• Upcoming

    Contemporary Arts Center

    FEMMES FÉROCES: MATERIAL LIFE X FEMMES NOIRES

    November 2, 2019 to June 14, 2020

    A collaborative pop-up between Material Life and Mickalene Thomas, Femmes Féroces celebrates the creativity and originality of our collective community of femmes noires—who, borrowing from the 100 Black Females Project, we define as “…all who express and identify themselves as a woman, girl, femme, female, trans, queen on any day or... Read more →

    Past Shows

    Hancock Whitney and Contemporary Arts Center

    Hancock Whitney White Linen Night 25

    August 3, 2019
    Hancock Whitney White Linen Night Turns 25! Event Information Saturday, August 3, 2019 300 - 700 blocks of Julia Street and throughout the Arts District New Orleans FREE & open to the public Rain or shine For complete event details, visit our dedicated mini-site, here! This year the Contemporary Arts Center and title sponsor Hancock Whitney commemorate 25 years of experiencing art, building community, and celebrating culture in the Arts District New Orleans on August 3, 2019! Hancock Whitney White Linen Night is an annual outdoor celebration of art and artists in the Arts District New Orleans, featuring gallery openings, public art displays, food vendors, and much more! Proceeds from the event support the Contemporary Arts Center. Art in Focus: Celebrating 25 Years of Hancock Whitney White Linen Night and the Arts District New Orleans Thursday, August 1 6pm - 8pm at the CAC In anticipation of the 25th anniversary of Hancock Whitney White Linen Night, you are invited to join us for a special reception honoring the legacy of gallery owner Arthur Roger and the support of art collector and actress CCH Pounder on Thursday, August 1 at the CAC! Our expert panel will also explore the impact of 25 years of White Linen Night on art, collecting, and our local economy and community. Admission is free and open to the public. ART TALK: Past, Present, & Future: White Linen Night as Creative Placemaking CAC Black Box Theater | 6:30pm Panelists include Dr. Jordan Amirkhani, Curator, American University; Demond Melancon, Artist; Jeanne Nathan, Moderator, Creative Alliance of New Orleans; CCH Pounder, Art Collector; Arthur Roger, Arthur Roger Gallery; Regina Scully, Artist; and Kurt Weigle, President & CEO, Downtown Development District. Artful Awards CAC Atrium | 7:30 pm Julia Street Block Party 5:30pm - 9:30pm | 300 - 700 blocks...

    Second Thursday at the CAC

    April 11, 2019
    Second Thursday at the CAC We invite you to join us for Second Thursdays, our free, open to all, monthly celebratory event during which we welcome you to see our exhibition, Hinge Pictures: Eight Women Artists Occupy the Third Dimension. Join us on this Second Thursday for an evening of celebration, socializing, and programming designed to enhance your appreciation of contemporary art and artists. Free and Open to All Cash Bar Open All Night Music by DJ h3LLnah h3LLnah is a gender-non-conforming DJ reigning from New Orleans. They keep the clubs poppin’ with femme-centered sets and carefully-curated reimaginations of classic hits. Galleries on View, 6-9pm Immerse yourself in our visual art exhibition, Hinge Pictures: Eight Women Artists Occupy the Third Dimension, a demonstration of formal innovation and social liberation across two floors of the CAC. Women and Freedom– 6:30pm-7:00pm, Atrium Join Laura Blereau (Coordinator of Academic Programs at the Newcomb Museum) as she moderates a conversation with Kathy Randels (Co-director of The Graduates), Fox Rich and Dolfinette Martin (about the powerful story behind The Graduates’ The Life Quilt , on view in Per(sister) at the Newcomb Museum until July 6. Using our Hinge Pictures show as a platform to highlight women’s issues, they will speak on issues having to do with women and incarceration. The Graduates is a performance ensemble comprised of former members of the Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women (LCIW) Drama Club. Girl’s Night in with Nasty Woman, the Game -- 7:30-8:30pm, Rehearsal Hall Fight the patriarchy with us, get all those intense and valid feminist emotions out with Amanda Brinkman (CEO and Co-founder of Shrill Society) as she leads us in a rowdy game of Nasty Woman: A Game For Every Feminist. Nasty Woman is Amanda’s game where saying what you really think is the whole point!...

    Hinge Pictures: Eight Women Artists Occupy the Third Dimension

     

    Hinge Pictures: Eight Women Artists Occupy the Third Dimension is an exhibition in eight-parts, a confrontation with the patrimony of European modernism in the practices of eight leading women artists: Sarah Crowner, Julia Dault, Leslie Hewitt, Tomashi Jackson, Erin Shirreff, Ulla von Brandenburg, Adriana Varejão, and Claudia Wieser.

