AQ January February March 2012 AQ January February March 2012

ArtsQuarterly

N EW ORLEANS MUSEUM OF ART

JANUARY

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FEBRUARY

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M A R C H 2 012 , V O L . 3 4 N o .1

A Members’ Publication

DIRECTOR’S LETTER

From the Permanent Collection: Armand Guillaumin (French, 1841-1927) The Towers of St. Sulpice, Paris, (detail)1895 Oil on canvas Bequest of Eleanor B. Kohlmeyer, 2008.6

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anuary brings a sense of renewal—a time we

it serves. During our centennial year, NOMA

reflect on the accomplishments of the past year

developed a number of initiatives that will guide our

and an opportunity to outline our ambitions for

future offerings. We will continue to feature lively,

the next. As we develop our resolutions for the

comprehensive programming that will include

museum, we consider what you, the community,

partnerships with peer institutions and a focus on

look for from the city’s art museum, the New Orleans

creating an accessible and inviting museum

Museum of Art.

experience. Combining new technology with

In 2011, many of you watched NOMA undergo

traditional methods, we will continue to explore

essential changes in our programming, technologies

ways in which we can use the collection as a teaching

and community outreach initiatives. If you haven’t

instrument and opportunity; our developing

already noticed the new website, NOMA.org, I

educator programs are designed to give local

encourage you to explore the museum’s new digital

teachers the tools necessary to create lesson plans

presence to learn more about our exciting events,

using works in the collection. The museum is an

upcoming exhibitions and to browse our permanent

invaluable resource—we invite all to use it!

collection. As we address the changing dynamics of

Although the centennial has passed, there is

museum-goers, and specifically the New Orleans

much to look forward to at NOMA in 2012—Hard

community, the NOMA staff with the help of the

Truths: The Art of Thornton Dial promises to be a

Canary Collective have built an invaluable resource

highlight of our exhibition calendar. Dial’s evocative,

for both prospective visitors and old friends. The

powerful large-scale assemblages address

new NOMA.org is the best way to keep up with

contemporary issues as well as open up a dialogue

exhibition and programming information and is a

on what the terms “contemporary” and “folk” mean

fresh way to interact with the thousands of objects in

in reference to art today. Our goal for NOMA is to

our collection. As we build upon this resource we

foster an environment that engages discourse and

will continue to live-stream artist talks and lectures

criticism among the arts community on this and

while exploring additional interactive components,

other debates concerning culture and the arts.

including ways to use this technology in the galleries.

In a world run by smart phones and social

As always, it is our devoted community that keeps us afloat and with your continued support we are able to maintain our role as stewards of art and

media, adopting technological advancements

art education. I thank you for an exciting 2011 filled

becomes increasingly important for a museum with a

with growth and progress and welcome you to the

history spanning one hundred years. In order for it

museum in 2012, with hopes that you discover

to flourish, it must not only provide visitors with

something new about NOMA, its collection and its

satisfying art experiences but also adapt with the

programming as it continues to evolve and grow.

changing demographics of the community in which

Susan M M. Ta T Taylor ylor The Montine McDaniel Freeman Director

CONTENTS 2

Fe a tu re Finding Ou r Way Th rou g h the Darknes s : An I nter view with J oanne Cu bbs on Thor nton Dial

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Exh ib itio n s Dario Robleto: The Prelives of the Blues M A S S P R O D U C E D : Te c h n o l o g y i n Nineteenth-centur y English Design Making a Mark: The Dorothy and H e r b e r t Vo g e l C o l l e c t i o n

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Mu s e u m N ews Recent Acqu isitions Leaving a Legacy

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Exp e r ie n c in g N O M A N ew Website Gives Vir tu al Vis itors A l l A c c es s F o r e v e r at N OMA

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N OMA a n d t h e Community N OMA and You ng Au dienc es Teac h the Work of Th or nton Dial N O M A is A r tf u l l y Aware Life Blooms in th e S cu lptu re G arden N OMA Welcomes S pring with Two P opu l ar E vents

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Su p p o r tin g N OM A N OMA Annou nces th e I s aac Del g ado Soc iety N OMA Goes to H avana Grant from Keep Lou isian a B eau tifu l Hel ps N OMA Go Green Fall E vents H elp Close O u t Centennial Celebrations I n Memoriam: E u genie J ones Hu g er (1932 – 2011)

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P ro f ile s in Givin g A Tribu te to Mrs. Doroth y “B ec ky ” B ec kem ey er Skau

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N OMA Fa m il y J ames Ber nard By r nes, 1917 – 2011

FEATUR E Finding Our Way Through the Darkness: An Interview with Joanne Cubbs on Thornton Dial

number of unheralded creative traditions from the black South, it also represents an important missing chapter in American art history.

This February, NOMA will present the exhibition Hard Truths: The Art of Thornton Dial, which will include sculptures, paintings, and drawings on paper from the past twenty years of Dial’s life.

Joanne Cubbs, the exhibition’s curator, is the Adjunct Curator of American Art at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. Arts Quarterly recently had the opportunity to speak to Cubbs, and she guided us through an exploration of Dial ‘s life and work, and what it means to be characterized as an “outsider” artist.

Arts Quarterly: Dial was not “discovered” by the art world until he was 60, but had been creating for years. Is it true that he buried or destroyed many Thornton Dial, 2002. Photograph by David Raccuglia.

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early pieces?

Joanne Cubbs: It is true that, until the mid 1980s,

hornton Dial was born in 1928 in a remote

Dial maintained a certain amount of secrecy about

rural community in Alabama. As a teenager,

his work. Fearing reprisals from whites and even

he moved to Bessemer, a small town outside

fellow blacks who might resent or misunderstand his

of Birmingham, where he worked for forty years in

social commentary, he reportedly hid, recycled, or

various industrial jobs. During this time, he also

buried many of his earlier creations. It is important to

created assemblages from a myriad of found objects

keep in mind that Dial spent much of his life

like wire, carpet, rags, dolls, wood and metal scraps.

struggling to survive one of the most repressive and

His massive creations are often vibrantly painted and

perilous periods of race relations in the American

rich with symbolism that reflects the social, race, and

South. And in the not-so-distant past, the discovery

class politics that have been a part of our country

of a working-class black man publicly voicing such

since its inception. Dial’s work serves as a historical

social criticism might have put that artist and his

account of living as a working-class black man in the

family in great jeopardy, or may even have proven to

Deep South and represents a voice rarely heard

be fatal. Not coincidentally, the found-object

within the canons of modern culture. Inspired by a

assemblages of African American yard art, a

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FEATURE Construction of the Victory, 1997, Artificial flowers and plants, crutches, fabric, clothing, rope carpet, wood, window screen, found metal, wire, oil, enamel, spray paint, and Splash Zone compound on canvas on wood, Collection of the Souls Grown Deep Foundation. Photo by Stephen Pitkin, Pitkin Studio.

widespread creative tradition in which Dial’s work is

Accepted and understood through the lens of these

rooted, have always employed an encoded

categories, Dial’s work gained important recognition.

vocabulary of ordinary materials or “junk” in order

But at the same time, he has fallen prey to the

to avoid detection by a dominant white culture with

problematic notions that frequently accompany these

a long history of suppressing black cultural

terms, to their fetishizing of difference and to their

expression.

often false characterizations of his art as naïve, innocent, or insular.

AQ: Dial is often called a “folk” or “outsider” artist.

What do you think about this kind of labeling? Has it

Because Dial’s complex and large-scale paintings and

been detrimental to him? In your opinion, is there

sculpture so closely resemble forms of mainstream

finally a mainstream acceptance for self-taught

contemporary art, there has been even further

artists?

confusion, and he has experienced some extreme highs and lows in the art world’s critical reception

JC: That’s a complicated question. Like many who

and understanding of his work over the years.

grew up in the impoverished farming communities of the black rural South, Dial had little opportunity to

AQ: Dial’s art is very heavy and dense. It is saturated

attend school. With limited formal education and no

with struggle and chaos. However, in your essay in

art training of any kind, Dial drew inspiration from

the exhibition catalogue, you say, “In his art, tragedy

the aesthetic traditions that immediately surrounded

is never without a sense of hope.” Can you expand

him, including the African American yard show and

upon this?

a number of expressive practices unique to the black vernacular South. Like a wide assortment of other

JC: In his art, Dial often focuses on the world’s

artists who work outside the familiar conventions of

troubles and cruelties. He has the ability to see

the established art world, Dial found himself

deeply into the nature of our flawed humanity. But

characterized as a “folk” or “outsider” artist.

he is also generous and optimistic in his point of

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FEATURE

view. Although his work can be dark, it also

expressive purpose. For example, many of his tigers

expresses the hope that we will somehow find our

and other protagonists are formed out of carpet

way through that darkness. Every image of social

scraps to signify their downtrodden position within

injustice is actually a call for our betterment. Within

the social hierarchy, the dilemma of being repeatedly

each evocation of struggle and ruin, there is always

and ruthlessly “stepped on.” Magical bird figures

the underlying possibility of human transcendence,

often appear as signifiers of freedom and prosperity,

moral striving, and spiritual regeneration. A unique

but in one series of pieces, these transcendent

merging of aesthetics, history, social conscience, and

creatures hang limp and lifeless like old rags on a

metaphysics, Dial’s work moves the discourse of

clothesline in order to conjure the historical memory

contemporary art into remarkable new territory.

of black lynchings. Within Dial’s renderings on the plight of the oppressed, slaves become rats trapped

AQ: Also in your essay, you explore one of the many

in a ship’s hold, manual laborers morph into mules,

symbols in Dial’s work: the tiger. What other symbols

and rural black folk turn into dead birds rotting in

or motifs can viewers expect to encounter in this

the scorching southern sun. On the brighter side,

exhibition?

imaginative species of plants and flowers often bloom amidst the artist’s scenes of devastation and

JC: Dial’s art is filled with a vocabulary of repeating

destruction, signs of life’s ability to triumph over all

symbols that provides clues to the work’s richly

odds. Even Dial’s ubiquitous use of castoff materials

layered meanings. He uses the tiger as an avatar of

carries this theme of redemption. In his work, the

African American struggle and the ability to land on

reinvestment of creative energy in old and outworn

one’s feet despite the imbalances of injustice in a

things serves as an overarching metaphor for healing

racist world. A predominant theme throughout Dial’s

the world’s inhumanities and for embracing the

work is the quest to overcome such social oppression,

dispossessed among us.

and much of his imagery serves that central

AQ: Dial is now in his early 80s, and he has had

Stars of Everything, 2004, Paint cans, plastic cans, spray paint cans, clothing, wood, steel, carpet, plastic straws, rope, oil, enamel, spray paint, and Splash Zone compound on canvas on wood, Collection of the Souls Grown Deep Foundation. Photo by Stephen Pitkin, Pitkin Studio.

