Uptown Messenger (https://uptownmessenger.com/category/arts/page/5/)
A product of the pandemic, the Constantinople Stages free porch concerts are continuing. You can find the porch stage at 1201 Constantinople St., near Coliseum Street. Bring your chairs, drinks, friends and family. And remember to tip the musicians; cash or Venmo is accepted. The following concerts have been scheduled. For updates, visit the Constantinople Stage Facebook page.
The Live Oak Cafe — the epitome of Oak Street’s laid-back, creative vibe — is closing its doors Sunday (May 8) after its Mother’s Day brunch. Announcing the closure on the cafe’s Facebook page, chef and owner Clare Leavy said that the uptick in business during Carnival season was not enough to overcome the losses experienced during the pandemic. “Simply put, we are out of time and options,” Leavy stated. The cafe is known for its fresh, down-home renditions of classic brunch fare with dishes such as Sweet Potato Benedict and its beloved Shrimp & Grits. And every meal at Live Oak has been served with a side of live music.
By Saskia Ozols, guest columnist
The current exhibit by the Renegade Artists Collective, “Off the Beaten Path,” includes an outstanding combination of voices that link symbolism of New Orleans and the Greater Gulf South, through commentary on its history and notes on considerations for the future.
RAC exhibition curators Erin McNutt and Cheryl Anne Grace, both painters themselves, organized the show to include artists of varied genres and professional backgrounds — all currently working in New Orleans and without traditional gallery representation. The exhibit features work by professional mid-career artists along with the works of select students, art majors chosen by a committee from local universities.
Exhibiting new talent with established professionals has been a formula in historic art communities to assure longevity. It both preserves and promotes a healthy, thriving art community. The structure fosters growth and provides a pathway for both artists and collectors to persevere through generations despite otherwise challenging conditions. Cities such as Boston, New York and Philadelphia have long histories of this structure in their most venerated institutions.
This structure is especially important now as visual arts practice, preservation and education are quickly slipping away from public view.
Poydras Home is excited to introduce a new annual three-part speaker series beginning April 14. Poydras Home Conversations will host guest lecturers each spring, summer and fall, representing a wide range of topics. The first free event will be Thursday, April 14, at 5:30 p.m. in the 1857 Hall of Poydras Home, 5354 Magazine St. Poydras Home is excited to launch the series with our inaugural speaker, Debbie Pearson, RN, based on the insights from her best-seller book “Age Your Way: Create a Unique Legacy.”
Experience a practical introduction to life planning that extends patients’ voices when they can no longer speak for themselves. Attendees will receive a complimentary copy of her book and its accompanying workbook, “The Blueprint to Age Your Way: Gather Your information.
A new book by a New Orleans author examines military strategy that can be applied to business success in the civilian world. James P. Farwell’s The Corporate Warrior: Successful Strategies from Military Leaders to Win Your Business Battles was released in early February, a few weeks before Russian invaded Ukraine, drawing many Americans into closely following military maneuvers.
Farwell said the Russian offense against the Ukrainians appears to be poorly organized and lacks a key leader and well-thought-out plan. “The Russian army was not prepared for this fight. Their troops are not well trained, armed or supplied,” he said. Comparing Ukrainians’ struggle against Russia to the Afghani’s struggle against the Taliban, Farwell discussed some intangible strategic assets.
The 2022 Buku Music & Art Festival, a celebration of the progressive subculture of New Orleans, will take place at Mardi Gras World, 1380 Port of New Orleans Place, on Saturday (March 26) and Sunday (March 27) from 1 to 11 p.m.
Residents in the Lower Garden District and Irish Channel may feel the impact of traffic. Parking will be in the Convention Center parking lots. The festival attracts about 20,000 music fans. No street closures are anticipated; however, traffic congestion is expected along Tchoupitoulas Street. Buku organizers have contracted officers assigned to traffic and perimeter detail.
On Saturday (March 26), the Freret Street Festival will take over the popular restaurant and entertainment corridor. The six-block street party features 18 bands music on three stages (see the lineup below). The headliners include Chubby Carrier & the Bayou Swamp Band, Squirrel Queen, Erica Falls and Kermit Ruffins & the BBQ Swingers. Alongside the 46 brick-and-mortar restaurants, bars and shops on Freret, the free festival includes a food court featuring top local chefs and more than 200 arts and crafts vendors. Plus there’s a children’s area with inflatables, a petting zoo, alligator meet and greets, arts and crafts, clowns and stilt walkers.
Masking Indians will gather in Central City this weekend for Super Sunday, a procession and festival celebrating their heritage and culture in a magnificent display of hand-sewn suits, singing, dancing and chanting. Super Sunday is free and open to the public. The festival takes place in and around A.L. Davis Park with food and drink vendors, live music and cultural activities. The procession begins and ends at the park. The Hot 8 Brass Band, Young Pinstripe Brass Band, TBC Brass Band, Rechell Cook, 21st Century Brass Band, Regeneration Band, D.J. Captain Charles, D.J. Jubilee, Keedy Black and the BRW R&B Singing Group will be among the entertainers.
The Renegade Artist Collective will hold the opening night of its second exhibition on Friday (March 18) from 5 to 9 p.m., at The Building, 1427 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd. in Central City. The exhibit is titled “Off the Beaten Track.” The show in March 2020 attracted about 400 art patrons and was considered a huge success. Then all plans were put on hold until now because of the Covid pandemic.
The 14 nationally and internationally known artists that make up the Renegade Artist Collective are all based in Louisiana.
Local writers Fatima Shaik and Michael Tisserand sat down Friday (March 11) to talk about “Hidden History: Black and Creole Influence and Culture in New Orleans” at the New Orleans Book Festival at Tulane University.
Shaik’s book chronicles the history of Black New Orleans through a group of free men-of-color, the Société d’Economie et d’Assistance Mutuelle. “Hidden” is part of the title because this society and its activities were unknown even though the men of the Economic and Mutual Aid Association community were significant figures in the city from the Haitian Revolution in the 1790s to the creation of jazz in the early 20th century. The name “Economy Hall” refers to the Tremé building where the association met and held events. Tisserand is the author of “Krazy: George Herriman, A Life in Black and White,” the acclaimed biography of New Orleans-born illustrator, journalist and cartoonist George Herriman, the creator of “Krazy Kat,” a newspaper comic strip that ran from 1913 to 1944. The book investigates his life navigating — or hiding from — the color line in the early 20th century.
Shaik relates that she and Tisserand discovered many affinities due to their deep research and dedication to unknown New Orleans stories.
