During the thick of the pandemic,
there seemed to have been a renaissance of art. Through art was one of the only
ways people were able to communicate with each other, and one of the only ways
people were able to cope with the situation around them. During a time of such
intensity, mass amounts of people turned to different art forms to express
those emotions. So much new music, paintings, jewelry, photography, films, and
cross sections of each of those came out of the summer of 2020. Through that
creativity, a renaissance of individuality followed. Many people were
discovering a new meaning to gender and sexuality and began expressing it in an
artistic way that created a community of acceptance across social media. From
this experience, it became newly clear how important creative collaboration is
to society. It makes it possible for an artist idea to turn into concrete
change that impacts the world around us. The implication of creative
collaboration fostering important conversations across mass amounts of people
is a message that the New Orleans Community Art Center understands well. The
mission of the CAC is to be a nationally recognized leader in the support of
contemporary arts, encouraging collaborations between artists and communities, which
hopefully results in important discourse.
This fall, the city of New Orleans
can once again see that mission in action. The New Orleans CAC is thrilled to
announce that they are welcoming audiences this season for in person
performances, exhibitions, and artist residencies. Exhibition activities extend
from July to September. Attend the opening night celebration on July 31,
featuring music by Felice Gee. Until September 6, The Gris Gris Lab, an
Afrofuturist Apothecary healing incubator, will feature performances inside the
CAC's Oval Gallery. Other exhibition activities include a virtual studio tour
with artist Veronica Ibargüengoitia. The season will end with a panel
discussion on Behind Healing and Wholeness: Art and Health, featuring artists
and health policy makers.
This season will feature cross
collaborations that place art and social issues into context, such as
incarceration, health, and the environment. Artists, civic leaders, and
impacted communities collationed together to create a space that fosters awareness
and empathy, as well as a greater discourse through art. The program will open
with the annual Open Call exhibition for Gulf South artists entitled "Behind
Every Beautiful Thing: Encountering Bodies, Wrestling with the Human Condition."
This exhibition will discuss very personal health and illness experiences of
artists, echoing the impacts on life, body, and psyche of the individual in
their community.
This is only a snippet of the
fruitfulness of the CAC summer/fall session. For more information about the
schedule, visit the website at cacno.org.