Strange Fruit: Channel 42, 2003, Spray can tops, clothes, wood, artificial flowers, found metal, wire, tools, oil, enamel, spray paint, and Splash Zone compound on canvas on wood, Collection of the Souls Grown Deep Foundation, Photo by Stephen Pitkin, Pitkin Studio.

still making art?

JC: Actually, Dial’s health has greatly improved over the last year or so, and he has been able to fully enjoy the Hard Truths exhibition and the celebration of his lifelong accomplishments as an artist. In fact, since the opening of the show at the Indianapolis Museum of Art last February, he has been inspired to begin a new group of highly ambitious works. The warm public accolades that Dial has received, as well as the unprecedented national coverage praising the exhibition in such major media venues as Time Magazine, NPR, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, have encouraged him to approach his art making with new gusto and commitment. In his 80s, he continues, quite miraculously, to create some of his most exciting work.

Setting the Table, 2003 Shoes, gloves, bedding, beaded car-seat cover, cloth, carpet, artificial flowers, crushed paint cans, found metal, frying pan, cooking utensils, chain, wood, Splash Zone compound, oil, and enamel on canvas on wood, Collection of Culture and Beyond LLC/ Collection of Barbara and James Sellman Photo by Stephen Pitkin, Pitkin Studio.

Hard Truths: The Art of Thornton Dial will be on view in the Ella West Freeman Galleries from February 24, 2012—May 20, 2012. Check the web for updates on upcoming programming related to this exhibition.

EDITED BY JOANNE CUBBS AND EUGENE METCALF, this beautifully designed hardcover book contains over 150 color reproductions, with essays written by David C. Driskell, Greg Tate, and Joanne Cubbs, and a foreward by IMA Director Maxwell L. Anderson. This catalogue is published in conjunction with the exhibition Hard Truths: The Art of Thornton Dial, organized by the Indianapolis Museum of Art. Available in the Museum Shop Hardbound, 216 pages; $45.00

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some health difficulties in recent years. Is he

EXH IBITIONS Dario Robleto: The Prelives of the Blues Miranda Lash, Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art

The Minor Chords are Ours, 2010 Vintage mason jars, vintage wooden spools, stretched audio tape, minor chords, linseed oil, willow. The minor chords from a family’s 60-year record collection were isolated to audio tape, stretched into thread, and spooled.

Courtesy of the artist and Inman Gallery.

Lion or Lamb, 2007 - 2008 Colored paper, cardboard, ribbon, Foamcore, glue.

Collection of Michael Zilkha.

of work by conceptual artist Dario Robleto,

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in 1972 in San Antonio, Texas) became internationally

featuring sculpture and works on paper from

known for creating thoughtful sculptures comprised

the past ten years. The Prelives of the Blues centers on

of unusual materials imbued with conceptual

the historical and emotional resonance of music,

significance. His choices of artistic materials reflect

focusing on how music is absorbed and transferred

an ongoing interest in the specifics of history and

across generations transcending barriers of race,

music and, at the same time, universal human

time, and death.

longings common to all time periods. His past works

his spring NOMA presents a solo exhibition

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Over the course of his career Dario Robleto (born

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have included dinosaur bones, wartime memorabilia such as bullets, letters, and hair wreaths, and carefully chosen melted vinyl records and audiotapes.

The exhibition The Prelives of the Blues will present an imaginative retracing of the transference of blues, jazz, and rock n’ roll (genres with distinct African American roots) across time. The show will incorporate a selection of old and new works,

ON VIEW

including a new piece specifically inspired by New Orleans, geared to raise questions as to how musical taste is formed, and what it means for traditions and famous musical moments to be carried across generations.

Several works in the exhibition draw from Dario’s own biography. The Sin Was In Our Hips, 2000, for example, points to rock music playing a role in the artist’s own conception. Meanwhile The Minor Chords Are Ours, 2010, poignantly displays three

NOMA 100: Gifts for the Second Century Ella West Freeman Galleries Last day, January 22 In honor of NOMA’s centennial, over seventy-five generous donors gave the museum over one hundred works of art. This exhibition features works of European Art from before and after 1900, American Art, Asian, pre-Columbian and Native American, and African and Oceanic, and demonstrates artistic connections across medium, style, time periods, and cultures.

generations of music (his own, his mother’s and his grandmother’s) represented by the audiotapes of the minor or “melancholy” chords from their vinyl collections. Despite these autobiographical notes, however, the works aim for a humanist understanding of what it means to love music, particularly across lines of class and heritage.

The decision to invite Robleto to NOMA was motivated by the strong affinity he has demonstrated in his work for music and investigating American history. Having visited New Orleans several times over the past three years, Robleto was inspired by the integration of music into public rituals, such as second lines, Social Aid and Pleasure Clubs, club music, and jazz funerals. Robleto was also struck by how familial lineages and traditions are a strong part of New Orleans’s cultural identity, as manifested in the family plots and mausoleums in our city cemeteries.

Dario Robleto: The Prelives of the Blues will be on view in the Frederick R. Weisman galleries from March 23 through September 16, 2012. The artist Dario Robleto will present a public walk-through of the exhibition on Friday, June 1, 2012.

COMING

SOON

Leah Chase: Paintings by Gustave Blache III Louisiana Galleries April 23—September 9 To celebrate New Orleans restaurateur and legend Leah Chase’s 90th birthday, NOMA will be presenting a series of paintings that investigate the environment behind the cuisine at her famous Dooky Chase Restaurant. Blache puts Leah at the center of this series, and captures the spirit of her cooking. Leah, known both for her expertise in the kitchen and her life-long advocacy for the arts, is an honorary life trustee of NOMA.

EXHIBITIONS

MASS PRODUCED: Technology in Nineteenth-century English Design Alice Dickinson, Lois F. McNeil Fellow, Winterthur Program in American Material Culture ASS PRODUCED aims to examine the

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of the precious metal to a base metal after fabrication.

impact of industrial techniques on mass-

New processes, as well as modifications and

produced objects for the home. The

rediscoveries of old techniques, allowed an upsurge

nineteenth century saw an explosion in the quantity

of options and styles attainable for the average

and types of merchandise available for purchase,

person.

largely due to manufacturing techniques that

Pressed glass, transfer-printed ceramics and

allowed goods to be produced more cost-effectively.

silver produced by firms such as Sowerby

The look of glass, ceramic, and silver wares for the

Glassworks, Josiah Wedgwood and Sons, Minton

table and for decoration changed with the

Pottery and Porcelain Factory, and Elkington and

application of new practices.

Mold-pressed glass became widespread early in

Company will be on view. MASS PRODUCED will highlight rich examples of nineteenth-century British

the century and glassworkers used the technique to

decorative arts in NOMA’s collection and explore the

create jardinières and vases. Ceramic manufacturers

fascinating relationships between design, technology,

employed transfer printing to decorate dinner and

and mass production.

tea wares, affordable alternatives to hand-painted

MASS PRODUCED: Technology in Nineteenth-

ceramics. Silver tablewares gleamed with a thin

century English Design will be on view in the Cameo

coating of silver applied by electroplating, the fusing

Galleries from January 13—June 24, 2012.

Objects left to right: Old Hall Earthenware Company, Staffordshire, England; Designed by Christopher Dresser; Retailed by T.R. Grimes, London, England; Breakfast Plate, c. 1886; Earthenware: transfer printed, glazed, polychrome overglazed; Gift of E. John Bullard in memory of Eleanor Jensen Meade (1923-2002), 2003.41.

Sowerby Ellison Glassworks, Gateshead, England; Jardinière, 1877; Vitro-porcelain (glass): mold-pressed; Museum Purchase, George S. Frierson Jr. Fund, 2000.61.

Josiah Wedgwood and Sons, Staffordshire, England; Dinner Plate, c.

1875-1880; Earthenware: transfer printed, glazed, polychrome overglazed; Gift of Irving I. Gerson, 93.481.

Photograph by Judy Cooper.

