ESSENCE Festival of Culture NOLA Media Day & Luncheon

The NOLA Media Day & Luncheon, held on Thursday, June 2, 2022 at Dooky Chase Restaurant, was an opportunity for local media to meet with ESSENCE Festival of Culture executives. The luncheon took a deeper look into the festival’s economic impact, local community commitment, talent lineup, and new experiences.

ESSENCE Festival of Culture will be back in New Orleans from June 30 – July 3, 2022 with both in-person and virtual programming for all to experience. The Festival has had an economic impact of over $4 billion on the City of New Orleans and the state of Louisiana over the past 27 years. 

O First Friday: Free Admission for College Students 

On the first Friday of every month, college students can explore the world’s largest collection of Southern art free of charge. The discount is redeemable on-site. Just present your college ID at the Museum’s visitor services desk to See the South!

First Fridays at NOMA: Garden of Earthly Delights

The New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA) is open late night, Friday, June 3, 2022, 6 p.m. – 10 p.m. for an evening packed with musical performances, tours, and special pop-ups.

Participants will meet artists, get creative, and immerse themselves in New Orleans’s creative community. This month’s First Fridays program is heading outside for a night inspired by all that the Besthoff Sculpture Garden has to offer.

Tickets are $30 for General Admission and $15 for Members. Admission to Queen Nefertari’s Egypt is included with the purchase of a ticket. Guests must select a timed ticket when checking out to view this special exhibition. Learn more and buy tickets

Ecos Latinos Presents Geovane Santos Trio with NOLA French Market

Ecos Latinos Series and the New Orleans French Market Corporation are pleased to extend presentations of the Hispanic Heritage Series Weekly Outdoor Lunchtime Concerts every Friday in June, from  11:30 p.m. – 1 p.m. at the Farmers Market, 1100 N. Peters St. 

The June series kicks off with a performance by the Geovance Santos Trio on Friday, June 3, 2022. Currently a local presence in the New Orleans music scene, Geovane Santos, a native Brazilian from the city of Belo Horizonte, is a guitarist, composer, arranger, vocalist, researcher, and educator. Awarded the 2017 Louis Armstrong Foundation Jazz Composer Award through ASCAP in association with the University of New Orleans (UNO). Santos holds a M.A. in Jazz Studies from UNO and is now a Latin American Studies PhD candidate at Tulane University.  

Remaining performances: June 10 - Aquarela, featuring Bruno Elisabetsky, Yusa, Olyvia Li & Fernando Lima. June 17 - Los Super. June 25 - Fermin Ceballos Quartet.

The Gorgeous Offerings: Healing Mind & Body Workshops Facilitated by Mindy Milam

Join Mindy Milam, LCSW, a licensed clinical social worker and certified mind-body medicine practitioner for two workshops offering evidence-based techniques for emotional well-being and nutritional health for those in BIPOC communities. The workshops will be held on Saturday, June 4 and Sunday, June 5, 2022, from 12:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Visit cacno.org for more informaiton.

This is the third program of The Gorgeous Offerings, a series of rituals, sacred spaces, workshops, and gatherings to support healing in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

To RSVP, contact the facilitators directly at requiemforastranger@gmail.com. The venue for the workshops will be shared with individuals after registration and a brief intake process. Space is limited.

Habitat for Humanity Pride Build 

New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity (NOAHH) is hosting its first-ever Pride Build this June. The New Orleans LGBTQ+ community and its allies will partner with NOAHH to build a home for a hard-working New Orleans family and to celebrate New Orleans LGBTQ+ homeowners during Pride Month. 

Pride Build is an official New Orleans Pride event and will take place Saturday, June 4 and Saturday, June 18, 2022 at 1508 Tennessee Avenue in the Lower Ninth Ward. For a full list of New Orleans Pride events, please click here.

Each volunteer will receive a Pride Build t-shirt, hard hat, nail apron, breakfast, lunch and a post-build celebration. Please see here for volunteer fees and registration information: www.habitat-nola.org/pridebuid.

The Sunday Mourning Workshop 

Hidden South Shop is excited to announce its first Sunday Mourning Workshop on June 5, 2022, from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. The Sunday Mourning Workshop is a healing art session in which participants create a one-of-a-kind work of art out of found objects based on an experience or person that they need to grieve.

The morning starts with a brief breathwork session led by therapist Kate Becker and then we’ll begin the process of creating led by Trishell Joffrion. All materials will be provided as will coffee and other drinks.

