) 503-0110 www.eins Website:

Grades: Campus, Lower School Uptown (PK-3rd): , NOLA 70118 428 Broadway (504) 324-7100(4-8th): Upper School NOLA 70115 1111 Milan St., : 4720 (504) 324-7110 70122 Gentilly (PK4-4th) Audubon St.,New Orleans, LA Painters ubonchar ter.com (504) 309-9434 Website: www.aud

High Cabrini(8-12)

, HIGH , ELEMENTARY

LA 70115 New Orleans, m (504) 896-4500 line. Check Website: ebnola.co Virtual/On Open House: for updates. the website

Heart y of Sacred 12)

ADVER TISER

Grades: Metairie Ave. 4921 WestLA 70001 Metairie, 19, 2020, (504) 888-6353 November Open House: 7:00 p.m. hool.com 9:00 a.m. and Website: steddysc

y 12) Ursuline(1 Academ YO – Grade

available Sunday, private tours Virtual and by appt.

School McGehee2020 Louise S.October 15,

PK – 4th October 22, 2020 5th – 12th (8 weeks – 3 yrs.) October Little Gate 30, 2020 r 11, 2020 & PK – 12th Novembe 2021 January 7,

Academy pm.

Mount Carmel 5, 2020, 2:00-7:30 November School Preparatory Ridgewood

Grades: Street 2635 State LA 70118 New Orleans, (504) 866-5292 .org Website: go.uanola s@uanola.org Email: admission Open House: High School11, 2020 November for Visit the websiten. more informatio

or email rps@ an appt. for Daily. Call ridgewoodprep.com

or School the Confess St. Edward 9:00 a.m. and r 19, 2020, Novembe 7:00 p.m.

n Victory Christia

Grades: (K3-8) Dr. 5708 Airline 70003 Metairie, LA (504) 733-5087 .net Website: vcagators gators.net Tours Email: info@vca Private Open House:– 30, 2020.

October 26

Ursuline Academ

y

High School:11, 2020 n.

November for more informatio Visit the website

available

es Young Audienc School Charter(PK-12)

Burmaster Grades: Campus 1000 Burmaster LA 70053 Virgil St, Gretna, Campus 1407 Kate Middleton LA 70053 St, Gretna, Campus Little YACS Harvey, LA 70058 3400 6th St., (504) 304-6332 school.org open Website: yacharter Live virtual Campus Open House: Little YACS houses on and March 10, 2021, January 27 r 11, 6 – 7 pm. Campus – Novembe April r 10 and Burmaste 27, March 2020, January – 7 pm.

14, 2021, 6

8400 LA 70127 New Orleans,

Grades: Pershing St. 821 General

Ad Director Sandy Stein 504.483.3150 or sstein@gambitweekly.com

n Victory Christia available Private Tours – 30, 2020 October 26

School esCharter on Little YACS Young Audienc open houses 10,

Live virtual 27 and March – r Campus Campus - January pm. Burmaste March 2021, 6 – 7 11, 2020, January 27, November 14, 2021, 6 – 7 pm.

10 and April on open information For additional tours and private houses, virtual please check the schools n printed appointments, updates. Informatio websites for as of press time. here was accurate

“Gumbo Heaven,” written by Leigh “Little Queenie” Harris and John Magnie for their band Li’l Queenie & The Percolators, showed up on Harris’ Bandcamp as a single. It ended up being a song I would come back to frequently over the second half of 2020 as much for the track’s charm as its memorable-ness.

“Gumbo Heaven” appeared on The Percolators’ 2007 album “Home,” and in 2014 Harris brought together a small choir — including singers Holley Bendtsen, Andrew Bohren, Susan Cowsill, Darcy Malone and others — into the studio to record this new ode to cooking up gumbo. Harris decided there wouldn’t be any editing or retakes, and so “Gumbo Heaven” has a certain looseness and intimacy to it and a whole lot of Little Queenie personality.

“Gumbo Heaven” was the first tease for her new EP “Waking Up in Dreamland,” released on Nov. 28. The four-track release is the beloved New Orleans singer’s last studio recording, captured in 2014, before Harris was diagnosed with breast cancer.

She died in September 2019 at the age of 65. Throughout this year, Rick Ledbetter, Harris’ husband, a producer and the bassist on “Waking Up in Dreamland,” has been mastering and releasing previously unpublished Little Queenie recordings.

Along with “Gumbo Heaven,” this new release includes “Let the Tears Roll Down,” a touching soul ballad by Harris that also features her choir. The EP’s opener, “Dreamland,” a patient, psych-touched rock track, was written

by Clark Vreeland and features a solo by guitarist Jimmy Robinson.