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Lynda Benglis, Untitled, n.d., Photo collage on wax and gold leaf, Gift of Dorothy and Herbert Vogel through the National Gallery of Art, 2008.74.5

Charles Clough, Untitled, 2001, Watercolor on paper, Gift of Dorothy and Herbert Vogel through the National Gallery of Art, 2008.74.9

Making a Mark: The Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection Russell Lord, Freeman Family Curator of Photographs and Prints and Drawings

Now on View

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ver fifty years ago, an unassuming New

especially interested in drawings of all kinds, from

York couple—she a librarian, he a postal

preparatory sketches and designs for sculptures to

worker—began collecting art. They

discrete finished works. As one of the most visceral

acquired things that they liked and could afford on

and direct forms of picture-making, drawings can

their modest salaries, making prescient choices

reveal the genesis of an artistic concept or bring us

together about drawings, paintings, prints,

closer to the artist’s hand; as Dorothy Vogel once put

sculptures, and photographs by artists that were, at

it, “Drawing is a very personal art form…the ideas

the time, relatively unknown. Since then, Dorothy

are all there.” The act of drawing, of making a mark

and Herbert Vogel’s collection has grown into an

on a surface, is also a way of leaving some stamp on

important collection of over 4,000 works by major

history’s timeline. It is, therefore, especially fitting

artists from the 1960s to the present. Working with

that the Vogels have focused on drawings in their

the National Gallery of Art, the Vogels decided to

collection, for the generous distribution of their

share their collection with the nation, choosing one

collection has itself made a mark on the national

institution in every state as the recipient of a gift of

artistic landscape. Among the works that NOMA will

fifty works each. The New Orleans Museum of Art is

exhibit from the Vogels’ gift are drawings by Michael

proud to be the Vogels’ choice for the state of

Goldberg, John Latham, Lucio Pozzi, and Richard

Louisiana and has presented works from their gift in

Tuttle. To complement the display of the Vogel

the Templeman galleries.

collection, NOMA will screen Megumi Sasaki’s

The Vogels’ gift to NOMA includes works in a variety of media—sculptures by Michael Lucero and Richard Nonas, paintings or prints by Charles

documentary Herb & Dorothy (2008) in the galleries for the duration of the exhibition.

Making a Mark: The Dorothy and Herb Vogel

Clough and Will Barnet, and a mixed-media photo

Collection is on view in the Templeman galleries through

collage by Lynda Benglis—but the Vogels were

April 8, 2012, and is generously supported by New Video.

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MUS EUM NEWS Recent Acquisitions Gustave Doré French, 1832-1883 The Matterhorn, 1873 Oil on canvas, 77 x 51 ¼ in.

Museum Purchase: Deaccession Art Fund, 2011.25 Currently on view in the Bea and Harold Forgotston Gallery, 2nd Floor Gustave Doré was one of the most exceptional illustrators of the 19th century. He was also a lithographer, engraver, and as this work shows, a visionary painter. Born in Strasbourg, France on January 6, 1832, Doré had no formal art training growing up, but displayed an aptitude for drawing early in his life. Some of his earliest dated works are from the age of five, and by twelve years old he was experimenting with lithography. In 1847, Doré moved to Paris to attend secondary school, and it was there that Charles Philipon, the French caricaturist and journalist, discovered his work.

Philipon urged Doré to continue his drawings, and while in school he quickly became a regular contributor to Philipon’s Journal pour rire. Doré is well known for his beloved illustrations of numerous literary classics, including John Milton’s Paradise Lost, Dante Aligheri’s Divine Comedy, and Miguel de Cervantes’s Don Quixote de la Mancha. Over the years those illustrations have gained iconic status; for example, his depiction of Don Quixote is widely

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recognized as the standard portrait of the character.

century Europe for the dark realism of his

through the doors by the time the gallery closed in

lithographs and illustrations, and the other is by

1892. Doré was a prolific artist who worked furiously

Thomas Willeboirts-Bosschaert, a Flemish Baroque

and ambitiously, and when he died in Paris on

artist of the seventeenth century who often painted

January 23, 1883, he left behind a body of work of

for Dutch royalty.

over 100,000 drawings, lithographs, engravings, and

n 2011, NOMA purchased two significant

Doré was very successful outside of France,

paintings for the permanent collection. One is by

especially in London, where he established the Doré

Gustave Doré, who was celebrated in nineteenth-

Gallery in 1868. Close to 2.5 million visitors walked

paintings.

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The Matterhorn, located in the Alps on the Swiss-Italian border, has long been admired as one of the most beautiful mountains in the world, a symbol of danger and the unattainable. In 1865, seven climbers scaled the icy, steep slopes and reached the summit. However, on their descent a rope snapped, causing four of the men to fall to their deaths.

One climber’s body was never recovered. This tragedy, which made international news, amplified the mountain’s infamous reputation.

Doré, who had always displayed a love for landscapes, mountains in particular, became

and Peter Paul Rubens. From 1642 to 1647,

enthralled with this tale and the Matterhorn, and

Willeboirts painted for the Dutch stadtholder

painted many scenes of it (one known painting eerily

Frederick Henry of Orange. Among these works

depicts four men tumbling down the precipice). In

include seventeen scenes drawn from Greek

NOMA’s painting, Doré captures the peril and

mythology for the Huis ten Bosch (one of the Dutch

romanticism of the legendary mountain in a tranquil

Royal Family residences) in The Hague. After the

scene. A setting sun casts a warm pink glow on the

stadtholder’s death, his widow Amalia von Solms

peak, but the dark towering trees set a sinister tone.

became Willeboirts’s leading patron, and commissioned the artist to create work in memoriam

Thomas Willeboirts-Bosschaert

of her late husband. Willeboirts was elected dean of

Flemish, 1614-1654

the Guild of St. Luke in 1651, and died a few years

Venus Mourning the Death of Adonis, n.d.

later on January 22, 1654 in Antwerp.

Oil on canvas, 61 ½ x 81 ½ in.

Mythological and historical scenes were

Museum Purchase: Deaccession Art Fund, 2011.26

considered noble subjects for seventeenth century

Currently on view in the Elizabeth Danos and Paul P.

artists. This particular work, rich with drama and

Selley Gallery, 1st floor

sensuality, depicts The Death of Adonis from Ovid’s Metamorphoses. In Greek mythology, Aphrodite

In 1614, Thomas Willeboirts-Bosschaert was born in

(Venus) became hopelessly enamored with the

Bergen op Zoom, a city located in the south of the

beautiful Adonis after a chance graze with Cupid’s

Netherlands. By 1626, he moved to Antwerp where

arrow. One day while out hunting, Adonis was slain

he studied under Gerard Seghers and possibly

by a wild boar. Venus came down to aid him after

Anthony van Dyck, two Flemish artists who also

hearing his dying groans, but was too late. In the

worked in the Baroque style.

place where the earth was stained with Adonis’s

Willeboirts soon became a citizen of Antwerp and a master of the Guild of St. Luke, one of the

blood, anemones sprouted.

The two greyhounds at the right of the frame

oldest known city guilds for artists. Collaboration

were possibly derived from an oil sketch by Frans

was common at the time, and Willeboirts worked

Snyders, who often portrayed animals and still life.

with many respected artists, including Jacob Jordaens

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Arts 11

Leaving a Legacy

However, his greatest accomplishment may arguably lie outside the museum's walls: the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden.

The Besthoff Sculpture Garden officially opened on November 23, 2003, but it was a project over ten years in the making. The Besthoffs, NOMA, and City Park participated in countless discussions to secure a home for the Besthoffs’ outstanding sculpture collection. From the Garden’s inception to its completion, John was there, facilitating the process every step of the way. Today, the Besthoff Sculpture Garden spans five acres and boasts over sixty sculptures by renowned modern and contemporary artists from all over the world.

Over 290 individuals generously donated funds in honor of John’s retirement, and in recognition of all of his achievements as director. It is appropriate that John requested that these funds be dedicated to the installation of Corridor Pin, Blue, 1999 in the Sculpture Garden. Pop artists Claes Oldenburg and his late wife Coosje van Bruggen are known for their monumental representations of ordinary objects, and NOMA’s Corridor Pin is a remarkable example of such. In the Garden’s Oak Grove, near Dame Elisabeth Frink’s Riace Warriors and Jaume Plensa’s Overflow, the twenty-two foot high opened safety pin forms a quirky archway over one of the Garden’s Corridor Pin, Blue. Photograph by Judy Cooper

many pathways.

The philanthropy of the 290 donors listed here

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has also provided additional support to the

he impact of E. John Bullard's thirty-seven-

museum’s endowment, a fund that serves to

year tenure as director of the New Orleans

maintain all aspects of the museum, including the

Museum of Art can be seen in every gallery

Sculpture Garden. This gift will allow for the

of the museum. Over the course of his directorship,

continued beautification of the Garden for years to

thousands of works of art entered the collection, and

come—a fitting tribute to the legacy of one of its

the building itself expanded by 55,000 square feet.

greatest champions.

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Donors Honoring E. JoHn BullarD The J. and H. Weldon Foundation, Inc. The Aaron or Peggy Selber Foundation, Inc. Wendell and Anne Gauthier Family Foundation John W. Deming and Bertie Murphy Deming Foundation Mintz-Easthope Foundation The Historic New Orleans Collection Sybil M. & D. Blair Favrot Family Fund Eason-Weinmann Foundation Mr. and Mrs. Glenn B. Adams Mrs. Adele L. Adatto Mr. and Mrs. Wayne F. Amedee Mr. and Mrs. W. J. Amoss Jr. Mrs. Jack R. Anderson Mrs. Katsuko Arimura Mr. and Mrs. Hunter E. Babin Mrs. Howard T. Barnett Mr. Garic K. Barranger Mr. John S. Batson Mr. and Mrs. John D. Becker Mr. and Mrs. Edward B. Benjamin Jr. Mrs. Edward B. Benjamin Ms. Ann V. Bennett Mr. and Mrs. Burton Benrud Mrs. Marian Mayer Berkett Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Bernstein Mr. and Mrs. John D. Bertuzzi Mr. and Mrs. Sydney J. Besthoff III Mrs. Linda Reese Bjork Mr. and Mrs. Joseph S. Bolton Mrs. Patricia Boothby Mrs. Jane Bories and Mr. Sam Corenswet Mrs. June W. Brandt Fay & Phelan Bright Mr. and Mrs. Edgar A. G. Bright III Mr. John E. Brockhoeft and Ms. Cynthia Samuel Ms. Lisa Brooking and Mr. Bennett Davis Mr. and Mrs. William D. Brown III Kelly Brown Mrs. A. Harris Brown Mr. Anthony F. Bultman IV Ms. Pamela R. Burck Mr. Harold Burns Mrs. Susan M. Buzick Dr. David L. Campbell Mr. and Mrs. Carlo Capomazza di Campolattaro Mr. and Mrs. Charles E. Carmichael Mrs. Lucianne B. Carmichael Dr. and Mrs. Edgar L. Chase III Mr. J. Scott Chotin Jr. Mrs. Neil Christopher Ms. Linda T. Chustz Mr. and Mrs. John Clemmer Dr. and Mrs. Isidore Cohn Jr. Mrs. Blanche M. Comiskey Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Conwill IV Dr. Patricia S. Cook Mr. and Mrs. Orlin Corey Mrs. John S. Coulter Mr. and Mrs. Silas Cunningham Mrs. William J. Daly Mr. Leonard A. Davis Ms. Katherine L. de Montluzin Mr. and Mrs. Con G. Demmas Mrs. Marilyn V. Dittmann Mrs. Marlene L. Donovan Dr. Martin Drell Mrs. Sally T. Duplantier Mr. John W. Dupuy Mrs. Lloyd E. Eagan Mrs. Mickey Easterling