    Across eight ... Read more

    SweetArts 2019 | Made With Love

    February 9, 2019
    The Contemporary Arts Center (CAC) invites you to join us at SweetArts 2019 on Saturday, February 9, 2019. SweetArts is the CAC’s premier annual gala, supporting our mission to present diverse and exciting multidisciplinary contemporary arts programming including visual arts, performing arts, and educational and public programs. SWEETARTS 2019 EVENTS SweetArts Honorees/Patron Party Saturday, February 9, 2019, 6:30 - 8pm The Black Box Theater at the Contemporary Arts Center Recognition and remarks by honorees with cocktail and hors d'oeuvres and live entertainment in the beautifully- transformed Black Box Theater SweetArts Gala Saturday, February 9, 2019, 8-10pm CAC Atrium, Galleries on 1st and 2nd Floors An evening of contemporary art experiences and craft celebrations throughout the CAC's Besthoff Building, with cuisine and cocktails from local restaurants. a contemporary art auction and last chance to view fall exhibitions in the CAC galleries. Music provided by DJ Otto and DJ Heelturn . SweetArts Late Night Party Saturday, February 9, 2019, 10pm - Midnight CAC Warehouse Join us in the CAC Warehouse as the party continues with chillwave DJ pioneer, Washed Out , late night eats, cocktails, and other after hours fun! SWEETARTS 2019 HONOREES Arts Education Cameron - Mitchell Ware Performing Arts Aurora Nealand Philanthropy Dorothy Coleman (in memoriam) Visual Arts Carol Bebelle Honorary Chair Cleo Wade SWEETARTS 2019 COMMITTEE Patron Party and Gala Chairs : Anna & Scott Dunbar Late Night Party Chairs : Leopoldo J. Yanez & Emily Degan Ashley Arnold David Baker Amanda Credeur Carrie Dunbar Sayde Finkel Nurhan Gokturk Caroline Hayes Elizabeth Hyman Marty and Rex Leatherbury Susannah Lipsey Maggie Mentz Natalie Nagim Judith Young Oudt Gregg Porter Hayden Reilly Staci Rosenberg Shelby Sanderford Kendall Winingder and Patrick Schindler Robyn Dunn Schwartz Aimée and Mike Siegel Jourdan Tyler Gretchen Wheaton SWEETARTS 2019 LEAD SPONSORS Valerie Besthoff Dian Wininger Degan,...

    VIRTUOSO - A Paderewski Musical Project

    November 28, 2018
    The Adam Mickiewicz Institute in conjunction with the University of New Orleans and the Contemporary Arts Center present the first act of "Virtuoso" a new musical inspired by the life on famed Polish pianist, composer and statesmen Ignacy Paderewski. This new musical melds rock, R&B, and gospel with classical compositions by Paderewski, Chopin and Beethoven to tell the story of a man who was truly a rock star of his time. Written by Matthew Hardy, Directed by Laura Hope, Music Direction by Natalie True and Produced by Lauren Turner. Featuring: Hedrick Deshotel, Shelby Duhe, Polanco Jones Jr., Ann Lengel, April Louise, Kathleen Moore, Ray Proctor, Kris Watkins, Lexi Wedll and a rocking five piece band. This project has been commissioned by The Adam Mickiewicz Institute in collaboration with the following Institutions:UCLA TFT, USC School of Dramatic Arts, Ghost Road Company, Playwrights' Arena, Wang Music International, CAC New Orleans, UNO, Tricklock Company, UNM, Tisch School of the Arts, Philadelphia Theatre Company, MASS MoCA, The Consulate General of Poland in Los Angeles, The Polish Cultural Institute in New York as part of the international cultural program POLSKA100 accompanying Poland's Centenary of regaining independence. Co-financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland as part of the multi-annual program NIEPODLEGŁA 2017-2022.

    NOLA Nerdlesque

    November 16, 2018
    NOLA Nerdlesque is a two day performance festival. We'll be bringing burlesque performers from all across the country to the Big Easy to celebrate and satirize our favorite pop culture and nerdy properties. The festival will also include workshops and parties for performers and a few lucky VIPs.

