Tale of Two Cities Exhibit
New Orleans and Asheville, NC, know a thing or two about disasters, but they also know how to be resilient. The cities' identities have been forged in rough winds and lashing rain. Their local artists are here to seal the cracks and bring together two communities who are stronger because of the storms they have endured.
Making Art Out of Tragedy
The New Orleans Academy of Fine Arts (NOAFA)'s A Tale of Two Cities is testament to this resilience. Working in tandem with Asheville's ArtsvilleUSA and the River Arts District Artists, NOAFA is unveiling this new exhibit on September 13, 2025, a date situated in the middle of Hurricane Katrina's 20th anniversary (August 29, 2025) and Hurricane Helene's first (September 27, 2025).
The passion project of Asheville and New Orleans-based artists, A Tale of Two Cities is a meditation on loss, grief, and tenacity in the wake of natural disasters. Bringing together two very different cities ravaged by the same forces, the exhibition explores a community forged by shared trauma. A community which, in their understanding of one another's pain, may just find healing. The exhibition demonstrates New Orleans and Asheville's artists' commitment to easing their cities' wounds via artistic expression.
The Dawn After the Storm
A Tale of Two Cities will be on view from September 13 until November 8, 2025. In Asheville, there will be an extension of the exhibition that will begin on September 1 at Candler, North Carolina's Ferguson Family YMCA. Both art venues' goal is to restore Asheville's arts community with 100% of proceeds from sales of the artwork going to Asheville-based artists.
Jan Gilbert, Andrew J. Rodgers, and Asheville-based Kenn Kotara are curating the exhibitions with the backing of Asheville's River Arts District Artists President Jeffrey Burroughs and RADA Foundation Executive Director Kim Self Hundertmark.
The New Orleans Academy of Fine Arts is located at 5256 Magazine St. If you are unable to attend in person, there will be a virtual showing on ArsvilleUSA.com, beginning on September 1, 2025 through the end of 2025.