Dr. and Mrs. John Ollie Edmunds Jr. Mr. Robert D. Edmundson Mr. and Mrs. David F. Edwards Ms. Lin Emery Mr. and Mrs. Joseph H. Epstein Jr. Honorable and Mrs. Randy L. Ewing Mr. and Mrs. S. Stewart Farnet Mr. and Mrs. H. M. Favrot Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Edward Feinman Dr. and Mrs. Ludovico Feoli Ms. Natalie Fielding Mr. Timmy L. Fields Mr. Tom A. Flanagan Jr. Dale R. Fleishmann Ms. Lee Foley Dr. Ben L. Forbes Mrs. Julie Forsythe and Mr. Forrest Forsythe Mrs. Betty W. Fowler Mr. René J. L. Fransen Mrs. Allison Freeman and Mr. George Freeman Mrs. Sandra D. Freeman Mrs. Norma L. Freiberg Mrs. Stanley H. Fried Mr. and Mrs. Louis L. Frierson Mr. and Mrs. James J. Frischhertz Dr. and Mrs. Harold A. Fuselier Jr. Mr. Franklin L. Gagnard Mrs. Lawrence D. Garvey Mrs. Pat Gaudin Henry W. Gautreau Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Edward N. George Mr. and Mrs. Rolland Golden Mr. and Mrs. Mason Granger Mrs. JoAnn Flom Greenberg Mr. Donald H. Griffin Phillip T. Griffin Mr. and Mrs. Hervin Guidry Mr. and Mrs. James O. Gundlach Mr. Daniel Gunther and Mr. James Gershey Dr. Robert D. Guyton Ms. Emma F. Haas Mr. and Mrs. Terence Hall Mr. and Mrs. John W. Hall Mr. Lee Hampton Mr. and Mrs. Lambert Hanemann Mr. and Mrs. Stephen A. Hansel Mr. and Mrs. Quintin T. Hardtner III Mrs. John L. Haspel Mrs. H. Lloyd Hawkins Jr. Ms. Adrea D. Heebe and Mr. Dominick A. Russo Jr. Mr. Jerry Heymann Mrs. Anna O'Malley Hingle Mrs. S. Herbert Hirsch Mrs. William H. Hodges Mrs. Gail Hood Mr. Will S. Hornsby III Mr. and Mrs. Marvin L. Jacobs Mr. and Mrs. Bernard B. Jeskin Mr. and Mrs. Erik F. Johnsen Mrs. Gloria S. Kabacoff Mrs. Margaret S. Kessels Ms. Pat Kimmel Mrs. Morris Klinger Mrs. E. James Kock Jr. Mrs. Jane N. Kohlmann Ms. Rosemary Korndorffer Peter and Bonnie Kramer Mr. and Mrs. Subhash Kulkarni Mrs. J. Monroe Laborde Mr. and Mrs. John P. Laborde John Lair Mr. Henry M. Lambert and Mr. R. Carey Bond

Mr. and Mrs. H. Merritt Lane III Mr. and Mrs. Charles W. Lane III Mr. and Mrs. J. M. Lapeyre Jr. Mr. Paul J. Leaman Jr. Ms. Gladys G. LeBreton Dr. Edward D. Levy Jr. Mr. and Mrs. J. Thomas Lewis Dr. and Mrs. Robert Lewis Mr. John W. Lolley Dr. and Mrs. E. Ralph Lupin Ms. Deborah P. Lyons Mr. F. J. Madary Jr. Mrs. Paula L. Maher Mr. and Mrs. Robert L. Manard III Mr. and Mrs. Stephen D. Manshel Ms. Jane Johnson and Mr. David A. Marcello Mrs. Walter F. Marcus Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Charles D. Marks Ms. Kathy Marmino Mr. and Mrs. Michael J. Marsiglia Mrs. Shirley Rabé Masinter Mr. and Mrs. Paul J. Masinter Mr. Edward C. Mathes Mr. and Mrs. Charles B. Mayer Mr. and Mrs. Bernard C. Mayer Ms. Kay McArdle Mr. and Mrs. Henry G. McCall Mr. and Mrs. Robert McHarg Mrs. Virginia McLean Ms. Joan K. McRaney and Mr. Richard Felder Ms. Ann M. Meehan Dr. and Mrs. Alvin S. Merlin Mr. and Mrs. R. King Milling Mrs. Ellis Mintz Mrs. Louise Moffett Mr. and Mrs. Michael D. Moffitt Mr. and Mrs. Peter R. Monrose Jr. Ms. Jo Leigh Monteverde Mrs. George R. Montgomery Mr. Brian Weatherford and Mr. Steven Montgomery Mrs. Frank C. Moran Jr. Ms. Sibyl V. Morgan Dr. and Mrs. Lee Roy Morgan Jr. Mrs. Marjorie A. Morrison Ms. Mary Wheaton Morse Mrs. Claire H. Moses Mrs. Andrée K. Moss Mr. and Mrs. J. Frederick Muller Jr. Dr. and Mrs. Anthony Mumphrey Ms. Iona R. Myers Dr. and Mrs. Bert Myers Judith Navoy Ms. Carolyn Nelson Mrs. Maxine E. Nettles Mr. R. Daniel Newhouse Mrs. Robert Nims Mr. Roger H. Ogden Mr. and Mrs. Richard E. O'Krepki Dr. and Mrs. Lawrence Omeallie Dr. Howard and Dr. Joy D. Osofsky Dr. Sanford L. Pailet Mrs. Harry M. Pelias Mrs. Ben J. Phillips Dr. and Mrs. James F. Pierce Mr. and Mrs. Gregory Pierce Mrs. Mary Evelyn Racker Dr. Thomas F. Reese Mrs. Charles S. Reily Jr. Mr. and Mrs. James J. Reiss Jr. Dr. and Mrs. Edward F. Renwick Mrs. Françoise B. Richardson Mr. and Mrs. R. Randolph Richmond Jr. Mrs. William Carey Rivenbark Mrs. Virginia N. Roddy

Mr. and Mrs. George Rodrigue Mrs. Carol H. Rosen Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin M. Rosen Mr. and Mrs. Paul S. Rosenblum Sr. Mr. Robert A. Roth Mr. James F. Roy Mr. and Mrs. John O. Roy Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Hallam L. Ruark Mr. and Mrs. John H. Ryan Mr. and Mrs. William Ryan Mrs. Jerome R. Ryan Mr. and Mrs. Lavalle B. Salomon Ms. Lillian Samardzija Mr. Brian Sands Ms. Courtney-Anne Sarpy Mr. Jack M. Sawyer Mr. and Mrs. Milton G. Scheuermann Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Claude A. Schlesinger Mr. and Mrs. Brian A. Schneider Dr. David C. Schwab Mrs. Etheldra S. Scoggin Mr. Joseph Shefsky Ms. Debra B. Shriver Mrs. Shepard H. Shushan Mrs. Sylvia Stone Shushan Dr. and Mrs. David Earl Simmons Mr. Edward M. Simmons Dr. and Mrs. Julian H. Sims Mr. and Mrs. I. William Sizeler Mr. and Mrs. Lynes R. Sloss Ms. Toni Smith Mrs. Joe D. Smith, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Rodney R. Smith Mrs. Charles A. Snyder Mr. and Mrs. Bruce L. Soltis Mr. and Mrs. Thomas S. Soniat Mr. and Mrs. Stephen L. Sontheimer Mrs. Vann Spruiell Mr. H. P. St. Martin III Mrs. Molly M. St. Paul Ms. E. Alexandra Stafford and Mr. Raymond M. Rathle Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Harry C. Stahel Mrs. Jack Stein Mrs. Warren L. Stern Ms. Micki Beth Stiller Ms. Jon B. Strauss Dr. and Mrs. Richard L. Strub Mr. and Mrs. James A. Stuckey Mrs. Robert Suggs Ms. Jacqueline L. Sullivan Ms. Anne Reily Sutherlin Ms. Judith (Jude) Swenson Mrs. Patrick F. Taylor Mr. and Mrs. James L. Taylor Mr. and Mrs. Herndon J. Thomason Dr. and Mrs. Armant C. Touchy Ms. Catherine Burns Tremaine Ms. Kathie W. Uzzelle Mrs. Anthony J. Valentino Mr. and Mrs. George G. Villere Dr. and Mrs. Robert G. Weilbaecher Mrs. John N. Weinstock Mrs. Ruth R. Weisler Mrs. Margaret H. West Mrs. Karolyn Kuntz Westervelt Ms. Jane K. Wheelahan Mr. Charles Lewis Whited Jr. Mrs. Nan S. Wier Ms. Margot Wilkinson Mr. Glen Wilson Mr. and Mrs. D. Brent Wood Dr. and Mrs. John M. Yarborough Ms. Alice Rae Yelen and Dr. Kurt A. Gitter Mr. and Mrs. Robert E. Young Dr. and Mrs. Lawrence Zaslow

EXPERIENCING NOMA New Website Gives Virtual Visitors All Access volunteer or inquire about facility rentals. Individual departments are able to update and upload content so information can be refreshed on a moment’s notice.