The album’s fantastic final track finds Harris and guitarist Phil duGruy alone and masterfully merged on a long performance of the

P R OV I D E D B Y M A S H E D P OTATO R E C O R D S

of understatement and the album is full of plain spoken but wry wit and subtle humor.

Thompson is a cofounder of the local label Mashed Potato Records, along with Bill Howard and Sam Doores, and he’s collaborated with country and folk artists Esther Rose, Doore’s The Deslondes and Twain. “Haywire” is a collection of 10 folk tunes that Thompson says he’s recorded over the past three years in between work on Mashed Potato projects. Most tracks have spare arrangements, highlighting his slightly rasping vocals and melodic guitar work. There are slower, romantic songs, such as “Sweet Darlin’,” and more lamenting tracks, such as “Rock and Roll...”

The album picks up with “Wild Eyes” and the honky-tonkish “The Long Haul,” where Thompson seems tempted to let loose. “Feel What You Want,” is a bit more playful. But it’s on more even-keeled tunes like “Sleight of Hand” and “Haywire” where he finds his voice as a storyteller over occasionally jangling guitar. — WILL COVIELLO

G A M B I T > B E S T O F N E WO R L E A N S . C O M > Ja n ua ry 5 - 1 1 > 2 0 2 1

2021

FILM

G A M B I T > B E S T O F N E WO R L E A N S . C O M > Ja n ua ry 5 - 1 1 > 2 02 1

22

Art revival

Winter

DINING

ISSUE RATES STARTING AT

90

$

SPACE RESERVATION

JANUARY 15 ISSUE DATE

JANUARY 26 Ad Director Sandy Stein 504.483.3150 or sstein@gambitweekly.com

BY WILL COVIELLO LOCAL ART FANS LIKELY RECOGNIZE

the work of Nick Cave, who makes his “soundsuits” out of fabric and found objects. In a city devoted to costuming, his sculptures would seem to be of obvious interest, and his works of contemporary art have been featured in Prospect New Orleans and expos at the New Orleans Museum of Art and Contemporary Arts Center.

Cave’s work on the installation of a massive cloudlike sculpture covered in found objects at Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA) is threaded through “Museum Town,” a documentary about the creation of the institution in North Adams, a former mill town in western Massachusetts.

The film recounts the quest of its founders and directors to create a massive contemporary art institution in a town in economic decline after the closure of the factories of its one main employer, Sprague Electric Company, in the 1980s. The idea of art as an economic engine wasn’t an easy sell to the town mayor at the time, but other ideas, such as building a prison, didn’t seem likely to materialize. After years of development and construction, it opened in 1999, and now MASS MoCA is a top contemporary art institution (though it’s currently closed due to the pandemic).

“Museum Town” is the work of director Jennifer Trainer. Though it opens with her disclosure that she went to Massachusetts to report on the museum project, and that she worked at the museum for 28 years, the film could disclose more. She became its first director of development, and she later married its longtime director, Joe Thompson, who stepped down in October. There is much to celebrate in the success of the institution, but the film seems more a victory lap than an exploration of the endeavor.

MASS MoCA has presented work by world-renowned artists including Anselm Kiefer, Robert Rauschenberg, Xu Bing and many more. Up until the pandemic, it maintained a robust performance schedule, and the film includes shots of dancer Bill T. Jones, bands such as Wilco at a music festival it hosts, performance artist Laurie Anderson and musician David Byrne, who is interviewed about his MASS MoCA projects.

P R OV I D E D B Y K I N O LO R B E R

For much of its history, North Adams was a one company town, whether that was a major mill or Sprague. That tended to leave the town and its residents at the company’s mercy, one local politician says.

The town was devastated when Sprague closed. MASS MoCA was meant to repurpose the empty factory buildings, and it currently has 250,000 square feet of space.

The project was fortunate to garner support from both Democratic and Republican governors. Massachusetts provided $35 million in funding for the initial project. But Trainer offers no other context or comparisons about the prospect of art and culture as economic development engines.

New Orleanians familiar with the failed $25 million Louisiana Artworks project, or the early financial setbacks to contemporary art triennial Prospect New Orleans might want to see more detail on MASS MoCA’s development.

MASS MoCA also got bogged down in a lose-lose battle with Swiss artist Christoph Buchel, when his project soared over budget, was never completed and wound up in court over questions of who had ultimate control over the installation.

The film introduces the delightful Ruth Yarter, who worked for 43 years at Sprague and later became a volunteer at MASS MoCA. She wasn’t familiar with contemporary art, but she came to love the museum. It would be hard to argue that the project did anything but bring investment and at least some jobs to a town starved for economic activity, but Trainer doesn’t provide substantive answers to some of the big questions she raises.

“Museum Town” is available to stream online via a link on cacno.org, and the Contemporary Arts Center benefits from screening fees.

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