• Past Shows

    Contemporary Arts Center

    Closing Reception: 2021 "SOLOS" Exhibition

    September 25, 2021
    Join us for the Closing Reception of our 2021 "SOLOS" Exhibition at the CAC! Admission is free with RSVP required, as capacity is imited. RSVP Now Proof of vaccination or negative COVID test is required for admission. Mask-wearing is required when not actively eating or drinking. Exhibitions on View "Finding Home Through Textiles" by Keysha Rivera "Finding Home Through Textiles" draws from memory, race, personal history, migration, and Puerto Rican cultural identity within the United States. Through photographs, installations, and videos, Finding Home Through Textiles constructs a visual story of a family legacy that is inherently anti-colonial by its existence. Extracting from her family's choice of documentation: photography, she connects the past and Puerto Rican futurism. "Point Nemo Full of Mermaid Tears Hallowed Be thy Name" by J Knoblach How is time/ Who is space/ Why is the body// Enjoy these masses/ Their volume near your own// Consecrated waste/ Behold// Is the house of Muses drowning/ Who cares?// Who sold us see-through/ But then blamed & said confess// Use your nurdle rosary/ Blush away your blasphemy// Point Nemo/ Is around the corner// Primary colors/ Primary industries/ Petrochemical corridor// Purified// Magdalene was crucified/ Jesus was tr*ns/ God swallowed the world// "Debt." by kai barrow "More Yolks, Less Folks" by Ellen Bull "More Yolks, Less Folks" is a personal investigation of this past year and the witnessing of our communities and ourselves as finely interwoven tapestries, able to hold sadness, fear, relief, and grace simultaneously. Through mixed media instillations, textiles, and film, I have been exploring my sense of isolation, honoring the fragile space for holding hope, finding a sense of abundance despite scarcity fearmongering, and working to create joy where I can. ABOUT CAC ARTIST RESIDENCIES The CAC’s Artist Residencies are an annual, application-based program offering time, space, resources, and professional...
    Contemporary Arts Center

    "SOLOS:" Exhibitions of New Works by CAC Visual Artists-in-Residence

    Experience new, bold works of visual art created by the CAC's 2021 Visual Artists-in-Residence in our annual month-long exhibition. The CAC is excited to present "SOLOS," featuring new works by the 2021 visual artists-in-residence kai barrow, Ellen Bull, J Knoblach, and Keysha Rivera.

    Access to this exhibition is automatically included ... Read more

    Contemporary Arts Center

    SOLOS: Exhibitions and New Work Showcases by CAC Visual Artists-in-Residence

    The CAC is excited to present SOLOS: Exhibitions and New Work Showcases by CAC Visual Artists-in-Residence. The CAC's Artist Residency program supports New Orleans performing and visual artists with studio time, exhibition and performance opportunities, alongside technical and curatorial support the creation of new, interdisciplinary work.

    In the Fall of 2020, visual ... Read more

    Contemporary Arts Center

    CANCELLED - Meg Turner Tintype Portrait Shoot #2

    March 22, 2020
    HEALTH & SAFETY UPDATE: Following the direction of our city and state health officials, Meg Turner's Tintype Portrait Shoot #2, scheduled for March 22 at the CAC, has been cancelled. The Contemporary Arts Center remains open while we closely monitor the latest developments by officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) regarding the COVID-19 Novel Coronavirus. Read our Health & Safety Update here. ---- Ever wish your portrait was on the walls of a gallery? On Sunday, March 22nd, New Orleans-based artist Meg Turner is seeking community members like you to be a part of her exhibition on view at the CAC: MEG TURNER: HERE AND NOW ! Meg will create new tintype photographs on-site at the CAC with all who wish to pose inside her utopic roadside stand located in the CAC's second floor gallery. Creating a physical artifact of a future fantasy, participants will collaborate in making new tintype works that will be displayed inside the HERE AND NOW exhibition for the remainder of the show's run, through April 12, 2020. Participation is free and open to the public, with subjects shot on a first-come first-served basis. Don't miss this opportunity to be a part of an art exhibition! Each tintype shooting session will take place inside the MEG TURNER: HERE AND NOW exhibition in the CAC's second floor gallery, with the exterior view of installation as the backdrop. The gallery will be open for visitors during the shoot. The process of shooting tintypes takes approximately 20 minutes per subject. WHAT IS A TINTYPE? Also known as wet-plate collodion, tintype is a photographic process dating from 1853 using thin metal plates, collodion and silver nitrate. While not the first process of photography invented it was the first to gain enormous popularity and succeeded in democratizing...
    Contemporary Arts Center

    RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW: A Queer Punk Show at the CAC

    February 9, 2020
    On Sunday, February 9, the CAC and New Orleans-based artist Meg Turner invite you join us for RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW: A Queer Punk Show at the CAC! The event will bring together top punk bands from the New Orleans area, including Special Interest, Softie, Joie, and Vile Bodies! The show will take place from 5 to 8:30 pm at the CAC's MEG TURNER: HERE AND NOW exhibition, located inside our second floor gallery space. We also encourage you to get informed and organized with an appearance by The People's Assembly, a local activist group, who will talk about their current initiatives and ways that you can get involved. Admission is $5 to $15 (sliding scale) with all proceeds going to the bands. Tickets will be available on-site outside the CAC's 2nd Floor Gallery. A cash bar will be available, courtesy of resident cafe pop-up La Vie En Rose Cafe Stay tuned for a full band line-up and schedule, coming soon!
    Contemporary Arts Center