The website and content management system were designed by the Canary Collective, a local New Orleans company. Blake Haney and Ben Hirsch of the Canary Collective are continuing to work with NOMA staff to improve and expand the site.

"Our intention all along has been to help NOMA and their staff publish over time their collection and up-to-date content,” says Haney. “We can then build interactive elements for each site visitor. We will introduce facts about works in the collection, user tools for creating your own collection, and the development of new media around the exhibitions

N

OMA unveiled a new digital presence on

and permanent collection. In the end we hope the

November 4. Just twenty-five days after

new site helps to increase membership and turns site

launching, the new noma.org enjoyed over

visitors into museum visitors."

20,000 visitors and over 70,000 page views.

Popular sections of the new website include

In the coming months, NOMA will unveil more interactive components of the site including quizzes

exhibitions, events and the collection. Future and

and educational tools. The Canary Collective is also

past exhibitions, videos, events and collection pieces

working with NOMA on a new design for the e-

are added weekly to the website. Users can also sign

newsletter.

up for a personal account, log in to the site and build

Just as guests of the museum find something new every time they drop in, virtual visitors are sure

a virtual collection.

The website has proven to be user-friendly for both visitors and staff. Visitors to the site can find

to spot fresh features on noma.org—so visit and visit often!

information with ease and fill out e-forms to

NEXT UP

AT

BOOK CLUB

JANUARY: Clara and Mr. Tiffany

by Susan Vreeland January 19: Field Trip to the New Orleans Glassworks and Printmaking Studio, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.

January 20: Discussion Group

FEBUARY: Rogues Gallery: the Secret History of the Mogul and the Money That Made the Metropolitan Museum by Michael Gross and Making the Mummies Dance Inside the Metropolitan Museum of Art by Thomas Hoving February 15: Discussion Group

MARCH: The Miracles of Prato

by Laurie Albanese March 8: Discussion Group We meet at 11:30 for lunch, but all discussions start promptly at noon.

To join or for more info, contact Sheila Cork at (504) 658-4117 or at scork@noma.org.

Artist Odili Donald Odita with Forever. Photograph by Roman Alokhin.

Forever at NOMA Miranda Lash, Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art

O

n November 4, 2011, NOMA unveiled

exists in three main zones: at the far left, bright tones

Forever, a newly completed wall painting

streak in like rays of morning light, conveying the

by Odili Donald Odita. Commissioned in

impression of beginning. On the center wall, two

honor of the museum’s centennial, Forever, now part

planes of color converge at a centerfold, in a butterfly

of the museum’s collection, will be on view for the

or mask-like shape. On the third wall towards the

next three years. Extending 150 feet, the mural is

right, vertical vectors imitate the forms of a forest or

comprised of 87 different colors, each carefully

curtain veils. The white background of the wall

calibrated to respond to the physical space and

penetrates into the colorful designs, articulating

changing light of the McDermott Lobby. The mural

Forever as a wall piece, distinct from a work on

took approximately one month to complete with the

canvas.

aid of a team of assistants and volunteers. The title,

Odita’s palette for Forever, which draws from

Odita explains, conveys the impression of dynamism

skin tones, political concerns, and memories of Mardi

and continuity he gathered from spending time in

Gras Indian costumes (among other things), should

this city: “New Orleans is an accumulation of

not be regarded as directly representational. Rather, it

different histories and cultural groups, all of which

is a summary of the emotional states and impressions

co-exist in a vibrant patchwork.”

experienced by the artist. “All painting is

The idea of “crossroads” or moments of decision,

decorative,” Odita explains. Referring to the

play an important role in Forever. Improvisation was

accumulative, systemic structures in painting, he

part of the mural’s process, as its design evolved

adds, “This becomes power when the decorative in

over Odita’s successive visits to the space. The work

painting is organized and understood."

January February March 2012 ●

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Arts

15

NOMA

AND THE

COMMUNITY

NOMA and Young Audiences Teach the Work of Thornton Dial

I

n anticipation of the exhibition Hard Truths:

Development and the staff of Young Audiences will

The Art of Thornton Dial, NOMA is once again

collaborate to create classroom materials featuring

partnering with Young Audiences of Louisiana

pre-visit and post-visit activities. The middle-school

to provide specially designed curriculum and tours

curriculum features lessons on civil rights, and is

to students in Orleans and Jefferson Parishes. This

punctuated by Thornton Dial’s artwork and

program will introduce the work of self-taught artist

interviews with the artist. Participating schools will

Thornton Dial to high school and middle school

have an option of bringing a teaching artist into the

students. Based on a successful summer partnership,

classroom to lead an art activity to conclude the study

NOMA’s Department of Interpretation and Audience

and museum visit.

Photography by Judy Cooper

Faculty Forums

T

he New Orleans Museum of Art has

exhibitions and catalogues within the coursework of

launched a new program for university

appropriate university studies. Many Louisiana

professors and graduate students. Faculty

colleges and universities are institutional members of

Forums offer an opportunity for educators to receive

NOMA, and the museum encourages professors and

information on upcoming exhibitions and events at

students to take advantage of NOMA’s offerings. The

NOMA. Educators are invited to the museum for a

next Faculty Forum will be held on Wednesday,

relaxed evening of gallery visits and discussions

March 28 from 4:30 – 6:00 p.m. and will feature

with curators and museum educators. Faculty

information on Lifelike, an international group

Forums will be held once per semester and will

exhibition that examines commonplace objects and

preview museum plans for the following six months.

situations, and Dario Robleto: The Prelives of the Blues.

It is NOMA’s hope that with this advanced notice, educators will consider including museum 16 Arts

For more information or to make a reservation, email education@noma.org or call (504) 658-4113.

January February March 2012 ●

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Children from the International School in Uganda attending an arts workshop. Photograph by Hilary Wallis.

NOMA is Artfully Aware p.m., Artfully AWARE (AfA) will take over

O

work from their Artists and Sense of Place residency,

NOMA for a special event: “Becoming

which pairs nationally recognized artists with local

Artfully AWARE: Linking Local and International

students to create artwork that reflects their sense of

Communities through the Arts.” Artfully AWARE is

their surroundings. The Contemporary Arts Center

a global organization that uses art to engage

will screen a short film about self-identity produced

communities and promote social welfare and

by their youth group.

n Friday, February 3 from 5:00 p.m. – 10:00

healing.

For one night that will celebrate the rich

The Odgen Museum of Southern Art will display

“Adults and children strengthen their minds and abilities through creative stimulation,” says Hilary

diversity of New Orleans, children and adults from

Wallis, Executive Director of Artfully AWARE. “Our

across the community and the world have

goal is to welcome a cross section of community

contributed artwork and creative writing that will be

members under one roof, so we can celebrate our

displayed in the Great Hall and surrounding

uniqueness as well as what makes us relate to the rest

galleries. The evening begins with a performance by

of the world. We want to express why arts and culture

the Mardi Gras Indian tribe, the Guardians of the

are so vitally important, and emphasize their positive

Flame. Michael Watson, the musical director of Irvin

impact on society.”

Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse, will also perform with a four-piece band.

Visitors can interact with professional writers and artists from A Studio in the Woods, catch a literary reading organized by the Pirate’s Alley

All visitors will receive a booklet of poems, short stories, and visual art created by AfA participants.

Food and drink will be available from Ralph Brennan’s Café NOMA. For this event, Artfully AWARE is collaborating with

Faulkner Society, view photography that reflects the

the New Orleans Citizen Diplomacy Council (NOCDC),

Sierra Club's local environmental efforts and watch

the World Trade Center of New Orleans (WTC), Pirate’s

short films selected by FosterBear Films that explore

Alley Faulkner Society and the World Affairs Council of

the vital role of the arts in society. One Million Bones,

New Orleans (WACNO). Special thanks also to the

a hands-on art initiative that raises genocide

Contemporary Arts Center (CACNO), The Ogden

awareness, will exhibit a scaled down version of

Museum of Southern Art, A Studio in the Woods, One

their planned installation for New Orleans, which

Million Bones, FosterBear Films and The Sierra Club.

will contain 50,000 handmade bones.

Life Blooms in the Sculpture Garden

The Master Gardeners of Greater New Orleans hosted a free gardening demonstration on November 15, 2011.

I

also a thriving center of community engagement.

Current groups include the Magnolia School, high

Volunteers from across the community regularly

school and university students, retired locals, the

come to the Garden to donate their gardening

Louisiana Master Gardeners, the Greater New

services and learn new techniques.

Orleans Iris Society, individuals needing to perform

n addition to being a destination for art

“The benefits of gardening are cognitive,

enjoyment and contemplation, the five-acre

psychological, social, and physical.”

Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden is

Last year, NOMA partnered with the Master Gardeners of Greater New Orleans to create the Louisiana Super Plant/Enabling Garden in a 550

Everyone is welcome to volunteer in the Garden.

community service, and families just looking for an activity to do together.

Buckman notes, “Everyone performs the same

square-foot raised bed outside the back entrance of

tasks, from weeding and grooming to trimming and

the Besthoff Sculpture Garden, facing the entrance of

mulching—everything that helps keep the Garden

the Botanical Garden. The Louisiana Super Plants

maintained and looking spectacular all year.”

program is a campaign initiated by the LSU

The Besthoff Sculpture Garden is handicap-accessible,

Agricultural Center to identify ornamental plants

free and open to the public daily from 10:00 a.m.-4:45

that thrive in Louisiana landscapes.

p.m., with extended hours until 9p.m. on Fridays. Closed

On the third Tuesday of every month, the MGGNOs give free demonstrations in the Garden on how to plant and take care of a bed of these

all legal holidays. For more information or to volunteer, call (504) 658-4153.

