Sing for Hope Pianos New Orleans Exhibition & Ribbon Cutting

Sing for Hope New Orleans held their annual Launch at the New Orleans Jazz Museum on Saturday, March 25th, unveiling 11 pianos painted by local artists. Jon Cleary, Tom McDermott, and the 3rd Degree Jazz band performed live as guests engaged with the new art pieces. The City of New Orleans welcomed back Sing for Hope for its second year during a ribbon cutting and press conference held at City Hall on March 28th.

Part of the global Sing for Hope Pianos initiative, these uniquely colorful piano artworks will be available for anyone and everyone to play, listen to, interact with, and enjoy through April 19th. At the conclusion of their public residency, the Sing for Hope Pianos will be moved to permanent homes in schools and community-based organizations across the greater New Orleans area, where they will inspire lives for years to come.

This year’s Sing for Hope Pianos will feature original artwork designed by New Orleans-based visual artists and will be on temporary display at iconic locations throughout the city: City Hall, New Orleans Jazz Museum, City Park, Audubon Park, Washington Square Park, Royal Street Galleries, Ashé Cultural Arts Center, Clouet Gardens, Hi-Ho Lounge, Flora Gallery & Coffee House, and The Brakeman Hotel.

Visit https://singforhope.org/pianos/new-orleans/ to view the pianos, learn more about the artists, and see the map of public art venues.

Southern University of New Orleans (SUNO) Delegation Travels to Sister City Cape Coast, Ghana

Dr. Haitham Eid, Director of the Master of Arts in Museum Studies Program at SUNO, and a group of Museum Studies graduate students will be traveling to Ghana from March 28th to April 7th to get on-the-ground knowledge of the material studied in their coursework.

The purpose of this trip is to provide students with unique international experiences that allow them to build cross-cultural competency and leadership skills in an increasingly global society and the competitive job market. This is also an opportunity for SUNO and the City of New Orleans to build bridges between New Orleans and Ghana, which can provide even more economic, social, and cultural exchange opportunities. While in Ghana, the SUNO delegation will visit several museums, cultural institutions, and universities, including the Ghana National Museum, the University of Ghana, Elmina Slave Castle Museum, and Cape Coast Slave Castle

The relationship between New Orleans and Cape Coast is rooted in the Transatlantic Slave Trade. In December 2019, in commemoration of the Year of Return, which marked 400 years since the first slave ships left Ghanaian coasts, Mayor Cantrell traveled to Ghana to sign the current Sister City Agreement with Cape Coast.

Ambassador Dina Kawar of Jordan Visits New Orleans

On the afternoon of March 27th, Mayor Cantrell met with Dina Kawar, Ambassador of Jordan, alongside Director of International Relations Rosine Pema Sanga, Director of Cultural Economy Lisa Alexis, and Deputy Director of Arts & Culture Alana Harris.  
 
Madam Mayor and Ambassador Kawar discussed the importance of culture as well as possible ways art-centered initiatives can be implemented in Jordan. As a world-class city, international partnerships will move New Orleans and its people forward on a global scale. 

Volksfest 2023

Join the Deutsches Haus this weekend on Friday, Mar. 31 from 4 p.m. – 10 p.m. and Saturday, Apr. 1 from 11 a.m. – 10 a.m. to celebrate Volksfest 2023!

Volksfest will be a celebration filled with great bands, food, fun, music, Dachshund races, a Maypole dance, wine and schnapps tastings and more!

Entrance to the festival is free for members and one additional guest, $5 for non-members. Tickets are required for the wine and schnapps tasting.

For more information or to purchase tickets please visit deutscheshaus.org.

Rebel Girls and Radical Women Open Mic + Marketplace

Come out on Friday, Mar. 31 from 5 p.m. – 9 p.m. to support and celebrate talented women performers, poets, singers, and storytellers, as they take the stage to share their unique perspectives and experiences.

The marketplace will also feature Women-owned businesses, showcasing their innovative artwork, products, and services. The Open Mix is open to all ages and will commence at 7 p.m. 