The workshop will be followed by a community potluck. Attendees will have the opportunity (100% optional) to share what  created and the story behind. For more information and to register, visit thehiddensouth.com

When I Say Poetry You Say Rocks! Intro to Slam Poetry and Arts Integration

Join award-winning poet Regie Cabico on Tuesday, June 7, 2022, from 5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. to break down the fundamentals of the competitive art of performance poetry known as the Poetry Slam, and see how poetry writing can make connections to Science, History, English and current events.

By using improvisation and the virtual chat box, we will create original poems with simple stem structures to allow imagery to bloom on the page and on the stage!

This virtual workshop is free and open to all K–12 teachers, teaching artists, and arts administrators. Register here to receive a link for the workshop.

Applying for Patent Protection Workshop featuring Mark Melasky

Do you have an invention that you’d like to protect, but don’t know where to start? Have you always wanted to learn more about the process? Join patent attorney Mark Melasky of Intellectual Property Consulting on Wednesday, June 8, 2022 at 4 p.m. for The Ella Project's latest free zoom workshop as he discusses:

• What do you need? Patent/Trademark/Copyright?
• How you obtain a patent.
• What to expect during the registration process.
• Patent infringement issues and your duties as a patent owner.
• Deadlines, fees, and how to get help.
• Plus your questions!

This is a hybrid workshop, available either in person (IP Consulting LLC, 400 Poydras St, Suite 1400) or via Zoom. Please RSVP. Email gene@ellanola.org for the Zoom link.

Iron Sharpens Iron Premiere with Panel Discussion

Iron Sharpens Iron, a new documentary directed by independent filmmaker John Richie and produced by the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities (LEH), captures Ironton, Louisiana’s struggles against racism, industrial encroachment, and extreme weather.

The LEH will host a premiere event at The Broad Theater on Wednesday, June 8, at 7 p.m. The event will feature a screening of the film, which runs 27 minutes, followed by a panel discussion about the challenges faced by communities like Ironton across south Louisiana.

The premiere event is open to the public. Tickets are $12, with all proceeds benefitting the community of Ironton, and are now available for purchase at thebroadtheater.com. Refreshments will be available for purchase.

Shotgun House Tour presented by Entablature Design + Build & Entablature Realty

Shotgun houses are a beloved part of New Orleans’ historic architecture, but can they meet the needs of a modern family? On Saturday, June 11 and Sunday, June 12, 2022, the Preservation Resource Center’s Shotgun House Tour, presented by Entablature Design + Build and Entablature Realty, will open the doors to five stunning private shotgun homes, all with smart, innovative renovations that showcase the livability and versatility of the city’s favorite house type.

The annual Shotgun House Tour is a fundraiser for the Preservation Resource Center. Money generated from the event supports the PRC’s Education and Outreach, Advocacy, Revival Grants and other programs that work to preserve New Orleans’ historic architecture, neighborhoods and cultural identity.

Visit prcno.org/event/shotgun-house-tour-2022/ for more information and to purchase tickets. The tour takes place in the Audubon Riverside neighborhood in Uptown New Orleans. Tour headquarters: St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, 600 Eleonore St.

Black Tech NOLA Virtual Tickets Are Now Free

Black Tech NOLA presented by NOLAvate Black will be back June 27–29, 2022, Essence Festival Week, both online and in person at the Westin Hotel New Orleans.

Thanks to a special grant from the New Orleans Tourism and Cultural Fund, virtual attendees from all over the world can hear from industry leaders on the Inclusion Stage, visit virtual booths, watch content on demand, share their resume with recruiters and attend online meetups.

The three-day gathering of technologists will focus on jobs and career pathways in media, film, gaming, design, and music in the tech industry. Main stage talks and panel discussions will be led by tech and cultural trailblazers from T-Mobile, Amazon, NOTCF, JPMorgan & Chase, Excella, Entergy and GNO, Inc along with many other tech companies that will be on the lineup. Black Tech NOLA is the only conference where tech, art and culture collide.

Register for free today. Visit blacktechnola.com for more information.

New Orleans Tourism and Cultural Fund

The mission of the New Orleans Tourism and Cultural Fund (NOTCF) is to support cultural industries and culture bearers of the City of New Orleans through partnerships, grants, and programs to advance sustainable tourism.

Individuals and organizations who align with this mission may be eligible for funding. NOTCF is now accepting applications for the 2022 Grant Cycle.

Visit notcf.com for more info.

Film New Orleans

Film New Orleans is the official permitting agency for filming in the city. If you plan to film in Orleans Parish, please go to www.filmneworleans.org to learn more and to submit an application. 

If you’re interested in working on film productions as a crew member, Film New Orleans in partnership with IATSE 478 sponsors Workforce Training Programs with NOVAC. Head to novacvideo.org to sign up for remote lectures, seminars, and workshops dedicated to teaching the art of filmmaking.