Look for more upcoming details on the annual

extraordinary plants. Attendees are shown how to

Louisiana Rainbow Iris Festival, which will be held on

properly plant, water, mulch, and take soil samples.

Saturday, April 14, 2012 from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. in

“I feel very passionately about keeping the ‘garden’ aspect of the Sculpture Garden alive,” says

conjunction with the Botanical Garden’s Spring Garden Show.

Pamela Buckman, the Sculpture Garden Manager.

STICK TO THOSE NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS!

Yoga and pilates classes are offered by the East Jefferson Wellness Center in the Sculpture Garden on Saturday mornings from 8-9 a.m., free for members and $5 a class for non-members. Check the pull-out calendar for exact dates.

NOMA Welcomes Spring with Two Popular Events

N

OMA will be celebrating the arrival of spring in colorful fashion from March 14 – March 18, 2012 as the

museum and the Garden Study Club of New Orleans present the twenty-fourth annual Art in Bloom, “New Orleans: Life in Color.” Co-chairs Gwathmey Gomila and Jennifer Charpentier are

hard at work planning the event and invite you to join them for the spectacular five-day celebration featuring art, floral displays, educational programs and social events.

On March 24, 2012, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., hundreds of excited children and their families will descend on the Besthoff Sculpture Garden for the annual Fabergé Egg Hunt. The fun-filled event will feature egg hunts, a petting zoo, arts and crafts activities, spacewalks, face painting, balloon making, and a visit from the Elmer’s Easter Bunny. Sarah Abbott, Petra Guste, and Angel Junius are returning for an encore performance as the 2012 co-chairs.—Carol Short, NVC Publications Co-chair For tickets and information, see www.noma.org or call (504) 658-4121.

Art In Bloom photographs by the NVC. Egg Hunt photographs by Roman Alokhin.

NOMA W E L C O M E S 2012 NVC C H A I R E L I Z A B E T H H A E C K E R R YA N THE NOMA VOLUNTEER COMMITTEE (NVC) proudly announces Elizabeth Haecker Ryan as the 2012 NVC Chair. Ryan’s focus will be on NVC’s core responsibility: fundraising. She says, “NOMA has taken some wonderful steps, and the NVC needs to be there to let the museum keep on exploring and expanding.”

The price points for tickets to NVC events will be expanded to allow broader participation.

Secondly, Ryan will foster active volunteerism. A 2012 Placement Chair will match NVC members’ interests with NVC volunteer needs.

Ryan, a San Antonio native who received her degrees at Newcomb College and Tulane Law School, is current chair-elect of one of the city’s oldest social services agencies, Family Services of Greater New Orleans. Ryan successfully juggles many commitments: marriage to husband John Henry Ryan; practicing law; involvement in professional, school, and civic organizations; and being a mother to three grown children.

NOMA thanks Ryan for offering her leadership talents and time to the NVC in 2012!—Laura Junge Carman, NVC Publications Co-chair

SUPPORTING NOMA UPGRADE YOUR SUPPORT

OF

NOMA

President’s Circle: $20,000 Director’s Circle: $10,000 The NOMA Board of Trustees cordially invites you to join the Circles, the museum’s most prestigious membership group.

Patron’s Circle: $5,000 For more information, please call (504) 658-4107.

Circles of the New Orleans Museum of Art We appreciate the generous and continuing support of our Circle members.

PresideNt’s CirCle Mr. and Mrs. John D. Bertuzzi Mr. and Mrs. Sydney J. Besthoff III Mr. and Mrs. Ralph O. Brennan Collins C. Diboll Private Foundation Mr. and Mrs. David F. Edwards Dr. and Mrs. Ludovico Feoli Mr. and Mrs. Stephen A. Hansel Ms. Adrea D. Heebe and Mr. Dominick A. Russo Jr. Helis Foundation Mr. and Mrs. David A. Kerstein Mr. Paul J. Leaman Jr. Mrs. Paula L. Maher Mr. and Mrs. Charles B. Mayer Mrs. Robert Nims Mrs. Charles S. Reily Jr. Mrs. Françoise B. Richardson Jolie and Robert Shelton Mrs. Patrick F. Taylor Zemurray Foundation

direCtOr’s CirCle Mrs. Jack R. Aron The Booth-Bricker Fund Mr. and Mrs. Thomas B. Coleman Mrs. Lawrence D. Garvey Mrs. JoAnn Flom Greenberg Mr. Jerry Heymann Mr. and Mrs. Erik F. Johnsen Mr. and Mrs. Peter R. Monrose Jr.

20 Arts

Mr. and Mrs. Robert J. Patrick Mr. and Mrs. Edwin R. Rodriguez Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin M. Rosen Ms. Debra B. Shriver Mr. and Mrs. Bruce L. Soltis Margaret B. and Joel J. Soniat Dr. and Mrs. Richard L. Strub

PAtrON’s CirCle Mrs. Adele L. Adatto Dr. Ronald G. Amedee and Dr. Elisabeth H. Rareshide Mr. and Mrs. Robert H. Boh Mr. E. John Bullard III Mr. and Mrs. Mark Carey Dr. and Mrs. Isidore Cohn, Jr. Mrs. John J. Colomb Jr. Mr. Leonard A. Davis Mr. and Mrs. Prescott N. Dunbar Mr. and Mrs. H. M. Favrot Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Timothy Francis Mr. and Mrs. James J. Frischhertz Mr. and Mrs. Edward N. George Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Heebe Mrs. Gloria S. Kabacoff Ms. Allison Kendrick Mr. Henry M. Lambert and Mr. R. Carey Bond Mr. and Mrs. H. Merritt Lane III Mr. and Mrs. Thomas B. Lemann Dr. Edward D. Levy Jr.

Mr. and Mrs. J. Thomas Lewis Dr. and Mrs. E. Ralph Lupin Mr. and Mrs. Paul J. Masinter Mr. Edward C. Mathes Ms. Kay McArdle Mr. and Mrs. R. King Milling Mrs. Ellis Mintz Mr. and Mrs. Michael D. Moffitt Robert and Myrtis Nims Foundation Dr. Andrew Orestano Dr. Howard and Dr. Joy D. Osofsky Dr. and Mrs. James F. Pierce Mr. and Mrs. James J. Reiss Jr. Dr. and Mrs. Edward F. Renwick Mr. and Mrs. R. Randolph Richmond Jr. Mr. and Mrs. George Rodrigue Mr. and Mrs. Brian A. Schneider Mr. and Mrs. Edward Shearer Mr. and Mrs. Lynes R. Sloss Ms. E. Alexandra Stafford and Mr. Raymond M. Rathle Jr. Mrs. Frederick M. Stafford Mrs. Harold H. Stream Jr. Mr. Stephen F. Stumpf Jr. Mr. Hollis C. Taggert Mr. and Mrs. James L. Taylor Mr. and Mrs. David S. Thomas Jr. Mrs. Hendrik Willem van Voorthuysen Mrs. John N. Weinstock Mrs. Dorothy Weisler Mrs. Henry H. Weldon

January February March 2012 ●

●

NOMA’s exhibitions and special programs are made possible through the generosity of our sponsors. If you would like additional information on sponsorship, please contact the museum’s Development Department at (504) 658-4107. $525,000 Patrick F. Taylor Foundation —Endowment Fund —Education Programming $500,000 Zemurray Foundation —Endowment Fund $300,000 Save America’s Treasures —Permanent Collection Conservation

$100,000 Collins C. Diboll Foundation —Endowment Fund $50,000 The Selley Foundation —Re-design and Re-launch Website $49,999 - $20,000 Louisiana Division of the Arts —General Operating Support Luce Foundation —Kuntz Galleries Renovation

The Lupin Foundation —Odyssey Ball, 2011 Office of the Lieutenant Governor State of Louisiana —Where Y’Art!?

Programming The RosaMary Foundation —General Operating Support American Express Foundation —Urn Restoration Andy Warhol Foundation —Curatorial Research National Endowment for the Arts —Permanent Collection Catalogue

$19,999 - $10,000 Goldring Family Foundation —Odyssey Ball, 2011 Ruby K. Worner Charitable Trust —Where Y’Art!?

Programming Eugenie and Joseph Jones Family Foundation —Art In Bloom, 2011 GPOA Foundation —Language and Art Eductional Programming Libby Dufour Foundation —Urn Restoration

Corporate and Individual Support $49,999 - $20,000 Whitney National Bank —Art in Bloom 2011 IBERIABANK —Odyssey Ball 2011

International Well Testers Inc. Robert and Jolie Shelton —Odyssey Ball 2011 Peoples Health —Odyssey Ball 2011

$19,999 - $10,000 Chevron —Odyssey Ball 2011 DocuMart —Odyssey Ball 2011 Garden Study Club —Sculpture Garden Beautification Project

Dathel and Tommy Coleman —Art in Bloom Entergy —Art In Bloom 2011 June and Bill McArdle —Odyssey Ball 2011

$9,999 – 5,000 Soniat House Hotel

$4,999 - $1,000 Kentwood Spring Water Christie’s Fine Art Auctioneers Dooky Chase’s Restaurant

In-Kind Corporate Donations $74,999 - $50,000 Sheraton New Orleans Hotel

January February March 2012 ●

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$49,000 - $20,000 The Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group Landis Construction

Arts 21

SUPPORTING NOMA

Foundation and Government Support

Director Emeritus E. John Bullard. Photography by Judy Cooper.

NOMA Announces the Isaac Delgado Society Marilyn Dittmann, Director of Development t an Afternoon Tea and surrounded by

A

• Make NOMA a beneficiary of a retirement

NOMA’s most steadfast volunteers,

plan, IRA, 401(k), or 403(b)

Director Susan M. Taylor announced the

• Transfer real estate to NOMA

creation of the Isaac Delgado Society. This society

• Promise a gift of a work of art that the

was established to celebrate those generous donors

museum has agreed to accept

who remember NOMA in their estate plans through a planned gift. With permission, society members

Ms. Taylor encouraged guests to contact the

will be recognized in special publications and receive

Development Office to learn more about the

invitations to exclusive museum events including an

opportunities to fund the following essential

annual luncheon. Most important, members of the

programs and services:

society will know that they are ensuring NOMA’s

• Endowed curatorial positions

excellence for future generations.