    Mélange Dance Company presents La Résistance at the CAC

    November 9, 2018 to November 11, 2018
    La Résistance , an energetic tribute to people power, demonstrates how one generation’s radicalized ideas become the following’s common sense in an evolving venture through the ages of resistance. From the civil rights movement, to women’s liberation, and the Stonewall riots which led to our first Pride Festival, we portray the spirit of revolution and the raw emotions that are faced in awakening and effectively organizing for change. We explore landmark rulings that brought margins to mainstream, and the largest grassroots resistance yet, the 2017 Women’s March, demanding justice for all, including earth. “Sea levels are rising, and so are we.” La Résistance encourages the next generation's rising voices, culminating in an uplifting finale celebrating the strength in diversity to realize that we can all be heroes.

    Second Thursdays at the CAC

    November 8, 2018
    Join us on the Second Thursday of each month for an evening of programs designed to enhance your appreciation of contemporary art and artists. Free and open to all, CAC Members receive a complimentary drink at the bar from 6pm-9pm. Music: DJ All True Food Truck: Afrodisiac Gallery Tour and Talk – 6pm-7pm, Second Floor Gallery Join artists Keith Calhoun and Chandra McCormick alongside Jennifer Williams , Youth & Family Programs Manager at NOMA, for a gallery tour and talk of the current exhibition Labor Studies . Hands-On – 6pm-8pm, Lobby Writer and artist Cubs the Poet asks participants to meditate on the question: What kind of work would you do if money or value did not exist? Panel Conversation – 7pm-8:30pm, Atrium This panel discussion presents current and historical models for winning equity and security for cultural workers. Zarouhie Abdalian (Artist), Dena Beard (The Lab), Renard Bridgewater (Music And Culture Coalition of New Orleans), and Toni Jones (New Orleans Hospitality Workers Committee) come together to consider the broader politico-economic role of the art worker in the system of capitalist production and what possibilities or pitfalls follow from this class position.

    Zarouhie Abdalian: Production

    After presentations at the Berkeley Museum of Art, LAXART, and the Whitney Biennial, Zarouhie Abdalian returns to her hometown with a solo exhibition.

    Through sound, sculpture, and site-specific installation, Abdalian presents a body of work that deals with the historical and subjective condition of human labor. Mounting a critical response ... Read more

    CAC's Art for Arts' Sake | DOWNTOWN

    October 6, 2018
    Created by the Contemporary Arts Center in 1980, this annual rite of fall has become one of the hottest events of the year for art lovers in and around New Orleans. CAC Art for Arts’ Sake | DOWNTOWN 2018 celebrates three artist collaborations in Southern Crossings: CAC Artist Residencies, with special member benefits and art experiences. 6-9 pm at the CAC Art & Membership Experience • Free Admission | Cash Bar • "Constructing the Break" Closing Reception Raw Fruit (Performance) - multidisciplinary work in development led by KM Dance Project Artistic Director, Kesha McKey and Associate Director Catherine Caldwell. Breaking the Thermometer to Hide the Fever (Performance) - multidisciplinary performance inspired by Radio Haiti-Inter, Haiti's first privately owned Kreyol- speaking radio station; developed by Haitian-American musician Leyla McCalla and director Kiyoko McCrae. Vessels (Performance) - a seven-woman harmonic meditation on the transcendental possibilities of song during the Middle Passage; co-conceived and shaped by Rebecca Mwase and Ron Ragin. • Special Art for Arts' Sake CAC Member Benefits • one free drink at the bar • early seating for Saturday, October 6 Southern Crossings performances 6–9 pm in the Arts District Art Walk: 15 Museums & Galleries Ariodante Gallery , 535 Julia Street Arthur Roger Gallery , 432 Julia Street Beata Sasik Gallery , 541 Julia Street boyd|satellite , 440 Julia Street Brand New Orleans Art Gallery , 646 Tchoupitoulas Street Callan Contemporary , 518 Julia Street Degas Gallery , 604 Julia Street JONATHAN FERRARA GALLERY , 400A Julia Street LeMieux Galleries , 332 Julia Street Martine Chaisson Gallery , 727 Camp Street New Orleans Architecture Foundation , 1000 St. Charles Ave Octavia Art Gallery , 454 Julia Street Ogden Museum of Southern Art , 925 Camp Street Søren Christensen , 400 Julia Street Stella Jones Gallery , 201 Saint Charles Avenue To find out more about the Arts District New Orleans , visit: artsdistrictneworleans.com Participate in our Instagram giveaway by following @ArtsDistrictNewOrleans and be entered to win great prizes from members of ADNO!