The 13th annual Salon de Jeanne D'Arc, presented by the Joan of Arc Project, will be occurring this year on Saturday, September 16 in advance of the Joan of Arc Parade. This daylong conference will emphasize current day connections to the historical figure, Joan of Arc, provide a window into the medieval practices and culture of her time period, and highlight the ways she ties in New Orleans and French culture.
The event will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and guests are free to come and go as they wish. All of the conferences are free with no registration required. An information table will be stationed outside of the presentation room for attendees to meet Krewe de Jeanne D'Arc members and learn how to get involved with their year-round projects.
Salon de Jeanne D'Arc has been held at Tulane University for five years running, and this year the event will be held at the Rogers Memorial Chapel on campus, which is located at 1229 Broadway St.
The current Joan of Arc Parade 2023 Maid of Honor, Emmeline Meyer, will be presenting this year about her recent trip to Orléans, France, which was sponsored by the New Orleans Rotary Foundation as well as the Orléans, France, Rotary Club. The Orléans, France, Jeanne D'Arc will be welcomed next January along with a group of Orléans representatives who will walk in the New Orleans Joan of Arc Parade.
This coming together of the sister cities New Orleans and Orléans is hoped to become a tradition in the future in order to represent a cultural exchange between the two.
Baton Rouge-based biblical scholar, Stephen Binz, will lead the first of two presentations of the conference that explore the spiritual aspects implicated in Joan of Arc's story. Jaymie Wolf, a Krewe de Jeanne d'Arc board member, will lead the second presentation — about the 9-year Novena that is underway in order to renew faith in France leading up to the 600th anniversary of the death of Joan of Arc.
Another two presentations will showcase previews of the 16th annual Joan of Arc Parade, which will be held on Saturday, January 6, 2024, in downtown New Orleans. There will also be a viewing of the giant dragon puppets created by the Krewe, as well as other props that will be featured in the next parade.
Nathalie Dajko, a Tulane University Anthropology professor and linguist, will be discussing topics she explores in her book titled "French on Shifting Ground" — which discusses the erosion of Southern Louisiana and the cultural implications it has on land and language.
The conference will end with a conversation with artists who participated in the 2022 and 2023 Joan of Art Show contests in order to discuss their work.
More information on upcoming Joan of Arc projects can be found on the Krewe de Jeanne d'Arc website.