• Exhibitions

Director Emeritus John Bullard, who is leading

• Educational programming for children

this important initiative, spoke of continuing the

and adults

tradition of philanthropy which was first established

• Sculpture Garden maintenance

by Isaac Delgado in 1911. In providing for NOMA’s

• Lecture Series

second century, we recognize the significance of

• Publications

planned giving to the future of the museum in terms

• Member events

of building the endowment, enhancing the collection

• Musical programs

and supporting growth and long-term stability. He

• Building improvements

invited those in attendance to join the Isaac Delgado

• Capital additions

Society through one of the following ways:

• Art purchases

• Name the museum in your will • Designate life insurance policy proceeds to the museum or donate an insurance policy

22 Arts

We look forward to meeting with you and discussing NOMA’s future.

For more information or to receive a brochure, please call 504-658-4107 or email: mdittmann@noma.org.

January February March 2012 ●

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N

OMA is planning a trip to Havana, Cuba

studio visits and intimate artist talks with artists and

from May 9 to 17, 2012. This trip, which

art historians. For $1,000 per year, you can be a part

will coincide with the 11th Havana

of this important group.

Biennial, will have a strong focus on contemporary

If you would like to be included on a mailing list

art. Therefore, the museum is extending a special

for forthcoming information on trips to Cuba, please

invitation to members of the Contemporaries,

contact Miranda Lash (504) 658-4138 or email

NOMA’s new affinity group for those interested in

mlash@noma.org.

contemporary art.

The visit to Havana will include guided tours through the biennial’s multiple sites, artist’s studio visits, and splendid accommodations at the Hotel Parque Central, located in the heart of Old Havana.

This Cuba trip will be just one of many events

For more information on the Contemporaries please call (504) 658-4107 or email mdittmann@noma.org.

Please note that this will be a high-energy trip that will require a great deal of walking and is not recommended for guests with mobility challenges.

for the Contemporaries. Future activities will include

Grant from Keep Louisiana Beautiful Helps NOMA Go Green

A

s NOMA enters its second century, it

needles from staff members’ yards

remains committed to the environment and

were used as a ground cover.

to implementing sustainable practices.

NOMA’s green initiative

Keep Louisiana Beautiful, a non-profit organization

began a year ago with the

that promotes personal and community

formation of a Green Committee.

responsibility for a clean and beautiful Louisiana,

Recent environmentally conscious

recently awarded NOMA a grant that provided

changes to the museum include museum-wide

funding for more ecological management of waste at

recycling, replacing Styrofoam at the coffee machine

the museum and the Besthoff Sculpture Garden,

with washable coffee mugs, as well as hand driers in

helping NOMA in its transition in becoming a green

the bathroom instead of paper towels. At the

facility.

museum’s largest fundraiser, the Odyssey Ball,

On November 15, 2011, NOMA participated in

NOMA partnered with eco-friendly vendors and

America Recycles Day, a nationally recognized day

caterers who use reusable linens, glassware, and

dedicated to the promotion of recycling in the United

silverware in order to reduce the amount of solid

States. The office-wide clean up was a perfect

waste created.

opportunity for NOMA staff and volunteers to

With support from Keep Louisiana Beautiful,

organize and de-clutter working spaces, while

NOMA is able to take steps toward a more Earth-

creating as little waste as possible. Extra office and

friendly existence. Save the date for the museum’s

workshop supplies, catalogues, brochures, and

Earth Day celebration on April 20, 2012, as part of

furniture were recycled or donated to local thrift

our Friday night Where Y’Art!? programming.

stores. In the Sculpture Garden, leaves and pine January February March 2012 ●

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Arts 23

SUPPORTING NOMA

NOMA Goes to Havana

SUPPORTING NOMA

Fall Events Help Close Out Centennial Celebrations

O

n September 23, 2011, NOMA’s annual

Global Culture Nasu, a Japanese performing arts

LOVE in the Garden celebration was held

group whose appearance in New Orleans was

in the lush Sydney and Walda Besthoff

generously sponsored by the Consulate General of

Sculpture Garden. Amidst a casual evening of dining and dancing, 2011 LOVE co-chairs Annie Flettrich

Japan, Nashville.

On November 12, 2011, NOMA held the forty-

and Jennifer Shelnutt joined with 1,000 NOMA

sixth annual Odyssey Ball. The Great Hall,

devotees to honor five of our city’s outstanding

transformed for the occasion, housed a striking

artists for their work and for the vital roles they have

sculpture by Viorel Hodre. Sleepwalkers (Night

played in our community.

Blooming Cereus), a video installation by Courtney

The 2011 honorees—Andy Brott, Mari De Pedro, Kathleen Loe, Ayo Scott, and Julie Silvers—were

Egan, mesmerized guests from the Grand Staircase.

NOMA Director Susan M. Taylor greeted patrons

recognized by Director Susan M. Taylor at a

along with Brenda and Michael Moffitt, the chairs of

ceremony during the Garden Party while a visual

the event. Juan Barona’s stunning contemporary

tribute to their work was projected on the Garden

décor set the tone for the premiere viewing of NOMA

walls for all to enjoy.

100: Gifts for the Second Century, and for two Odyssey

The evening celebration also gave partygoers a chance to admire two new additions to the Besthoff Sculpture Garden: Diana, The Huntress by AugustusSaint Gaudens and Untitled by Anish Kapoor.

On October 8, 2011, thousands of visitors came to

Ball firsts: the VIP Lounge and an overture to the Young Fellows.

Deacon John and the Ivories headlined while the Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group provided gourmet delights. Cigar Factory New Orleans and Rèmy

NOMA to experience a day filled with music, food,

Martin cognac added to the atmosphere. Special

art, and activities celebrating the rich and diverse

thanks to The Lupin Foundation and Peoples Health

culture of Japan. Highlights included an address by

for generously underwriting the gala, to

the mayor of Matsue, our sister city in Japan; an

IBERIABANK for sponsoring the VIP Lounge, and to

anime fashion contest; and performances by

Jolie and Robert Shelton for the sponsorship of the

drumming group Kaminari Taiko of Houston and

Great Hall.

1

2 3

4

5 Japan Fest: 1. Mayor of Matsue; 2. and 3. Global Culture Nasu, sponsored by the Consul-Generals Office; 4. Kaminari Taiko of Houston; 5. Japanese Weekend School of New Orleans. Photography by Roman Alokhin.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7 8

9 Odyssey Ball: 1. NOMA Director Susan M. Taylor and Paolo Meozzi, with Pam and Dr. Ralph Lupin; 2. Brenda and Michael Moffitt with Cathy and Greg Ruppert; 3.Odyssey Committee members; 4. Odyssey Auction Chairmen Charlene Baudier, Lander Dunbar, Nancy Matulich and Lynda Warshauer; 5. Jolie and Robert Shelton; 6. Dr. Isidore Cohn, Director Emeritus E. John Bullard and Marianne Cohn; 7. Bill Hines, NOMA Board of Trustees President Cammie Mayer and Tommy Westervelt; 8. Decor sponsor Jude Swenson with Wendi and Michael Grosch; 9. Bill and June McArdle, Kay McArdle and Joe Handlin. Photography by Judy Cooper and Grace Wilson.

January February March 2012 ●

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Arts 25

2

1

4

3

5 7

6

8

Love in the Garden: 1. Meredith Maxwell, Annie Flettrich (Love in the Garden Co-Chair), Mike Mann, Katie Hardin, Jennifer Shelnutt (Love in the Garden Co-Chair); 2. Jermaine and Tameka Reynolds; 3. Walda & Sydney Besthoff with Kimberly Zibilich (NOMA Volunteer Chair); 4. Julie Silvers and Steven Forster. 5. Love in the Garden honored artists Julie Silvers, Mari De Pedro, Andy Brott, NOMA director Susan M. Taylor, Ayo Scott, and Kathleen Loe; 6. Kay McArdle, Dagney Jochem, Stephanie Rogers, Bernice Daigle and Glendy Forster; 7. Paul Leaman, Sydney Besthoff and E. John Bullard; 8. Paolo Meozzi, Cammie Mayer and Susan M. Taylor; Photography by Judy Cooper and Grace Wilson.

In Memoriam: Eugenie Jones Huger (1932 – 2011)

E

ugenie Jones

Southern Art, and the New Orleans Botanical

Huger, an

Garden.

honorary life

Friends remember her cheerful, amiable

trustee of NOMA,

disposition and her unwavering loyalty when the

passed away after a

museum needed help the most. When there was no

long illness on May 7,

one left to answer the phones after Hurricane

2011. Mrs. Huger was a

Katrina, Mrs. Huger volunteered to do the job, and

longtime supporter of

served as NOMA’s receptionist.

NOMA and the New Orleans art community.

Mrs. Huger held a Bachelor of Arts from

Mrs. Huger, who displayed a passion for African and contemporary art, was also a donor to our recent exhibition, NOMA 100: Gifts for the Second Century.

Newcomb College and a Master of Liberal Arts from

Her gift, Ekpo Society Gong, created by the Eket

Tulane University. In addition to her service at

Peoples of Nigeria, is a remarkable addition to the

NOMA, Mrs. Huger also volunteered at the

museum’s African holdings, and serves as a daily

Contemporary Art Center, the Ogden Museum of

reminder of her devotion to this institution.

