festival poster. Gambit Weekly has selected him eight times as the Best Artist of the Year. His artworks are in the collections of The New Orleans Museum of Art and the Ogden Museum of Southern Art. Among numerous solo exhibitions, the Morris Museum of Art in Augusta, Georgia, and the Ogden Museum of Southern Art in New Orleans featured his paintings in 2016. He is a man in motion, always learning, always attentive to new opportunities. Unlike many of his intuitive leaps, Michalopoulos eased into three dimensions, expanding his painting studio in New Orleans to include an area for sculpture. His early attempts included the materials of wood, glass and cast concrete. He realized the impermanence of wood in certain environments did not satisfy him, so he turned to metal, a more
20
Inside Northside
appealing alternative. Cutting, welding and finishing were all part of a learning process extending over two years. Devoting time to refine his technique in the midst of a hectic schedule ultimately paid off. In making the shift from two to three dimensions, he was able to explore art making on a monumental scale, in a durable medium and accessible to a large populist audience unaccustomed to seeing art outside of a museum or commercial gallery. It is art for everyone, and there is an appeal in the inclusive nature of such an exhibition. Located in the sculpture garden at Veterans Memorial Boulevard and Clearview Parkway, Michalopoulos’ Mother Cluster is a grouping of three abstract sculptures, with the >> photos: CANDRA GEORGE mycreativereality.com
Orleans in 2015, Michalopoulos describes the sound of music from a nearby portable radio as he worked: “The painting of the house began to take on a life of its own; the walls were pulsating and the sidewalk was uneven. Vivid colors burst from the canvas as the house seemed to dance to the music.” It was the beginning of a series of paintings that immediately and consistently resonates with the public and remains as perhaps the most iconic image of his oeuvre. Other opportunities followed, illustrating his prolific versatility. He has been named Official Artist of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival six times, and his artwork has appeared each time on the