    Meg Turner Tintype Portrait Shoot

    February 2, 2020
    NOTE: This event has been rescheduled to Sunday, February 2, 2020. Ever wish your portrait was on the walls of a gallery? On Sunday, January 26, New Orleans-based artist Meg Turner will provide the opportunity for community members like you to be a part of her exhibition on view at the CAC: MEG TURNER: HERE AND NOW. Meg will create new tintype photographs on-site at the CAC with all who wish to pose inside her utopic roadside stand located in the CAC's second floor gallery. Creating a physical artifact of a future fantasy, participants will collaborate in making new tintype works that will be displayed inside the HERE AND NOW exhibition for the remainder of the show until April 12. Participation is free and open to the public, with subjects shot on a first-come first-served basis. Don't miss this opportunity to be a part of an art exhibition! Each tintype shooting session will take place inside the MEG TURNER: HERE AND NOW exhibition in the CAC's second floor gallery, with the exterior view of installation as the backdrop. The gallery will be open for visitors during the shoot. The process of shooting tintypes takes approximately 20 minutes per subject. What is a tintype? Also known as wet-plate collodion, tintype is a photographic process dating from 1853 using thin metal plates, collodion and silver nitrate. While not the first process of photography invented it was the first to gain enormous popularity and succeeded in democratizing the idea of having a formal portrait. (previously reserved for those with means to commission a painting) Processed immediately, the process continued as a novelty attraction available at carnivals, boardwalks and roadside stands into the 1930’s.
    Contemporary Arts Center

    AKOSUA ADOMA OWUSU: WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE

    Akosua Adoma Owusu is a Ghanian-American filmmaker, producer, and cinematographer whose films and installations address the collision of identities. Often combing personal ethnography and cultural representations of beauty in her work, Owusu transitions between avant-garde cinema, fine art, and African tradition. Her work ranges with its varied use of archival ... Read more

    Contemporary Arts Center

    2019 SEASON OPENING NIGHT

    November 2, 2019
    You're Invited! On Saturday, November 2, please join us for the CAC's 2019 season opening reception celebrating the debut of five exhibitions that will examine the reclamation of identity, Black femininity, queer and chosen love, and the 10th Anniversary of New Orleans Airlift! This event is FREE & OPEN to the public. The five CAC exhibitions that will open November 2 include: MICKALENE THOMAS: FEMMES NOIRES (The Helis Foundation First Floor Galleries) FEMMES FEROCES: MATERIAL LIFE X FEMMES NOIRES (Oval Gallery and CAC Cafe) AKOSUA ADOMA OWUSU: WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE (Second Floor Galleries) MEG TURNER: HERE AND NOW (Second Floor Galleries) NEW ORLEANS AIRLIFT: FROM NEW WATER MUSIC (Atrium) Explore each of these exhibitions by visiting the links at the bottom of this page! Music by DJ Felice Gee Born in Brooklyn and inspired by New Orleans, Felicia Gee curates sound waves fine-tuned specifically as a form of meditation and celebration. Expect African Diasporic sounds from every era, introduced through emphasis on drum-beats and storytelling! Late Night Bites by La Vie En Rose Cafe La Vie En Rose Cafe will be on site offering tasty options from their menu, including creole gumbo, vegan red beans, and sweet treats including macaroons and pastries. Make Us Your Center! Opening Night is the perfect time to join the CAC! Get the most out of this season by receiving complimentary admission year-round to CAC visual arts exhibitions, receive exclusive discounts to CAC performances, share guest passes with your friends and family, take advantage of priority seating, and more! Talk to our Member Services team at the front desk or join online today.

    PhotoNOLA | Keith Calhoun and Chandra McCormick: Labor Studies

    December 14, 2018
    Living and working in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans, Keith Calhoun and Chandra McCormick have documented the city and its people for forty years. This comprehensive exhibition will present their photographs of laboring communities including the last sugar cane and sweet potato harvesters, unionized dockworkers, musician day laborers, hospitality and restaurant workers, domestic caretakers and one of the largest workforces in the state of Louisiana, the inmates of the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola. This will be the first exhibition to present Calhoun and McCormick’s extensive documentation of the city’s changing labor force. On Friday, December 14 there will be gallery talk & exhibition walk through with the artists, Keith Calhoun and Chandra McCormick, and Andrea Andersson, the CAC’s Chief Curator of Visual Arts. This event is free and open to the public. Please mention PhotoNOLA at front desk to be given access to the second floor galleries free of charge. ABOUT THE ARTISTS Keith Calhoun and Chandra McCormick were born and raised in the lower ninth ward of New Orleans, Louisiana. As husband and wife team, they have been documenting Louisiana and its people for more than 40 years. Calhoun and McCormick have documented the soul of New Orleans and a vanishing Louisiana: the last of the sugar cane workers, the dockworkers, the sweet potato harvesters, and the displacement of African Americans after Katrina. In New Orleans, they have documented the music culture, which consists of Brass Bands, Jazz Funerals, Social and Pleasure Clubs, Benevolent Societies, and the Black Mardi Gras Indians. They photograph the traditions of black church services and religious rituals; community rites and celebrations, such as parades, and jazz funerals; and the cruel conditions of the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, a former slave-breeding plantation named for the African nation from which “the most profitable”...