26 Arts

January February March 2012 ●

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PROFILES IN GIVING A Tribute to Mrs. Dorothy “Becky” Beckemeyer Skau

T

he New Orleans Museum of Art has been a recipient of Dorothy “Becky” Skau’s generosity for decades. Mrs. Skau, an

established supporter of the arts, contributed to numerous local organizations, including NOMA, the New Orleans Opera Guild, The Louisiana Historical Society, Friends of Longue Vue Gardens, the Historic New Orleans Collection, Tulane Women’s Photograph by Judy Cooper

Association, Friends of Newcomb College, the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, Friends of the Cabildo, and the Guild of La Petit Theatre de Vieux Carre.

A lifelong resident of New Orleans, Mrs. Skau graduated from Newcomb College, Phi Beta Kappa, and obtained a master’s degree in Library Science from Louisiana State University. She pursued postgraduate studies at Tulane University. Until she

by the Korean artist Do Ho Suh. This sculpture will

retired, she was a librarian at the Southern Regional

be placed in the Sydney and Walda Besthoff

Research Center Library of the United States

Sculpture Garden in the spring of 2012 and will bear

Department of Agriculture, a library she helped

Mrs. Skau’s name on the dedication plaque. At a

establish. She was past president of the Louisiana

height of 23 feet and created out of brushed stainless

Chapter of the Special Libraries Association (SLA)

steel, Karma—NOMA’s first example of

and served on the board of directors of the national

contemporary Korean art—will have a striking

SLA. Mrs. Skau was also a member of the American

impact on the Garden’s landscape, and will enhance

Library Association, past president of the Louisiana

the museum’s sculpture collection. We are grateful

Library Association, assistant editor of the LLA

for Mrs. Skau’s support, which has now spanned

Bulletin, and was past president of the Greater New

over 25 years. NOMA is pleased to accept this

Orleans Library Club. Despite being very active in

transformative gift on the eve of NOMA’s second

library studies, Mrs. Skau remained a devoted

century, where it can be enjoyed in the Sydney and

sponsor of the arts, and always found ways to

Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden for generations to

contribute to NOMA and other members of the New

come.

Orleans arts community.

Editor’s note: In the last issue of AQ, we attributed

Mrs. Skau has been an active NOMA fellow since

the gift of Do Ho Suh’s Karma to Sydney and Walda

1985 and has generously bequeathed funds to

Besthoff. Mrs. Skau’s bequest came after that publication,

NOMA for the purchase of a sculpture. Her gift will

and since then, the Besthoffs have agreed to designate their

be used to purchase Karma, 2011 (pictured), a work

gift towards NOMA’s endowment campaign instead.

CHA R ITA BLE GIFTS to NOMA

Arts

Make a lasting contribution to the museum with a gift of cash, stock, real estate, or other assets.

Such gifts may allow for significant tax savings. For more information, please call (504) 658-4107.

NOMA FA MILY James Bernard Byrnes, 1917 – 2011

N

OMA is deeply

the first Odyssey Ball was initiated. Other major

saddened to learn of

exhibitions he organized for NOMA with published

the passing of Jim

catalogues are New Orleans Collects (1972), The Arts of

Byrnes, the third director of

Ancient and Modern Latin America (1968), Early

this institution. He left an

Masters of Modern Art (1968), Edgar Degas: His Family

indelible mark during his

and Friends in New Orleans (1965) and Fetes de la

eleven-year tenure (1961 –

Palette: Delights of the Bountiful Table (1963).

1972), including the name

Through his efforts there was a substantial

change in 1971 from the Isaac

increase in the size and quality of the permanent

Delgado Museum of Art to the

collection, including the creation of the Arts of the

New Orleans Museum of Art.

Americas collection as a focus and the

In 1989 he was conferred the

unprecedented purchase of the Edgar Degas portrait

honorary title of Director

of New Orleanian Estelle Musson Degas. This

Emeritus in appreciation of his

milestone purchase inspired the Ella West Freeman

distinguished services to the museum.

Byrnes was born in New York City on February

Fund to propose in 1968 a matching fund for art acquisitions for the permanent collection. Purchases

19, 1917. His studied art at the National Academy of

made using those funds during Byrnes’s tenure

Design, the Art Students League and American

include Marinus van Reymerswaele’s The Lawyer’s

Artists School in New York and at the University of

Table, Baron Antoine-Jean Gros’s Pest House at Jaffe,

Perugia and Istituto Meschini in Rome, Italy. Prior to

Gustave Courbet’s Rocky Landscape, Richard Clague’s

coming to New Orleans, Byrnes was director of both

Spring Hill and Robert Henri’s Blue Kimono, as well as

the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center and the North

major works from the Olmec, Maya and Zapotec pre-

Carolina Museum of Art. After NOMA he served as

Columbian cultures and the African Yoruba

director of the Newport Harbor Art Museum.

masterpiece, Mounted Warrior Veranda Post.

His numerous accomplishments while at NOMA

Notable gifts to the collection during his tenure

helped define the institution it is today. The size of

are the comprehensive Melvin P. Billups Glass

the museum’s facility expanded threefold with the

Collection, The Paul Gauguin painted glass doors,

addition in 1971 of the Edward Wisner Wing, the

August Rodin’s Age of Bronze, Francesco Guardi’s

Stern Auditorium and the City Wing, including the

Esther at the Throne of Ahasuerus, Kees van Dongen’s

Ella West Freeman Galleries and the second floor

Woman in a Green Hat, Henri Matisse’s Jazz portfolio

permanent collection galleries. The formation of the

and Jean Hyacinthe Laclotte’s The Battle of New

Women’s Volunteer Committee (now the NOMA

Orleans.

Volunteer Committee) in 1965 was the result of his

As a result of the museum’s expansion and other

trailblazing public art auction. To inaugurate his 1966

organizational changes during Byrnes’s tenure, it

exhibition of the private collection of Mr. and Mrs.

was one of the first in the nation to be accredited by

Frederick M. Stafford, Odyssey of an Art Collector,

the American Association of Museums.

28 Arts

January February March 2012 ●

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Boar d of TRUSTEES William D. Aaron Jr. Justin T. Augustine III Mrs. John Bertuzzi Sydney Besthoff III Dr. Siddharth K. Bhansali Susan Brennan Kia Silverman Brown Robin Burgess Blanchard Daryl Byrd Mrs. Mark Carey Edgar L. Chase III Tommy Coleman Collette Creppell Leonard Davis David F. Edwards H. M. “Tim” Favrot Jr. Mrs. Ludovico Feoli John Fraiche Timothy Francis Julie Livaudais George Susan G. Guidry, Councilmember District “A” Terence Hall Lee Hampton Stephen A. Hansel Adrea D. Heebe

Ms. Allison Kendrick Mayor Mitch Landrieu Mrs. Merritt Lane E. Ralph Lupin, MD Paul J. Masinter Mrs. Charles B. Mayer Ms. Kay McArdle Mrs. R. King Milling Michael D. Moffitt Mrs. Michael D. Moffitt Howard J. Osofsky, MD, PhD Mrs. James J. Reiss Jr. Mrs. George Rodrigue Donna P. Rosen Brian Schneider Mrs. Jolie L. Shelton Kitty Duncan Sherrill Mike Siegel Mrs. Lynes Sloss E. Alexandra Stafford Mrs. Richard L. Strub Robert Taylor Suzanne Thomas Brent Wood Mrs. Kimberly Zibilich

H onorar y Life TRUSTEES

H. Russell Albright, MD Mrs. Jack R. Aron Mrs. Edgar L. Chase Jr. Isidore Cohn Jr., MD Prescott N. Dunbar S. Stewart Farnet Sandra Draughn Freeman Kurt A. Gitter, MD Mrs. H. Lloyd Hawkins Mrs. Erik Johnsen Richard W. Levy, MD J. Thomas Lewis Mrs. Paula L. Maher

Mrs. J. Frederick Muller Mrs. Robert Nims Mrs. Charles S. Reily Jr. Mrs. Françoise Billion Richardson R. Randolph Richmond Jr. Mrs. Frederick M. Stafford Harry C. Stahel Mrs. Moise S. Steeg Jr. Mrs. Harold H. Stream Mrs. James L. Taylor Mrs. John N. Weinstock

SUPPORT ACKNOWLEDGMENT The programs of the New Orleans Museum of Art are supported by grants from the Louisiana State Arts Council through the Louisiana Division of the Arts, the Arts Council of New Orleans, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

MUSEUM HOURS The museum is open Tuesday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Closed Monday and all legal holidays.

The Besthoff Sculpture Garden is open every day, 10 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., except Fridays, when it is open until 8:45 p.m. For information on upcoming exhibitions and events at NOMA, please call (504) 658-4100 or visit our website at www.noma.org.

Cover Image: Gustave Doré French, 1832-1883 The Matterhorn, 1873 (detail) Oil on canvas Museum Purchase: Deaccession Art Fund, 2011.25

Taylor Murrow Aisha Champagne P R I N T I N G : DocuMart EDITOR:

Nat ional TRUSTEES Joseph Baillio Mrs. Carmel Cohen Mrs. Mason Granger Jerry Heymann Herbert Kaufman, MD

Mrs. James Pierce Debra B. Shriver Mrs. Henry H. Weldon Mrs. Billie Milam Weisman

ART DIRECTOR:

Arts Quarterly (ISSN 0740-9214) is published by the New Orleans Museum of Art, 1 Collins Diboll Circle, New Orleans, LA 70124. © 2012, New Orleans Museum of Art. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced or reprinted without permission of the publisher.

Arts

NON-PROFIT ORG. US POSTAGE PAID NEW ORLEANS PERMIT #108

P. O. Box 19123 New Orleans, LA 70179-0123

NOW

AVA I L A B L E I N T H E

MUSEUM SHOP NOMA announces its newest publication, The Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden at the New Orleans Museum of Art, published by SCALA Publishers as part of their internationally distributed Artspaces series. Authored by Miranda Lash, curator of modern and contemporary art, this “miniguide” explores the history of this awardwinning sculpture garden and highlights works from its superb collection.

64 color pages, $7.95

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