To reserve a spot in this open mic or find more information, visit eventbrite.com.

Goat in the Schools is back!

Goat in the road productions is thrilled to be presenting its family-friendly Goat in the Schools shows again this Friday, Mar. 31 as part of the 'Catapalooza' celebration.

Featuring everything from imaginary bunnies to polar-bear-small-business-owners, Goat in the Schools is a series of four short plays written by kids and performed by professional actors.

For more information regarding Catapalooza or Goat in the Schools, visit this Facebook Page.

Get Free Fridays

Get Free Fridays is a new community effort to reduce the barriers to health and wellness in the St. Claude corridor of Bulbancha.

Friday, Mar. 31 is the soft launch, and Dancing Grounds' building will be open to the public for completely free activities: free classes, free plant swaps, free gatherings of movement healing, free food, and free spaces to rest!

Get Free Fridays is inspired by the black radical tradition of resisting capitalism by gathering and offering free resources to the community. Dancing Grounds are emphasizing the importance of mental and physical wellness, involvement in nature, and developing camaraderie in the neighborhood.

There will be three classes on Friday, Mar. 31 alongside four different offerings and activities beginning at 7 a.m. and lasting through 7:30 p.m.

To view the class and activity schedule or find more information, please visit dancingrounds.org.

Undoing Time: Art and Histories of Incarceration Opening Weekend

Undoing Time: Art and Histories of Incarceration considers the foundational roots of confinement from an art historical perspective to better understand that today's mass incarceration crisis is centuries in the making.

The exhibition explores how images throughout time contribute to entrenched cultural beliefs associated with today's carceral system and includes commissioned artworks from nationally acclaimed contemporary artists whose work combines history, research and storytelling in material form.

This weekend features multiple activations surrounding this exhibition. On Friday, Mar. 31 from 6:30 p.m. – 8 p.m. there will be a Vernissage, Member and VIP tour of the exhibition. On Saturday, Apr. 1 from 6 p.m. – 10 p.m. is the First Saturday Opening Celebration. And on Sunday, Apr. 2 there will be an exhibition tour from 12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. followed by a panel discussion beginning at 2 p.m.

To purchase tickets for any of these events or find more information, please visit cacno.org.

Musical Storytime: Maybe Something Beautiful 

City Park and the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra are excited to partner for Musical Storytime on the second Saturday of the month from 10:30 a.m. – 11 a.m. at the Popp Bandstand in NOLA City Park.

Join the fun for an interactive story and musical adventure featuring LPO musicians on Saturday, Apr. 1, 2023.

The musician will play a demo on their instrument, explain a little bit about their instrument and their background, then we'll read the story with musical accompaniment.

For more information please visit lpomusic.com.

Music at the Museum

Taking place at the New Orleans Jazz Museum, Sounds of Freedom is a 60-minute concert presentation which will happen on Thursday, Apr. 6 beginning at 6 p.m.

The concert will feature Composer and LPO Creative Partner Courtney Bryan, Composer Brian Quezergue, Poet Chuck Perkins, two violinists, a viola player, cello player and bassist. 

To purchase tickets or find more information please visit lpomusic.com.

Class Got Brass Competition

The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation announces the 2023 Class Got Brass competition for middle and high school students! The competition takes place on Sunday, Apr. 2 and will be held at the George and Joyce Wein Jazz & Heritage Center.

Louisiana middle and high schools who register for the competition create a New Orleans-style brass ensemble with up to 12 members and compete in a second line-style parade for a select group of celebrity judges.

Winning schools will take home a share of over $50,000 in funding for musical instruments and other supplies. The competition will have both beginner and advanced categories. All competing schools will receive at least a $1,000 stipend towards musical programs.

To see the list of schools competing or find other information, please visit jazzandheritage.org.

NOMA Egg Hunt and Family Festival

The New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA) Egg Hunt and Family Festival is a fun and festive event for families featuring arts & crafts, games, face painting, snacks, drinks, music and more!

The festival takes place on Saturday, Apr. 1 from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. within the picturesque Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden – one of the most popular public spaces in New Orleans.

To purchase tickets for this event or find more information, please visit noma.org.

Louisiana Rainbow Iris Festival

Iris lovers and gardening enthusiasts are invited to the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden for the annual Louisiana Rainbow Iris Festival, presented by NOMA and the Greater New Orleans Iris Society.

The Festival takes place on Sunday, Apr. 2 from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. The festival is free and open to the public.

To find more information please visit noma.org.

Reel Talk: Storming Caesar's Palace

Join the  Ashé Cultural Arts Center on Saturday, Apr. 1 beginning at 6 p.m. for the next Reel Talk screening, Storming Caesar's Palace! 

After losing her job as a hotel worker in Las Vegas, Rub Duncan joined a welfare rights group of mothers who defied notions of the "welfare queen." 

In a fight for guaranteed income, Ruby and other equality activists took on the Nevada mob in organizing a massive protest that shut down Caesars Palace. 

The event is free to attend with an RSVP. To RSVP or find more information, please visit ashenola.org.

New Orleans Youth Poetry Festival

Join the Ashé Cultural Arts Center for the return of the New Orleans Youth Poetry Festival (NOYPF) taking place on Friday, Apr. 14 and Saturday, Apr. 15, 2023!

The NOYPF is a two-day youth storytelling festival at the Ashé Powerhouse Theater that highlights the next generation of spoken word artists, poets, rappers and literary based performers from and in New Orleans. 

This year's festival is headlined by nationally ranked AfroLatinx spoken word artists Gabriel Ramirez on Friday, Apr. 14 at 6:30 p.m. and features the Women of the Word showcase on Saturday, Apr. 15 beginning at 7 p.m. featuring Akilah Toney, Brittney Ree Botts, Ebony Stewart, Jessica Care Moore, Shacondria iCon Sibley, and Sunni Patterson. 

Youth up to 19 years old or anyone currently enrolled in high school, or a similar learning program, can participate in the Youth Slam for the opening night of the Youth Poetry Festival. There are only 12 slots available, so sign up quick! To sign up for the Youth Slam, click here.   To register for any other workshops throughout the festival, click here.

To find more information or sign up for any competitions over the festival's duration, please visit ashenola.org.

Rendez-vous de l’Alliance with Nathalie Dajko

For the April Rendez-vous de l’Alliance, Alliance Française is welcoming author and scholar, Nathalie Dajko on Tuesday, Apr. 4 from 6:30 p.m. – 8 p.m. This event is completely free and open to the public and will be in English. 

Based on decades of fieldwork across Louisiana, this talk will present the development and continued importance of the French spoken in Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes. Descended from both Acadian and non-Acadian varieties, its array of features makes it distinct from other varieties of French worldwide and its speakers' origins immediately identifiable to other Louisiana francophones.

To register for attendance or find more information, please visit af-neworleans.org.

Festinema Junior – Youth Film Festival

Festinema is a film festival organized by the Alliance Française de New Orleans with the support of the Prytania Theater, the coordination of the Alliance Française of the United States and the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in the United States.

Festinema Junior is an annual festival of French-language films created by the network of Alliance Française in the United States for young audiences aged 4 – 18. This event provides an opportunity to encourage the understanding of cultures and social issues through images and cinema. The festival has five objectives: 

• To integrate cinema as an educational tool in the classroom;
• To offer children of all backgrounds and origins the opportunity to see a film in a foreign language in a movie theater;
• To teach young people to think critically about films;
• To introduce young audiences to the cinema of the French-speaking world;
• To encourage synergies between the Alliances Françaises and the networks of schools offering French language training.

To see which screening you or your child would like to attend, or find any information regarding Festinema, please visit af-neworleans.org.

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.

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 2023 Grant Cycle.

Visit notcf.com for more info.